Harsh Thakor
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- Oct 1, 2012
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Theses are my 5 best ever test batsmen but not necessarily in order of merit.Rated in just tentative order but not conclusive.Excludes ODI and Ist class cricket and only evaluates run sin test cricket.
1.Don Bradman
The ultimate run machine who attained supremacy to a degree none attained in the history of sport.Statistical achievements at a plane no batsmen will ever touch.6996 runs at 99.94 make him simply a creature from another planer.He also achieved supremacy in strike rate for era like no batsmen ever.Not lt his best on wet pitches like Headley or proved himself against express pace.Neverthless would back Bradman to average around 75 in modern era and overshadow any great batsmen .There were batsmen with as much of abundance of natural talent but no one came close to him in terms of concentration or temperament.Unorthodox in batting style.
2.Brian Lara
Single-handedly bore the mantle of a weak batting line-up to turn the course of games like no batsmen ever.No batsmen had Lara's penchant for mammoth scores or match his agression when ressurecting a side from the grave.Even in the gravest situation she never curbed his attacking instincts.His best 5 innings surpassed that of Sobers,Viv Richards and Tendulkar and no batsmen after Bradman had such a high average percentage score of the team's total.His batting in the 1999 Frank Worrell trophy when his successive scores of 213 and 153 n.o.totally turned the complexion of the series like a dramatic reversal of a plot in a movie.He also amassed a record aggregate in a 3 test series for an overseas batsmen when scoring 688 runs in Sri Lanka in 2003.Tendulkar was statistically better, more consistent and more correct but I feel it was Lara who scored runs marginally more when it really mattered and at his best would overshadowed Sachin as a match- winner or in a crisis.Statistician Anantha Naraya rated Lara only 2nd to Bradman because of a great match performances considering impact of innings in relation to strength of bowling attack,pitch conditions and situation of the game.No batsmen blended attacking agression with elegance so well or took creative genius to a higher zenith.
3.Gary Sobers
Close to the perfect batsmen combining agressive power with perfect technical skill.A champion in saving and wining a match who could master any type of conditions or bowling.More consistent than any West Indian batsmen better and often a crisis brought out the best in him.An average of over 58 with 28 centuries in International cricket makes me give Sobers the edge by a whisker over Viv in test cricket.Many stalwarts still rate him as the best after Bradman like the Chappell brothers,Martin Crowe and Mark Nicholas.Sobers performed better against great pace than Tendulkar or Lara tearing apart the likes of Fred Trueman,John Snow and Dennis Lillee.In acrsisi overshadowed Viv like when scoring 113 at Kingston in 1967-68 v England or when involved in a 274 run match-saving partnership with cousin David Holford.
4.Sachin Tendulkar
Arguably the most complete batsmen of all time posesseing every ingredient of the perfect test batsmen.His longevity of establishing supremacy nay never be surpassed by an y sportsman let alone cricketer.Sachin was the youngest and fastest to achieve all the run landmarks from 2000 runs onwards .No batsmen ever faced as much pressure.Mastered every type of bowling attack or conditions and his 116 at Perth in 1991-92 was virtually the closest to the batting of Bradman.Technically amongst the top 3 batsmen of all who blended the technical correctness of a Sunil Gavaskar with the attacking genius of Viv Richards.At his best not as great a match-winner as Viv,Lara or Sobers but also hardly got support from fellow mates.Neverthless had a remarkable average of around 65 in tests won.Not as mercurial as Viv or Lara but arguably surpassed them in terms of temperament and concentration.Sachin was like an architect,Bulldozer and musical composer merged into one.A better record than Lara against great genuine paceman but not against great spin or fast-medium bowling.Gavaskar faced better bowling than Tendulkar and statistically overshadowed him in his peak in terms of no of centuries and runs scored but could not match Sachin's attacking ability to turn games.
5.Jack Hobbs
On a bad or wet wicket the greatest of all.Defined batting in his age more than anyone taking the art of batting to a higher dimension.Above all played a major contribution in important wins against Australia in 1926 and 1929-30 at Oval and Melbourne.Not as artistic or dazzling as many greats but as good as anyone when the chips were down.
