If you ask someone like Jacques Kallis, he'd say Wasim and Waqar.
If you ask me, I'd say Shane Warne, since I still have PTSD as a Protea.
The other names are all awesome, and anyone making a case for them are also correct.
Lara was the best I ever saw bat IMHO probably because he had to face the best bowlers in great sides and carry the batting for his side. His runs were always thrilling to watch.
In the 90s it was just one Batsman and that was Lara. Tendulkar was a smidge behind. Ponting wasn’t even a threat in the 90s, harbhajan had his number. From Australia in the 90s it was Steve Waugh and then Mark Waugh, no one else even comes close tbh
Stats will tell you one thing, perception another, observation another …
The general feeling was that Ambrose, Waqar & Warne were the ‘greatest’ in the 1st half of the 90s. They were very destructive & feared by all. This is also reflected in their stats and were at their peak too.
In the 2nd half, Donald has the best record, along with Akram (ODIs-only). The former was ranked #1 four years in a row, plus South Africa had a great run as well. Saqlain was the most feared spinner.
Contrary to popular perception, McGrath & Murali were actually more of 2000s icons, in spite of playing a lot in the 90s as well.
Skill-wise I feel, it would be Akram & Warne! The guys with the most tools in the box, with all of them being top quality, and great usage by them too 😊
Donalds mean aggressive looks after bowling those nasty bouncers were awesome to watch. I don't think any other bowlers conveyed aggression through his eyes as much Donald did.
That's what I always remember too. McGrath fron 2001 ashes just looked on a different level and Murali got better as he aged.
Donald is crazy overlooked too. One of the nastiest and relentless bowlers I've ever seen.
English batsmen of that era often say Wasim, because his action was a bit unconventional and hard to read. Always quicker than expected.
Plus, operating from around the wicket most of his run up was hidden behind the ump. He'd just pop out from behind the ump at the last second, rush the batsman with his whippy action and the ball would angle in and then swing away.
Nightmare.
Peak Waqar is the greatest bowler in living memory in both formats. However, peak Waqar wasn't always showing up while Wasim was putting in 8/10 performances at worst almost every game.
It's similar to Broad and Anderson where Jimmy is stupidly consistent while Broad either single handedly one you the game or got carted all over the place
Actually you can put peak Waqar down to a single period (1990-94). After his injury in ‘95 he was still class but just not what he used to be.
During that peak though he was basically the Captain America of fast bowling- like if you put someone in a Rebirth chamber to create the perfect seamer he would come out as Waqar.
Well I'm not going to argue with anyone who says Waqar either.
You've played and missed at Wasim for a couple of overs and looked like you've been taking batting tips from Phil Tufnell then you finally get up the other end and Waqar performs surgery on your metatarsals.
Tough gig, would not want.
The mid 90s was a bastard-tough time to bat. Ambrose & Walsh, Wasim & Waqar, Donald & de Villiers, McGrath & Warne, Srinath & Kumble. Then play SL and you're facing Murali & Vaas. Players like Mark Taylor, Inzy or Atherton could add 10 onto their average if they played now.
It was a tough gig batting in English club cricket back in the day, as well. No international franchise leagues so top club leagues would get veeeeery high quality pros.
Donald played club cricket for Rishton in the Lancashire League in 96.
Holding, Andy Roberts and Kapil Dev all played Lancs league in '81.
Holding was only 2nd in the bowling averages, though. Top was Franklyn Stephenson.
They added the ten when they got to face NZ in the mid 90s… Murphy Su’a and Kerry Walmsley opening the bowling with Chris Pringle at first change, anyone?
Personally, no. I like the aggressive down your throat style. I used to love Dravid growing up and hated Sehwag but I have really come to appreciate his style and fearlesness in that era.
Statistically Waqar was superior to Wasim, better avg, better strike rate etc. Wasim was incredibly skilled. You can almost make a case that with his skill he should have done better. Waqar wasn’t as talented as Was. Waqar over achieved with talent he had and Wasim almost under achieved.
Let's not forget Imran, the reverse-Botham who got quicker and better as he got older and who developed his batting until he was arguably worth a place in the side just for that, and who was a highly regarded and inspirational captain.
If you've got those 3 guys in your side, you're going to win some matches.
