SA Footy

i'd suggest he is the best australian since bradman, but not necessary in the world

Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Both might be better as made runs against better bowlers

For example v WEST INDIES
Chappell faced lots of Holding Roberts Croft
Border faced lots of Garner Ambrose Walsh
Ponting faces lots of Colleymore Lawson Gayle

Just my opinion, Ponting could be the best since Bradman though.

mal wrote:Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Both might be better as made runs against better bowlers

For example v WEST INDIES
Chappell faced lots of Holding Roberts Croft
Border faced lots of Garner Ambrose Walsh
Ponting faces lots of Colleymore Lawson Gayle

Just my opinion, Ponting could be the best since Bradman though.

you can only play against who the opposition picked to play & your arguement if we go too footy we could say that central has only played against teams after the vfl went 'wider' which is wrong as in their case their premierships mean as much now as what the rest had before the crows etc started

mal wrote:Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Both might be better as made runs against better bowlers

For example v WEST INDIES
Chappell faced lots of Holding Roberts Croft
Border faced lots of Garner Ambrose Walsh
Ponting faces lots of Colleymore Lawson Gayle

Just my opinion, Ponting could be the best since Bradman though.

AS opposed to Bradman who had to face the mighty South African and Indian attacks of the time?

He only had to face 3-4 quality FAST bowlers in 20 years in Larwood, Tate, Veivers and Bedser.

mal wrote:Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Both might be better as made runs against better bowlers

For example v WEST INDIES
Chappell faced lots of Holding Roberts Croft
Border faced lots of Garner Ambrose Walsh
Ponting faces lots of Colleymore Lawson Gayle

Just my opinion, Ponting could be the best since Bradman though.

very good point mal

Lets no forget Bradman played with no helmet and on uncovered wickets.

mal wrote:Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Both might be better as made runs against better bowlers

For example v WEST INDIES
Chappell faced lots of Holding Roberts Croft
Border faced lots of Garner Ambrose Walsh
Ponting faces lots of Colleymore Lawson Gayle

Just my opinion, Ponting could be the best since Bradman though.

good point Mal BUT- If even bradman was a better batsman than ponting i would have loved to have seen him- I think ponting would be the stand out in any era he played- as he is now. So my answer is YES-

smithy wrote:

mal wrote:Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Both might be better as made runs against better bowlers

For example v WEST INDIES
Chappell faced lots of Holding Roberts Croft
Border faced lots of Garner Ambrose Walsh
Ponting faces lots of Colleymore Lawson Gayle

Just my opinion, Ponting could be the best since Bradman though.

AS opposed to Bradman who had to face the mighty South African and Indian attacks of the time?

He only had to face 3-4 quality FAST bowlers in 20 years in Larwood, Tate, Veivers and Bedser.

If Bradman had to face the West Indian quicks of the 80s
his average of 99 might well have dropped to 49
but then again he was aged in his seventies then ......

No other sport has a player comparable to Don Bradman. Bradman is so clearly ahead of the rest in his field that there should be no discussion as to who is the best ever. The biggest debate is what the title of this thread suggests - "the best since Bradman". Ponting should be mentioned no doubt.Very underrated IMHO. People talk of the Tendulkars, Lara's etc. but leave out Ponting. He deserves to be talked about in the same vein.

Having said that the title of best batsman since Bradman is the property of one Brian Charles Lara IMHO. He is just a star. The argument that the players of the 80's had the West Indies attacks to deal with are valid but Lara had to deal with a bloke called Warne and his very able sidekick McGrath. Always produced against the best and he did it in such a wonderfully entertaining fashion. The best i have ever seen. Ponting is not far behind though and has a fair bit left in the tank.

rod_rooster wrote:No other sport has a player comparable to Don Bradman. Bradman is so clearly ahead of the rest in his field that there should be no discussion as to who is the best ever. The biggest debate is what the title of this thread suggests - "the best since Bradman". Ponting should be mentioned no doubt.Very underrated IMHO. People talk of the Tendulkars, Lara's etc. but leave out Ponting. He deserves to be talked about in the same vein.

Having said that the title of best batsman since Bradman is the property of one Brian Charles Lara IMHO. He is just a star. The argument that the players of the 80's had the West Indies attacks to deal with are valid but Lara had to deal with a bloke called Warne and his very able sidekick McGrath. Always produced against the best and he did it in such a wonderfully entertaining fashion. The best i have ever seen. Ponting is not far behind though and has a fair bit left in the tank.

I Agree.