The likes of Viv Richards,Walter Hammond ,Len Hutton and Sunil Gavaskar just missed out by the margin of a whisker.
1.Don Bradman
The ultimate run machine who attained supremacy to a degree none attained in the history of sport.Statistical achievements at a plane no batsmen will ever touch.6996 runs at 99.94 make him simply a creature from another planer.He also achieved supremacy in strike rate for era like no batsmen ever.Not lt his best on wet pitches like Headley or proved himself against express pace.Neverthless would back Bradman to average around 75 in modern era and overshadow any great batsmen .There were batsmen with as much of abundance of natural talent but no one came close to him in terms of concentration or temperament.Unorthodox in batting style.
2.Brian Lara
Single-handedly bore the mantle of a weak batting line-up to turn the course of games like no batsmen ever.No batsmen had Lara's penchant for mammoth scores or match his agression when ressurecting a side from the grave.Even in the gravest situation she never curbed his attacking instincts.His best 5 innings surpassed that of Sobers,Viv Richards and Tendulkar and no batsmen after Bradman had such a high average percentage score of the team's total.His batting in the 1999 Frank Worrell trophy when his successive scores of 213 and 153 n.o.totally turned the complexion of the series like a dramatic reversal of a plot in a movie.He also amassed a record aggregate in a 3 test series for an overseas batsmen when scoring 688 runs in Sri Lanka in 2003.Tendulkar was statistically better, more consistent and more correct but I feel it was Lara who scored runs marginally more when it really mattered and at his best would overshadowed Sachin as a match- winner or in a crisis.Statistician Anantha Naraya rated Lara only 2nd to Bradman because of a great match performances considering impact of innings in relation to strength of bowling attack,pitch conditions and situation of the game.No batsmen blended attacking agression with elegance so well or took creative genius to a higher zenith.
3.Gary Sobers
Close to the perfect batsmen combining agressive power with perfect technical skill.A champion in saving and wining a match who could master any type of conditions or bowling.More consistent than any West Indian batsmen better and often a crisis brought out the best in him.An average of over 58 with 28 centuries in International cricket makes me give Sobers the edge by a whisker over Viv in test cricket.Many stalwarts still rate him as the best after Bradman like the Chappell brothers,Martin Crowe and Mark Nicholas.Sobers performed better against great pace than Tendulkar or Lara tearing apart the likes of Fred Trueman,John Snow and Dennis Lillee.In acrsisi overshadowed Viv like when scoring 113 at Kingston in 1967-68 v England or when involved in a 274 run match-saving partnership with cousin David Holford.
4.Sachin Tendulkar
Arguably the most complete batsmen of all time posesseing every ingredient of the perfect test batsmen.His longevity of establishing supremacy nay never be surpassed by an y sportsman let alone cricketer.Sachin was the youngest and fastest to achieve all the run landmarks from 2000 runs onwards .No batsmen ever faced as much pressure.Mastered every type of bowling attack or conditions and his 116 at Perth in 1991-92 was virtually the closest to the batting of Bradman.Technically amongst the top 3 batsmen of all who blended the technical correctness of a Sunil Gavaskar with the attacking genius of Viv Richards.At his best not as great a match-winner as Viv,Lara or Sobers but also hardly got support from fellow mates.Neverthless had a remarkable average of around 65 in tests won.Not as mercurial as Viv or Lara but arguably surpassed them in terms of temperament and concentration.Sachin was like an architect,Bulldozer and musical composer merged into one.A better record than Lara against great genuine paceman but not against great spin or fast-medium bowling.Gavaskar faced better bowling than Tendulkar and statistically overshadowed him in his peak in terms of no of centuries and runs scored but could not match Sachin's attacking ability to turn games.
5.Jack Hobbs
On a bad or wet wicket the greatest of all.Defined batting in his age more than anyone taking the art of batting to a higher dimension.Above all played a major contribution in important wins against Australia in 1926 and 1929-30 at Oval and Melbourne.Not as artistic or dazzling as many greats but as good as anyone when the chips were down.
The likes of Viv Richards,Walter Hammond ,Len Hutton and Sunil Gavaskar just missed out by the margin of a whisker.
