Cricinfo - Blogs - Men in White

As a spectator, though, I found the way Greig played to the gallery irritating and I find Pietersen's narcissism tiresome. Fans willingly indulge genius: I was happy, for example, to watch Shane Warne act out his little turns, ball after ball — the pantomime anguish, the chin-in-hand Thinker — because he was the best bowler in the world and his antics seemed part of the riyaz, the routines, of greatness. With Greig and Pietersen (good players, not great ones) the look-at-me mannerisms came across as a huckster's props; there was always the nagging feeling that their onfield swagger was a bluff waiting to be called.

They even made the same motor-mouth mistakes against the world's best sides. Greig promised to make Vivian Richards's West Indians grovel and Pietersen, before the Twenty20 game against Australia, spoke of the opportunity of 'humiliating' Ricky Ponting's team. England was pulverised on both occasions, though the formats were different: Test and Twenty20, tragedy and farce.

hi mukul, there is a good chance that kevin pietersen will indeed become one of the game's greats.

there was no need for Pieterson to make such comments. I like his batting and he should rather make his bat talk.

Exactly what I think about Pieterson ! also, totally agree that Twenty 20 is a farce - nothing can beat the excitement, class and suspense of test cricket...
as for the one-dayers, the recent 'Oval' ODI 'bowled-out' the indo-pak match in every way !

I agree with satya, let your bat talk. You achieve nothing by running your mouth in such a manner, except giving your opposition extra motivation...

He may have all the talent in the world, but his hunger for the limelight, his *need* for the fight will stop him from ever being a true great *IMO*.

An obvious comparison between Pietersen and Greig which others have made before.

A little factual correction. Tony Greig did not invent a new shot with the upper 'cuff' over slip. That accolade belongs to his fellow South African Eddie Barlow. Greig and perhaps even more so, Alan Knott, used it to great effect in the test arena though.

England hasn't produced a great batsman in the last 40 years? if this means great batsmen who are less than 40, I'd agree, but if you mean players of the last 40 years; weren't Boycott, Gower and Gooch great?
By the way, Clive Lloyd was captain when Greig said they would "grovel", not Viv Richards.

Tony Greig was no great shakes as a batsman, and the upper cuff(?) was invented by wicket keeper Allan Knott.

I don't think Pietersen will get beyond the ranks of 'very good' (Cowdrey, May, Boycott, Gower) and compare with greats like Sobers, Richards, Greenidge, Tendulkar and Ponting. Was Len Hutton the last English great you were thinking of?

I believe KP has a lot to say in order to fire the opposition up, and in turn this fires him up. For example, the comments he makes about South Africa whilst touring South Africa. It may seem a stupid think to do, but i think it gets him going. He is always to the challenge, and always is at his best in the big occasions where he thrives off the pressure

The real point of the blog seems to be the remark about England not producing a great batsman in 40 years. Boycott and Gooch don't qualify as great. They (like Allan Border) were skilled workers and successful accumulators rather than geniuses. David Gower is a different story and deserves more recognition, but he (like Viswanath or Ganguly) didn't produce enough substance to called great either. So yes, Hutton and Compton would be the last great England batsmen. Incidentally, Ponting doesn't belong on the list of greats either. Lara does. I suppose the simplest test of greatness is to answer the question: would you pay money and go to the ground just to watch x bat?

A bit unfair about KP's comments. He seemed quite keen to play down what he was saying pre-match, and only referred to the "opportunity" to return the humiliation that the Aussies dished out to England in the Winter if we were to knock them out. He didn't say we would actually do it. Still, never the let the words get in the way of a good out-of-context quote! Aside from that, why do we need to judge or label him as a batsman this early in his career? He's doing alright so far is all I'd say.

Mukul - I always enjoy your unbiased and insightful comments. I predict 20 / 20 will replace the traditional ODI within 3 years - it may take a little longer in the sub-continent but the final result is inevitable. Market forces will eventually triumph. Hope the cricketers will recognize Darwinism when they see it - may the fittest survive!!

I think cricket needs characters like KP ... Make no mistake about it, he is a genius. He has invented two unique cricketing shots and made them his trademarks - The Flamingo and the Stork. Its exciting watching him play, cos he isnt a slogger, a thinking cricketer who is quite unorthodox. there were lots of people who said a predominantly leg side player cannot succeed in test cricket. And now ... he averages over 52 in both forms of the game. As for his tendency to hog the limelight, there are always going to be some cricketers different from your Tendulkars and Dravids. I am a die-hard KP fan and I love every word he says, every shot he plays. And I say it again: Cricket needs more characters like him - people who are up for challenges, who never shy away from a fight ... KP, I am sure, is one of the greats of the next generation.

