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

Who ya got?

Fiery Fred, first to 300 Test wickets.

I think he was from Yorkshire.

Hard one, this one

The great Fiery Fred versus the man who revolutionised the role of the wicket keeper batsman and forced every ODI side in the world to try and find their version of him

Fred wins it...... but only just.... and probably only because he's English and I prefer test cricket to ODI's

"Gilly?

Ah'll sithee"

Adam Gilchrist. Completely revolutnised wicket keeper/batting, no question for me

Trueman for me.

Got to be Gilchrist.

Completely changed ODI batting styles, completely changed the role of his position in the side, and he bucked a trend as being one of the only modern day cricketers who still walked when the umpire wouldnt give him out.

Did he change the ODI style. Not other top order openers like Greatbatch or Jayasuriya? Or Dilshan later on, who created his own shot.

He was just very good, or arguably most represented a style of play, rather than being a pioneer.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Did he change the ODI style. Not other top order openers like Greatbatch or Jayasuriya? Or Dilshan later on, who created his own shot.

He was just very good, or arguably most represented a style of play, rather than being a pioneer.

Gilchrist is the first batsman I ever noticed who was happy to plant his feet solidly, and let his hands do the work. From this fixed stance he would then improvise shot making in an array of ways, and it pretty much meant that where-ever you bowled to him he could score, which is so essential in the high scoring T20 environments of nowadays. He'd pull you off the front foot, he open the face on anything full and with width and go over the ring, and so many people targeted his body and found his body turn was like a golfer, he'd swivel into a shot and dink it into the stand over fine leg's head. This all feels standard now across the board, but he was the first to be doing it I ever took notice of, realising as long as you keep the head still as the balls delivered and you have quick hands, you can make contacts on a range of unorthodox shots. No one before him could turn any ball anywhere on the pitch into a six.

Klusener went the other way, the "get the front foot out and swing down the line".... together they both totally changed the technical attitudes to scoring quickly in the game.

Not fair putting Trueman and Gilchrist in the same group !

I have to go for Fred but the younger members of the board will doubtless have alternate view and I can't blame them.

And the other three all had decent claims too ! Strongest group yet I think.

I went Trueman, mainly due how he was revered when I was a kid. First to 300 wickets, a big thing that.

Fred was the epitome of a certain type of player too (for good or bad) which adds to the iconic factor. Much like Doug Walters, Dennis Lillee or godhelpme, Geoff Boycott.

Hotly contested but Fred gets this one.