List of choices most artistic or aesthetic bowler-batsman contests in cricket history in order of merit

[Harsh Thakor]

My list in order of merit of  combinations  of most artistic or stylish cricketers whose duels took aestheticism to its greatest depth. My criteria is not class,power or technique but poetic content.

 

1.David Gower-Michael Holding

 

Reminiscent of a Beethoven with a Michelangelo.Both took cricketing grace or art to sublime proportions.No paceman in the history of cricket made the impact of thunder and lightning with the grace of a seagull flying in the manner of Holding. . In his final bowling strides he resembled a cobra coiling or a ballad dancer performing.  Gower could caress the best balls to the fence as few batsmen ever could wit the deftest of touches,reminiscent of  painter making curves on a board.Against sheer pace or short-pitched bowling he was possibly more proficient than even Brian Lara .I can visulaise few better sights than Holding beating Gower through the air or in turn Gower effortlessly driving Holding to pierce the gaps.

 

 

 

 

2.Martin Crowe-Wasim Akram

 

The beauty or elegance of Crowe against the wizardry of Wasim .Cricketing prowess of sublime proportions.Sheer spectacle witnessing Crowe driving Wasim being an epitome of grace and Wasim delivering six types of balls in an over,including majestic swinging yorker.

 

 

 

 

3.Denis Compton-Ray Lindwall

 

Denis Compton was creative genius personified while Ray Lindwall wast he epitome of pace bowling skill.Few better sights than Compton dancing down the track or Lindwal skidding  a cricket ball.

 

 

 

 

4.Zaheer Abbas-Bishen Bedi

 

Like seeing a poet with a ghazal singer.Both possessed the grace of the Gods of Oympus.Zaheer held a bat like a wand with his feather touches sending the ball skimming to the ropes.Bedi 's mivements resembled a classic snake charmer  with his characteristic loop.What a sight seeing Zaheer dance down the track to dispatch Bishen over the fence and in turn Bedi break through the gates of Zaheer or trap him.

 

 

 

 

5..Rohan Kanhai-Subash Gupte

 

The sheer imaginative genius of Kanhai against supreme spin mastery of Gupte

 

 

 

 

6.Brian Lara-Glen Mcgrath

 

The creative genius of Lara against the supreme  control of Mcgrath.Lara resmbled a musical composer and Mcgrath although not so versatile was artistic in his own right.

 

 

 

 

 

7.Ted Dexter-Alan Davidson

 

The sheer stylishness of Dexter against the artistic skill of Davidson was  a treat for fans.

 

 

 

 

 

8.Colin Cowdrey-Gary Sobers

 

 

The majestic natural ability of Cowdrey against the unequaled versatility of Sobers.On his day Cowdrey could rule like  a king while Gary had more trick sup his sleeve than anyone.

 

 

 

 

 

9.Alvin Kalicharan-Dennis Lillee

 

Sensation of a boxing bout with continuous ebb and flow.Kalichaarn would never loose his grace even when driving ,pulling,hoking and cutting all over the place.Lille was always hostile but had an element  of poetry.

 

 

 

 

 

10.Mohammad Azharuddin-Courtney Walsh

 

 

The unique artistry of Azhar against the rhythmic flowing action of Walsh .A great sight witnessing the delicate leg glances or silken drives through the covers of Azhar and the poetic grace of Walsh which could still create  most disconcerting pace and bounce  to  a batsman ..Both were grace personified.

 

 

 

 

 

11.Majid Khan-Andy Roberts

 

The best exponent of the hook shot after Viv Richards with most majestic grace against the most complete  paceman of his era after Lillee .Terrific to witness Majid majestically drive and Andy bowling an outswinger and bouncers at different speeds.

 

 

 

 

 

12.Saed Anwar-Alan Donald

 

 The glorious touch of Anwar flourishing against the lightning speed of Donald and in  turn the versatlity of Donald to send shivers down the spine of his opponent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I had to choose my ultimate spectacle of a batsman versus a bowler resembling poetry in motion. the contenders that would conjure up to my mind first are David Gower and Michael Holding. There were better batsmen and bowlers in that era, but no one surpassed them for sheer elegance or few bestowed more sheer talent. This year we mark the 40th anniversary of Michael Holding bowling what was arguably the best over ever in the history of test cricket at Barbados and David Gower scoring an unbeaten 154 against the best pace attack ever in the West Indies. There were batsmen more technically sound than Gower and bowlers more accurate than Holding but none took cricketing poetry to such heights. There could hardly be more of majestic sight than witnessing the duo take on each other. It would be like seeing a painting of Rembrandt, or work of Michelangelo.

