1000 runs in a year : Isnt this getting a bit tedious?

[f.b.m]

I saw Ricky Ponting pass the formerly valuable landmark of 1000 years in a calendar year. We used to cherish and celebrate those moments in the 90's when Sachin was scoring a 1000 every year. It actually meant something because there were only a couple of other players who could actually reach such milestones. Now the alltime great by the name of Simon Katich just went past the same number. That's 11 of them and Michael Clarke isnt far away. Does a thousand runs in a calendar year mean anything anymore? Is there any hope for bowlers?

[Anakin]

Yet another proof of the waning bowling and pitch quality. Nowadays, one must have a 50+ avg to be a considered slightly above average batsman.

[graphic23]

They also play a lot of matches these days though (Ponting 14 and Katich 11).

[cochise]

Pitches everywhere are losing their character. India, Australia...so far, the only pitch I have seen that has played to it's reputation has been the Gabba...that too underprepared. I don't know what is going on and why pitches are seemingly being standardised and mundane...neither spin freindly nor pace friendly nor seam friendly. Hopefully NZ will have pitches with character.

[Rajan]

to be fair, most of the cricketers who have scored 1000 runs this year are proven performers. not every one has scored 1000. Gambhir has played so less but he has been scoring heavily. Smith has complete 1000 even if u take away the runs against bangladesh.Ponting for all his struggles against Bhaji and Ishant has scored important runs.SRT proved his detractors wrong. Sehwag almost challenged Mo Yo's record and had a great year.Katich has outshone Hayden and is a good batsman in his own rights.he would have played 100 tests by now if he was an indian.i am not sure DeVilliers has completed 1000, but he too is a good player.Chanderpaul is another player who may have fallen short of 1000, but is a very good player. Mckenzie is the one player whom i may not bracket with the above. scoring 1000 runs, especially against non minnows is not an easy task. even now.

[Ram]

If Gambhir had played the first 4 tests of the year, who knows how many he would have made.

[Sachinism]

Ponting sucks ass, he is rubbish, I can't believe the number of times opposition teams have given him a 2nd life Every time he scores big he usually has a 2nd life

[Lord]

Ponting sucks ass, he is rubbish, I can't believe the number of times opposition teams have given him a 2nd life Every time he scores big he usually has a 2nd life

every 2nd hundred generally contains a missed opp.so cant fault ponting for that

[Sachinism]

every 2nd hundred generally contains a missed opp.so cant fault ponting for that

Can't fault him, but he doesn't deserve the praise he recieves appart from being dropped, it was a brilliant innings, but its annoying how lucky this guy is

[Lord]

from "ponting sucks ass,he is rubbish" to "brilliant innings apart from dropped chance".quite an improvement:two_thumbs_up:

[f.b.m]

OK, let me put it this way: How many times has a team been skittled for <100? And how many times is it that they have, without any trouble, scored 500 without taking the match in any other direction apart from that of a draw? Valid point about the number of tests being played though.

[Sachinism]

from "ponting sucks ass' date='he is rubbish" to "brilliant innings apart from dropped chance".quite an improvement:two_thumbs_up:[/quote'] Im gonna stick with "Ponting sucks ass" most batsmen will score big if the opposition keeps dropping them He did play some glorious shots (easy wicket to bat on) but he is too damn lucky

[Chandan]

to be fair, most of the cricketers who have scored 1000 runs this year are proven performers. not every one has scored 1000. Gambhir has played so less but he has been scoring heavily. Smith has complete 1000 even if u take away the runs against bangladesh.Ponting for all his struggles against Bhaji and Ishant has scored important runs.SRT proved his detractors wrong. Sehwag almost challenged Mo Yo's record and had a great year.Katich has outshone Hayden and is a good batsman in his own rights.he would have played 100 tests by now if he was an indian.i am not sure DeVilliers has completed 1000, but he too is a good player.Chanderpaul is another player who may have fallen short of 1000, but is a very good player. Mckenzie is the one player whom i may not bracket with the above. scoring 1000 runs, especially against non minnows is not an easy task. even now.

Even then there are too many players with so many runs. You can have a look: Test runs in 2008 By that token, who are the ones who've taken maximum wickets? Test wickets in 2008 You can easily see how depleted this department looks. And then have a look at ODIs too: ODI Runs in 2008 ODI wickets in 2008

[Feed]

Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn top the chart SOUTH African stars Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn will soon focus on overtaking Australia as the world's No.1 Test cricket side, but they can also reflect on 2008 as a stand-out year individually. More... South African pair top the charts Year to remember ... Graeme Smith hits out against Australia. December 31, 2008 - 2:37PM South African stars Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn will soon focus on overtaking Australia as the world's No.1 Test cricket side, but they can also reflect on 2008 as a stand-out year individually. The Proteas can attribute much of their success this year - 11 wins, two draws and two losses from 15 Tests, and series wins in England and Australia - to Smith's magnificent batting and Steyn's brilliant fast bowling. On top of his improved captaincy, Smith scored 1,656 runs at an average of 72, and his tally was the third-highest in a calendar year in the game's history, only behind the 1,788 runs Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf amassed in 2006 and the 1,710 the West Indies' Viv Richards tallied in 1976. Smith's year included six centuries and scores of 48, 108, 62 and 75 in the first two Tests against Australia, a country he had previously struggled against, with only one half-century from eight matches before this series. Steyn was the man of the match in the second Test at the MCG for his bowling and batting heroics, and his 10-wicket haul gave him 74 scalps for the year, at an average of 20.01 runs apiece. That figure represents almost half of the paceman's career total - he made his Test debut in 2004 - and he took five five-wicket hauls for the year, in just 13 matches. Steyn's year-best figure was the equal ninth-highest in history. South Africa's batting strength was underlined by the presence of Hashim Amla (4th, 1,161 runs), Neil McKenzie (7th, 1,071) and AB de Villiers (10th, 1,061) in the top 10 leading run-scorers. Captain Ricky Ponting was again Australia's highest run-scorer, with the year's third highest tally of 1,182 at 47.28, a figure inflated by his double of 101 and 99 at the MCG. This year was the fifth time Ponting had scored more than 1,000 runs in a calendar year. Michael Clarke, with 1,063 runs in equal-eighth spot, was the only other Australian batsman to register in the top 10. Left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson was Australia's leading wicket-taker, and second overall, with 63 scalps at 29.01. Leading run-scorers and wicket-takers in Test cricket in 2008. MOST RUNS 1,656 - Graeme Smith (RSA) 15 matches, average 72.00 1,462 - Virender Sehwag (Ind) 14 matches, average 56.23 1,182 - Ricky Ponting (Aust) 14 matches, average 47.28 1,162 - Hashim Amla (RSA) 15 matches, average 52.77 1,134 - Gautam Gambhir (Ind) 8 matches, average 70.87 1,086 - VVS Laxman (Ind) 15 matches, average 47.21 1,073 - Neil McKenzie (RSA) 14 matches, average 53.65 1,063 - Michael Clarke (Aust) 13 matches, average 50.61 1,063 - Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 13 matches, average 48.31 1,061 - AB de Villiers (RSA) 15 matches, average 58.94 MOST WICKETS 74 - Dale Steyn (RSA) 13 matches, average 20.01 63 - Mitchell Johnson (Aust) 14 matches, average 29.01 63 - Harbhajan Singh (Ind) 13 matches, average 31.53 57 - Brett Lee (Aust) 14 matches, average 33.05 54 - Daniel Vettori (NZ) 14 matches, average 26.12 54 - Makhaya Ntini (RSA) 15 matches, average 28.46 47 - Ryan Sidebottom (Eng) 8 matches, average 20.25 46 - Jimmy Anderson (Eng) 11 matches, average 29.84 43 - Morne Morkel (RSA) 13 matches, average 32.16 42 - Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) 6* matches, average 23.71 * currently playing a Test against Bangladesh

[zubinpepsi]

1,182 - Ricky Ponting (Aust) 14 matches, average 47.28 1,063 - Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 13 matches, average 48.31 2008 supposed to b a good year for SRT and a bad year for ponting.. yet look at their stats for this year.. :(( and no Zaheer and Ishant in tht list... talk abt overrated.. we indeed overrate our players.. :((

[bunny]

1,182 - Ricky Ponting (Aust) 14 matches, average 47.28 1,063 - Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 13 matches, average 48.31 2008 supposed to b a good year for SRT and a bad year for ponting.. yet look at their stats for this year.. :(( and no Zaheer and Ishant in tht list... talk abt overrated.. we indeed overrate our players.. :((

That's not all. People here have been criticizing Bhajji, and praising Zak and Ishant as if they are Waqar and Wasim, and Bhajji is Arshad Khan. The reality though is Bhajji has taken more wickets (of course by bowling more overs) but at a similar avg to that of Ishant (30ish). Zak averaged 35+.

[Lord]

1,182 - Ricky Ponting (Aust) 14 matches, average 47.28 1,063 - Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 13 matches, average 48.31 2008 supposed to b a good year for SRT and a bad year for ponting.. yet look at their stats for this year.. :(( and no Zaheer and Ishant in tht list... talk abt overrated.. we indeed overrate our players.. :((

u look into stats too much.ponting never played mendis-murali in their own backyard,sachin did.ponting's runs came usually in lost or drawn causes.not the case with sachin.still sachin averages higher. and about zak n ishant.they did not play all the matches,because of injuries.and wen they played ,it was on patta wickets where there is not much help for them,so less wickets

[cochise]

1,182 - Ricky Ponting (Aust) 14 matches, average 47.28 1,063 - Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 13 matches, average 48.31 2008 supposed to b a good year for SRT and a bad year for ponting.. yet look at their stats for this year.. and no Zaheer and Ishant in tht list... talk abt overrated.. we indeed overrate our players..

I have to disagree. We UNDERRATE our players and so does everyone else. About time we lost this habit.

[SachDan]

1,182 - Ricky Ponting (Aust) 14 matches, average 47.28 1,063 - Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 13 matches, average 48.31 2008 supposed to b a good year for SRT and a bad year for ponting.. yet look at their stats for this year.. :(( and no Zaheer and Ishant in tht list... talk abt overrated.. we indeed overrate our players.. :((

MCG test boosted Ponting's overall record for 2008.As rox said,Ponting didn't play an innings through out the year that had a say on his team winning or saving a match! Where as Sachin's form through out the year in crucial times was quite instrumental for Team India piling up good scores.Be it in tests or ODIs :two_thumbs_up:

[Lord]

That's not all. People here have been criticizing Bhajji' date=' and praising Zak and Ishant as if they are Waqar and Wasim, and Bhajji is Arshad Khan. The reality though is Bhajji has taken more wickets (of course by bowling more overs) but at a similar avg to that of Ishant (30ish). Zak averaged 35+.[/quote'] bhajji has taken so many wickets bcoz he was playing in subcontinent n against teams that dont play spin well.u expext bhajji to run thru SA,eng ,n aussies on home turf but that was not the case.we still relied on zak n ishant to win us matches.its no coincidence they were MOS in the last two series.30ish ave on subcontinent is gr8 for fast bowlers,not for spinners. u cant look into stats alone