Warne's 50 list

[Lurker]

...in case some of you may have not seen this. Thus far he has selected players rated between 50 and 30. 50 Jamie Siddons (Victoria) First-class matches 160 Runs 11,587 at 44.91 Catches 206 As an all-round fielder, with a rocket arm, I rank him second behind Mark Waugh among Australians I have seen. He is recognised as one of our best batsmen not to have played Test cricket. I thought he was especially good against spin and have fond memories as he was in the Victoria team when I made my debut. 49 Darren Berry (Victoria) First-class matches 153 Runs 4,273 at 21.58 Catches 552 Stumpings 51 Another Victorian to miss out on Test cricket. He is the purest wicketkeeper I have seen. The ball sounded extra-soft in his gloves. His catching was so reliable that first slip could stand wider and the cordon covered more ground. He once stumped David Boon down the leg side standing up to Paul Reiffel – a brilliantly executed plan. 48 Brian McMillan (South Africa) Test matches 38 Runs 1,968 at 39.36 Wickets 75 at 33.82 For a big fellow, he did not hit the ball as hard as you would expect, but he could be a sharp bowler and a wonderful slip fielder. It helped that his hands were just enormous. He was a very tough guy to play against, especially when you were meeting him for the first time, but he was also an enjoyable opponent. 47 Chris Cairns (New Zealand) Test matches 62 Runs 3,320 at 33.53 Wickets 218 at 29.40 He played the most incredible shot off my bowling during a game in Hamilton. Placing his left leg into the rough, he swivelled to face square leg and hit the turning ball over that area for a huge six. At one stage, he was probably the best all-rounder in the world, despite struggling with injuries. 46 Dilip Vengsarkar (India) Test matches 116 Runs 6,868 at 42.13 The India side were starting to change in my early days with Australia, but Vengsarkar remained a very stylish, elegant batsman. In our dressing-room, he was held in the highest regard by those who saw him at his best in the Eighties. I’ve taken into account his record all over the world, including three hundreds at Lord’s. 45 Waqar Younis (Pakistan) Test matches 87 Runs 1,010 at 10.20 Wickets 373 at 23.56 People may be surprised that Waqar doesn’t figure higher. His stats are excellent, but I always thought that he fed off Wasim Akram at the other end. Having said that, he was a fine one-day bowler with a devastating, fast yorker at the death. The pair of them formed a great new-ball partnership through the Nineties. 44 Alec Stewart (England) Test matches 133 Runs 8,483 at 39.54 Catches 263 Stumpings 14 He did not have a great record against Australia, but I always admired Alec for his versatility. Over his career, he had to adjust from being a batsman to a batsman-keeper, then play as an opener, No 3 or in the middle order. From what I can gather, his preparation was always spot on. 43 Michael Atherton Test matches 115 Runs 7,728 at 37.69 In a funny way I enjoyed watching him bat because he was one of the old school who just liked to grind down the opposition. At times, he held England together when they were going through a rough period. His concentration was incredible and I always enjoyed talking cricket with him. He has a good understanding of the game. 42 Ravi Shastri (India) Test matches 80 Runs 3,830 at 35.79 Wickets 151 at 40.96. Test cricket seemed impossibly hard when Ravi was belting a double hundred on my debut for Australia. By the time I had him caught – at deep cover, which tells its own story – I didn’t know where my second game would come from. He was a very effective player and a handy spin bowler for a captain to have up his sleeve. 41 Justin Langer (Australia) Test matches 105 Runs 7,696 at 45.27 So many people wrote him off and there were more talented batsmen who did not play as often for Australia. But you need more than talent to succeed and “Alfie” worked his guts out to become the best player he could be. By the end, he had scored 23 Test hundreds and became an inspiration to youngsters everywhere. 