I don't know when Alan Knott first used the upward flick over slips, but I saw Eddie Barlow use it with a broad grin in 1964 and routinely thereafter.

Pietersen has impressive stats, but lacks the brain power to become one of the all-time great batsmen. He also lacks the defensive technique to bat in the top order, which is the mark of most of the truly great batsmen, which is why until last Jan he was camping nicely at no.5 away from the new ball and fresh bowlers, claiming he likes batting there - pretty clear why. Its quite obvious he plays for himself and only himself, despite his numerous statements to convince us otherwise - Really are we that stupid? - I would be impressed if he kept his mouth shut, and just did his job and scored runs. It also doesnt seem all that much of a coincidence that the truly great players were modest off the field. The best england (sorry South Africa) have produced for some time - but no where near great. If he shuts his mouth one day, maybe he has a chance. Otherwise, he will be humiliated-not Australia...

It's interesting that Tony Greig should have pioneered the "silly point" position, as I remember seeing it named in a cricketing manual written forty years earlier by Douglas Jardine, no less.

I think that everyone is being too harsh on KP. He is early in his career, and your already comparing him with the greats, which signals that even this early in his career, he is already posing a threat to the greats of cricket. KP is a great player and his mouth motivates him and is another great aspect of the great man. KP can play defensive and offensive, legside and offside, so any critics of KP out there, the only possible reason you would criticise him is if you wre jealous that your team had no one of the KP standard and you are worried of losing because of him.
GO ENGLAND AND KP FOR LIFE!!!

what is cricket with out characters?

as long as it doesent impact on the team, players are allowed to be individuals.

i still like hearing tony greig and ian chappell at each others throats 30 years after playing against each other.

two real characters of cricket.

hi....i do agree that his celebrity status has indeed played a part in pietersen being bracketed as a "great".....he is not even 30 test old....
and england have not produced a single great batsman in the last 40 years...boycott, gower , gooch have been very good ones, but never great....proabably barrington was the last great english batsman or maybe len hutton..

There is however, one difference. Tony Grieg shifted to England because South Africa was banned from playing cricket in those days. In Pieterson's case, this is not so.

Indeed pietersen did motor mouth with Ponting but he was silent with Hayden on the other side.Some times size does matter!!!

"Posted by: Cliff 9 hours, 27 minutes ago

I don't know when Alan Knott first used the upward flick over slips, but I saw Eddie Barlow use it with a broad grin in 1964 and routinely thereafter."

Absolutely correct Cliff. The point was that Eddie invented that shot a long time before Greig and Knott used against the Aus and West Indian quicks in the mid 1970s.

Right said Mukul. I remember Greig as a small boy playing pranks with oranges at the Eden and ofcourse his Vishy pick-up and cradle! All of it was playing to the gallery but he played the fool. Not as KP who is somewhat of a smart alec. KP might yet go on to become a future great, but most modern greats (men with fat averages in the 21st century will not rank among all-time greats with such a dearth of quality/fearsome fast bowlers in the world. KP will also fall in that bracket. And despite some here, England has not produced an all-time great batsman since the 70's. Boycott, Gower, Gooch were all ranged from very good to almost great but will remain in the second rung. The really great of the last 40 years will include the likes of Viv Richards, Gavaskar, Greg Chappell, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, the last two because there prime was in the 90s when there were still some of the rare species left, i.e. top quality fast bowlers.

As an Australian, it might be odd that I'm defending Pietersen's comments, but nonetheless I believe he did not step over the line. If one examines the interview where he mentioned 'humiliation' he referred to how England were whitewashed by Australia in the most recent Ashes series. He then hoped that he could turn the tables and send Australia crashing out of the competition, following their stunning loss to Zimbabwe (well played by the men in red). I don't think he inteded to put 250 runs on the board and then bowl Australia out with 5 overs, but rather just notch up a victory, with the humiliation coming from not making the cut.

