I'm interested in knowing what people think of barry richards and how they rate him as an opener and whether he's done enough to be considered for an all time team. most people who have seen him or read about him say that undoubtedly he would have been a huge success at test level but when picking an all time team it comes down to the fact that he only ever played 4 tests and he there for doesn't make the cut. some say he's the best batsman bar bradman.
personally i think think he is the best opener ever, despite not playing much international cricket he still played a lot against the best bowlers in county cricket.
Barry Richards is one of my favorite batsmen of all time. If he doesn't make my 1st ATG XI, he'll surely make my 2nd ATG XI. I find it hard why people don't tend to recognize him as he only played 4 Tests but it was not his fault. The kind of bowlers he faced at First Class level were top rated International level bowlers. A genuine class batsman-
i think because it's so tough to make an all time team, people use the little things to pick one player over another. i mean you can't argue that he only played 4 tests and therefore was untested at test level thus there is a chance he wouldn't have been as successful as he was at FC level i mean there are a lot of players who succeed in FC cricket but not in test cricket hick and ramprakash for example but barry richards to me is the best opener of all time.
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All Time Test XI: 1 Hobbs 2 B.Richards 3 Bradman 4 Kohli 5 V.Richards 6 Sobers 7 Gilchrist 8 Miller 9 Procter 10 Marshall 11 Warne
Originally Posted by Gowza
i think because it's so tough to make an all time team, people use the little things to pick one player over another. i mean you can't argue that he only played 4 tests and therefore was untested at test level thus there is a chance he wouldn't have been as successful as he was at FC level i mean there are a lot of players who succeed in FC cricket but not in test cricket hick and ramprakash for example but barry richards to me is the best opener of all time.
Yeah true there are cases of Hick and Ramprakash but I've got not a single doubt in my mind that had Barry Richards played a long International Test career, he would end up averaging around 50 with lots of tons and great innings. The kind of bowlers he was facing- Lillee, Mckenzie were all top class performers and still Barry Richards made tons of runs there. Also Sir Donald Bradman picked Barry Richards in his All time Great XI as opener. According to Bradman, he was one of the best batsmen to ever play the game.
If I had to pick two openers in All time XI, I would take Sir Jack Hobbs and Victor Trumper. However in second XI, I would pick Barry Richards and Sir Len Hutton.
Originally Posted by Kohli_Sox
Yeah true there are cases of Hick and Ramprakash but I've got not a single doubt in my mind that had Barry Richards played a long International Test career, he would end up averaging around 50 with lots of tons and great innings. The kind of bowlers he was facing- Lillee, Mckenzie were all top class performers and still Barry Richards made tons of runs there. Also Sir Donald Bradman picked Barry Richards in his All time Great XI as opener. According to Bradman, he was one of the best batsmen to ever play the game.
If I had to pick two openers in All time XI, I would take Sir Jack Hobbs and Victor Trumper. However in second XI, I would pick Barry Richards and Sir Len Hutton.
i think i'd go with hobbs and richards as my openers. risky probably since they both score at a quicker rate but both are hugely consistent and can smash any attack. actually my top 4 would possibly be b.richards, hobbs, bradman then v.richards with sobers at #5 or #6. kallis might take the #4 spot and viv might drop down to #5. what makes it tough is viv was best at #3 but can't move the don from the #3 spot as that was also his best position. viv's next best spot was #5 but that's also sobers best position. kallis gets the #4 spot because in 101 test matches he averages 64 batting in the #4 position. so 1 hobbs 2 b.richards 3 don 4 kallis 5 viv 6 sobers. although steve waugh is the best #5 ever, leaving viv out, don't know if i can do that.
sehwag i would probably have as a back-up opener tbh, i know this is a big call but if they were playing subcontinent he might even start i mean 103 innings (62 matches), average of 60 strike rate of 84. pretty tough to keep him out if playing in the subcontinent imo. though everywhere else he averages 35, strike rate of 75, a ridiculous strike rate but not the consistency.
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All Time Test XI: 1 Hobbs 2 B.Richards 3 Bradman 4 Kohli 5 V.Richards 6 Sobers 7 Gilchrist 8 Miller 9 Procter 10 Marshall 11 Warne
Last edited by Gowza; September 2, 2012 at 07:25 PM..
I put up his poster in my room when I was 12. Magnificent player and a good person. I rate him up there with Hutton and Hayden.
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"And do not curse those who call on other than GOD, lest they blaspheme and curse GOD, out of ignorance. We have adorned the works of every group in their eyes. Ultimately, they return to their Lord, then He informs them of everything they had done." (Qur'an 6:108)
Originally Posted by Sohel
I put up his poster in my room when I was 12. Magnificent player and a good person. I rate him up there with Hutton and Hayden.
Good one Sohel bhai, I had one Viv Richards poster I remember!
Originally Posted by Gowza
i think i'd go with hobbs and richards as my openers. risky probably since they both score at a quicker rate but both are hugely consistent and can smash any attack. actually my top 4 would possibly be b.richards, hobbs, bradman then v.richards with sobers at #5 or #6. kallis might take the #4 spot and viv might drop down to #5. what makes it tough is viv was best at #3 but can't move the don from the #3 spot as that was also his best position. viv's next best spot was #5 but that's also sobers best position. kallis gets the #4 spot because in 101 test matches he averages 64 batting in the #4 position. so 1 hobbs 2 b.richards 3 don 4 kallis 5 viv 6 sobers. although steve waugh is the best #5 ever, leaving viv out, don't know if i can do that.
sehwag i would probably have as a back-up opener tbh, i know this is a big call but if they were playing subcontinent he might even start i mean 103 innings (62 matches), average of 60 strike rate of 84. pretty tough to keep him out if playing in the subcontinent imo. though everywhere else he averages 35, strike rate of 75, a ridiculous strike rate but not the consistency.
Bradman at 3 and no 4 would be Graeme Pollock to shift Viv to no 5.
Now at no 4 I picked Graeme Pollock who I rate as one of the best left handers to ever play the game. Slightly controversial pick to take Graeme Pollock at no 4 but still can't leave him out. Sobers at no 6. This would give-
ATG Test XI
1. Sir Jack Hobbs
2. Victor Trumper
3. Sir Donald Bradman
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Sir Vivian Richards
6. Sir Garfield Sobers [5]
7. Adam Gilchrist+
8. Imran Khan* [3]
9. Sir Richard Hadlee [2]
10. Shane Warne [4]
11. Malcolm Marshall [1]
Originally Posted by Kohli_Sox
Bradman at 3 and no 4 would be Graeme Pollock to shift Viv to no 5.
Now at no 4 I picked Graeme Pollock who I rate as one of the best left handers to ever play the game. Slightly controversial pick to take Graeme Pollock at no 4 but still can't leave him out. Sobers at no 6. This would give-
ATG Test XI
1. Sir Jack Hobbs
2. Victor Trumper
3. Sir Donald Bradman
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Sir Vivian Richards
6. Sir Garfield Sobers [5]
7. Adam Gilchrist+
8. Imran Khan* [3]
9. Sir Richard Hadlee [2]
10. Shane Warne [4]
11. Malcolm Marshall [1]
pollock is a great pick for #4 i went with kallis because after playing more than 100 matches at #4 his average is in the mid 60s for that spot. i'm conflicted as to whether to put steve waugh at #5 as he has a 56 average in that spot and so many runs.
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All Time Test XI: 1 Hobbs 2 B.Richards 3 Bradman 4 Kohli 5 V.Richards 6 Sobers 7 Gilchrist 8 Miller 9 Procter 10 Marshall 11 Warne
1. Sir Leonard Hutton
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Sir Donald Bradman
4. Sir Vivian Richards
5. Sir Garfield Sobers (C)
6. Brian Lara
7. Sir Richard Hadlee
8. Adam Gilchrist
9. Shane Warne
10. Michael Holding
11. Malcolm Marshall
__________________
"And do not curse those who call on other than GOD, lest they blaspheme and curse GOD, out of ignorance. We have adorned the works of every group in their eyes. Ultimately, they return to their Lord, then He informs them of everything they had done." (Qur'an 6:108)
Last edited by Sohel; September 4, 2012 at 03:08 AM..
