Is Pietersen the best England batsmen ever??

[Vijay.Sharma]

I think some of the greatest English batsmen since the 20th century in chronological order were / are: Hobbs Sutcliffe Hammond Hutton Barrington Pietersen Considering all aspects and not restricting to stats I think Hutton and Hobbs should rank among the best batsmen of England ahead of Pietersen. But it is true that England need to go really far back in time to pick a batsman of the stature of Pietersen. Gooch and Gower were definitely very very good batsmen but I don't think they can be considered in the same league as Pietersen. Gooch had a poor beginning and blossomed only in the later part of his career. He did have some defining knocks that any ATG would be proud of. However he wasn't consistent enough thru out his career to be considered an ATG. Gower was attractive and had some knocks that were very good, even sturdy at times (which he was less known for). Again, like Gooch, he did not have the consistency through out his career to be considered an ATG. Definitely KP is the best English bat over the last 40-50 years Edit - When we talk about English cricket's golden era it is definitely the decade of the 50s. During that time they had one of the best line-ups with Barrington, Hutton, May, Compton, etc. Some might argue that May and Compton also come under the same league as ATG like Barrington and Hutton. But the difference between the former and the latter pairs is the same difference between say Sobers-Richards and the 3 Ws or Sachin-Rahul and Lax-Dada or Waugh-Pawning and Hayden-Martyn

[rkt.india]

Considering all aspects and not restricting to stats I think Hutton and Hobbs should rank among the best batsmen of England ahead of Pietersen. But it is true that England need to go really far back in time to pick a batsman of the stature of Pietersen.

How would you compare Pietersen to Richards? Both has similar batting style that is dominating the bowling and can take apart any bowling attack even the best.

[daryl1985]

In terms of talent he is right up there, in terms of achievement no.

[Trichromatic]

In terms of talent he is right up there' date=' in terms of achievement no.[/quote'] How he is not up there in terms of achievement? He is among top 10 run scorers for England. He has been key member of the side for last 6-7 years and probably biggest force in their team.

[daryl1985]

How he is not up there in terms of achievement? He is among top 10 run scorers for England. He has been key member of the side for last 6-7 years and probably biggest force in their team.

You make a fair point. I just don't consider him to be the best ever. Maybe its because i don't think he has fulfilled his immense talent. As good as he has been, i think he could have been even better. Also his runs have come in an era of weak bowling (even though he has proven he can take the best attacks apart when on song).

[ganeshran]

Pietersen is able to produce moments of brilliance that no other English batsman in the last 20 years can match. He would have been rated much higher had he been consistent too

[panther]

50 average does not mean greatness I would take a 49 averaging kp over a jawardana, sehwag or amla.

[carnish]

..

I wouldnot say so as pietersen is suited for all conditions but jaya and sehwag struggle away from SC ... so yeah pietersen better or rather I would say safe and stable option. Cant say the same about amla though, but amla needs a few more years of consistency before we can compare them to KP, Viru and Jaya

[deathmonger]

I wouldnot say so as pietersen is suited for all conditions but jaya and sehwag struggle away from SC ... so yeah pietersen better or rather I would say safe and stable option. Cant say the same about amla though' date=' but amla needs a few more years of consistency before we can compare them to KP, Viru and Jaya[/quote'] pietersen has poor record in pakistan/uae and south africa.

[rkt.india]

You make a fair point. I just don't consider him to be the best ever. Maybe its because i don't think he has fulfilled his immense talent. As good as he has been, i think he could have been even better. Also his runs have come in an era of weak bowling (even though he has proven he can take the best attacks apart when on song).

You are forgetting he is still only 31.

[Crookbond]

In terms of talent he is right up there' date= in terms of achievement no.

We should talk about Rohit Sharma in the same vein too. :acute:

[vvvslaxman]

He probably is the best attacking batsman they had in a while. Best batsman ever? That is debatable.

[Ultimate_Game]

Not even close. Hutton, Sutcliffe, Hammond etc. are ahead of him.

[Vijay.Sharma]

How would you compare Pietersen to Richards? Both has similar batting style that is dominating the bowling and can take apart any bowling attack even the best.

I think the only reason why I wouldn't rate Pietersen above Hutton is because Pietersen still has time to go in his career. He is already there but I am just holding on to make the final call. He has played 7 years only which is not enough time (not matches) to decide that he is the best English bat ever. Comparing Pietersen to Richards is a good exercise. Both were/are dominating players but Richards was more dominating when compared to his peers. This might come as a surprise to some who haven't seen cricket during the 90s and early 2000s that Pietersen is probably not completely as dominating as Lara and Sachin were between 1994 and 2003. I think Sehwag's and Gayle's styles of play are more comparable to Vivian Richards'. But that's just my opinion. I reiterate that KP is possibly the best bat England have since the 60s. He might well go on to become their best of all time but for that he needs to play a few more years and be as consistent as he is now and rectify his little weaknesses. KP is definitely the most entertaining English bat I have seen. People say Hutton was entertaining but I haven't watched him bat neither have I seen enough videos of his but I am aware that he scored runs at a decent pace and was essentially an attacking batsman.

[adi B]

50 average does not mean greatness I would take a 49 averaging kp over a jawardana' date=' sehwag or amla.[/quote'] +1

[Ultimate_Game]

50 average does not mean greatness I would take a 49 averaging kp over a jawardana' date=' sehwag or amla.[/quote'] The statement needs to be qualified... I would take KP over Jayawardene, I will take KP over Sehwag but not in sub-continent. In fact I can't think of any batsman I would take over Sehwag in SC. As for KP over Amla that's debatable. In T20 yes, but in odis and Tests I would take Amla over KP.

[Crookbond]

The statement needs to be qualified... I would take KP over Jayawardene, I will take KP over Sehwag but not in sub-continent. In fact I can't think of any batsman I would take over Sehwag in SC. As for KP over Amla that's debatable. In T20 yes, but in odis and Tests I would take Amla over KP.

Amla is great for hair (ironically). I always take Amla. :proud:

[Ultimate_Game]

Amla is great for hair (ironically). I always take Amla. :proud:

The guy averages 50+ in odis (IIRC around 55) and is coming up pretty well in tests. How can you not take him in those 2 formats :dontknow:

[Crookbond]

U_G Bhaiyya, I was just trolling! IMHO, I will take Amla over KP in Tests and ODIs.

[Ultimate_Game]

U_G Bhaiyya' date=' I was just trolling! IMHO, I will take Amla over KP in Tests and ODIs.[/quote'] Arrey bhai kitna troll karoge? Kabhi to break le liya karo :winky: