From: svb0224@zeus.tamu.edu (BALIJEPALLI, SRIDHARREDDY V)
Subject: All Rounders
Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 04:04:00 GMT

 
        A lot of discussion has benn going on the net regarding the four great
all rounders of the modern era, their relative rankings and rating etc. Though
it's tough to say who's the best or rank them, hrer are my rankings of these
great players. I am considering batting, bowling, fielding, captaincy, fitness
and temperament in my rankings. I'll rate them on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 as 
the highest point and 1 the lowest. Finally, I'll add up the scores of each 
player and divide by 6, the number of disciplines considered. So, here it goes:


1) Ian Botham:

a)Batting: Great attacking batsman, often unorthodox and unconventional. 
           capable of destroying any tearing any bowling attack on his day. Has
           the best batting record among the four. I'd give him an 8.

b)Bowling: A terrific bowler in the early 80's with splendid control over swing.
           Used to take lots of wickets in his hey days. Lost the control and
           bite in his bowling from the mid 80's. Has an uncanny ability to get
           wickets with bad delivaries. He gets a 5.

c)Fielding: A super fielder, especially in the slip cordon. Has taken some 
            breathtaking catches. Quite good in the outfield too. Gets a 7.5 

d)Captaincy:Had a very unpleasant experience as a captain. His own performance
            suffered badly during his stint as the English captain. Gets a 5

e)Fitness:Quite fit though he had some major problems in 88 and 89. gets a 6.

f)Temperament:Not very impressive. he gets a 5.

So, his final score is 36.5/6 = 6.08    


2)Richaared Hadlee:

a)Batting:A very talented batsman who didn't do justice to his talents. Can
          stroke the ball fluently when in touch. Has the worst batting record
          among the four. Gets a 5.

b)Bowling:Has the best bowling record among the four. A great bowler with an
          amazing control over line, length and swing. Easily the best bowler
          among the four. He gets a 9.

c)FieldingNot a bad fielder. Has taken some good catches in the gully position.
          O.K. in the out field. I'd give him a 5.

d)Captaincy:Never got to lead the N.Z side. So no judgement.
  
e) Fitness: No qusetion mark over fitness. Has missed very few matches due to 
           fitness problems. Was amazingly fit even when he retired. 7.

f)Temperament: Good temperament. Very calm and composed. Never saw him shouting
              at his teammates or get angry. 8.

Hadlee's final score 34/5 = 6.8  



Imran Khan:


a)Batting: A very good batsman with a very sound technique. Didn't do much with
           the bat in the early parts of his career but superb performance in 
           the later parts. 7.5

b)Bowling: Was a devastating bowler in the early and mid 80's. One of the best
           old ball bowlers in the game. Started as a genuine quickie but 
           developed later in a great swing bowler.But lost sting in his 
           bowling in the late 80's and hardly bowled there after. 8.

c)Fielder: Average fielder. I saw him take a couple of brilliant catches but
           not much apart from that. 5.

d)Captaincy:Great captain. Pakistan became a major force under his captaincy.
            Great motivator. Terrific record. He gets an 8.5

e)Fitness:Quite fit though he had major shin problems. Looked fit during the
          world cup.He gets a 7

f)Temperament: Calm and composed. Does get angry on the field but thats rare.
               So 7.5

His final score 43.5/6 = 7.25  



4)Kapil Dev:

a)Batting:Very attacking and entertaining batsman. Tremendous stroke maker.
          Lots of match saving innings under his belt. But not very consistent.
          With his talent, he could have done better. He gets a 7.5    

b)Bowling: Terrific swing bowler with a great outswinger. Very good control.
           Very consistent except for the 86-87 home series. Great bowling
           acchievements considering the fact that he never had any support 
           from the other end. I'd give him a 7.5

c)Fielding:Great fielder both in the outfield and close in. Great athelete.
           Took some great catches in the slip cordon. He gets 8

d)Captaincy:Decent captain with positive approach. Leads by instinct.
            Has a great record in the one dayers leading India to victory
            in the 83 world cup. Gets a 6  

e)Fitness:Super fit despite the fact that he had to play continuous cricket
          for 14 years. Played lots and lots of cricket in those 14 years.
          Had a knee operation in 84. He gets an 8.

f)Temperament:Appears calm on the field but can get angry easily due to 
           misfields and poor performance by his teammates. I'd give him a 6.5

  So, Kapils score is 43.5/6 = 7.25



So my final rankings are :

1) Imran Khan
   Kapil Dev.

3)Richard Hadlee

4)Ian Botham.

Discussions and flames welcome.

Sridhar.
     



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