 

 

 

In 1981 West Inside possessed the best pace attack ever with the likes of Colin Croft and Joel Garner accompanying Andy Roberts and Michael Holding. At Kingston David Gower ressurected England from dire straits scoring an unbeaten 154 with counter attacking agression.Facing a huge first innings deficit Gower blended great composure and determination. Even good balls were flayed away.  Whether driving, pulling. hooking cutting or flicking Gower played in the manner of conducting a musical symphony. Although not at his quickest in that series at times Holding drew speed comparable with the fastest ever.40 years ago it must have been cricket's ultimate spectacle witnessing the duel between David Gower and Michael Holding. Holding would beat Gower or trouble him with steep bounce obtained close to the batsman while in turn Gower would even send the good balls scuttling to the fence. The scene would be reminiscent of one acrobat passing a baton to the other Rare to witness tow lotus's blossoming simultaneously.

 

 

No paceman in the history of cricket made the impact of thunder and lightning with the grace of a seagull flying in the manner of Holding. One virtually got the sensation of an antelope in full stride. In his final bowling strides he resembled a cobra coiling or a ballad dancer performing. The pace he extracted after the ball left his hand was unbelievable, with the ball whizzing through the air defying bio-mechanics. Holding did not swing the ball so much or have an effective slower ball but his deadly yorker and bounce obtained so close to the bat made him a batsman's nightmare. In a total package he came close to the complete or perfect fast bowler. It was very rare in sport for such an electrifying effect to be created with sheer effortlesness.The best of batsmen were rattled and deceived by Holding which made him known as the 'Whispering Death.' Holding did not posses the craft of Andy Roberts or Malcolm Marshall or the accuracy of Curtly Ambrose or Joel Garner but at his best his sheer speed though the air could have been a more lethal proposition than any of them.To me Holding's 14 wickets for 149 at the Oval in 1976 is the greatest exhibition ever of sustained fast bowling in the history of cricket. It was reminiscent of thunder and lightning intervening from no man’s land on the hottest of summer days. On a wicket as dead as a pancake. Every victim of Holding's was either bowled or leg before. I doubt any paceman ever in a test so consistently beat the bat with sheer pace or speed through the air.. Pace bowling art or bio-mechanics was taken to metaphysical regions. I doubt if any paceman was such an epitome of fast bowling perfection, in terms of control, speed and bowling action. No paceman ever better demonstrated the sheer weapon of sheer pace. 1981 he dismissed Geoff Boycott sending his stump cart wheeling after a succession of five unplayable, deliveries. lifting disconcertingly. This over had every element that constituted perfection personified by a pace bowler, be it speed, bounce, control and accuracy. One got the sensation of a boulder being cracked into two. No paceman ever achieved such perfection in bowling action or posessed such consistent speed through the air. Later in his career from early 1980's he learnt to move the ball both ways .

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Gower ironically struck his first ball he ever faced in test cricket for a boundary ,against Pakistan in 1978.He simply looked destined to join the greats but later had frequent bouts of loss of form. His footwork was lazy and would more than often contribute to his own dismissal. However in terms of sheer natural ability few batsmen ever surpassed Gower.I cant forget his sheer effortlesness when dispatching balls to the fence with his mere touches. It was reminiscent of a shepherd tending his flock. A ball travelling at speed and lightning would be punished by the most deftest of  touches, even when hooking or pulling. Memories always spring up of the ease with which Gower executed good deliveries of Dennis Lillee or Geoff Lawson in 1982-83 in Australia. For sheer aesthecism Gower did not have an equal amongst left-handers,with his strokes resembling the touches of a a painter's brush or sculptor's tools. Rarely did a batsman play the ball so late

 

 

 

In terms of epitomizing cricket's poetry the other notable contests would have been between Ray Lindwall and Denis Compton, Subash Gupte to Rohan Kanhai ,Alan Davidson to Ted Dexter ,Bishen Bedi to Alvin Kalicharan and Wasim Akram to Martin Crowe. Imagine witnessing the sheer genius of Rohan Kanhai resembling a musical composer taking on arguably the best master of leg -spin ever, Subash Gupte. Denis Compton's artistry confronting Lindwall could have been the piece for a museum. Few sights could be more delightful than the epitome of elegance against Wizardry in divine proportions in a Wasim -Crowe duel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2021 by Harsh Thakor

[zen]

Lara-McGrath ... McGrath has got Lara out a few times, but Lara also avgs 62 (among the highest by a MO batsman) when batting at #4-7 in 10 Tests when McGrath & Warne are playing 

 

A shout to Crowe-Wasim too. Crowe is said to be among the pioneers of mastering playing reverse swing 

Edited March 31, 2021 by zen