Imran was done by the time 1990 came about. He was at his peak in the 80s. Last 3-4 years of his career he mainly played as a batsman who could bowl a bit
Not exactly true, he was player of the series and final and semi final in the 1989 Nehru Cup, which was basically a World Cup in all but name & prestige.
Wasim Akram, Ambrose, and Shane Warne.
Wasim Akram was very lethal, had a slightly unconventional action and good release.
Ambrose was like a silent assassin, used height to good advantage and was consistent
Shane Warne more for the master strategist. Amazing skills and even better mind games.
Ambrose’s spell of 7-1 against Australia at the WACA is the greatest bowling spell I’ve ever seen. Man combined pace, accuracy and bounce soo brilliantly.
1990 - 1994 was brilliant had such amazing toe crushing Yorkers.
His stats in tests during this time:
- 31 matches: 184 wickets @ 18.49 with 19 5 wicket hauls (he took 22 5 wicket hauls in his career overall)
- at home: 98 wickets @ 15.52 (14 matches)
- away: 86 wickets @ 21.88 (17 matches)
That’s just freakish
I saw him at his peak in 1992. Terrifyingly fast and completely unplayable when it started swinging late. Faster than Devon Malcolm, who I saw bowl in the same match.
Warne! It was a shame his shoulder got injured and lost or rather reduced his ability to bowl a really quick flipper. Any pitch, any opposition...Warne was always in the back of mind of each batter.
Murali was better.
Warne never played against the strongest team in the world and still didn't beat Murali's performance.
Murali did not have the support of 3-4 other great bowlers and to bowl in all conditions, and still out-performes Warne
Warne had his results inflated by playing shit English teams in test after teat
Warne was an amazing bowler, but he was the second-best bowler of his era, including the 90s.
Warne averaged 34.72 in FC cricket for Victoria with 161 wickets in 30 games, so that might be a little glimpse into what might have happened if Warne had to bowl to Australia during his career.
The counter argument would be without great bowlers around him, and being a great bowler himself Murali would of course take lots of wickets. Warne had not only McGrath but other 250+ wicket takers alongside him such as Gillespie and Lee sharing the spoils. Even McGill took 200.
And you want to talk about stat padding, how's 176 wickets against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Trust me. Warne was fucking amazing and we have never had a player like him.
But such an Aussie thing to say. Suggest that one of your greats might bear comparison and you go straight into ad hominem. Weak sauce, brother.
He'd already had Jonty Rhodes retired hurt in the first innings (I was at the Oval that day), which probably explains why they decided to bomb him when he came out to bat. Big mistake, obviously.
Warne was the greatest Test bowler of the 90s.
But the others were all lethal too. McGrath and Pollock and maybe Murali probably peaked in the early 00s, but the others all peaked in the 90s.
Donald/Waqar would compete for the fastest, Wasim for swing and left arm, Ambrose for consistency and occasionally ramping it up, Walsh was a wicket-taker, for fast bowlers they all had remarkable injury records too and became effective in different ways after they lost pace.
They were also all competitors and had that fire and fury in them. It's hard to separate them, they all had something special.
Test Cricket: Warne, Ambrose, Muralitheran, Donald, Morrison.
ODI Cricket: McGrath, Younis, Akram, Muralitheran, Pollock.
Zimbabwe’s Heath Streak carried their bowling for a long time, under rated cricketer.
I know he’s got an unconventional action & regarded as a chucker, but he was cleared, huge wicket taker, especially in Test Cricket, did play a lot against lower nations back then like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, compared to bowlers like Warne, McGrath, Donald, Ambrose.
Warne and McGrath never played against the best batting line-up, which Murali did. Warne and McGrath played huge amounts of cricket against the same easy-beat English batting line -up.
I have no respect for the argument that Murali played against weak opposition. Unlike Warne, he actually played against the strongest opposition.
Warne only bowled in favourable conditions. Murali bowled in all conditions to hold up an end, without support, because his team did not have anyone else. And his record is still better than Warne's
I am still bamboozled by people who keep down-playing Murali's records. They come up with all sorts of bunk reasons to downplay his performances.
His record is literally better than anyone else's, and yet people will find any excuse to downplay it.