1. Sir Leonard Hutton
2. Mathew Hayden
3. Sir Donald Bradman
4. Sir Vivian Richards
5. Sir Garfield Sobers (C)
6. Brian Lara
7. Sir Richard Hadlee
8. Adam Gilchrist
9. Shane Warne
10. Michael Holding
11. Malcolm Marshall
hadlee above gilchrist? and no barry richards tsk tsk this is his thread lol. wow surprised hayden is there though, he was a great player but not many people pick him in an all time team. middle order is all WI but it's as good as any middle order there could be.
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All Time Test XI: 1 Hobbs 2 B.Richards 3 Bradman 4 Kohli 5 V.Richards 6 Sobers 7 Gilchrist 8 Miller 9 Procter 10 Marshall 11 Warne
you know all time XIs are tough, like i generally wouldn't pick lillee but if you read about him and talk to people about him they'll all say he stepped up when it was needed, much like mcgrath and warne, when things weren't looking good these guys would step up and rip right through an opposition, for this reason i have to consider lillee. but then you could just as easily say you want the batting to go deep and pick imran, hadlee, wasim and lindwall as your pacers.
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All Time Test XI: 1 Hobbs 2 B.Richards 3 Bradman 4 Kohli 5 V.Richards 6 Sobers 7 Gilchrist 8 Miller 9 Procter 10 Marshall 11 Warne
^ATG XIs are tough because it's totally unfair to pick just XI.
Neither Hadlee (I seriously considered Botham and Miller) nor Gilchrist is ever likely to bat in my team once you look at who's batting before them. So I didn't pay much attention to who goes before whom in the batting order.
Matthew Hayden is THE all time greatest opener IMO. He reinvented himself and came back strong to dominate every bowler in every condition like no other. His numbers between the 119 in Mumbai (Feb, 2001) and the 103 in Adelaide (Jan, 2008), that's only 7 years, are simply mind boggling.
Left Barry out because he played only 4 test matches before the racist Apartheid country was banned. His 80 FC 100s suggest that he'd have been an ATTG but that's only a suggestion, albeit an excellent one. I stuck to guys who actually played enough tests.
BTW, who'd be in your ATG Indian Subcontinent Test XI?
__________________
"And do not curse those who call on other than GOD, lest they blaspheme and curse GOD, out of ignorance. We have adorned the works of every group in their eyes. Ultimately, they return to their Lord, then He informs them of everything they had done." (Qur'an 6:108)
do you mean an all time world subcon XI? or just all time indian? regardless you'd have to have tendulkar, dravid, sehwag, gavaskar, dhoni possibly, laxman could be there.
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All Time Test XI: 1 Hobbs 2 B.Richards 3 Bradman 4 Kohli 5 V.Richards 6 Sobers 7 Gilchrist 8 Miller 9 Procter 10 Marshall 11 Warne
Sri Lankans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis also, if and when applicable.
__________________
"And do not curse those who call on other than GOD, lest they blaspheme and curse GOD, out of ignorance. We have adorned the works of every group in their eyes. Ultimately, they return to their Lord, then He informs them of everything they had done." (Qur'an 6:108)
Barry Richards and Gordon Greenidge opening the batting for Hampshire ...
__________________
"And do not curse those who call on other than GOD, lest they blaspheme and curse GOD, out of ignorance. We have adorned the works of every group in their eyes. Ultimately, they return to their Lord, then He informs them of everything they had done." (Qur'an 6:108)
Barry Richards was awesome some say the best after bradman and well ahead of whoever would be 3rd, of course there will always be that 'what if' or 'but' he didn't play enough test cricket to back that up with evidence.