365 Days Cricket: September 2011

365 Days Cricket - Shane Warne

Shane Keith Warne proved himself as a very unique talent with the first ball that he bowled in an Ashes test match. Bowling to England’s best player of spin Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993, Shane Warne produced what became called the ball of the century. It pitched outside Gatting’s leg stump, spun viciously on bouncing, and hit the top of Gatting’s off stump. Gatting was bamboozled and Shane Warne an instant legend.

During the last 10 years and more Shane Warne has re-written the record books, taking over 600 test wickets. Shane Warne has an extremely smart cricket brain.

In 2000 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack called Warne as one of the 5 biggest cricketers of the 20th century and many would suggest he should be rated number 1. He re-invented the skill of leg-spin bowling and continues to be answer to Australia’s success in the last 10 years.

365 Days Cricket - Malcolm Marshall

In case Dennis Lillee was the best feared bowler of the 1970s then Malcolm Marshall took over that mantle in the 1980s. He was the best of a set of excellent West Indian fast bowlers. He was short for a fast bowler, but put to use this to his benefit by bowling the ball at a low flight at the batsman’s stumps.

Malcolm Marshall’s success as a bowler is shown by his test bowling average. In test matches a bowling average under 30 is known as excellent: Below 25 and you’re speaking all-time great; Malcolm Marshall’s average was under 21.

Malcolm Marshall’s story has a tragic postscript. In 1999, he died of cancer aged only 41. He may happen to be scary by players but Marshall was also extremely popular.

365 Days Cricket - Dennis Lillee

Everyone lucky enough to see Dennis Lillee bowl won't forget the view. He was the embodiment of the ideal fast bowler. His exact, smooth run-up to the wicket, perfect balance when delivering the cricket ball and control over where the ball landed on the wicket were all A1. The truth is when he first burst on the scene in early 1970s batsmen didn’t find out how to play him.

Nevertheless, Dennis Lillee had serious injury issues and was kept out of test cricket for the greatest part of two years with a stress fracture of the back. When he came back to trounce England in 1974, he was back to his best. Between 1974 and 1976 Dennis Lillee and other Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson laid waste to batsmen over the world. For a short period of time Australia had become the greatest team on the planet, mostly because of this fiery pair of fast bowlers.

Jeff Thomson never reached such Olympian heights again but Dennis Lillee stayed the world’s number 1 fast bowler for the rest of the 1970s. When his career ended in 1983 he had taken a then world record 355 test wickets in only 70 test matches.

365 Days Cricket - Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist has been the scourge of bowlers around the world since he made his test debut. He hits the ball as hard and far as no one in the history of cricket. But Adam Gilchrist isn’t only a force of nature like a batsman. He is and a top drawer wicket-keeper. That he is extremely talented at two cricketing disciplines makes him an all rounder.

Time and again Adam Gilchrist has dug his team out of a hole. He bats quite low in the batting order, at number six or seven, and just after the competitors thinks it is doing well Adam Gilchrist strides to the wicket and hits a century. He averages almost 50 runs every time he bats and is well on his way to smashing the record for most catches taken by a wicket-keeper.

365 Days Cricket - Sir Richard Hadlee

365 Days Cricket - Richard Hadlee

Richard John Hadlee is the best New Zealand bowler ever, undoubtedly. He has strong claims to being considered one of the planet’s all-time greats. Richard Hadlee’s main claim to popularity was his fast bowling. He was a incredibly accurate bowler, apparently capable to direct deliveries wherever he desired. For batsmen he was a nightmare simply because he could bowl fast, but also make the ball deviate drastically once it hit the top of wicket.

No question he became the first bowler in the history of cricket to take more than 400 test wickets. In case you add Richard Hadlee’s batting skill - he scored over 3,000 runs in 86 test matches - you will see why in his pomp he was ranked by many as the world’s greatest cricketer. Richard Hadlee emerged at a time when cricket was blessed with excellent all round cricketers like Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Kapil Dev. He wasn’t as natural a talent as the others but he made up for it with effort and enormous dedication.

Actually, he reached the high watermark of his career in his last 5 years as being a cricketer. Richard Hadlee retired in 1990 and was, such as Gary Sobers and Donald Bradman, knighted by the Queen.

