aqua_duck said:
Daniel Vettori by a country mile.
I tend to agree, on the basis that New Zealand cricket relies so heavily on him despite the fact his bowling stats are modest. I had a look at his stats a few weeks back, and he hardly compares to other international spin bowlers.
The other player that is already mentioned, but takes the cake so far is Andrew Flintoff. I noticed he is rated one of England's best cricketers, and yet his bowling figures in Test cricket are hopeless. How England thinks he is a great allrounder - who knows? Perhaps in the post-Botham years they have deluded themselves and lowered the bar to give them the sense they are actually producing decent cricketers.
I also tend to throw a player like Jayasuria into the equation. He may produce a big score here and there, and perhaps a decent series, but his overall batting performances are ordinary. I think he averages in the 30s in OD and Test cricket. Some cricketers spend their careers waiting for another big one, and struggle in between. Langer is the closest Australia has to a player like this during the post-Mark Waugh era. Looks wonderful on his day, but struggles for any runs in between big centuries.
