Who is the "michael Jordan" equivalent in Cricket?

[CricketResearch]

Hi - I am researching Cricket stars who - at the top of their game - changed their techniques to become even more successful. For example, in US basketball, Michael Jordan was already very good when he joined the NBA- he was already "one of the best" - however, as his career progressed, he changed his signature move "the fade away jump shot" which helped extend his career and ultimately catapulted him from "one of the greatest basketball players" to "the best basketball player of all time" Who are the Cricket examples of star atheletes who were already at the top of their game, yet transformed their techniques to become even better or the all time best? Thanks in advance

[FischerTal]

the DON

[Laaloo]

sachin

[vvvslaxman]

It is a different sport. Can't really compare. There are two different distinct departments . Bowling, Batting. You could compare with baseball.

[PBN]

Sachin Tendulkar

[CricketResearch]

Awesome- yes as a baseball example, Nolan Ryan...he developed complimentary change up pitches in his career that extended his career and led to his being one of the best pitchers of all time. Any idea of how these cricket stars changed their game/techniques over time to be even better or the best?

[CricketBuffOne]

Sachin...after the tennis elbow and back injuries, he changed his technique, also started using a lighter bat, which in-turn helped him prolong his career; needless to say, he achieved many milestones thereafter and became a legend in the history of the game.

[Vilander]

Indians will say : Sachin WI: :Lara Aussies/English/SA/NZ : Don Bradman BD/Pak/SL : Will say anyone other than Sachin. Sachin and Lara come close to being that interms of making other players around them look good.

[Shivaji bhonsle]

Imran khan.

[Zero_Unit]

Sachin obviously ...

[sensible-indian]

Lara's view: http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cricket/sachin-tendulkar-is-the-muhammad-ali-and-the-michael-jordan-of-cricket--brian-lara-8936532.html

Sachin Tendulkar has been labelled the greatest cricketer in history by the player often described as the equal of the Indian legend. Tendulkar will tomorrow play his 200th and final Test, against the West Indies in Mumbai, to bring down the curtain on a remarkable sporting career. He will become the first man to reach the double-century milestone when the match starts in Mumbai, his home ground. The 40-year-old, known as the Little Master, has scored 15,847 runs in 199 Tests and 18,426 runs in 463 one-day internationals, making him the highest run-scorer in international cricket. During the 1990s and 2000s, there was great debate about whether Tendulkar or Brian Lara was the best batsman of the era. Yet as Tendulkar prepares to bow out, Lara gave his own view on the argument by placing his one-time rival above all others. Lara said: "Tendulkar has had the greatest cricket career of anyone who has ever played the game. The impact he has had on his game, his country, the rest of the world - is incredible. "His stats speak for themselves. I don't think there is any 16-year-old who is going to embark on the sort of career that Sachin Tendulkar has had and walk away from the game at 40 with such great achievements. "He's the Muhammad Ali and the Michael Jordan of cricket. You think of the great boxers and basketball players, but if you were to talk about the game then you would have to talk about Sachin. "If I had a son who wanted to play cricket I wouldn't have told him to watch my videos but instead ask him to look for Sachin's (videos) as he has the perfect technique against any kind of bowling. It is the best I have ever seen, perfect for a youngster to learn from. "His longevity is amazing. He started couple of years ahead of me and ended six after I retired. These 24 years are testimony to his skills, dedication and fitness level. His zeal while playing for India was simply amazing. I know he has had a tough time playing for 1.3 billion people." The end of this Test will bring to a conclusion the career of a man who became an icon for both his sport and his country, in which he was adored to a level difficult to imagine for those who have not witnessed it. Many lovers of cricket across the world will be hoping he can sign off with a century.

Unbelievably humble answer coming from a man who was INCREDIBLY AMAZING too. :bow:

[vvvslaxman]

Shane warne is not? lol Dude this is why Basket ball /Cricket comparison won't make sense. This is a non contact sports. Basket ball is a contact sports. In cricket mastering all the skills by a single player is next to impossible. All rounders can do somewhat. But they would either be a spinner or a pacer.

[sensible-indian]

Don Bradman deserves No 1 spot for his mind boggling stats. But when we talk about such comparisons, we consider modern day cricket.

[CricketResearch]

All, thanks for the comments. Don't read too much into the comparison with Basketball- completely understand the differences in the two sports...fundamentally I am looking more at the case of a world class athlete who evolved their techniques or changed up their game to become an even more successful or better athlete. The comments made by CricketBuffOne are the sort I am looking for-- "Sachin...after the tennis elbow and back injuries, he changed his technique, also started using a lighter bat, which in-turn helped him prolong his career; needless to say, he achieved many milestones thereafter and became a legend in the history of the game." Any more comments or color like this? Again thanks so much for all of the comments - very illuminating indeed

[hazharoon]

Has to be Ashok Dinda.

[sensible-indian]

Has to be Ashok Dinda.

Well you need special talent to be a Dinda and still get praised so much by Donald. So a good pick IMHO.

[Zelig]

Steven Smith. Started as a bowler, plies his trade as a batsman now :om:

[Vilander]

Cricket has evolved as a sport throughout the past couple of decades, there have been differences in rules making the game more batsman oriented in the 50 over format. There are attributes to consider, batting bowling and also in test and 50 over format. An interesting line of research on which several threads have been written is the fact that Sachin has maintained a high average through out his career in 1990's and 2000's to 2010-13, in fact he is counted as among the best batsmen in every decade he played in except probably 1980's cause he was a rookie and played only a year.No other player comes close to his longevity in the highest levels of performance in the elite level that he always played in. There are many in this forum who could easily out do me in explaining this aspect about sachin's game. There are a few other candidates in world cricket who come close in terms of impact, Kallis(SA) he is a batsman comparable to Dravid (a lesser great than only Sachin and Sunil in India) and a fast bowler comparable to Zaheer from India who is probably second best ever from India. There is few comparable to this person in terms of being a whole batsman and a whole bowler for such a length of time. Then there is Shane Warne( spinner from Australia) who has had the most impact in test matches as a spinner for his already powerful team leading to their clear domination for nearly a decade over all other teams in all locations in the world. This was never achieved by any team except by a West Indian team in the 80's when some current strong teams like India,Srilanka,South Africa either were not strong or did not play. Then there are exponents of certain skill in the game, which the player displays in the highest level and has stats to back unlike any other in both tests and 50 over formats, couple of them in bowling come to mind,Wasim Akram, Glen Mcgrath. Both played in peak through 1990's and early 2000's. There are few similar flamboyant lesser greats in batting who are phenomenally good but for their decades only,or their format only, Lara,Sangakara,Hayden,Ponting come to mind. There are other controversial ones like Murali,Imran which i would avoid to prevent flaming.

[vvvslaxman]

If we are talking about stage presence Viv Richards would come at no.1 . He had such an aura about him. With ball there were many.

[nevada]

If we are talking about stage presence Viv Richards would come at no.1 . He had such an aura about him. With ball there were many.

Yup. He had that aura, swagger and determination to not just beat opponents but to absolutely them. Very similar to MJ.