RedwoodOriginal
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2018
- Runs
- 19,959
- Post of the Week
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Your favorite cricketer's favorite cricketer is a line I was thinking about, and sometimes I think it's players who play the sport a certain way that etch themselves in the memories of fans more than players who have the absolute best numbers, or the more sustained period of success. And it's these players who end up inspiring a generation of kids to become cricketers.
When you think of players like Viv Richards, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Sunil Gavaskar that thought comes to mind.
You like Lara? Well Lara looked up to King Viv. You like Wasim and Waqar? Well, Wasim and Waqar idolized Imran Khan. You like Sachin? Sunny G was Sachin's hero. Sunny G paved the way for Sachin.
I think in years to come AB de Villiers is one player who I feel will have a massive impact on the next generation of players. You already see his fingerprints on the gameplay of modern players like Jos Buttler, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant, Dewald Brevis. Malinga is another one who has inspired alot of fast-bowlers in Sri Lanka and will likely continue to.
So I am interested to hear who your favorite batsman and favorite bowler is? It does not have to be the best player in the world. It can even be a player from a weak team or associate team, just as long as you have a good reasoning.
For me -
Favorite batsman: Aiden Markram
Right from when I first saw him at the 2014 U-19 World Cup, I knew there was something about him. He has always been highly touted as a batting talent inside South African cricket, and you could argue that he hasn't quite delivered when it comes to being on that top level. But I tell you what, when he's in full-flow, he is a joy to watch. Any format. He is the type of player who likes to impose himself on the game, and can be such a dominant player of fast-bowling. And I very much enjoy batsmen taking down fast-bowlers with good batsmanship. His ton against India on that Cape Town minefield last year was one of the finest innings I have seen in recent years, in the most challenging of conditions:
Aiden Markram is the first player to make a century in a Test innings where nobody else scored more than 12.
Previous best in any inns:
G Gooch 91* Eng v NZ The Oval 1978 out of 138-3.
Previous best in all out inns:
G White 73 SA v Eng CT 1906.
And then ofcourse he delivered for South Africa in the WTC Final to win them their first major ICC trophy. So he is a top-class player. I am interested to see where his career goes from here. Hopefully, to the next level.
Favorite bowler: Pat Cummins
From an aesthetic POV, he delivers with that smooth, rhythmic bowling action. From a bowling IQ POV he delivers in spades. And as someone who is a big fan of seam-bowling, he is just the poster-boy for what good seam-bowling should look like. I can't stress the bowling IQ point enough though - he is so good at cutting batsmen up like a surgeon, until he finally cuts through their defenses. If I were a batsman playing him it would feel alot like death by a thousand cuts. And then ofcourse there's his leadership side too. I think what he was able to accomplish with the 2023 World Cup win was nothing short of remarkable. I mean just the innings he played against Afghanistan and the spell he bowled in the final show you what a fine cricketer he is. He is someone I fully expect to end up as one of the modern greats of the game, and certainly one of the most important fast-bowlers to come out of Australia.
What about you guys? Who is your favorite batsman and bowler?
When you think of players like Viv Richards, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Sunil Gavaskar that thought comes to mind.
You like Lara? Well Lara looked up to King Viv. You like Wasim and Waqar? Well, Wasim and Waqar idolized Imran Khan. You like Sachin? Sunny G was Sachin's hero. Sunny G paved the way for Sachin.
I think in years to come AB de Villiers is one player who I feel will have a massive impact on the next generation of players. You already see his fingerprints on the gameplay of modern players like Jos Buttler, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant, Dewald Brevis. Malinga is another one who has inspired alot of fast-bowlers in Sri Lanka and will likely continue to.
So I am interested to hear who your favorite batsman and favorite bowler is? It does not have to be the best player in the world. It can even be a player from a weak team or associate team, just as long as you have a good reasoning.
For me -
Favorite batsman: Aiden Markram
Right from when I first saw him at the 2014 U-19 World Cup, I knew there was something about him. He has always been highly touted as a batting talent inside South African cricket, and you could argue that he hasn't quite delivered when it comes to being on that top level. But I tell you what, when he's in full-flow, he is a joy to watch. Any format. He is the type of player who likes to impose himself on the game, and can be such a dominant player of fast-bowling. And I very much enjoy batsmen taking down fast-bowlers with good batsmanship. His ton against India on that Cape Town minefield last year was one of the finest innings I have seen in recent years, in the most challenging of conditions:
Aiden Markram is the first player to make a century in a Test innings where nobody else scored more than 12.
Previous best in any inns:
G Gooch 91* Eng v NZ The Oval 1978 out of 138-3.
Previous best in all out inns:
G White 73 SA v Eng CT 1906.
And then ofcourse he delivered for South Africa in the WTC Final to win them their first major ICC trophy. So he is a top-class player. I am interested to see where his career goes from here. Hopefully, to the next level.
Favorite bowler: Pat Cummins
From an aesthetic POV, he delivers with that smooth, rhythmic bowling action. From a bowling IQ POV he delivers in spades. And as someone who is a big fan of seam-bowling, he is just the poster-boy for what good seam-bowling should look like. I can't stress the bowling IQ point enough though - he is so good at cutting batsmen up like a surgeon, until he finally cuts through their defenses. If I were a batsman playing him it would feel alot like death by a thousand cuts. And then ofcourse there's his leadership side too. I think what he was able to accomplish with the 2023 World Cup win was nothing short of remarkable. I mean just the innings he played against Afghanistan and the spell he bowled in the final show you what a fine cricketer he is. He is someone I fully expect to end up as one of the modern greats of the game, and certainly one of the most important fast-bowlers to come out of Australia.
What about you guys? Who is your favorite batsman and bowler?
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and I think I always saw a bit of Saeed in Yuvraj also with some improvisation. 