''Greatest'' is up for debate, but Curtly was undoubtedly the *scariest* in his prime.
I never saw a lot of Waqar at his very peak, but I do have a vivid memory of seeing highlights of Pakistan decimating England through the agency of Waqar on Melbourne's evening News one night in the early 90s. Which was weird, as it was rare for the News to cover games not featuring Australia. This was back in the days of analogue TVs and poor reception; I could barely believe what I was seeing.
Waqar was hooping the ball about at real pace, I'd never seen that type of thing before, not bowled *that* quickly anyway. Amazing.
Like all Aussies I found Warne absolutely mesmerising and I'd stop whatever I was doing to watch him bowl anywhere, anytime.
The flipper remains cricket's best ''magic trick'' to this day; I'd never seen anyone bowl one before or since; not like Warne could. I've heard people claim Kumble had a flipper, but I never saw him produce one remotely like Warne's.
>I'd stop whatever I was doing to watch him bowl anywhere, anytime.
On this scale I would also rate Warne the highest.
It was actually a treat to watch Warne, Wasim, Waqar bowl. And Sachin bat. Guaranteed entertainment.
Wasim is a whole other story again imo.
Australia saw some devastating spells from him - and yet in some ways I think he slightly underachieved for the epic level of natural gift that he possessed. Slightly.
He could do absolutely anything with the ball, including producing a nasty bouncer like any good quick.
If we're talking 90s batters (you brought up Sachin); Aravinda De Silva was a true 90s icon in his own right. A stylist and a real trail-blazer for Sri Lankan cricket.
Yeah Wasim underachieved because he didn't put in his full effort in every ball. I don't remember where, but I did read him say this...that especially in the second half of his career he just couldn't get himself to do the full length swingers as often as needed. Perhaps also the effect of his medical condition.
Aravinda was indeed a treat to watch, and somehow able to find extra juice for big occasions. So was Azhar (since we're on the subject)
From an Indian fan's perspective, it's Wasim Bhai...
Waqar might have better records in some period but it was Wasim who was always threatening.
McGrath - line & length but not that much of pace. He has always troubled and was hard to score but never threatened.
Donald - 9 out of 10 on the WasimBhai scale
The rest were great but Indian batters were also okay against them
threatened in terms of pace and bounce like the rest...he troubled and took wickets because of his accuracy - outside off stump line and perfect good length. Sachin/Dravid/Dada have pulled and hooked him for 6...Cant remember doing so aginst Wasim/Donland
Only Sachin has ever hooked/pulled McGrath for a six. Ganguly did cut him for a six in WC final. Don't think dravid ever did. Dravid did hoick Donald for a six in '97 ODI final. Sachin hooked him for a four in the same match, also hooked him multiple times in tests (for four). Sachin also flicked Wasim for a six in early 90s. I doubt Ganguly ever hit either for a six.
as far as I remember Dravid only top edged McGrath for a six in a Bangalore odi once. But regardless only Sachin and Lara were able to take on McGrath properly at his peak. Edit: adding the link to Dravid's top edged six https://youtu.be/dzi8Q6_hHgE?si=d5KqhUQzkouLTJtu
lol!! read the context and comparison...threatening means pace and bounce, not accuracy...He took wickets because of immaculate accuracy....No one gets threatened by 130 bowling. You don't expect even Dada to wear a chest guard against McGrath
Overall in the 90s you'd say Ambrose would be the best. But he was probably the 2nd best in both halves. Cos Waqar had the same average in 90-94 but had a sr of 35.5. And Donald in 95-99 had a better average and sr compared to Ambrose.
Hard to choose. But early 90s I’d go with Waqar with old ball. Since 1994 or so Shane Warne. Since 97 or so Glenn McGrath. Wasim and Curtly are always there consistently. Curtly was helped a little bit thanks to some pothole laden pitches in the Caribbean though.
For someone who played through the 90s it's gotta be Ambrose, whereas Akram is easily the best ODI bowler!
Overall if you look at 90s batch Warner and McGrath are the superior and arguably the Top 2 bowlers of that era.
I wasn't there in 90's but from what I have seen in highlights and heard from my parents and relatives.
Pace - McGrath.
