9 runs and in the end that was probablythe difference.Knees pumping, he produced some of the greatest spells of fast bowling seenin Test cricket in modern times and could run through a side almost on his ownas he homed in on a full length on off stump, fist pumping in celebration at everywicket. I was … Read more
Like many great Asian batsmen, Javed Miandad was immense on his ownpitches, but in his case he was also versatile and skilful enough to make Testhundreds when the ball was behaving very differently in Australia, England andthe Caribbean. Spotted at an early age by Mushtaq Mohammad as a great playerin the making, he seemed to … Read more
Ricky Ponting was the best batsman produced by Australia since Don Bradmanand a highly capable leader of their side. He led them to two World Cup winsbut will also be remembered as the first Australia captain in almost 20 years tolose a Test series to England. It was an experience he ended up enduring threetimes, … Read more
When Greg Chappell retired from Test cricket in 1984, it was widely acceptedthat he was the best batsman Australia had produced since Don Bradman. HisTest record certainly suggested as much: by scoring 182 against Pakistan in hisfinal Test innings, he overtook Bradman’s run tally in Tests and finished with acareer average of 53.86 that was … Read more
Fred Trueman was not only a great fast bowler, he was also a great entertainer.There is a theatrical element to bowling fast and Fred played it for all it wasworth. He’d happily go into the opposition dressing room before play – in acounty match if not a Test match – and announce to the assembled … Read more
AB de Villiers is a very modern cricketer – an athletic fielder, an occasional butextremely capable wicketkeeper, a captain, and a very versatile batsman with areputation firmly established across all formats of the game. He averages morethan 50 in both Test cricket and one-day internationals, something only hisSouth Africa teammate Hashim Amla can also claim … Read more
Dale Steyn is the finest fast bowler in the world today. Mitchell Johnson hasbeen as destructive in recent times but Johnson’s revival is relatively short-livedand before the winter of 2013–14 his was a mercurial talent. Steyn has beenconsistently excellent for many years now: fast, accurate and capable ofswinging the ball, and utterly focused on his … Read more
Kumar Sangakkara is one of the most complete cricketers the game has seen. Asa left-handed batsman, he has the technique to score runs in all conditions and allformats and the single-mindedness to be one of the great accumulators. As awicketkeeper, he has served Sri Lanka with great skill and unwaveringcommitment in one-day cricket as he … Read more
Adam Gilchrist must be one of the most fearless cricketers of all time. It is allvery well swinging the bat seemingly without a care in the world at county orstate level, it is quite another to do so when a Test match or even a one-dayinternational hangs in the balance. But all games appeared to … Read more
Ray Lindwall raised the standard for fast bowlers in the ten years after theSecond World War. He was a terrific athlete who could have excelled at severalother sports had he not chosen cricket and the mechanics of his run-up anddelivery were widely admired. Fred Trueman, who, like Richie Benaud (writingin the 1970s), rated Lindwall the … Read more
