tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976167372194160532.post3126172571755423096..comments2023-04-15T16:21:20.343+01:00Comments on LankyAnglican: The greatest bowler of all time?LankyAnglicanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06853314924637300039noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976167372194160532.post-1663902462220677412010-07-23T11:01:39.826+01:002010-07-23T11:01:39.826+01:00Thanks for the comment Scouse Vasey. You make a go...Thanks for the comment Scouse Vasey. You make a good point about bowlers being part of a team. I would argue that some are elevated, though, through regular magnificently aggressive spells of bowling. I'm thinking of people like Flintoff (at his best), Simon Jones in the 2005 Ashes (Old Trafford test) etc... <br />There are also your solid bowlers, who plod away game after game - we always seem to have an abundance of these. They take 1 or 2 wickets per game, but rarely change the course of a match or series. <br />Then there are the bowlers who sit right between those 2 categories. Some days they look ordinary, and the next day they look unplayable! I'd put people like Anderson, Hoggard and Panesar in this category (along with most of the bowlers who came through the Fletcher-era system for fast bowlers).<br />You're right about it going in cycles. This is what makes it impossible to compare players from different eras. <br />In the end, I suppose what really makes players great is their involvement in great contests. That's when they leap out from their peers by providing us with immovable memories and magic moments. Bring on the Ashes!LankyAnglicanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853314924637300039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976167372194160532.post-56535329283604618182010-07-23T09:53:17.730+01:002010-07-23T09:53:17.730+01:00There is also the question of support - what with ...There is also the question of support - what with cricket being a team game.<br />Warne had McGrath, Murali had Vaas.<br />Warne had the Waughs, Ponting, Hussey, Gilchrist<br />Murali had da Silva, Jayawardene, Jayasuria<br /><br />Both put their teams in a position where they could defend almost any total, and scared the opposition (after a while - if I remember correctly Warne's first test figures were 1-100+)<br /><br />Warne had more appeal to the casual fan, with his more extroverted behaviour (see Panesar's Tendulkar wicket celebration and the press that recieved)<br /><br />Whereas Murali had more of a low key demeanour.<br /><br />But that is just those two - the West Indians of the 80s (Hall, Griffiths) and 90s (Ambrose and Walsh), Merv Hughes and Thompson of Aus all intimidated batsmen in their time.<br /><br />I agree the teams facing the Sri Lankans will breathe easier, but it does go in cycles and the youngsters for Pakistan are beginning to look quite dangerous, and one could confer that to a couple of the English bowlers<br /><br />At least we can say we have seen them play, and remember the intrigue they both causedscouse vaseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10999374066906746301noreply@blogger.com