40 Kapil Dev (India) Test matches 131 Runs 5,248 at 31.05 Wickets 434 at 29.64 He was the bowler I first faced in Test cricket – it took me 27 minutes to get off the mark. Although his Test career was coming to the end by then, he still had a very good action and a dangerous outswinger. He also remained an explosive batsman. Definitely one of the great India players. I was pleased that our paths just crossed. 39 Stuart MacGill (Australia) Test matches 40 Wickets 198 at 27.20 Has always put some serious rage on the ball and bowls one of the most violent leg breaks in the game as well as an effective googly. He sees himself purely as a wicket-taker, with a good strike-rate. Over the next few years, he should get a good run in international cricket while our younger spin bowlers begin to come through. 38 Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) Test matches 107 Runs 6,791 at 40.42 Wickets 96 at 34.17 One of the greatest one-day players in the game, whose aggression in the opening overs of matches during the 1996 World Cup represented a serious development. For a small man, he is very powerful and his left-arm spin is underestimated. He has been a good foil for Muttiah Muralitharan. 37 Stephen Harmison (England) Test matches 54 Wickets 205 at 30.82 On his day, he is one of the most awkward bowlers in the world. I hope he can overcome his injuries to lead the England attack again. He has returned some great figures and, although he wasn’t the leading wicket-taker in the 2005 Ashes, he set the tone with his bowling in the initial stages at Lord’s. 36 Andy Flower (Zimbabwe) Test matches 63 Runs 4,794 at 51.54 Catches 151 Stumpings 9 He was a forerunner to Adam Gilchrist as a left-handed wicketkeeper, who also scored hundreds on a regular basis – 12 in Test matches. Unlike Gilchrist, he did not have great players to lay the foundations. A good player of spin, he must be the best player to have represented Zimbabwe. 35 Michael Vaughan (England) Test matches 70 Runs 5,141 at 43.94 He will always be remembered as the man who captained England to the Ashes in 2005, but I also think of his three hundreds in the 2002-03 series. He was an effective player, who also looked very stylish on our quicker pitches. I also admire the courage he has shown to come back from his serious knee injuries. 34 Bruce Reid (Australia) Test matches 27 Wickets 113 at 24.63 But for injuries, which curtailed his career, his reputation would be even higher. On song, he was just about the best there has been. He had good pace, remarkable control and generated bounce and movement. Being tall and left-arm made him very difficult to face. Nowadays, he is one of the leading bowling coaches. 33 Allan Donald (South Africa) Test matches 72 Wickets 330 at 22.25 Like Waqar Younis yesterday, he may be a bit lower than people expect. When conditions were in his favour, he was dangerous, without question, but there were times when a few of us wondered if his head dropped too soon if things were not going his way. He was quick, but, at times, he struggled to impose himself on the opposition. 32 Robin Smith (England) Test matches 62 Runs 4,236 at 43.67 He always put England’s interests before his own, batting wherever they asked in the order and still managing to average in the mid40s over a Test career that should have gone on longer. He could be a destructive player of fast bowling and nobody cut more fiercely. He is also the nicest person I have met in 20 years of cricket. 31 Tim May (Australia) Test matches 24 Wickets 75 at 34.74 I always thought he was a fantastic guy to have bowling with me in tandem at the other end. For an off spinner, he had the perfect, traditional, legitimate side-on action and his role in the 1993 Ashes win has been badly overlooked. He was one of our key players and gave me a lot of help in my first series against England. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article2343868.ece Interesting list. If you have some free time do dabble around on the link, you may check another link that leads to various County's best XI. Good time pass.. xxx

