Harsh Thakor
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There could be few more enthralling sights in cricketer or sport seeing Gordon Greenidge dissecting a bowling attack to pieces.Even the great Viv Richards has not treated a cricket ball with more contempt who held a bat like a bludgeon.Few batsmen ever combined destructive power with the technical correctness of Gordon ,like a bulldozer and surgeon rolled into one.Gordon blended the power of a boxer with the methodolgy of an architect.Rarely has an opening batsmen so clinically reduced opposing bowlers to dust,in the manner of a combing operation..Rarely have any batsmen blended attack and defence in such clinical execution.
What was remarkable was the speed with which he scored his runs and centuries and impact on the game.No opening batsmen or few batsmen came so close to emulating Barry Richards in full gear.In the view of Alec Bedser Greenidge batted more like Bradman than anyone he saw ,puling even the full length deliveries.Ted Dexter felt he was technically the best batsmen he ever saw.Whether cutting,driving,puling or hooking Greenidge would embezzle like a circus acrobat performing.
In 1984 at Lords when scoring an unbeaten 214,Greenidge took batting domination to regions of divinty or sublime,going blistering barnacles from the word go.That day English bowlers were reduced to complete submission,like a military troupe heading for abject surrender.In the manner of an army batallion launching a most scathing but organized or most clinical assault to grind its opponents to dust,Greenidge took his side home to famous win at cricket's mecca.I hardly have an adjective which could do justice to the sheer virtuousity of Greenidge's innings. in terms of intensity and technical skill. that day.In that series he averaged over,82 scoring another double century at Manchester.To me from 1984-87 Greenidge was the best batsmen in the world.
I can also never forget his contemptuous treatment of English bowlers when scoring 3 centuries in 1976,including a 134 out of 211 on almost difficult wicket at Leeds.I doubt any opening batsmen hit a cricket ball harder than Greenidge did in 1976,in England.On turning tracks in India.at his best in Australia averaging around 30.revelled averaging over 47 with 7 centuries.Rarely has any overseas opener displayed as much solidity or all-round skill as Greenidge in India .Sadly he was not at his best in Australia or against them averaging around 30.In New Zealand at his best he was a revelation scoring a double century in 1987.In 1st class cricket his 273 not out against Pakistan at Eastbourne in 1974 revealed batting skills at metaphysical proportions.Finally I have to mention his match-winning 226 scored-against Australia at Barbados in 1991.
In ODI's Gordon was amongst the 3 best batsmen of his time,and best opening batsmen.Responsible for West Indies wining the finals of the Benson and Hedges world series cup in Australia in 1979-80 .He held the record for the fastest century in al the county cricket competitions.
How did Greenidge compare with his contemporaries or other greats?Many cricketers selected Gordon in their all-time teams as an opener like Mike Brearley,Waqar Younus,Dean Jones or Alan Donald.Even if statistically or technically on the same pedestal Greenidge may have won more games than Sunil Gavaskar,with his great attacking instinct or ferocity.Greenidge averaged more than even Viv Richards in test wins and had a greater percentage of scoring centuries in match-wining games than Viv.Almost 70% of his aggregate runs contributed to winning causes in test matches and 14 of his 18 test centuries were scored in wins Imran Khan ranked Gordon amongst the best he ever bowled to and close to Viv..Greenidge got more votes in to be chosen for an all-time XI than either Barry Richards or Geoff Boycott.To me it was almost a dead heat between Sehwag,Gooch and Gordon.I would have Gordon accompanying Gavaskar in the 1980's and arguably accompanying Barry Richards in the 1970's.After Bary Richards no opening batsmen blended attacking agression with such technical precision.Hos final average of 44.58 and aggregate of 7558 runs in 108 tests and 184 innings not have done justice to his true stature
I would atleast place Greenidge amongst the 50 best cricketers of all.Unfairly John Woodcock,Geoff Armstrong and Cristopher Martin Jenkins have excluded Greenidge in their selection 100 best cricketers.Arguably Greenidge may rank above Gooch,Sehwag and Boycott or even David Gower and Clive Lloyd.Arguably only,Trumper, Hobbs,Hutton,Gavaskar and BarryRichards rank ahead of Gordon as an opening batsmen.
