Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

im very suprised Lara is winning!

So am I, so I had to even it up.

Both great players ...but I just voted for Viv which seems to have tipped it his way...

No disrespect to Lara : I wouldn't have cared to bowl to either of them. But bowling to Viv , I reckon you would feel in more personal physical danger ...which swings it for me.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Viv seems entrenched as the great of his era. Maybe Greg Chappell could be competition, but practically everyone would say IVA. Lara is less obviously the dominant batter of his time, though is arguably so.

Because he was the best batter of the Windies history to that time, and a player who was most feared with the bat in a team that never lost.... so of course, people had nightmares playing against him and the talent around him. I think that is both unfair on Lara and a key point to the argument... did Viv Richards ever have the pressure that Lara faced?

Simply put, there isnt an argument at all. Viv played in a team where the bowling attack left people crushed to dust, and he then he came to the crease after Haynes/Greenidge/Richardson, all great established batsman who scored runs. To a certain extent you can say that of Ponting, of Tendulkar and of Kallis.... they all played in teams with either considerable batting might, or with successful bowlers(or both), and all 4 played in a team that could be considered the best in the business.

When Lara was at his peak in 1994-95, at times he played with Keith Athurton(aver 29), Phil Simmonds(over 22 test matches opening with 22 aver), Stuart Williams (aver 24 in 31 tests as opener), Sherwin Campell... these were the poorest of poor line ups.

Did Viv ever do something so special as the 1999 Australia series, where Lara averaged 91 against the best team in the world, and with the entire line up below him averaging 25 or less?

Did Viv ever make spin bowlers as good as Warne and Murali look like children?

If Lara had the team around him that any other great had, he may have had done even better without being the sole focus of talent.... he only played in 32 test wins out of 131, Viv only lost 19 in 121 games!!!

Didn't BCL score the record proportion of a team's runs in a series, in Sri Lanka?

Whilst I think Lara shaded it with the bat, I don;t go along with this 'played in a poorer team' theory. It's just guess work as to how Viv would have got on in a average team, and vice versa with Lara. fact is, some players like being the big fish, and have the responsibility of being the main run bearer, and some don't. Lara could have been a slightly less focused player had he had the pressure taken way, by playing in the great windies teams. We'll never know.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Didn't BCL score the record proportion of a team's runs in a series, in Sri Lanka?

Well he had a superb series in SL when half the Windies team refused to tour due to contract disputes and their line up was basically Lara plus anyone who wanted to make themselves available, and Lara seemed to excel when faced with Warne or Murali. The double hundred at Colombo he scored is arguably the best innings against spin ever.

What about Shiv Chanderpaul? I'd probably go with him based on his logjevity and his consistency.

Trouble with Shiv is that in more recent years, he's mostly played against the weaker Test teams, including a lot of games against Bangladesh. Fair dues though, he does well against the better teams, given the chance.

from_the_stands wrote:What about Shiv Chanderpaul? I'd probably go with him based on his logjevity and his consistency.

Problem I have with Shiv is the fact that he hid himself down the order for years at 5 and 6, and when asked to play a pivotal batting role higher up the order facing more of the new ball he didnt do to well. His average is also made better for this, as he has 42 not outs in his career compared to Lara's 6

from_the_stands wrote:What about Shiv Chanderpaul? I'd probably go with him based on his logjevity and his consistency.

Would rather vote for Shiv Thakor tbh

cricketfan90 wrote:harsh AP..

Refuse to vote for a player who helps himself to a bail, then makes an insert on the wicket with bail using the non-strikers bat.

harsh AP..

Lara he has the gentler smile and is closer to my height. In terms of cricket I can only go on youtube and watch Viv and that's not exciting. (I blame my dad and mom for that.) Lara on the other hand has frustrated me and provided me with high class entertainment and thrills. Can remember so many days when I would pretend to be sick and return from lunch late just to watch him bat.