Who were the greatest batters who averaged under 40 in Test matches?

[Harsh Thakor]

My selection of best batsmen who averaged under 40 in test cricket in order of merit.

1.Victor Trumper
2.Majid Khan
3.Vijay Manjrekar
4.Kim Hughes
5.Asif Iqbal
6.Wasim Raja
7 Derek Randall
8.Keith Miller
9.Mushtaq Muhammad
10.Ian Botham
11.Imran Khan
12=.Kapil Dev. and Sandeep Patil


Trumper was the ultimate genius who overshadowed even Bradman on wet pitches.Majid Khan on his day was in the class of Viv Richards and the best on bad wickets.Vijay Manjrekar was technically classical.Kim Hughes at his best was in the Greg Chappell class playing outstanding knocks against talk major test nations.Asif Iqbal was the ultimate batsmen in a crisis or to bat with the tail.Wasim Raja was the best batting performer in his time against the great West Indies pace quartet.Mushtaq Muhammad performed many a rescue act for his team and even won games.Derek Randell at his best was the ultimate entertainer playing some great classical innings ,against the best pace attacks.Keith Miller was a great batsmen at his best and as entertaining as any batting great..Botham hit the ball harder than anyone and could turn the complexion of game in no time.Imran Khan was an epitome of responsibility and technically correct.Kapil Dev on his day took pugnacity in batting to another dimension.Sandeep Patil in phase of his career looked like acheiving the stature of an all-time great displaying audacity in strokemaking against great pace.

What comes to my mind most is Randall's 174 in the 1977 Centenary test,Asif Ibal's 146 at Oval in 1967,Majid Khan's 167 at Georgetwon in 1977,Kim Hughes unbeaten 100 and 117 n.o and 84 at Lords in 1980 ,Ian Botham's 149.n.o at Leeds and 118 at Old Trafford in 1981 ,Kapil Dev's 89 at Lords and 97 at Oval in 1982 and Sandeep Patil's 174 at Adelaide and 129 n.o at Old Trafford in 1982.

For pure genius Trumper and Majid were simply champions or batting connoiseurs.In a crisis Wasim Raja ,Mushtaq Muhammad and Asif Iqbal would get my vote and at his best Derek Randall.Ian Botham and Kapil Dev were the ultimate match-winners.In his peak era Imran was a truly world-class batsmen.

 

[Big Mac]

 

[Nikhil_cric]

In the given list I would go with Wasim Raja. If the stories are true, he would smoke cannabis all night and then go smash the west indies quarter to smithereens at a whim and fancy the very next day!!!

Athers deserves a mention for being a gutsy cricketer who could bat time despite suffering from ankylosing spondylitis and was part of atleast two memorable series wins - one against the Saffers in 98 and a series win in Pakistan in 2000.

 

[Cuts_and_cuts_hard]

Trumper
WG Grace

 

[The_Odd_One]

One picture says a thousand words. I was going to mention those 2 then saw the picture.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

In the given list I would go with Wasim Raja. If the stories are true, he would smoke cannabis all night and then go smash the west indies quarter to smithereens at a whim and fancy the very next day!!!

Athers deserves a mention for being a gutsy cricketer who could bat time despite suffering from ankylosing spondylitis and was part of atleast two memorable series wins - one against the Saffers in 98 and a series win in Pakistan in 2000.

What about Majid?Not a great?

 

[Harsh Thakor]

One picture says a thousand words. I was going to mention those 2 then saw the picture.

Not Majid or Asif Iqbal ?What about Imran?

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Perhaps I should have considered AlanLamb.Great average vWest Indies.Also in Australia in 1982-83

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Trumper
WG Grace

In the last50 years who?Raja ,Majid or Botham?Any choice?

 

[Rahul1]

I recognize one of them. Who is the other one?

 

[babajee]

Babar Azam

 

[Rahul1]

Babar Azam

Title says 'greatest', not worst.

 

[On_the_up]

Rohit Sharma, 39.97 at the moment.

 

[hur rizvi]

A test bat averaging below 40 can't be great. Title of the thread is flawed

May be should have been "Best under 40 averaging tet bat" or something along thse lines

For Pakistan I would go with Ijaz Ahmed. Over all I think Atherton

 

[The_Odd_One]

Not Majid or Asif Iqbal ?What about Imran?

Imran does not have the volume of runs. He did not bat in the top order.

Both Imran and Majid did not have to face McGrath, Warne, Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Pollock, Ambrose, and Walsh in swinging and seaming conditions.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Professor Hafeez. He was also the greatest batsman to average under 30 till mid-2011.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Imran does not have the volume of runs. He did not bat in the top order.

Both Imran and Majid did not have to face McGrath, Warne, Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Pollock, Ambrose, and Walsh in swinging and seaming conditions.

Mistaken on Majid.He was prolific against Dennis Lille,Andy Roberts and Bob Willis at their fastest without a helmet.Asif Iqbal at his best matched Majid with centuries in Australia and West Indies.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Trumper
WG Grace

Great choices respect

 

[The_Odd_One]

Mistaken on Majid.He was prolific against Dennis Lille,Andy Roberts and Bob Willis at their fastest without a helmet.Asif Iqbal at his best matched Majid with centuries in Australia and West Indies.