IMO the best 3 modern day players have been Tendaulker, Lara and Ponting. Bradman is in a class of his own and will always stay that way. If you had to ask me the best out of those three then god it is hard to split, Lara was the most entertaining IMO, Tendaulker was/is the most technically correct and was brilliant to watch, actually he is my favourite. The way he took attacks apart was amazing, you often thought that there was no way that he was going to get out. IMO his only weakness for many years was his inability to score big hundreds. I really do think that Ponting is the Tendaulker from 6-8 years ago, so hard to get out and equally entertaining. If he had a weakness it is very hard to pick one now? If he passes 20 expect a hundred 8 times out of ten.

All are amazing cricketers who in my time are the best i have seen. IMO they are different players and that is why they are so hard to split. The only thing that Ponting has above the others is that he is an outstanding captain something Lara and Tendaulker have never been able to claim.

There are massive differences between generations in sport. The only way you can compare 2 guys form different generations is to compare their record opposed to their peers. IE, compare Ponting to other batsmen currently and compare Bradman to batsmen of the 1930-1945 era. To simply say "Ponting played against inferior bowlers" or "Bradman played on uncovered pitches" misses enormous chunks of real differences. Differences in how bowlers bowl, the amount of work that is put in, the amount of coaching they get now as kids, the preparation and plans that are implemented now. Would Bradman have averaged more than 60 if he was analysed to the extent Ponting is? Would he have made runs against reverse swing? Would he have had the ability against short pitched bowling if it was a part of the game his whole life? IMHO the fact that we all are expected to hail Bradman as the greatest ever beyond doubt to the point that every statement on the greatest ever has to have the clause "since Bradman" in it demonstrates how caught up we are in the mystique of a man who gave a county hope in the last great depression.

This topic is, IMHO, simply undiscussable by the sheer nature of the fact that Bradman wasn't tested to the extent Ponting has been, and the fact that Chappell, Pollock, Richards, Lara, Tendulkar and anyone else you might throw up were all players who faced different attacks. I would say to compare you would have to assume the overall strength of the game is the same to offset any generational changes in the game and compare everyone to their peers and come up with the most dominant players but even this is problematic.

Another thing to remember Bradman played on unprepared and uncovered pitches for his career, imagine facing guys like Larwood etc on a wet unprepared strip, no thanks, best batsman cricket has ever seen IMHO and I don't think any of them get close.

Since 2003 POnting is averaging 73......and career wise he is just a tick under 60, is he the best??? I don't know but from Australian pint of view he deserves to be mentioned in teh same breath as Chappell S Waugh Border and Harvey....

Mind you how good is Ponsford??? If you read the McGuilvray books the old timers who talked to McGuillers when he was our age reckoned Bradman wasn't a patch on Trumper.

Where does Archie Jackson fit in teh parthenon of Australian batsman....remember it was him and Bradman at the Oval in 1930 tearing England a new one that made them consider bodyline

rod_rooster wrote:Having said that the title of best batsman since Bradman is the property of one Brian Charles Lara IMHO. He is just a star. The argument that the players of the 80's had the West Indies attacks to deal with are valid but Lara had to deal with a bloke called Warne and his very able sidekick McGrath. Always produced against the best and he did it in such a wonderfully entertaining fashion. The best i have ever seen. Ponting is not far behind though and has a fair bit left in the tank.

Lara was a great entertainer, but inconsistent IMHO. I would disagree that "he always produced against the best" - there were plenty of times when McGrath had his measure.

Ponting has matured into a better batsman than both Lara and Tendulkar, capable of everything a number three should be - defend if the situation calls for it, counter attack when appropriate, or keep the momentum up if the openers have got off to a good start. Defending when the situation calls for it is the one area he needed to add to his game, and he has done this over the last few years, ie test in England on 05 when he batted virtually all day to salvage a draw.

FlyingHigh wrote:test in England on 05 when he batted virtually all day to salvage a draw.

That was one of the best knocks i have seen.

1980 Tassie Medalist wrote:Where does Archie Jackson fit in teh parthenon of Australian batsman....remember it was him and Bradman at the Oval in 1930 tearing England a new one that made them consider bodyline

Tragedy that ill health robbed Jackson of showing his true talents with the willow possibly better than Bradman.

A better batsman than Bradman?

We'll never know.

The best three Aussie batsmen since 1950:

Border
G.Chappell
Ponting

Are we forgetting someone ...?

Someone called ...... 'Mr Cricket' !

133 today, current test batting average of 82.40

Go the Huss!

hondo71 wrote:Are we forgetting someone ...?

Someone called ...... 'Mr Cricket' !

133 today, current test batting average of 82.40

Go the Huss!

Maybe ion 4 or 5 years this same question may be asked about one Michael Clarke, I have seen him score 4 of his test tons and they oooooooze of class, and he is yes just a Pup