I don't think it is fair to compare Greig to Pietersen however. To me, Greig was a bit of a showboater but after the 'grovel' comments, and the subsequent West Indies performance, he was man enough to go to the crowd and grovel before them. Whilst some may see it as arrogant and foolish to make such comments, it is how one reacts when the exact opposite occurs that tells you alot about their character. I don't think Pietersen's reasons for not staying in South Africa and trying to earn a national spot are good enough - he basically came across as a spoilt child. By talent he probably should have been in the side and I for one thing the quota system or reverse racism is the worst thing since apartheid itself! South Africa would be better of investing money into black townships to give children the opportunity to learn the great game of cricket (and football and rugby and so on) and earn their spot in the national side by ability, not skin colour.

mmm, Greigy was never one of my faves, but averaging 40+ with the bat and a tick over 32 with the ball with 140+ wickets, in an era when standards were much higher, makes him a bit more than a "good" cricketer, in my book. not to mention his captaincy and his on and off-field leadership - he could stand his ground with giants like Clive Lloyd and Ian Chappell during WSC. and I remember him as a great slipper.

don't like his politics (Eastern Suburbs stockbroker etc), his head, his voice, but credit where credit's due.

Pity England has to get overseas players to make a decent team

Slight deviating from the topic, sorry, but I just want to answer the question raised by S.Sen in his post: the definition of a great batsmen is: if I will pay money to go watch x bat?

Very good observation indeed. I will perhaps not pay money to watch Ponting bat. He's still an awesome stroke maker though. Lara's strokes are classy and more beautiful esp his drive through the covers.

ANother reason I think Ponting is not called a 'great' is that even though he is a consistent cricketer, he is surrounded by too many other good players in the concrete Aussie side.

Well Kevin is still too young to compare with all the greats in cricket ,though so far he has produced a superb track record.

Just a bit of info on Punter not being a great. He has in 110 tests scored a total of 9368 runs at an average of 59.29 with 33 centuries vs Lara; 131 tests, 11953 runs, ave 52.88 and 34 centuries. And his average is higher than the master Tendulkar as well. What does he have to do to be classed a great, change colour?

Just because our Tendulkar's and dravid's shut their mouth doesn't mean that every great player does.Everyone know of the antics that warne best leg-spinner in the world do.Mcgrath has a habit of naming his bugies before the start of a series. Even Lara isn't your quiet,modest type.
So what's wrong KP using his mouth?I like the way he stands up to challenges and he can become a great as he is now

Mukul, you somehow sound biased to me. But then, almost all blogs are bound to be so - as they are merely the opinion of the blogger. It is certainly harsh to state that there has been no great English batsman for the last forty years. For a period before the Windies domination in teh end 70's and the 80's, England were the best all-round side in the world. Surely, it could nt have been so without great batsmen? Regarding Kevin Peitersen, my guess is that at the end of his playing days, he will be acknowledged as one of the best. After all, cricket is heading towards being a completely batsman oriented game with people refrring to T20 as the future. Kevin Pietersen is destined to rule the roost in an era where pitches, outfiled, leather balls and even technology will be made to favour the batsman. But, putting him alongside batsmen who ruled in the days when bowlers had an equal say in the game - would be rather foolish. I think Ponting and Hayden will also not be considered great for the same reason

Well written article Mukul, especially the part where you are comparing KP to Warnie. If you were to name the Greatest player of the recent past Warnie would be the one. His onfield antics looked natural and also part of his way of getting batsmen to think that the cricket ball was actually a hand grenade and conning umpires into LBWs with the straight one. Test cricket was always compelling viewing when Warnie was bowling.

KP just seems to shoot his mooth off and normally ends up goosing himself.

I also have to agree with untouchable convict in his defence of Ponting. Would also disagree with Sen s about Ponting, I would pay just to see him straight drive, pull & hook and even field.

agree with the convict. Ponting is easily the best batsman at the moment with no others looking to come close anytime soon. His composure at the crease, almost flawless and compact technique with such perfect timing. He must surely be considered great. I would much rather watch ricky than Lara who's shot selection was very poor in the tail of his career.
& im a kiwi

Tony Grieg & KP are quite different in that Tony Grieg was more of a showman who took gamesmanship to a new level whereas KP has exceptional ability and spunk.Some of the shots he plays are out of this world like reverse sweeping Muralidharan for a six. The similarities between the two is that both are fighters and very combative unlike the typical English player. The last flair players England had were Botham & Gower. I think KP is someone difficult to slot.He is an original and I don't think I have seen anything like him before.

no great batemen in 40 years?!!! gooch and gower weren't bad...KP is and always will be a big mouth - it's what makes him the character he is - he made a flippant comment that got over emphasised...as for ponting he hasn't had to face a decent attack on a consistent basis - still a great though but not up there with the don/lara/tendulkar

pieterson is done good in england colours so far but i still think he should not have left the country of his birth, he will do well for england but he could have played in a better team than he is playing right now. as for tony grieg i don't have any comments.......