They were all inferior to the bowlers I mentioned.

 

[Ab Fan]

Among those I saw bat, I would say Brendon Mccullum without any shadow of doubt.

He has played some terrific innings and was their best batsmen during that phase of 2012-2014. NZ hit their peak during the same time and as a result even with an average of 38, he has gone down as an NZ great and one of NZ's greatest cricketer as well.

 

[Ab Fan]

A test bat averaging below 40 can't be great. Title of the thread is flawed

May be should have been "Best under 40 averaging tet bat" or something along thse lines

For Pakistan I would go with Ijaz Ahmed. Over all I think Atherton

BMac

 

[Harsh Thakor]

Among those I saw bat, I would say Brendon Mccullum without any shadow of doubt.

He has played some terrific innings and was their best batsmen during that phase of 2012-2014. NZ hit their peak during the same time and as a result even with an average of 38, he has gone down as an NZ great and one of NZ's greatest cricketer as well.

Any view on Majid Khan , Wasim Raja and Derek Randall?

 

[Harsh Thakor]

They were all inferior to the bowlers I mentioned.

Remember Majid faced them without a helmet.That to me is remarkable. 167 without a helmet against Garner,Croft and Roberts at Georgetown.

 

[Ab Fan]

Any view on Majid Khan , Wasim Raja and Derek Randall?

I have heard about them on PP.

 

[Robert]

One picture says a thousand words. I was going to mention those 2 then saw the picture.

Stewie averaged 46 as a pure batter though, facing WI, W&W and McWarne.

 

[hur rizvi]

BMac

True he was good

 

[Big Mac]

I recognize one of them. Who is the other one?

Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart

 

[EliteCynical]

Carl hooper is missing from the list. The most underrated batsman of all!

 

[CadPakFan]

Shahid Khan Afridi

 

[The_Odd_One]

Stewie averaged 46 as a pure batter though, facing WI, W&W and McWarne.

Stewart was my favorite player from England. What a magnificent stroke maker he was. His 170 something was a great knock against Pakistan.

 

[Cric1234]

Has to be a dinosaur like Grace or Trumper who did well when bowlers ruled the roost mostly the best ever bowling averages come in the late 19th century the pitches were very bowler friendly most of the time.

 

[waleed88]

Stephen Fleming, averages 40.07, just about makes it to the list for me...

 

[Nikhil_cric]

What about Majid?Not a great?

They are all greats for their countries atleast but i rate Raja the highest amongst them all for caning an ATG pace attack at will.

 

[James]

Alec Stewart.

 

[Joggerman]

How come nobody has mentioned the great Asad Shafiq.

 

[jaf348]

Jayasuriya (40.07 is close enough). Played some truely ATG knocks in tests. I recall him giving Akhtar (in his peak) a real phainty when he made that 253 in Faisalabad.

 

[Hasan123]

Fleming or Atherton.

 

[Mirpur express]

Hafeez... he would say if u take Styen & Anderson out my average would be 60+ lol

 

[Chrish]

Why doesn’t Stewart work as a commentator? He has a good voice and a passion for the game..

 

[Robert]

Why doesn’t Stewart work as a commentator? He has a good voice and a passion for the game..

He is Director of Cricket at Surrey CCC.

 

[Zaz]

They were all inferior to the bowlers I mentioned.

Majid opened against the likes of lillee Thomson Roberts holding and garner at their peak all in the pre helmet days They weren’t inferior bowlers

And by all accounts majid was a very attractive and dashing stroke maker A genuine contender for the atg Pakistani team as opener

 

[sweep_shot]

One batter that comes to my mind is Marvan Atapattu. Former Sri Lankan opener and captain.

He was a classic batter. Good technique. Okay records.

He ended up with a Test average of just above 39 (16 Test centuries).

One of my favorite batters who averaged under 40.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

My selection of best batsmen who averaged under 40 in test cricket in order of merit.

1.Victor Trumper
2.Majid Khan
3.Vijay Manjrekar
4.Kim Hughes
5.Asif Iqbal
6.Wasim Raja
7 Derek Randall
8.Keith Miller
9.Mushtaq Muhammad
10.Ian Botham
11.Imran Khan
12=.Kapil Dev. and Sandeep Patil


Trumper was the ultimate genius who overshadowed even Bradman on wet pitches.Majid Khan on his day was in the class of Viv Richards and the best on bad wickets.Vijay Manjrekar was technically classical.Kim Hughes at his best was in the Greg Chappell class playing outstanding knocks against talk major test nations.Asif Iqbal was the ultimate batsmen in a crisis or to bat with the tail.Wasim Raja was the best batting performer in his time against the great West Indies pace quartet.Mushtaq Muhammad performed many a rescue act for his team and even won games.Derek Randell at his best was the ultimate entertainer playing some great classical innings ,against the best pace attacks.Keith Miller was a great batsmen at his best and as entertaining as any batting great..Botham hit the ball harder than anyone and could turn the complexion of game in no time.Imran Khan was an epitome of responsibility and technically correct.Kapil Dev on his day took pugnacity in batting to another dimension.Sandeep Patil in phase of his career looked like acheiving the stature of an all-time great displaying audacity in strokemaking against great pace.

