From: TUK067@maccvm.corp.mot.com (David Wheeler)
Subject: Gary Sobers - the greatest allrounder?
Organization: Motorola
Date: 7 Jan 1993 10:03:00 CST

kre@cs.mu.oz.au (Robert Elz) writes:

>In <C0GsFJ.EL2@ns1.nodak.edu> ksrao@power.ee.ndsu.nodak.edu writes:

> In yesterday's commentary showers of praise were given to Sobers, as the
> best cricketer the world has ever produced by Bill Lawry (it could have been
> one of the Chaapals (sic) though).

>I think that at various stages in the past couple of days almost all the
>commentators priased Sobers as the best all round cricketer ever, which is
>not really surprising, as there's not really anyone even close (he wouldn't
>have been the best fast bowler, slow bowler, batsman, or even fielder, but
>he did all of those remarkably well).

The argument about "greatest cricketer", "greatest allrounder" etc. could rage
on and on for years without ever being resolved.  Sobers was one of the greats,
no doubt about it; his test record speaks for itself.  His great strength was
his batting, which would have earned him a place in the WI team even if he
couldn't bowl; 8034 Test runs at an average of well over 50 is beyond reproach
and puts him, without question, among the elite of Test batsmen.  Ally that to
his skill with the ball (I don't remember how many Test wickets he took, but
it was > 200, wasn't it?) and his agility in the field, and you have a player
of unique ability who would have graced any team he played in.

But was he of more value to WI than Botham was :-( to England?  (I have to say
"was", for reasons that will become apparent).  Or Hadlee to NZ?  Or Imran to
Pakistan?  Or Kapil to India?  We have been extremely privileged over the last
15 years or so to have four great allrounders playing as contemporaries; the
battles between the teams have so often swung on one of their performances and
it has made for some very exciting matches.  How does one compare them?

Being English, the temptation is there for me to say that Botham was the best
of them.  With 5400-ish runs and 380-odd wickets, he was of incalculable value
to England with his ability to suddenly turn a match upside-down, as he showed
with his remarkable performances in the last three Tests against Australia in
1981.  Kim Hughes, then Aus captain, said at the time that "the difference
between the two sides in this series was Ian Botham".  None of the other three
approached Botham's capabilities with the bat, though Hadlee and Imran were
definitely better bowlers.  Botham's wicket-taking seemed to me, at times, to
owe a lot to sheer enthusiasm and the odd slice of luck; Kapil, while not
dissimilar, does bowl more consistently than Botham ever did.  But, when Kapil
finally exceeds Hadlee's record number of wickets, as he surely will, will that
make him a better bowler than Hadlee?  Or Imran?  I think not.  Maybe it's no
coincidence that, after Botham, Kapil was always the next most exciting batsman
of the four to watch (his 77* to save the follow-on, including four consecutive
straight sixes off Eddie Hemmings at the end of the innings, in one of the 1990
Tests was a joy to behold).  Botham, unfortunately, has never been quite the
same player since his operation for a nasty back injury in 1988 and is now
pretty much a spent force (though he can come and play for my Saturday league
team, if he likes :-).

And how would any of these four have compared to Sobers?  Let the arguments
begin! :-)

Of the current crop of Test cricketers, I don't think anyone would disagree
with me when I say that I reckon that the best allrounder currently playing is
Wasim Akram.  I saw him at Basingstoke two seasons ago when Hampshire played
Lancashire there; he scored a century in Lancs first innings (including a
huge six on to the clubhouse roof off a shot that hardly appeared to be more
than a forward defensive push) and took nine wickets in the match.  Hampshire
just managed to cling on for the draw.  Then again at Southampton last year,
when Hampshire played the touring Pakistan side; his contribution with the
bat was not so pronounced, but he was the pick of the fast bowlers (Mushtaq
Ahmed did most of the damage for Pakistan with the ball).  Waqar wasn't quite
on song, and Aqib was a bit erratic (though he had improved considerably from
the previous season when he was playing for Hampshire); Wasim bowled steadily,
with pace, control and fire.

Ian Salisbury shows great promise.  He proved that he has the temperament
for the big matches during the Pakistan series last year, picking up several
wickets (worth noting that his first Test wicket was no less a batsman than
Javed Miandad) and scoring a 50 in his second Test.  Why on earth he isn't
playing in India, I just don't know.  Maybe it's time I became an England
selector :-)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 David A. Wheeler               Whatever Motorola pays me for, it isn't my  
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 Motorola Ltd., Camberley,                  ******************              
 Surrey, GU16 5ES, England    "You're a Hampshire supporter and you work in 
 TUK067@maccvm.corp.mot.com    SURREY??!  People have been HANGED for less!"