Greatest Test Cricketer Ever

[Rahul48]

Sir Garfield Sobers

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Lurker - I believe we agree on several counts as far as Imran Khan is concerned. However, the threat aspect that you speak about, in my opinion, need not at all be a measure of how great (or otherwise) the cricketer was. Richard Hadlee would hardly strike fear in you! But there he was - picking wickets pell mell! So did Walsh. Who in the world would rank Walsh as the world's best bowler? Yet he was there at the very top for a significant time. Imran at his best as a bowler was much faster and craftier than Kapil Dev. If you forget Wasim Akram and compare Imran's threat as a bowler with Kapil Dev, then I think its an easy decision in favour of the Pathan. As far as batting is concerned, Imran was definitely not the more talented. But then talent and results have not always been best friends. He just did the best he could and the results do speak of this - after a fashion. He definitely is not a batsman who deserves a 50+ average (just going by your post) but he was definitely far more dependable as a batsman than Kapil Dev or Botham. In the end this combination (not even considering his captaincy) elevates him above those two contemporaries, I feel.

All that is fine but you haven't answered Lurker's key point - Imran's career was made of two halves - first part as primarily a bowler and the second primarily as a batsmen but did not excel in both of these skills at the same time. Strangely, that was exactly my thoughts as well when it came to comparing Imran with other great allrounders.

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