You say that Grieg pioneered silly point. No, he did not. During Enland's tour to India in 1976-77,Grieg introduced a new way of playing spin, with the bat kept alongside the pad, whereas earlier batsmen played spin with their bat infront of the pad. In the earlier way of playing spin, bat pad catches would fly into silly mid off position, whereas in Grieg's case, bat pad catches flew to a different position, called silly mid off. This position was known earlier, but Grieg ensured that this position became an important position when employing spinners. That way, it was the Indian team, which made silly point fashionable because of Tony Grieg's batting style which was soon adopted by other batsmen too.

That way, Grieg contributed in making silly point fashionable. It is not correct to say that he invented silly point. The terminology was already there, but this fielding position was not in use till England's 1976-77 tour of India.

Exactly my thoughts... On Warne's riyaz of greatness, and the not-so-great Tony Greig...

---England hasn't produced a great batsman in forty years---
That is a pretty stiff comment to make. I wonder what Mukul's criteria is, in quantifying greatness.
In their own ways, Boycott and Gooch, and in all respects, David Gower, are certainly 'great' batsmen.
As far as KP is concerned, one should perhaps wait for some more time to pass before commenting on whether he is 'good' or 'great'. In my humble opinion, he certainly has the necessary attributes to be a 'great'.

I have to disagree with those who say that KP is 'too young' still for us to determine whether he can be classified as a 'great'. Come now, people, he's 27- hardly ancient, but hardly a kid either. Other greats had already shown their class by that time- Lara broke the world record when he was 24. Sir Garfield Sobers was just 21 when he did so. Sir Viv pummelled England all through the summer of '76 when he was 24. How old was Tendulkar when people started hailing him as a great? Class is class and it shows from early on. KP may well yet bloom into a player great enough to match his mouth but it is silly to say we cannot judge him now- we most certainly can.

Second thing, loathe though I am to defend an Aussie, I have to agree with Untouchable Convict- Ricky Ponting (choke) is a great. It is unfortunate that he does not get his due because he has been surrounded by such a powerful team that such great exploits as his get caught up amidst all the rest.

i would have payed money to watch gower bat, as much as in australia disliked boycott, he did what he had to do. i think scoring over 100 centuries in first class cricket deserves some recognition, but each to their own i guess.

despite being an all rounder, does beefy not qualify as a great batsman?

Playing defensive shots with the bat alongside or behind the pad was certainly not invented by Tony Greig - just ask Ramadhin & Valentine how May and Cowdrey played them!

Tony Greig was a great competitor and was one of the top 5 Cricketers in the world in his time. If that doesn't make him a great Cricketer then the standards you are applying are too harsh.

I think a few people making comments here could do with reading a dictionary, such as…

Blog [weblog] – “A frequently updated web site consisting of personal observations…”

Pioneer – “To develop or be the first to use, apply, or undertake (a new method, area of knowledge, activity, etc.); to initiate, originate.”

Note Mukul pointedly does not write or imply ‘invent’, and as a blogger is expressing his opinion (though I personally believe his opinion on greatness must be bizarrely narrow).

I would include ponting also as one of all time great. He is great batsman because he is not accumulator or defender, he goes out there and dominate bowlers. He is leading from the front, the team full of awsome cricketers which is hard to do. I think I would pay money to see him play. and my skin color is brown.

I dont get the big deal made about KP running his mouth off...it's not like Australia would have been any less motivated to win if KP hadnt said what he said. He's a character...cricket needs more of them. You listen to a Tendulkar or Dravid interview and all you get are the usual cliches. Boring!

No great batsmen in 40 years? What about Tavare? I loved watching him race against time:)

"despite being an all rounder, does beefy not qualify as a great batsman?"

This is right up there with the most ridiculous thing ever said.

