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January 18, 2007
Posted by Andrew McGlashan at
in
When the topic of the great allrounders in the modern game is discussed the conversation tends to centre on the respective attributes of Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff. One name that constantly slips under the radar, despite consistently impressive performances since his debut in 1995, is that of Shaun Pollock. Perhaps people dismiss Pollock as merely a bowler? Certainly his bowling record is that of an all-time great; 412 wickets from 106 Tests, at an average of 23.20 heading into the second Test against Pakistan. What tends to be forgotten is that he also possesses extremely impressive batting statistics, having scored over 3700 runs at an average of 32.5, with two centuries.
When these are compared with those of Flintoff, who averages 32.50 with the bat and 32.20 with the ball in Tests, it is easy to see why Pollock's supporters feel he is hard done by. Add the fact that his record in one-day internationals is equally impressive, and the argument is persuasive. Pollock also possesses another thing that Flintoff does not, an impeccable record as captain. He won 14 out of 26 Tests as captain before being disgracefully sacked after the country's poor showing at the 2003 World Cup, just three months after he had taken them to the top of the world rankings.
More recently, he has answered the media who have called for his retirement with a string of impressive performances to fully justify his place in the South Africa line-up at the age of 33. He may not be the greatest allrounder of all time, but Pollock's achievements certainly deserve more discussion in the modern game.
January 12, 2007
Posted by Jon Hungin at
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I have to admit, I'd not considered Tony Greig at all. To me he has always been the laughably excitable C9, and then Channel 4, commentator who cracked me up with his "Fantastic shot!" statement when it was quite clear the ball was heading straight into the fielder's hands.
However, of all of our twenty allrounders, he is the last who should be written off. No only does he hold an excellent Test record (averaging 40 with the bat, 32 with ball in 58 matches) but he was a superb captain and leader for England. Yes, he did make some silly statements but anyone who signals a boundary when batting against Dennis Lillee has clearly got something about them.
He was batsmen, bowler (seam and spin), captain and now a commentator. Oh, and he was also a key player in what is often referred to as the most defining event in the development of the modern game. He's pretty much done it all, hasn't he? Just like any great allrounder.
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