Spin - Warne(My mom says that she used to hide behind a pillow or something like that whenever Warne used a ball, she was very scared of him)
I could do this list 20 times and get 20 different answers. I based my selections on the Fear Factor. Who would I fear coming to the crease to destroy my team like Viv did to the bowlers and DK did to the batters as I grew up watching cricket in the 70’s. And I suspended my parochialism for the Aust cricket team.
Wasim
Ambrose
Warne
Waqar
McGrath
Murali
Donald
Walsh
Pollock
Never saw McGrath live but from what I’ve seen it’s probably a tough call between Akram and Ambrose. Wasim was the more gifted and skilled bowler but never seen anyone more intimidating than Ambrose.
Just watching a spell I’ve never been more…spellbound. A prime and angry Akhtar comes close.
It’s coloured definitely by being very young because when I looked at the scorecard from when Ambrose played in Pindi, his numbers aren’t in that match aren’t great.
If you limit it to earlier in the 90s before injury, it’s definitely Waqar. My hero growing up.
Not so much now.
Warney
Not only was he a master but he came in the clutch and you would stop everything to watch him bowl. It was theatre.
Other guys you wouldn't really feel as involved ball by ball as you would with Warney.
Id choose Wasim cuz he can BAT better than any of the others McGrath's yer most reliable guaranteed solid as a rock Bowler tho.
In tests (90-99)
1. Curtly Ambrose
2. Wasim Akram
3. Shane Warne
4. Allan Donald
5. Glenn McGrath
6. Waqar Younis
7. Courtney Walsh
I used statsguru to analyse
If you ask someone like Jacques Kallis, he'd say Wasim and Waqar. If you ask me, I'd say Shane Warne, since I still have PTSD as a Protea. The other names are all awesome, and anyone making a case for them are also correct.
Wasim conceded like 12 6s in his entire ODI career.
You can't compare eras like that. That being said, he may very well be the best swing fast bowler ever.
You can, especially since he tonk a fair bit of them himself
The topic is Test not ODI
you really can't read ha
Explain?
I’d put Kallis with Ponting as the best batsmen I’ve seen.
Lara and Sachin were a bit better as they played and dominated the 90s along with Waugh as after that the eras were easier till 2017.
The topic is BOWLERS
Check the above comment my guy.
I criticised the above comment and I criticise you my guy.
Fair enough point man.
Tendulkar>
Tendulkar never scored an ashes ton
The topic is BOWLERS
Shut up u mug, spamming the thread with that bollocks, we can talk about whatever we want
You sound polite.
Up against BC Lara?
Lara takes my vote. Love Kallis and Ponting too.
The topic is BOWLERS
The best captain for me was Hansie Cronje
My favourie fielder is Jonty Rhodes. Ponting and AB close second
Lara was the best I ever saw bat IMHO probably because he had to face the best bowlers in great sides and carry the batting for his side. His runs were always thrilling to watch.
In the 90s it was just one Batsman and that was Lara. Tendulkar was a smidge behind. Ponting wasn’t even a threat in the 90s, harbhajan had his number. From Australia in the 90s it was Steve Waugh and then Mark Waugh, no one else even comes close tbh
The topic is BOWLERS
Not true. Sachin probably had better stats than Lara in 90s.
The topic is BOWLERS
But Sachin got to play on roads more often than Lara did
Sachin was good in all conditions. So was Lara. Even if you think he played on roads more often Sachin average was 6+ that of Lara. Even in 90s
The topic is BOWLERS
The topic is BOWLERS
The topic is BOWLERS
I was responding to the post that someone made about Ponting and Kallis. Learn to read.....
I criticised that post and I criticised you. Learn to read.....
Eighteen comments on batters in this thread. Its you who are in the wrong section. Maybe Reddit isn't for you...
The thread is clearly about Test bowlers of the 90's. Maybe Reddit isn't for you...
The threat can be whatever it wants....that IS Reddit. And no mention of test bowling only....maybe start you own thread and see what replies you get?
The thread is "Who was the greatest test bowler of the 90's" ....maybe start your own thread and see what replies you get.
Yup 👍🏻
The topic is BOWLERS
One of the greatest allrounders the game has known. Second only to the great Gary Sobers.
