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Originally Posted by TimAus
Marshall
Lillee
Ambrose
McGrath
Akram
Garner
Hadlee
Imran
Truman
Donald
For your original list I'd add these names:
Australia: McDermott, Gillespie
England: Botham, Barnes (he wasn't a spinner)
South Africa: Ntini
Mortaza, Malinga, Nissar, Asif, Akhtar and Streak just seem to be there to make up the numbers for their countries. A great should be considered great no matter what team he played for. If they're on this list you have to assume they would have been a great even if they played for West Indies in the 80s, or at least been next in line after Marshall, Croft, Garner and Holding.
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my method was to pick the best from each country and wittle it down from their that's why malinga, mortaza, nissar etc were in the original post. as far as barnes is concerned there are definitely people who argue that he was a spinner, even his cricinfo profile says he could bowl the off-spinner and leg break, he had a lot more variety and people have said he didn't just cut the ball he actually spun it, just did it at a quicker pace than anyone else. i'm not saying he definitely isn't a pacer but there is definitely enough information to suggest he could be labelled a spinner. but basically he could bowl anything.
for the other names you brought up, i wouldn't consider mcdermott an all time great, one of australia's best though. gillespie in his prime was awesome an again one of australia's best but not an all timer. botham was a great allrounder a a really good pacer but again like with mcdermott and gillespie not up there with the all times for the world. now ntini, he was very good for south africa but again not an all timer. they could have been mentioned in my first post but my criteria for that was the question, could they have been rated as the all time best for their country? i actually did think about putting ntini, mcdermott and gillespie, with barnes it was as i said i left him how due to that dispute but obviously to a person that considered him a pacer he is one of the best ever if not the best ever.