[sm332]

i wont bother commenting on a list which places Tim May higher than Kapil Dev !!!!

[Lurker]

^^ I personally have no problems with it really. Kapil played against Warne in one series(2 tests at that) and Warne still manages to pull him in the list of great players he has played against/for. Surely it would be unrealistic for me to expect him to put Kapil in his list of 20 great players considering Warne played well above 140 plus tests. What surprises me though is rating Donald and Waqar as further down as he did. More so for Donald, then again Donald's worse performance did come against Australia so maybe thats why. Regardless it is a fun list and a good time pass.

[zubinpepsi]

and ahead of harmison? well anyway thts his personal opinion.. it wil b purely biased.. no doubt abt tht.... anyway good to know abt this list... interesting to see the rest of 30.. also will b interesting where he places murali and sachin

[kumble_rocks]

Biased List ! Not worth my time !

[Lurker]

good to know abt this list... interesting to see the rest of 30.. also will b interesting where he places murali and sachin

Yeah those two are the ones I would be interested to watch out for as well. Me thinks Sachin would definitely be in top 3 while Murali probably outside top 5. It would also be intersting to find out if Warne puts people like Navjot Sidhu in there somewhere. He has been on record saying Sidhu played him as good as anyone else. Maybe Azharuddin would be in there too. Kumble for sure. Dravid outside top 10. Sehwag outside top 20..maybe no Ganguly and Ranatunga. Yeah cant wait for the next 30. xxx

[zubinpepsi]

Yeah those two are the ones I would be interested to watch out for as well. Me thinks Sachin would definitely be in top 3 while Murali probably outside top 5. It would also be intersting to find out if Warne puts people like Navjot Sidhu in there somewhere. He has been on record saying Sidhu played him as good as anyone else. Maybe Azharuddin would be in there too. Kumble for sure. Dravid outside top 10. Sehwag outside top 20..maybe no Ganguly and Ranatunga. Yeah cant wait for the next 30. xxx

indians will b counting how many many indians in the list and why hes ranked low and not higher than tht one etc.. paki's wud be counting with both their fingers n toes...i can see in tht comment page they r frustrated seeing waqar ranked way below than some mediocre performers.. fun to see their BP gettig tested.. will he also rate himself? then it wud be more fun to see tht...:D but i know no.1 tht wu b DON

[Lurker]

paki's wud be counting with both their fingers n toes...i can see in tht comment page they r frustrated seeing waqar ranked way below than some mediocre performers.. fun to see their BP gettig tested..

True. The ranking of Waqar surprised me as well. However it is good to see Warne rate players like Robin Smith, Bruce Reid and Tim May highly. Many people would judge these players simply based on their stats(which are good but hardly great) but these players were quite formidable. Bruce Reid was the bowler who alongwith Craig McDermott kept Australia afloat in late 80s when Aussies were just turning the corner. Had he not gotten injured he would have ended up with a record much better than the likes of Vaas/Harmisson and many others. Smith was a cavalier middle order batsman for England who produced his best against the fiercest fast bowlers. His square cuts off West Indies pacers were a delight. Tim May played second fiddle to Warne but the two ensured many a victories for Australia. Good to see such players get their dues. And personally I dont care if Bruce reid was rated above Waqar, atleast both of them made the list. xxx PS: I think number 1 would be a toss up between Sachin, Steve Waugh, Mcgrath.

[zubinpepsi]

True. The ranking of Waqar surprised me as well. PS: I think number 1 would be a toss up between Sachin, Steve Waugh, Mcgrath.

Lurks, is this list of 50 greatest cricketers he has played against? then i think it wud b 1. steve waugh 2. sachin 3. Mcgrath otherwise i think it mite b don, steve, sobers, and sachin in 5

[Lurker]

Lurks, is this list of 50 greatest cricketers he has played against? then i think it wud b 1. steve waugh 2. sachin 3. Mcgrath otherwise i think it mite b don, steve, sobers, and sachin in 5

ZP. I beleive this is a list of player he has played for/against. It does not mention so on the link but clearly the 20 names he has put down so far are all players who have played atleast a game or two against him. If 40% of the list does not contain any past players I fail to see why they will appear in the next 60%. I think the top 3 would end up with Waugh, Sachin and Mcgrath but not sure in what order. Throw in Lara and Ponting and I say the top 5 is complete. xx

[Chandan]

Where will Warne include Laxman? Or will he include them at all? He has to. And so far Laxman has not made his appearance. So if included, he'll be one of the top 30 in "Warne's list". Not bad, I'll say.