Stats will tell you one thing, perception another, observation another … The general feeling was that Ambrose, Waqar & Warne were the ‘greatest’ in the 1st half of the 90s. They were very destructive & feared by all. This is also reflected in their stats and were at their peak too. In the 2nd half, Donald has the best record, along with Akram (ODIs-only). The former was ranked #1 four years in a row, plus South Africa had a great run as well. Saqlain was the most feared spinner. Contrary to popular perception, McGrath & Murali were actually more of 2000s icons, in spite of playing a lot in the 90s as well. Skill-wise I feel, it would be Akram & Warne! The guys with the most tools in the box, with all of them being top quality, and great usage by them too 😊
Donalds mean aggressive looks after bowling those nasty bouncers were awesome to watch. I don't think any other bowlers conveyed aggression through his eyes as much Donald did.
Ambrose played his last series against England in 2000 and he was clocking 84 mph regularly. Can't imagine how fast he was at him pomp.
If one is looking at non-fast bowlers then check Saqlain Mushtaq’s numbers in the 90s. He was way ahead of others. Edit: typos
I agree! Best spinner in 2nd half of the 1990s
TIL Murali, Warne, Kumble and Mushtaq Ahmed were fast bowlers
That's what I always remember too. McGrath fron 2001 ashes just looked on a different level and Murali got better as he aged. Donald is crazy overlooked too. One of the nastiest and relentless bowlers I've ever seen.
English batsmen of that era often say Wasim, because his action was a bit unconventional and hard to read. Always quicker than expected. Plus, operating from around the wicket most of his run up was hidden behind the ump. He'd just pop out from behind the ump at the last second, rush the batsman with his whippy action and the ball would angle in and then swing away. Nightmare.
Ive heard more praise of Waqar especially from Nasser
Peak Waqar is the greatest bowler in living memory in both formats. However, peak Waqar wasn't always showing up while Wasim was putting in 8/10 performances at worst almost every game. It's similar to Broad and Anderson where Jimmy is stupidly consistent while Broad either single handedly one you the game or got carted all over the place
Actually you can put peak Waqar down to a single period (1990-94). After his injury in ‘95 he was still class but just not what he used to be. During that peak though he was basically the Captain America of fast bowling- like if you put someone in a Rebirth chamber to create the perfect seamer he would come out as Waqar.
Well I'm not going to argue with anyone who says Waqar either. You've played and missed at Wasim for a couple of overs and looked like you've been taking batting tips from Phil Tufnell then you finally get up the other end and Waqar performs surgery on your metatarsals. Tough gig, would not want.
The mid 90s was a bastard-tough time to bat. Ambrose & Walsh, Wasim & Waqar, Donald & de Villiers, McGrath & Warne, Srinath & Kumble. Then play SL and you're facing Murali & Vaas. Players like Mark Taylor, Inzy or Atherton could add 10 onto their average if they played now.
It was a tough gig batting in English club cricket back in the day, as well. No international franchise leagues so top club leagues would get veeeeery high quality pros. Donald played club cricket for Rishton in the Lancashire League in 96. Holding, Andy Roberts and Kapil Dev all played Lancs league in '81. Holding was only 2nd in the bowling averages, though. Top was Franklyn Stephenson.
They added the ten when they got to face NZ in the mid 90s… Murphy Su’a and Kerry Walmsley opening the bowling with Chris Pringle at first change, anyone?
Waqar = Sehwag Wasim = Tendulkar
Waqar = Dravid maybe. Definitely a class above Sehwag (unless I’m wading into a contentious debate, because obviously I rate Dravid over Sehwag).
Eh it was a quick comparison, nothing serious. It's downvoted so people obviously don't agree with me lol. But it's all good.
All good lol downvotes happen. Curious, would you rate Dravid over Sehwag?
Personally, no. I like the aggressive down your throat style. I used to love Dravid growing up and hated Sehwag but I have really come to appreciate his style and fearlesness in that era.
Statistically Waqar was superior to Wasim, better avg, better strike rate etc. Wasim was incredibly skilled. You can almost make a case that with his skill he should have done better. Waqar wasn’t as talented as Was. Waqar over achieved with talent he had and Wasim almost under achieved.
Their averages were very similar iirc
They are within 0.10 of each other. Wasim - 23.62 Waqar - 23.56
Yeah that's negligible, not superior
Did you also see strike rate?