As for greatness, Don Bradman the true genius himself knew who he thought was the other genius. Rest others can never work it out because they simply aren't in the same league.
KP will never be a great batsman because "IMO" there's more than batting and figures that goes in to the making of a great. At best he is an entertainer.

Tony played boring cricket but at least he is an exciting commentator compared to others e.g, Rithcie

It would be nice if sportspeople would just shut up and get on with the game. As soon as KP made his comment about humiliating the Australians I had visions of Michael Holding yorking Tony Greig in 1976.

Shut up and get on with the game! One person's greatness definition will vary compared to another. Brian Lara for me isn't that great because of his divisive effect on teams. Tony Greig played in a different era and as good an all rounder as Ian Botham according to people I've spoken to who saw him play. By that definition he must be a great player. A bit OTT with his comments, perhaps, but a committed hard player who always fought for the team.

Good on you Punter's Fan, true cricket fans are colour blind. My personal fav's are Sir Vivian and the ageless wizard Sanath - long may he plunder.

Kevin is as bad as Tony Greig,they are Loud mouths and they are both the most big headed annoying people in the cricket scene at the moment, I am so sick of both of them, I suppose we'll eventually have to listen to Kevin giving his biased commentary like Tony (Can't wait for him to retire) how about focusing on some real upcomming talent there is plenty around in the English side and also some great talent emerging in the Indian side. Come on Aussies.

Dear Mukul,

I really enjoyed reading your book 'Men in White' but I feel that by saying that England has produced no great batsmen for the past 40 years, you're letting your anti-West stance get the better of clear thinking. According to you, Gavaskar is great because of impeccable technique, the ability to weather improbable odds and come up on top, and also the mere fact that he faced very fast bowlers without getting hit even once or flinching. Would you not say the Geoffrey Boycott possessed similar qualities? Or are you holding the famous 6 deliveries bowled by Holding against him? Oh, and kudos on a very well written book!

Ponting will finally be crowned a "Great" once he leaves the arena. He is a great batsman no doubt. He can play with equal aplomb in all form of the game. His "all time" ICC ranking is on par with Viv and Co. That takes into consideration the quality of bowling etc. The innings he played in the WC final was perhaps one of the best I will ever see. I am from Pakistan and have no love for the Aussies, but you have to gave credit to a man that has been consistent and solid for so long. He may not have broken records or played one great innings, but has done his work consistently. A test average approaching 60 is right up there with the greats.

If you rate Ponting as a "Great" you have to rate Hayden as a "Great" as well. If technique qualifies as "Greatness" then Jacques Kallis or Jayawardene would be of the legends of the game. Greatness depicts the ability of a player to dominate _quality_ opposition and win games for their team. The last truly _quality_ bowling attack that Ponting had to face was the Donald / Pollock combination and he didn't exactly dominate them. If any of the "Great" modern Aussie batsmen had to bat against their own bowling attack I don't think they would be as dominant as against the mediocre bowling the rest of the world delivers. The greatest batsmen ever could decimate an attack at will and single handedly win matches for their team - these include Don Bradman, Graeme Pollock, Viv Richards, Lara

KP left South Africa as an adult because South Africa didn't think he was ready to join the international team yet. So in his usual arrogant and impatient fashion he moved to England, waited his 4 or 5 years for his passport, and then played for England to prove South Africa wrong. A bit over the top for a small amount of rejection as a teenager don't you think? He would have made it into the SA team. I find it laughable that he calls himself English when he has such a broad South African accent. The only thing English about him is his newly acquired passport.

Most of the media really won't let go of this idea of Pietersen as a brash outsider with a huge ego will they? Gives them something to moan about I suppose...

KP is a great batsman but his arrogance and interest in fame off the field will be his eventual downfall. Pity that talent was wasted

It wasn't Tony Greig who invented the "upper cuff" (sic), because Eddie Barlow had been playing it consistantly and well long before that.