What comes to my mind most is Randall's 174 in the 1977 Centenary test,Asif Ibal's 146 at Oval in 1967,Majid Khan's 167 at Georgetwon in 1977,Kim Hughes unbeaten 100 and 117 n.o and 84 at Lords in 1980 ,Ian Botham's 149.n.o at Leeds and 118 at Old Trafford in 1981 ,Kapil Dev's 89 at Lords and 97 at Oval in 1982 and Sandeep Patil's 174 at Adelaide and 129 n.o at Old Trafford in 1982.

For pure genius Trumper and Majid were simply champions or batting connoiseurs.In a crisis Wasim Raja ,Mushtaq Muhammad and Asif Iqbal would get my vote and at his best Derek Randall.Ian Botham and Kapil Dev were the ultimate match-winners.In his peak era Imran was a truly world-class batsmen.

I'm not sure if I would include Kim Hughes in the list. He was no doubt a highly gifted batsman and had a remarkable start to his career but I don't think he was mentally tough enough to make it at the highest level. The bullying from his own teammates didn't help but coming up in the Australian team during that era you needed to have a thick skin to make it in that locker-room which Kim Hughes just didn't.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

From all countries I would have to think about it. From Pakistan:

Wasim Raja (Pakistan cricket's first real rockstar and a power-hitting pioneer)
Imran Khan (incredible peak as an all-rounder)
Majid Khan (Read up on the Majid-Dennis Lillee story)
Asif Iqbal (Pakistan's crisis man)
Mushtaq Muhammad (Very underrated)

 

[giri26]

The two batters I loved to watch in the 90's apart from Indian batters were Carl Hooper and Alec Stewart. Hooper was extremely frustrating batter as he should have been a batter averaging 45 in Tests. Alec Stewart though was brilliant as he was also the keeper for majority of his career. Both Hooper and Stewart though played in an era where averaging 35+ was considered good in Tests, but again they should have averaged much higher than what they ended up with. Brilliant players to watch when in full flow.

 

[Hitman]

The two batters I loved to watch in the 90's apart from Indian batters were Carl Hooper and Alec Stewart. Hooper was extremely frustrating batter as he should have been a batter averaging 45 in Tests. Alec Stewart though was brilliant as he was also the keeper for majority of his career. Both Hooper and Stewart though played in an era where averaging 35+ was considered good in Tests, but again they should have averaged much higher than what they ended up with. Brilliant players to watch when in full flow.

I too loved watching Alec Stewart.

 

[mominsaigol]

Victor trumpter 100%

 

[Ted123]

Mike Atherton

 

[BouncerGuy]

Under 40 means he is not a great batter overall. Flashes of brilliance yes, but not great.

 

[mominsaigol]

Under 40 means he is not a great batter overall. Flashes of brilliance yes, but not great.

So victor trumper, the guy who literally revolutionised the golden age of cricket is just a flash of Brilliance?

 

[mominsaigol]

So victor trumper, the guy who literally revolutionised the golden age of cricket is just a flash of Brilliance?

VT is easily the greatest. No one comes close

 

[Bhaijaan]

Umar Akmal

 

[Ab Fan]

KL Rahul, he is a better batsman than that average.

 

[mominsaigol]

KL Rahul, he is a better batsman than that average.

Rahul > victor trumper? My oh my oh my

 

[Ab Fan]

Rahul > victor trumper? My oh my oh my

No, I didn’t mean that. I gave his example as one of those players who is up there among those who average below 40.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

An batter averaging under 40 can't really be the greatest. You can say who was better than what his stats suggest or on basis of potential.

WG Grace for me is a sure starter cause the guy is the one who added entertainment to cricket. And the guy played international cricket in his 60s which can also explain his lower average.

Regarding unfulfilled potential, I'd go with Alec Stewart, Imran Khan, Ben Stokes, Graeme Hick (maybe he was just not cut out for international cricket). Flintoff was often a one man army as well.

Similarly Marlon Samuels had all the ingredients to be a 45 averaging test batter. He showed real resolve around 2011-2013 and was the backbone of WI batting alongside Shiv.

Darren Bravo was also a very able batter who should have had a much better test career.

Never saw the likes of Majid, Wasim Raja, Mushtaq or Asif bat but heard great things about them.

Baz didn't really came into his own till he formed the partnership with Hesson and got the captaincy. A good candidate.
Jacob Oram also had a pretty unfulfilled test career. Scored 5 centuries in 30 odd tests.

Shakib, Mushfiq and Tamim present their cases as well.

Mark Boucher comes to mind as well with his gutsy knocks. ATG keeper though not sure about as a batter.