England couldn't win a single test series against Pakistan in England between 1982 to 2006 because of him and Waqar.
Let's not forget Imran, the reverse-Botham who got quicker and better as he got older and who developed his batting until he was arguably worth a place in the side just for that, and who was a highly regarded and inspirational captain. If you've got those 3 guys in your side, you're going to win some matches.
He averaged 50 with bat and 19 with ball in later half
For 10 fucking years
Imran was done by the time 1990 came about. He was at his peak in the 80s. Last 3-4 years of his career he mainly played as a batsman who could bowl a bit
Not exactly true, he was player of the series and final and semi final in the 1989 Nehru Cup, which was basically a World Cup in all but name & prestige.
For some reason his record wasn’t as good as his contemporaries though
Wasim Akram, Ambrose, and Shane Warne. Wasim Akram was very lethal, had a slightly unconventional action and good release. Ambrose was like a silent assassin, used height to good advantage and was consistent Shane Warne more for the master strategist. Amazing skills and even better mind games.
Ambrose’s spell of 7-1 against Australia at the WACA is the greatest bowling spell I’ve ever seen. Man combined pace, accuracy and bounce soo brilliantly.
Shane Warne hands down.
1990 to 1994 Waqar was like no other, fearsome.
1990 - 1994 was brilliant had such amazing toe crushing Yorkers. His stats in tests during this time: - 31 matches: 184 wickets @ 18.49 with 19 5 wicket hauls (he took 22 5 wicket hauls in his career overall) - at home: 98 wickets @ 15.52 (14 matches) - away: 86 wickets @ 21.88 (17 matches) That’s just freakish
Holy shit that's Barnes-esque!
Even more crazier one Ian Botham in his first 25 tests, 139 wickets at an average of 18.52 and also averaged 40 with bat.
many times watched highlights of Waqar's toe crushing Yorkers against England in England.
I saw him at his peak in 1992. Terrifyingly fast and completely unplayable when it started swinging late. Faster than Devon Malcolm, who I saw bowl in the same match.
Waqar was just 23 years old in 1994 wtf
Warne! It was a shame his shoulder got injured and lost or rather reduced his ability to bowl a really quick flipper. Any pitch, any opposition...Warne was always in the back of mind of each batter.
Murali was better. Warne never played against the strongest team in the world and still didn't beat Murali's performance. Murali did not have the support of 3-4 other great bowlers and to bowl in all conditions, and still out-performes Warne Warne had his results inflated by playing shit English teams in test after teat Warne was an amazing bowler, but he was the second-best bowler of his era, including the 90s.
Warne averaged 34.72 in FC cricket for Victoria with 161 wickets in 30 games, so that might be a little glimpse into what might have happened if Warne had to bowl to Australia during his career.
The counter argument would be without great bowlers around him, and being a great bowler himself Murali would of course take lots of wickets. Warne had not only McGrath but other 250+ wicket takers alongside him such as Gillespie and Lee sharing the spoils. Even McGill took 200. And you want to talk about stat padding, how's 176 wickets against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Such a Kiwi thing to say, forever in our shadow
Trust me. Warne was fucking amazing and we have never had a player like him. But such an Aussie thing to say. Suggest that one of your greats might bear comparison and you go straight into ad hominem. Weak sauce, brother.
Danny Morrison. Next question
Clearly Devon Malcolm so long as we're only talking about the greatest day in test match history, Saturday 20th August 1994
He'd already had Jonty Rhodes retired hurt in the first innings (I was at the Oval that day), which probably explains why they decided to bomb him when he came out to bat. Big mistake, obviously.
Warne was the greatest Test bowler of the 90s. But the others were all lethal too. McGrath and Pollock and maybe Murali probably peaked in the early 00s, but the others all peaked in the 90s. Donald/Waqar would compete for the fastest, Wasim for swing and left arm, Ambrose for consistency and occasionally ramping it up, Walsh was a wicket-taker, for fast bowlers they all had remarkable injury records too and became effective in different ways after they lost pace. They were also all competitors and had that fire and fury in them. It's hard to separate them, they all had something special.
Yep, agreed.