[zubinpepsi]

ZP. I beleive this is a list of player he has played for/against. It does not mention so on the link but clearly the 20 names he has put down so far are all players who have played atleast a game or two against him. If 40% of the list does not contain any past players I fail to see why they will appear in the next 60%. I think the top 3 would end up with Waugh, Sachin and Mcgrath but not sure in what order. Throw in Lara and Ponting and I say the top 5 is complete. xx

yeah it seems like tht.. but i expect steve to b ahead of sachin for his captaincy, batting, his fighting quality... whereas sachin has only batting and occasional bowling

[Lurker]

I would say both will make it to his top 30 list. Boof is rated very highly in Australia, as also England and is considered by many to be the greatest Australian batsman in past 10-20 years from a domestic cricket point of view. Since Warne has picked Jamie Siddons and Darren Berry, two practically unknowns, it would nothing sort of sacrilage if Lehmann doesnt make the cut. VVS shall make top 15 list. Based on his performance against Australia I fail to see any other Indian batsmen(excluding Sachin) going past VVS in rankings. xxx

[Lurker]

yeah it seems like tht.. but i expect steve to b ahead of sachin for his captaincy, batting, his fighting quality... whereas sachin has only batting and occasional bowling

ZP. You have a fair point about Steve Waugh there. However from what it seems to be thus far Warne has not given too much emphasis on leadership. Hence Vaughan, according to many the best English captain of past quarter century or so, at 35 and not higher. His fighting quality will score heavily though. Still Warne is on record to say Sachin was the best he bowled to(till Sachin's bad performance in past couple of years) and I would say that would put him right ahead of Waugh. Lets see..:regular_smile:

[zubinpepsi]

ZP. You have a fair point about Steve Waugh there. However from what it seems to be thus far Warne has not given too much emphasis on leadership. Hence Vaughan, according to many the best English captain of past quarter century or so, at 35 and not higher. His fighting quality will score heavily though. Still Warne is on record to say Sachin was the best he bowled to(till Sachin's bad performance in past couple of years) and I would say that would put him right ahead of Waugh. Lets see..:regular_smile:

umm lets see.. im curious.. cant wait for the rest of the list... i wud luve to boast abt this to pakis but unfortunately i know none....:sad_smile:

[Lurker]

i wud luve to boast abt this to pakis but unfortunately i know none....:sad_smile:

:hysterical: Well I would say the list will have far more Indians than it will have Pakistanis. If nothing it would be because in recent times(when Warne has played) India's record against Australia is better than any other country let alone Pakistan. I think the following Indian players would be in Warne's top 30: Sachin(top 3) VVS/Kumble(top 15, maybe top 10) Sehwag/Dravid(top 20) Sidhu/Azhar/Harbhajan Singh(top 30) I have a feeling Warne will leave Ganguly out just to mess with his head :tounge_smile:

[zubinpepsi]

:hysterical: Well I would say the list will have far more Indians than it will have Pakistanis. If nothing it would be because in recent times(when Warne has played) India's record against Australia is better than any other country let alone Pakistan. I think the following Indian players would be in Warne's top 30: Sachin(top 3) VVS/Kumble(top 15, maybe top 10) Sehwag/Dravid(top 20) Sidhu/Azhar/Harbhajan Singh(top 30) I have a feeling Warne will leave Ganguly out just to mess with his head :tounge_smile:

thts a good guess lurks.. but dravid >15?? yeah with warne u can expect tht...

[Lurker]

^^ To be fair Dravid has had 2 good series(out of total 5-6) against Australia. One in the historic series at home when India beat Australia 2-1. Then the other when India visited Australia soon after. Other than that his record against Australia was decent at best. Plus Dravid does not have a great record in LOI(as say Sachin or Lara do), and for a while Dravid did have problems against Warne too. If I am not wrong Warne has dismissed Dravid more than any other bowler in Test. So yes I would be surprised if Dravid makes in top 10. He would be 15 or thereabouts, let's see. xxx

[yoda]

looks like some random list.

[Predator_05]

I wonder if Muralitharan will figure ?