Message Board Archives

I recently saw an article talking about the best test team of the modern era and not only was Brian Lara missing from the team but so was Curtly Ambrose.Instead Jacques Kallis and Wasim Akram were selected ahead of those two West Indians.
I thought it would be a good idea to look at the actual numbers that Ambrose and Akram put up.Let me point out that batting and fielding abilities were not included in the appraisal of these two fast bowlers.

I did a deep dive into all sorts of matrices of these two fast bowlers and I came to a definitive conclusion.
However I would like to hear some opinions from this board as to the wisdom of selecting Akram over Ambrose before I delve in with mind numbing details.

In reply to Dukes
UB view?

In reply to Dukes

You are armed with statistics and apparently want an anecdote-dependant adversary. I’ll lazily await you sharing the analysis. One is a WI boyhood hero and the other lives thousands of miles away. No contest in objectivity. Bring the numbers.

In reply to Dukes
Akram reputation exceeds his numbers... He did a lot with the ball but that did not translate to wickets. The real star was Waquar. Curtly was steady bowled a tight line, but like Wasim took quite a few balls to get a wicket. To me its a toss up between the two because Wasim bowled on a lot of placid wickets.

In terms of fast bowlers, the only person I have seen and put ahead of Ambrose is Malcolm Marshall, and I have see Akram live as well as on tv. I would say Akram is my favorite non West Indian bowler of all time.

In terms of batting, I do not believe that any from his generation are better than Lara, although he is not my favorite. If greatness is defined by what is possible, it is impossible to argue against Lara, if it is consistency, then you can have Tendulkar. The tour to Sri Lanka where Lara decimated Murali and was the onlly batsman with decent far less his outstanding scores - on a tour that I believe included Hooper, Shiv and Sarwan says enough.

In reply to Halliwell

That would not be a challenge for me.

What I need is someone worthy of debate such as yourself!!!!!!



But you have no idea which side I am on!!!!!
We might be in total agreement

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

In reply to tops

NAH. UB thinks VAAS is the GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!

In reply to Dukes
"NAH. UB thinks VAAS is the GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!"
Dem Jams coming for U. 😁🤣🤣🤣

In reply to Dukes

stats don't tell the full story - to paraphrase you re Sobers vs Kallis

HAHAHAHAHA

In reply to Dukes

Curtly above any other fast bowlers in the history of cricket. Check his background leading up to him playing cricket… he is my Tim Duncan…

In reply to Halliwell
The Doc/Shaft now retired, live on Cricket archive.
It is the best cricket reference site, I was on it daily when it was free.
You can get all your references here.
Link Text

In reply to openning

Oh to be retired and discover digital transformation and big data

In reply to WestDem

I agree. Wasim had the skill. But an average of 24 says he could have been hit too. Nobody scored runs off Ambrose. Lara in 1994 scored 6 hundreds in 7 innings in county cricket. He came up against Curtly's side, Northamptonshire, survived him and made his runs against everybody else. You can't argue with an average just under 21.

I am however disturbed by Kallis getting in and Lara missing out. In what Universe could Kallis be better than Lara.? Kallis only averages 38 versus Warne and Mcgrath's Australia. Lara averages 47. If Lara got as many not out decisions to plumb outs as Kallis got, he would be averaging 70.

I'm curious to know the 50-over stats for each. Both tended to take the first over of the innings, I think. Near the end of his career Ambrose would on occasion bowl his full allotment from go, while I think Wasim would be brought back later on.