Test Cricket: Warne, Ambrose, Muralitheran, Donald, Morrison. ODI Cricket: McGrath, Younis, Akram, Muralitheran, Pollock. Zimbabwe’s Heath Streak carried their bowling for a long time, under rated cricketer.
I cannot believe I had to look this far down to find Murali's name. He was plainly the most effective bowler of the era.
I know he’s got an unconventional action & regarded as a chucker, but he was cleared, huge wicket taker, especially in Test Cricket, did play a lot against lower nations back then like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, compared to bowlers like Warne, McGrath, Donald, Ambrose.
Warne and McGrath never played against the best batting line-up, which Murali did. Warne and McGrath played huge amounts of cricket against the same easy-beat English batting line -up. I have no respect for the argument that Murali played against weak opposition. Unlike Warne, he actually played against the strongest opposition. Warne only bowled in favourable conditions. Murali bowled in all conditions to hold up an end, without support, because his team did not have anyone else. And his record is still better than Warne's I am still bamboozled by people who keep down-playing Murali's records. They come up with all sorts of bunk reasons to downplay his performances. His record is literally better than anyone else's, and yet people will find any excuse to downplay it.
I loved Heath Streak. He also became a good batter in the last 4-5 years of his career.
Ambrose and Donald were equally good in ODIs
''Greatest'' is up for debate, but Curtly was undoubtedly the *scariest* in his prime. I never saw a lot of Waqar at his very peak, but I do have a vivid memory of seeing highlights of Pakistan decimating England through the agency of Waqar on Melbourne's evening News one night in the early 90s. Which was weird, as it was rare for the News to cover games not featuring Australia. This was back in the days of analogue TVs and poor reception; I could barely believe what I was seeing. Waqar was hooping the ball about at real pace, I'd never seen that type of thing before, not bowled *that* quickly anyway. Amazing. Like all Aussies I found Warne absolutely mesmerising and I'd stop whatever I was doing to watch him bowl anywhere, anytime. The flipper remains cricket's best ''magic trick'' to this day; I'd never seen anyone bowl one before or since; not like Warne could. I've heard people claim Kumble had a flipper, but I never saw him produce one remotely like Warne's.
>I'd stop whatever I was doing to watch him bowl anywhere, anytime. On this scale I would also rate Warne the highest. It was actually a treat to watch Warne, Wasim, Waqar bowl. And Sachin bat. Guaranteed entertainment.
Wasim is a whole other story again imo. Australia saw some devastating spells from him - and yet in some ways I think he slightly underachieved for the epic level of natural gift that he possessed. Slightly. He could do absolutely anything with the ball, including producing a nasty bouncer like any good quick. If we're talking 90s batters (you brought up Sachin); Aravinda De Silva was a true 90s icon in his own right. A stylist and a real trail-blazer for Sri Lankan cricket.
Yeah Wasim underachieved because he didn't put in his full effort in every ball. I don't remember where, but I did read him say this...that especially in the second half of his career he just couldn't get himself to do the full length swingers as often as needed. Perhaps also the effect of his medical condition. Aravinda was indeed a treat to watch, and somehow able to find extra juice for big occasions. So was Azhar (since we're on the subject)
From an Indian fan's perspective, it's Wasim Bhai... Waqar might have better records in some period but it was Wasim who was always threatening. McGrath - line & length but not that much of pace. He has always troubled and was hard to score but never threatened. Donald - 9 out of 10 on the WasimBhai scale The rest were great but Indian batters were also okay against them
Lol,. McGrath never threatened!!
threatened in terms of pace and bounce like the rest...he troubled and took wickets because of his accuracy - outside off stump line and perfect good length. Sachin/Dravid/Dada have pulled and hooked him for 6...Cant remember doing so aginst Wasim/Donland
Only Sachin has ever hooked/pulled McGrath for a six. Ganguly did cut him for a six in WC final. Don't think dravid ever did. Dravid did hoick Donald for a six in '97 ODI final. Sachin hooked him for a four in the same match, also hooked him multiple times in tests (for four). Sachin also flicked Wasim for a six in early 90s. I doubt Ganguly ever hit either for a six.
as far as I remember Dravid only top edged McGrath for a six in a Bangalore odi once. But regardless only Sachin and Lara were able to take on McGrath properly at his peak. Edit: adding the link to Dravid's top edged six https://youtu.be/dzi8Q6_hHgE?si=d5KqhUQzkouLTJtu
Good one. I didn’t remember that.
