Your top 5 bowlers of all time?

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Any list that DOES NOT have SF Barnes on their list is just silly. None of us would have seen him but he is regarded as the best bowler of all time by many experts.

barnes doesn't make my list. sorry. send me to bed without dinner

 

[lockyno1]

barnes doesn't make my list. sorry. send me to bed without dinner

Well put him there. Look at his stats, clearly the best stats EVER in a period where bowlers had HIGH averages!

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

that's fantastic. i'll stick to my OWN list ok

 

[lockyno1]

compare him with one of your bowlers!

 

[Blaze]

I can only remember games from around 1994 so my list will be from then on...

It's kind of stupid trying to rank and compare bowlers you have never seen bowl.

1. Warne
2. Ambrose
3. Akram
4. Younis
5. Donald

edit - Murali excluded because I don't agree with him being allowed to bowl.

 

[JJ]

IIt's kind of stupid trying to rank and compare bowlers you have never seen bowl.

No it's not...

And if it was, it's certainly no more stupid than putting Bradman atr #1 on batting lists, and having the likes of Hammond, Sutcliffe, Hobbs, and Headley up there too...

Surprisingly locky has a point, their records suggest that Barnes and Lohmann were quite extraordinary, and as old Richie Benaud says, all you can do is excel in your era, and they certainly did!

 

[hineyrulz]

No it's not...

And if it was, it's certainly no more stupid than putting Bradman atr #1 on batting lists, and having the likes of Hammond, Sutcliffe, Hobbs, and Headley up there too...

Surprisingly locky has a point, their records suggest that Barnes and Lohmann were quite extraordinary, and as old Richie Benaud says, all you can do is excel in your era, and they certainly did!

Locky is spot on :crazy: Barnes is arguebly the greatest bowler of all time. Trumper said he was easily the greatest bowler he ever faced.

 

[lockyno1]

Locky is spot on :crazy: Barnes is arguebly the greatest bowler of all time. Trumper said he was easily the greatest bowler he ever faced.

Yep and if Victor Trumper says that you take notice. Stats wise you only have to compare bowlers from Barnes' generation..he was 2/3 times better than anyone in his era, says a lot!

 

[dubopov]

My favourite bowlers ..

Jeff Thomson
Wes Hall
Bishen Bedi
Craig McDermott
Dennis Lillee

 

[Mr Angry]

Shane Warne Curtley Ambrose Wasim Akram Dennis Lillee Richard Hadlee

2 Swingers Lillee and Hadlee
1 Bounce Abrose just over ooohhh aahhh
1 Lefty Standout too
1 Spinner

 

[NK Arsenal]

Shane Watson is better than all of them

So why isn't he in your top five bowlers?

SK Barnes
Warne
Lillie

Then there is a stack of bowlers who could fill position 4-5 on my list- Ambrose, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Hadlee, Fred Trueman, Jim Laker (personally rate him ahead of murali), and a few others. McGrath as good as he was wouldn't make my top 10-15.

:shock:

 

[Matt23]

In no order:
* Malcolm Marshall
* Shane Warne
* Glenn McGrath
* Dennis Lillee
* Richard Hadlee

 

[Bomber]

I remember reading a thread like this many many years ago, and I'll supply the best answer from that particular thread:

Earl Anthony!

 

[Big_Bad_Shark_Fan]

No point me trying to argue a case for guys who played 20-30 years ago when I wasnt alive. from when i started watching in 1993:

Wasim Akram - could swing the ball both ways at pace, a freak cricketer.
Curtly Ambrose - Just scared me
Glenn McGrath - perfect
Shane Warne - of course
murali - stats dont lie

 

[Big_Bad_Shark_Fan]

I had the chance to have lunch and a few beers with a few modern test players when i was overseas recently and apparently most players in the 90 will tell you Akram was the best by far.

 

[Deleted member 10972]

I'll go by bowlers who have played 50 tests.

Garner, Ambrose, Marshall all averaged between 20 & 21. Marshall had the best strike rate out of the three, Ambrose had the best economy out of the three, Garner was in between, Outstanding.

Statistically, the next best fast bowlers to have played 50 tests are Glenn McGrath & Fred Trueman, followed by Allan Donald & Sir Richard Hadlee.

I was looking at Waqar's stats, he was only ever a really genuinely threatening bowler in the 4 early years of his career. Excluding his poor first 5 tests for this analysis.

From his 6th test to his 32nd test, precisely from October 10 1990 to October 2 1994, he was extremely deadly, 19 five-fors, 4 ten wicket matches. In this time he averaged 17 with the ball, with a phenomenal strike rate of 32.7, & an economy of 3.17 (below his overall career economy).

In the rest of his career (55 matches) he only managed 3 more five-fors, & 1 more ten wicket match. In this time he averaged 28 with the ball, 2 of the 3 five-fors he took were against Zimbabwe & Bangladesh, & the 3rd one was part of his only ten wicket haul, againt South Africa in 97/98.

 

[donkey|rope]

of those i've seen with my own two eyes / in no particular order:

Akram
Donald
Muralitharan
Ambrose
McGrath

 

[OVP]

I'll go by bowlers who have played 50 tests.

Garner, Ambrose, Marshall all averaged between 20 & 21. Marshall had the best strike rate out of the three, Ambrose had the best economy out of the three, Garner was in between, Outstanding.

Statistically, the next best fast bowlers to have played 50 tests are Glenn McGrath & Fred Trueman, followed by Allan Donald & Sir Richard Hadlee.

I was looking at Waqar's stats, he was only ever a really genuinely threatening bowler in the 4 early years of his career. Excluding his poor first 5 tests for this analysis.

From his 6th test to his 32nd test, precisely from October 10 1990 to October 2 1994, he was extremely deadly, 19 five-fors, 4 ten wicket matches. In this time he averaged 17 with the ball, with a phenomenal strike rate of 32.7, & an economy of 3.17 (below his overall career economy).

In the rest of his career (55 matches) he only managed 3 more five-fors, & 1 more ten wicket match. In this time he averaged 28 with the ball, 2 of the 3 five-fors he took were against Zimbabwe & Bangladesh, & the 3rd one was part of his only ten wicket haul, againt South Africa in 97/98.

Excellent post. Thanx for that

p.s. i actually remember Wasim Akram's very first 1-day international. He came from a very poor background, and he had no cricket boots. Imran actually lent him his spare pair, and Wasim Akram single-handedly destroyed Australia that day ... i know for a fact he took at least 5 wickets ... but it was the way he did it ... Allan Border had no idea. Australia got smacked that day, and i'll NEVER forget it. I would have rated Wasim in the top 5 ... but sorry, most of my youth was spent watching Australia get SMASHED by the almighty Gods, the West Indies. Sorry, but not even Wasim could find a place in their team ... they were THAT good.

 

[Deleted member 10972]

How some people can have Younis over Akram...Younis was a young tyro who lived off his early rep. Akram is possibly the best left arm fast bowler ever. Simple as that.

 

[JJ]

How some people can have Younis over Akram...Younis was a young tyro who lived off his early rep. Akram is possibly the best left arm fast bowler ever. Simple as that.

It's not really that simple - I guess it depends on what stock you place in a limited period vs a long career... Waqar for a decent period was as good as, if not better than anyone. I also disagree with your 50 test cutoff as many of the earlier greats are eliminated.

But, I agree that Wasim Akram was a remarkable bowler (and IMo better than Waqar)- I remember his first test (I think) against NZ - I think he took 5, and sconed Lance Cairns... probably the best left arm pace bowler ever, the only one that would come close (that I can think of) would be Allan Davidson who is terribly underrated