h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First, as some of you know, I don't have a clue who most of these people are, being from the US. But I did pick up a reference on a trip to London, the Collins Gem book "Cricket", and I'm still working on the translation into American .

I realize he's a current player, and this is statistically based, but the book has a listing of the top rated players per the Nov. 1998 Deloitte rankings, started in 1987. FWIW, the top rated batsman is S. R. Waugh of Australia, with a rating of 836 out of 1000. There is a short writeup:

"Tests: 103. Steve Waugh has developed from being a promising nippy change bowler who could bat a bit when he made his test debut in a modest Australia team at the age of 20 into one of the hardest and most prolific middle-order batsmen in world cricket, the backbone of probably the finest international side currently playing the game. Waugh, whose Test average is now around 50, owes his development to sheer hard work and courage. Typically, his finest moment was probably the 200 with which he tamed a hostile West Indies pace attack ... and set up a rare Test Series victory for Australia in the Caribbean."

Sounds like a pretty good player. Again, just FWIW.

Thanks Steve, our first contributor!

Steve Waugh's a fine cricketer, and a good captain - though whether he is as good as his predecessor, Mark Taylor, remains to be seen. He is indeed currently rated top of the world's batsmen.

This next bit is going to sound stupid and old-fashioned, and may well reflect why cricket has not become the world's favourite sport. Ask almost any cricket fan outide Australia and they'll say he may be the *best* batsman in the world, but he's not the *greatest*, even among current players. Most impartial observers (I include Englishmen here, since we don't have a legitimate candidate) would probably pick Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara.

It's a bit like the difference between Lou Gehrig and the guy who broke his iron-man record. It's about class. It's about style. It's about being the one every kid dreams of being.

Waugh produces the results, and I'm *not* knocking him. But Lara and Tendulkar are extraordinary, unique talents. They are Great. Waugh is just very, very good. I can't explain it any better, I'm sorry.

Gary

No apology necessary, I would have been disappointed with any other response. I can relate to the baseball analogy. In fact, I have a (USA centric) book "The Ultimate" by W. Poundstone with a chapter on "The Best Baseball Player of All Time". After 25 pages of comparing comparisons, he concludes that Mickey Mantle, AT HIS PEAK (1957), was slightly better than Babe Ruth or Ted Williams, also at their peaks (including hitting and fielding, but no pitching, of course). In this case, class also wins, Mantle was indeed a great player, even without good knees (of course, also from my home state of Oklahoma . And reportedly a legendary party man, even climbing out of hotel windows ... his health was poor in his later years, and he said "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself". None of the over-developed, steroid taking, short fence, lively ball, lowered pitching mound, homerun heroes are anywhere close.

IMHO.

For a bowler, you HAVE to add Brett Lee.

I don't HAVE to do anything, some bloke

Seriously, though, Lee is a phenomenal prospect and the figures he has produced so far are astounding - a tremendous average, and taking wickets almost twice as fast as Dennis Lillee did. It's hard to imagine how he could have done more.

If he carries on at anything like that pace, he will indeed force his way into the list - but 5 tests and 31 wickets are not, in my view, a sustained enough effort to have yet ensured his place as an all-time great. When he gets to 100 wickets and his average is still 16, we'll put him in

I can't wait until we in the UK get to see some coverage of him. I just hope we're not left with the memory of him flattening the English batsmen next summer...

GVI

You see, this is why I'm biased against current players.

Three years on, I believe my judgement of Lee has proved correct: 34 tests, 139 wickets at 31 apiece - I'd love to have those kind of bowling figures (I'd love Andy Flintoff to have those kind of bowling figures!), but the man is no Great.

On Waugh, how ever, I'm willing to admit defeat - at least now he's retired . Over 10,000 runs at an average over 50 - that's truly special. Count him in.

The project may not be going anywhere - but we can surely still have some debate. Who's going to make the next proposal?

(Sorry, yet another current player ...)

My Indian acquaintances here in Houston, Texas, USA are mostly avid fans, one of them being crushed at the loss to Australia not too long ago (going from memory here, may be fuzzy on the details). He could hardly bear to talk about it. I recall Sachin Tendulkar was the hope, basically him against the entire Australia team. I.e., if Tendulkar had a good outing, India would be in the game. It didn't work out due to India's bowling, I think, but the expectation has to say something about his reputation.

It reminds me of the story about the Texas Rangers (the old west lawmen, not the baseball team). There was a riot so the boss sent a Ranger. Someone said it was a big riot, maybe more Rangers were needed. The famous reply was "One riot, one Ranger."

From the "Daily Times" today:

QUOTE

NEW DELHI: When Australia’s Steve Waugh retired earlier this month, few would have thought the mantle of the world’s most experienced cricketer would pass to 30-year-old Sachin Tendulkar.

But the prolific Indian batsman made his international debut way back in November 1989, before anyone else still playing at the top level. He has also played more matches, scored more runs and compiled more centuries in both forms of the game than any other active international cricketer.

And yet the sport’s newest senior statesman will not turn 31 until April. If Tendulkar lasts in the game as long as 38-year-old Waugh did, few batting records will be left standing. Among current players, only New Zealand’s Chris Cairns has played Test matches for more than 14 years. Both Tendulkar and Cairns made their debut a week apart in 1989, the Indian against arch-rivals Pakistan at Karachi and the Kiwi against old foes Australia at Perth ...

END QUOTE