Shane Warne's 50 Greatest Cricketers...

[Lady Whistledown]

As published in The Times last week. They're all players of Warne's generation, before anybody asks where Bradman and Sobers are.

50 Jamie Siddons
49 Darren Berry
48 Brian McMillan
47 Chris Cairns
46 Dilip Vengsarkar
45 Waqar Younis
44 Alec Stewart
43 Michael Atherton
42 Ravi Shastri
41 Justin Langer

40 Kapil Dev
39 Stuart MacGill
38 Sanath Jayasuriya
37 Stephen Harmison
36 Andy Flower
35 Michael Vaughan
34 Bruce Reid
33 Allan Donald
32 Robin Smith
31 Tim May

30 Kevin Pietersen
29 Shoaib Akhtar / Craig McDermott
28 Saeed Anwar / Mohammad Yousuf
27 Jacques Kallis / Shaun Pollock
26 Steve Waugh
25 Darren Lehmann
24 Brett Lee
23 Stephen Fleming
22 Martin Crowe
21 David Boon

20 Adam Gilchrist
19 Aravinda de Silva
18 Merv Hughes
17 Matthew Hayden
16 Andrew Flintoff
15 Graham Gooch
14 Rahul Dravid
13 Anil Kumble
12 Mark Waugh
11 Courtney Walsh

10 Ian Healy
9 Mark Taylor
8 Ricky Ponting
7 Muttiah Muralitharan
6 Wasim Akram
5 Glenn McGrath
4 Allan Border
3 Curtly Ambrose
2 Brian Lara
1 Sachin Tendulkar


Here's what Shane had to say about Steve Waugh, whom he generously placed at #26, when even most English fans would have him a lot higher than that:

"This may raise a few eyebrows. Yes, he scored a lot of runs, but to me he was a match-saver rather than a match-winner. That is why he is not higher. There were also times when he struggled against the short ball. But he had good all-round capabilities and was always reliable in the gully. Mark Taylor handed him a wonderful team"

"handed a wonderful team", "struggled against the short ball": not bitter at being turned down for the captaincy then, Shane?

 

[Storer68]

Don't think they really got on........

and where's Daryll Cullinan on this list

 

[Dave the OAP]

cant belive Pieterson gets in there..especially as Smith the SAffie opening bat doesnt

 

[Storer68]

and my favourite Steve Waugh quote (talking about Stuart MacGill)

"He's a once-in-a-generation spinner, too. We're lucky to have two - if it makes sense - in one generation"

and does he really think Merv Hughes is better than Allan Donald??

 

[Lady Whistledown]

And as for picking two of his Victorian, non-Test playing mates at 49 and 50...

I know he probably doesn't get on with Inzamam ul Haq, for example, but surely he has a claim to be in the top fifty as opposed to a couple of slightly above average Australian state players.

Check out the Times online site if you want to read his reasoning behind each player's position.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/shane_warne/article2364258.ece

 

[Monsieur Leclerc]

cant belive Pieterson gets in there..especially as Smith the SAffie opening bat doesnt

He averages over 50 at a strike rate of 66 or so and pretty much ripped the Aussie bowling line up to shreds in 2005.

It does seem strange that Smith isn't in there. I have a feeling that Warne is his nemesis, so perhaps that is why he was excluded.

It can't be easy to select 50 from a career spanning over 15 years.

I am surprised Igglesden, Illot and Mallender are not there...!

 

[Dave the OAP]

He averages over 50 at a strike rate of 66 or so and pretty much ripped the Aussie bowling line up to shreds in 2005.

It does seem strange that Smith isn't in there. I have a feeling that Warne is his nemesis, so perhaps that is why he was excluded.

It can't be easy to select 50 from a career spanning over 15 years.

I am surprised Igglesden, Illot and Mallender are not there...!

true, but he has not been on the scene that long, and I am not convinced his current blip in form is that! I have a horrible feeling people have worked him out

 

[The Oldman]

true, but he has not been on the scene that long, and I am not convinced his current blip in form is that! I have a horrible feeling people have worked him out

Thank goodness someone else thinks that. I thought I was alone in thinking he is very overated.

 

[Normal Rob]

you can't PR a list that people agree with...

 

[Moshe Gariani]

I normally find this sort of thing interesting, but with Warne these days you know it will just be a load of attention seeking tripe...

 

[Simster]

I too have been reading this and can't believe he picked two uncapped players, but I suppose he can only go on the players he's played with or against.

And how come he can find room for Martin Crowe but NOT RIchard Hadlee? That man carried NZ for about 8 years!

 

[Gwylan]

I know these things are subjective, but a list of the greatest players of the last 30 years that doesn't include Malcolm Marshall, Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan isn't just eccentric, it's totally barking.

 

[Lankyseagull]

I see Chris Adams did'nt make his list!

 

[Staypuft]

I know these things are subjective, but a list of the greatest players of the last 30 years that doesn't include Malcolm Marshall, Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan isn't just eccentric, it's totally barking.

They must fall outside the generation!

Likewise Viv Richards, Joel Garner, David Gower...

 

[Gwylan]

They must fall outside the generation!

Likewise Viv Richards, Joel Garner, David Gower...

Warne's first game was in 1990: Imran retired in 1992, Richards retired in 1993, so by any criterion they're of his generation.

As there's also no Botham there, I think it must be players that he actually played against or with, rather than being of his generation.

 

[Storer68]

cant belive Pieterson gets in there..especially as Smith the SAffie opening bat doesnt

because Pietersen is just about the most naturally gifted batsmen in the world. now if only he could put a cricketing brain between his ears..............................

 

[Staypuft]

So in conclusion Shane Warne is either very stupid, very forgetfull or trying to stir things up with sensationalist nonsense...has he got a book coming out shortly?

 

[Dave the OAP]

because Pietersen is just about the most naturally gifted batsmen in the world. now if only he could put a cricketing brain between his ears..............................

I think i would put 4 of the current Indian squad as more natuarally gifted that him.....and that is just India

 

[Stinky Kat]

but dave Pietersen is a superstar celebrity and he cannot just concentrate on his cricket

 

[Uncle Buck]

I think i would put 4 of the current Indian squad as more natuarally gifted that him.....and that is just India

Possibly, but Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulkar are all coming to the end of their careers, where as Pietersen is player still in theory improving.