Greatest test cricket all-rounders

Sangakkara?

If only we had Alec Stewart now, Jones or Read wouldn't get a sniff!

Originally posted by mtthw
He's the greatest batsman ever, but he's not really an allrounder (successful as both batsman and bowler).

So, calling Don Bradman "The Babe Rut hof Cricket" is a bit of a misnomer since Ruth was both a Hitter and a Pitcher?

The Don is more of the "Ted Williams of Cricket?"

Originally posted by Red Night
So, calling Don Bradman "The Babe Rut hof Cricket" is a bit of a misnomer since Ruth was both a Hitter and a Pitcher?

The Don is more of the "Ted Williams of Cricket?"

That depends who Ted Williams is 🙂

Originally posted by mtthw
That depends who Ted Williams is 🙂

I love it when you try and play dumb.

Originally posted by Red Night
I love it when you try and play dumb.

Seriously, I'd never heard of him until I just looked him up. I've never claimed to be a baseball fan.

Originally posted by mtthw
Seriously, I'd never heard of him until I just looked him up. I've never claimed to be a baseball fan.

I figured the story of him getting cryogenically frozen a few years ago would have made the international news, but maybe not.

Funny, I know who Georgie Best, Bobby Charlton, Stanley Matthews, Gordon Banks, Rodney Marsh, etc. are and YOU have never heard of Ted Williams.

I guess England is just more sheltered and parochial than the US.


If you want to learn more about the joys of baseball there is a book written by E.T Smith who played for some local team in Kent county before becoming enamored with baseball.

The book is called:

Playing Hard Ball. A Kent county cricketer's journey into big league baseball.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Hard-Ball-Cricket-Baseball/dp/0349116660

The book got great reviews from amazon. I don't know if Smith was any good at cricket, but he apparently fell in love with baseball the moment he saw it.

"There is more snap and dash to baseball." Sir Donald Bradman

Well, to be fair, soccer is bigger in the US than baseball is in the UK. I have heard of a few baseball players, but it's pretty random so there are lots of gaps in my knowledge.

I've heard of the book by Ed Smith, and it did sound interesting (I think that was where my comparison of cricket batting vs baseball pitching came from - I haven't read the book but I read an article by him trailing the book). Ed did make the England team for a short time but wasn't very successful there, but he's a decent county player.

Originally posted by cantspell
Beefy for me.

Ok guys the main reason i think kapil dev is the best.. is he was the main (and only) strick bowler for India when he was playing, where as all the others had good support-

Botham had Willis and foster to name just two Imran had Sarfaz and then Wasim and Waqar.

kapil was a team player, the opened the bowling, come back in to break up partnerships, and then had to do the job in the middle order in with the bat.

People still remember that test at Lords when he hit Hemmings for 4x6s to safe the follow on with the no.11 batsman at the other end

Originally posted by mtthw
personally I think you've got the wrong Pollock on the list!)

.. yeah sorry.. you are right there Pollock jnr. is very under rated as a test allrounder.

Originally posted by mtthw
Well, to be fair, soccer is bigger in the US than baseball is in the UK. I have heard of a few baseball players, but it's pretty random so there are lots of gaps in my knowledge.

I've heard of the book by Ed Smith, and it did sound interesting (I think that was where my comparison of cricket batting vs baseball pitching came from - I haven't read the book ...[text shortened]... nd team for a short time but wasn't very successful there, but he's a decent county player.

I might try and pick the book up. For some reason it sounds interesting to me.


Out of curiousity, how many of these names do you know?

Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Barry Bonds

This is a list of some (most) of the most famous and notorious.

Originally posted by Red Night
I might try and pick the book up. For some reason it sounds interesting to me.


Out of curiousity, how many of these names do you know?

Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Barry Bonds

This is a list of some (most) of the most famous and notorious.

I'd never heard of Ted Williams either.
From your list I also haven't heard of Pete Rose or Reggie Jackson. The others are familiar to one degree or another, although Gehrig for Gehrig's Disease rather than baseball - I thought he was a grid-iron player.

Originally posted by Red Night
I might try and pick the book up. For some reason it sounds interesting to me.


Out of curiousity, how many of these names do you know?

Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Barry Bonds

This is a list of some (most) of the most famous and notorious.

Werent they all cheats of some kind or other? There was either a bribery accusation or a drug cheating inference on them all.

Originally posted by lordhighgus
Werent they all cheats of some kind or other? There was either a bribery accusation or a drug cheating inference on them all.

Just on Rose and Shoeless Joe for betting on baseball games and Bonds for steroid use.

Gehrig died of a disease that they named after him.

Dimaggio was married to Marilyn Monroe and was the subject of a number of popular songs including a song by simon & garfunkel from the movie the Graduate.

jackie robinson was the first black player.

Reggie Jackson and Williams were both controversial and very good.

Ruth is Ruth.

So they're all famous or notorious for different reasons in addition to being some of the better baseball players.

And Gehrig was a baseball player.

Originally posted by Red Night
Just on Rose and Shoeless Joe for betting on baseball games and Bonds for steroid use.

Gehrig died of a disease that they named after him.

Dimaggio was married to Marilyn Monroe and was the subject of a number of popular songs including a song by simon & garfunkel from the movie the Graduate.

jackie robinson was the first black player.

Reggie J ...[text shortened]... in addition to being some of the better baseball players.

And Gehrig was a baseball player.

We Australians revere Sir Don Bradman as a man who was the worlds best at what he did, but yet remained a man of the game and of the people. When he finished playing the game, he went back to his home state and spent the rest of his life working for the game of cricket.
Never disrespect this guy to an Australians face or you will find Aussies go from nice to nasty in an instant.

Originally posted by lordhighgus
We Australians revere Sir Don Bradman as a man who was the worlds best at what he did, but yet remained a man of the game and of the people. When he finished playing the game, he went back to his home state and spent the rest of his life working for the game of cricket.
Never disrespect this guy to an Australians face or you will find Aussies go from nice to nasty in an instant.

I had never heard of Don Bradman until I read about him on this website. I have come to really admire the guy from what I've read about him on the internet, particularly his love for the game of baseball.

BTW, a lot of americans feel the same way about their sports heroes.