Any body who does not view Ponting as a true great must be seeing cricket on a different planet.
Stats are only a part let us give stats 10 points ponting along with Lara, Sachin, Dravid, Kallis ( i am only comparing modern players)all of them pretty much make 10 of 10 as stats can be presented in different versions.
Exciting stroke play : if we allocate 2 points to this as only this should not make some one great Lara, Sachin and ponting get the 2 points. ( lara with his great cover driver and lofted shots of spinners, Sachin with his great straight drive, Flick drive thru sqare leg and mid wicket and Ponting for his swivell pull) Kallis and Dravid are not real great shot makers.
Powers of Concetration : Dravid and Kallis take two points for the numerous times they have bailed their team out by playing innings characterized as dull and dour but effective.
Sachin will get 1 point
Ponting ( i can only remerber the 150 odd agaist England in the Ashes all other ponting innnings are usually sparkling ones)
Team Sprit : I have never ever seen articles of ponting having any Team related problems or for that matter Sachin and Dravid.
Ability to Inspire Team members : Sachin, Ponting and Lara should take points here.

So on what basis does Ponting lose out if Lara and Tendulkar and Dravdi are considered Greats ?

You can't just whether a player is great just by his average: it is an average and we are looking for the great not the average. The key is who played the great innings? So Gooch against the Windies in 91 makes him a great player not his triple century against India in 90 which improved his average more. Likewise Lara without the luxury of playing against a weak Windies attack like Ponting and others is a great player: who else dominated the Aussies and Murali?

So on what basis does Ponting lose out if Lara and Tendulkar and Dravdi are considered Greats ?

Hey Brendan – if Ponting can not be considered to be a great for failing to exactly dominate the Pollock/Donald combination – Ponting’s average dropped from around 44 to 40 (with one century from 7 matches) during the Pollock-Donald time span – then why do you still consider Lara a great? (Lara’s equivalent average dropped from around 47 to 35, with no centuries in 10 matches). Stats, huh!

i do not think Pietersen will ever be a great player. But he might remain involved in a glitzy and glamorous way (like Tony has) long after his test career is over

Mukul,
Sachin was facing so much criticism by the Indian media over the past year or so questioning his role on the side. The master blaster did not utter a word and let his bat do the talking in the India-England series. That is how great players take charge and Kevin should do the same.
Regards,
Sharad
Indian Cricket League Web Team
"Taking Cricket to a New League."

Pieterson is a great batsman but I am afraid his personality is going to let him down. He has had clashes with many players from opposition teams. I hope he gets over that and just concentrates on the game

I know it’s impolite to flog dead horses, Brendan, but unless I’m very much mistaken Lara averaged 31 and 32 against Donald and Pollock respectively, while Ponting averages 58 against Pollock and was never dismissed by Donald (though to be fair, Australia pretty much crushed South Africa in the five Tests that Ponting and Donald both played in).

he is the only person who could save the ecb. if he does not fire for then england might even lose their test status .i really mean this .he is not too matured to be compared as tony greig.

There is minor difference though ! Tony Greig was a very good player who never quite knew where the line was drawn. His gaffes .. as he himself admits with endearing candor .. were because he tried to hard to hog the limelight. As you mentioned , not that he wasn't worthy .. he wasn't THAT worthy !

KP, on the other hand has backed himself far more, and delivered in crunch situations a little more in his hitherto small time span. Lets not harp about the quality of bowling available .. but he has neutered the "best bowler in the world", and Murali ( who might fume at that title , were he not such a mild , humble maestro). He has made the "metronomic" McGrath waver from his line, and then some more. And as you said.. the format was 20-20 for his "humiliation". When it came to the real deal .. his first act was a "comedy" .. no tragedy, no farce there.

If anything , his inner will to be the best , 'narcissism' or not, has shown enough reasons to believe he is going to be the next modern great.

Well done 'g.heramba kumar' - of all the nonsense comments I've seen posted...

"if he does not fire for then england might even lose their test status .i really mean this ."

... beats them all. How could anyone think (you were thinking, right?) that the world's second-best ranked Test team (and have been for all but two months in over three years) will lose their Test status without one player!

S. Sen - Border was great. Ponting is great too. Take the blinkers off your eyes. KP will be great.

Ponting has 30 centuries already and will end up with near 50 if his form continues. Very few batsmen come close. He is sure to break Tendulkar's record number of centuries pretty soon.

Kevin Pieterson's Test average is 52, and his ODI average is 50.

After playing a similar number of Tests, Sachin Tendulkar's batting average was 50.5, and his ODI average after the same number of games was about 33.

Wake up.

And to the idiot who said Ponting was not great - I recently saw a stat that said over the last 55 Tests Ponting has played, he has a batting average of over 70.

The only person who has EVER done better than that over such a long period was a certain Donald Bradman.

Again, wake up. Don't let your personal prejudices blind you.