Sachin Tendulkar was 17 when he lit up the Summer of Graham (Gooch) with a match-saving 119 not out at Old Trafford. It was his first Test century, in his ninth match. Nearly two-and-a-half years later, the 23-year-old Brian Charles Lara had the old-timers harking back to Sir Garfield Sobers as he stroked a magnificent 277 at the SCG. It was his fifth Test in the maroon cap. Half a decade later, Ricky Ponting was a year younger when he played his sixth Test. His maiden Test hundred (127) and a 268-run partnership with Matthew Elliott were pivotal in deciding the destination of the little urn.
Last week, two 19-year-olds from opposite sides of the world made brilliant debut hundreds on either side of the Tasman Sea. Adrian Barath’s effort was one of the few bright spots in an another depressing West Indian performance away from home, while Umar Akmal’s technique and poise couldn’t quite save Pakistan in a fascinating Test at Dunedin.
Both have been talked about for a while.
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Dileep,
Why is Inzi not mentioned in the same breath as Sachin, Lara and Ponting? Is it because he didnt complete 10K test runs? He has probably achieved as much as the big three everyone talks about. Why did you relegate him to a just a mention alongside Sangakkara? I can see Sachin and Lara being considered greats, but once you start including Ponting in the list, shouldn’t Inzi be on the list too? Or is my appreciation of Ponting less than he deserves? On the same lines, why is Dravid not mentioned with these guys?
I thought of the same thing when I read Ian Chappel’s silly piece about Duminy and Ponting taking the field together and Ponting is part of the big three. But I have never thought of Ian as fair anyway.
We all have different perceptions of what constitutes greatness, don’t we? I agree that Inzi is an all-time great, but in my view, he falls a few steps short of these three. Why? Well, for me, greatness is defined by how you do against the best team/teams of your era. Frazier was great because of Ali and Foreman, and vice versa. Gavaskar because of the West Indies. Tendulkar and Lara have outstanding records against Australia, and Ponting’s been pretty amazing against India and South Africa. Inzi’s record against Australia isn’t the best. That’s my view. And you’re welcome to disagree.
I was asking because I am not an expert, I am only a simple fan and I dont have a huge investment in Inzi. It feels like a moot argument about the top-x batsmen, but except for the total number of runs and centuries I still find it hard to see Ponting on top of the list.
I agree Ponting is better than Inzi in at least two aspects, in records against Aus and South Africa. But as Yogesh noted below, Ponting has an average of 20 in India. (which is compensated by India’s poor performance in Aus). And Ponting is dodgy against spin. In a recent match, cricinfo ball-by-ball commentary team said something to the effect of 10K+ runs and the man hasn’t learnt to play offspin.
By the standards you list, why do you then not include Dravid among the best? With the exception of his record in SA (and against SA), Dravid is comparable or usually better then Ponting. And even in this cases, his avg is better than ponting’s in India.
I only hope for the sake of cricket in the windes that Barath lasts the distance.
As for the hundred of Gooch’s summer, that no doubt goes to a certain magician with a wand and his glorious hundred at lords after gooch’s 333. What ever people in india say they can’t write azzhar out of the history books.
Dileep,
On the argument of performance vs the best, there is a gaping hole in Ponting’s CV – against India in India. He is been more like a certain C Martin here. Even Lara fared poorly in India but the sample is only one series of 3 tests. And, that could an aberration. But Ponting failed over 12 matches and at various stages of his career. He is very, very, very good but just a tad below Lara and Sachin. For they had the games for all conditions, all situations right from the start. Ponting even after years still struggles in India. As Warne said of Sachin – “He has an uncanny ability to come on top in different conditions and situations” and it is equally true for Lara also. I wonder whether Ian or for that matter anybody else would have called Sachin or Lara a great if they had played in Australia as good as Ponting in India ? Ponting is trying to break the door open with sheer weight of his runs, but not yet !