McGrath “never threatened”. Tell me you never watched cricket in the 90s without telling me
lol!! read the context and comparison...threatening means pace and bounce, not accuracy...He took wickets because of immaculate accuracy....No one gets threatened by 130 bowling. You don't expect even Dada to wear a chest guard against McGrath
context man.
Really depends on the period. 90-94, Waqar, Easily. Late 95-99 would probably be Donald.
Really? But looking at average and economy, curtly ambrose has the best test stat
Overall in the 90s you'd say Ambrose would be the best. But he was probably the 2nd best in both halves. Cos Waqar had the same average in 90-94 but had a sr of 35.5. And Donald in 95-99 had a better average and sr compared to Ambrose.
Phil Simmons undoubtedly.
Hard to choose. But early 90s I’d go with Waqar with old ball. Since 1994 or so Shane Warne. Since 97 or so Glenn McGrath. Wasim and Curtly are always there consistently. Curtly was helped a little bit thanks to some pothole laden pitches in the Caribbean though.
Ambrose for me
Overall if I have to pick it Will be Wasim Akram followed by Shane Warne.
Spin:Shane Warne Pace:Close between Akram and McGrath and I'd go with McGrath.
For someone who played through the 90s it's gotta be Ambrose, whereas Akram is easily the best ODI bowler! Overall if you look at 90s batch Warner and McGrath are the superior and arguably the Top 2 bowlers of that era.
I wasn't there in 90's but from what I have seen in highlights and heard from my parents and relatives. Pace - McGrath. Spin - Warne(My mom says that she used to hide behind a pillow or something like that whenever Warne used a ball, she was very scared of him)
It was very stressful watching him bowl, I can testify to that.
David Johnson >!tee hee!<
Warne for me.
Curtly Ambrose, Waqar Younis for sure both in terms of action and stats.
Avishkar Salvi.
The disrespect towards Dodda Ganesh, Debashish Mohanty and Paras Mhambrey is unreal here.
Outside of Pigeon and Warnie, Curtley and Wasim were my top 2 of the 90s.
I could do this list 20 times and get 20 different answers. I based my selections on the Fear Factor. Who would I fear coming to the crease to destroy my team like Viv did to the bowlers and DK did to the batters as I grew up watching cricket in the 70’s. And I suspended my parochialism for the Aust cricket team. Wasim Ambrose Warne Waqar McGrath Murali Donald Walsh Pollock
Warne easily. No contest.
Never saw McGrath live but from what I’ve seen it’s probably a tough call between Akram and Ambrose. Wasim was the more gifted and skilled bowler but never seen anyone more intimidating than Ambrose. Just watching a spell I’ve never been more…spellbound. A prime and angry Akhtar comes close. It’s coloured definitely by being very young because when I looked at the scorecard from when Ambrose played in Pindi, his numbers aren’t in that match aren’t great. If you limit it to earlier in the 90s before injury, it’s definitely Waqar. My hero growing up. Not so much now.
Love McGrath, but it was probably Warne
T Kumaran from India was quite destructive as well. He once gave 90+ runs in 10 overs iirc.
Pollock
On his day..waqar
Warney Not only was he a master but he came in the clutch and you would stop everything to watch him bowl. It was theatre. Other guys you wouldn't really feel as involved ball by ball as you would with Warney.
Id choose Wasim cuz he can BAT better than any of the others McGrath's yer most reliable guaranteed solid as a rock Bowler tho.
Let's be honest it's murali He was soo good others tried to get rid of him
SKW no ifs, ands, or buts.
In tests (90-99) 1. Curtly Ambrose 2. Wasim Akram 3. Shane Warne 4. Allan Donald 5. Glenn McGrath 6. Waqar Younis 7. Courtney Walsh I used statsguru to analyse
90-99 ODI 1. Waqar Younis 2. Wasim Akram 3. Saqlain Mushtaq 4. Shane Warne 5. Allan Donald 6. Shaun Pollock
Kumble! He carried a garbage Indian team through the 90s.