What was remarkable was the speed with which he scored his runs and centuries and impact on the game.No opening batsmen or few batsmen came so close to emulating Barry Richards in full gear.In the view of Alec Bedser Greenidge batted more like Bradman than anyone he saw ,puling even the full length deliveries.Ted Dexter felt he was technically the best batsmen he ever saw.Whether cutting,driving,puling or hooking Greenidge would embezzle like a circus acrobat performing.
In 1984 at Lords when scoring an unbeaten 214,Greenidge took batting domination to regions of divinty or sublime,going blistering barnacles from the word go.That day English bowlers were reduced to complete submission,like a military troupe heading for abject surrender.In the manner of an army batallion launching a most scathing but organized or most clinical assault to grind its opponents to dust,Greenidge took his side home to famous win at cricket's mecca.I hardly have an adjective which could do justice to the sheer virtuousity of Greenidge's innings. in terms of intensity and technical skill. that day.In that series he averaged over,82 scoring another double century at Manchester.To me from 1984-87 Greenidge was the best batsmen in the world.
I can also never forget his contemptuous treatment of English bowlers when scoring 3 centuries in 1976,including a 134 out of 211 on almost difficult wicket at Leeds.I doubt any opening batsmen hit a cricket ball harder than Greenidge did in 1976,in England.On turning tracks in India.at his best in Australia averaging around 30.revelled averaging over 47 with 7 centuries.Rarely has any overseas opener displayed as much solidity or all-round skill as Greenidge in India .Sadly he was not at his best in Australia or against them averaging around 30.In New Zealand at his best he was a revelation scoring a double century in 1987.In 1st class cricket his 273 not out against Pakistan at Eastbourne in 1974 revealed batting skills at metaphysical proportions.Finally I have to mention his match-winning 226 scored-against Australia at Barbados in 1991.
In ODI's Gordon was amongst the 3 best batsmen of his time,and best opening batsmen.Responsible for West Indies wining the finals of the Benson and Hedges world series cup in Australia in 1979-80 .He held the record for the fastest century in al the county cricket competitions.
How did Greenidge compare with his contemporaries or other greats?Many cricketers selected Gordon in their all-time teams as an opener like Mike Brearley,Waqar Younus,Dean Jones or Alan Donald.Even if statistically or technically on the same pedestal Greenidge may have won more games than Sunil Gavaskar,with his great attacking instinct or ferocity.Greenidge averaged more than even Viv Richards in test wins and had a greater percentage of scoring centuries in match-wining games than Viv.Almost 70% of his aggregate runs contributed to winning causes in test matches and 14 of his 18 test centuries were scored in wins Imran Khan ranked Gordon amongst the best he ever bowled to and close to Viv..Greenidge got more votes in to be chosen for an all-time XI than either Barry Richards or Geoff Boycott.To me it was almost a dead heat between Sehwag,Gooch and Gordon.I would have Gordon accompanying Gavaskar in the 1980's and arguably accompanying Barry Richards in the 1970's.After Bary Richards no opening batsmen blended attacking agression with such technical precision.Hos final average of 44.58 and aggregate of 7558 runs in 108 tests and 184 innings not have done justice to his true stature
I would atleast place Greenidge amongst the 50 best cricketers of all.Unfairly John Woodcock,Geoff Armstrong and Cristopher Martin Jenkins have excluded Greenidge in their selection 100 best cricketers.Arguably Greenidge may rank above Gooch,Sehwag and Boycott or even David Gower and Clive Lloyd.Arguably only,Trumper, Hobbs,Hutton,Gavaskar and BarryRichards rank ahead of Gordon as an opening batsmen.
<br><br>More ��️ <a href="https://t.co/lF1xXv4fJv">https://t.co/lF1xXv4fJv</a> <a href="https://t.co/PPaUbTT4ir">pic.twitter.com/PPaUbTT4ir</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1397590938646614017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
Lets not forget the dashing Saeed Anwar too who is worthy of consideration.