365 Days Cricket - Imran Khan

Imran Khan has a strong claim to be regarded as the best at all times cricketer to emerge since Gary Sobers retired in the 1970s. Over almost 20 years his performances in test match and one-day international cricket were top drawer. Imran Khan was a wonderful fast bowler, taking 362 test wickets. Actually, he may have made this list for his bowling alone. He seemed to be a great test batsman who scored almost 4,000 runs and posted six centuries.

Additionally, Imran Khan's commonly known as Pakistan’s best ever cricket captain. As a captain, he led the country to its biggest ever success, victory in the 1992 cricket World Cup.

365 Days Cricket - Sir Gary Sobers

365 Days Cricket - Gary Sobers

Garfield St Auburn Sobers or simply Gary Sobers has become the only man to have a justifiable case to be deemed a better cricketer than Donald Bradman. He was a little bit of cricketing freak, because he could do almost everything. He could bowl fast. He could swing the ball and he could bowl both kinds of spin. Also, he was, without doubt, the best left handed batsman to have ever played cricket. In test matches he scored over 8,000 runs and took 235 wickets. However the raw statistics don't do full justice to how great a cricketer Gary Sobers was. Being a batsman he was able to laying waste the bowling.

One of his most well-known exploits was to hit six sixes in a single over delivered by Glamorgan bowler Malcolm Nash in 1968. Gary Sobers was also an extremely clever captain of the West Indies and a top class fielder. To put it briefly, he'd everything and stands out as a genius.

365 Days Cricket - Sachin Tendulkar

At age 16 Sachin Tendulkar was making his debut in a test match for India. He was an instant hit; a guru batsman while still just a boy. Within the 15 years from his debut, Sachin Tendulkar’s bright light of talent has always been undimmed. He has gained test matches nearly single-handed and is an Indian cricketing and national icon. Don Bradman announced that Sachin Tendulkar plays cricket as he used too - praise comes no more than that. Up to now he's scored more than 10,000 runs and made 34 test match centuries.

To cover it all Sachin Tendulkar is probably the best one-day limited overs batsmen on the planet. Actually, he has scored over 13,000 runs in one-day limited over matches, reaching 100 runs in an innings almost 40 times. At age 38, Sachin Tendulkar were not to score another run he'd still deserve his place in the list of ever great cricketers.

365 Days Cricket - Sir Jack Hobbs

365 Days Cricket - Jack Hobbs

Up until the introduction of Don Bradman, Jack Hobbs was definitely the best batsman cricket had ever seen. He was simply called ‘The Master’ and a few die-hard England fans argue that he was in fact greater than Don Bradman. He scored more runs and centuries compared to any other player in the history of cricket. Like Don Bradman he lost probably the best years of his career to a World War. It was declared that just one player was better than Jack Hobbs after the First World War, and that was Jack Hobbs before the First World War.

Even after scoring such a large number of runs, Jack Hobbs was not ever deemed a selfish player. He was really a team player, playing boldy or defensively based on the needs of the team and the match situation. England has produced many wonderful batsmen but Jack Hobbs stands out as best.

365 Days Cricket - Sir Donald Bradman

365 Days Cricket - Sir Don Bradman

Almost all cricket fans would rank Donald Bradman to be the greatest cricketer ever. This is because in one discipline of cricket - batting - he's simply better than anyone who has ever played the game.

Time and again Donald Bradman won matches and test series for Australia, literally off his own bat. His batting average is about 50 % better than any other batsman in the 130-year history of test cricket. Commonly a player who scores one century every four tests is known as a legend. Donald Bradman hit 29 centuries in 52 test matches.

Donald Bradman was not only a cricketer, he was a national icon. Some would argue that he was the most important Australian of the 20th century because around his magical exploits a new nation found a focal point and a figure from whom they could derive immense pride. Because of this and many others it’s hard to argue that Bradman was simply the greatest ever.

365 Days Cricket - Top 10 Cricket Players Ever

Sir Donald Bradman, Australia
Sir Jack Hobbs, England
Sachin Tendulkar, India
Sir Gary Sobers, West Indies
Imran Khan, Pakistan
Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand
Adam Gilchrist, Australia
Dennis Lillee, Australia
Malcolm Marshall, West Indies
Shane Warne, Australia