With Donald Bradman streets ahead of everyone else, there is little point is asking who the best Test batsman of all time is. But the race for the other top spots is not nearly as settled, and is the subject of a lot of heated debate. Third Slip weighs in, in typical analytical fashion.
I first undertook this exercise a couple of years ago; since then it has been completely revamped to include additional weightage criteria not taken into account in the first effort.
How does one measure a great batsman? Primarily by his performances in individual matches, and secondarily by his career performances. Averages can hide all sorts of things, even in a long career, whereas individual performances are more straightforward to assess. One the individual efforts and the career average performances have both been sorted out, the two need to be brought together in a weighted average to indicate overall achievement. The weightages used in this analysis are as follows: The individual performances count for twice as much as the career indicators. The latter are broken down into separate categories which together make up the career statistics, and each is assigned a fraction of the overall career indicator's weight.
===================================== Innings Performances 66.67% Career Performances 33.33% Batting Average 10.00% Average 8.00% Runs/Test 2.00% Runs scored 10.00% Scoring Rate 5.00% High Score Index 2.50% Highest Score 1.33% % of Team Runs 2.50% Matches won 2.00% =====================================
Innings performances
The Innings Performance analysis is based on the redesigned Hallmark-Thirdslip Innings Analysis work which is an improved version of the Wisden 100 work done by the author for Wisden Online. The earlier computations have been streamlined and a major component - the Scoring Rate - has been incorporated. The factors considered for Batting performances are outlined below.
- Runs scored. This is not a linear computation. As scores become bigger, the points allotted taper off.
- The Scoring Rate. This is the actual Rate of scoring where "Balls played" information is available. Else the Team scoring rate for the concerned innings is used.
- The team's position at the time of arrival of a batsman (Lara entering at 12 for 2)
- Match status at entry of a batsman. Which innings. What is the score being defended or chased et al.
- The type of pitch. Headingley type of seaming one or a gluepot at Mohali or a batting paradise at Faisalabad.
- Quality of the opposition bowling attack, based on their career figures.
- Support received from other batsmen.
- Did the batsman add runs along with the tail? (e.g. Clem Hill at the MCG)
- Percentage of Team Score made by the batsmen.
- Result of the match.
- If win or draw, the batsman's contribution to the outcome, based on the points computed based on the previous 10 criteria.
This analysis is one we've encountered before on Third Slip. The total Innings Performance points are divided by the number of innings played and an average arrived at. This average is then converted to the Innings Index points. An Innings Performance average of 100.0 will convert to the maximum Innings Index value of 66.67. The top 3 batsmen for this measure are given below.
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IP Avge Innings Index
Bradman 80.86 59.90
Lara 57.75 42.78
Hobbs 56.29 41.70
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Career Performance Analysis
As noted above, this is looked at through several subcategories.
Batting Average / Runs per Test: Fairly direct, except that this is further sub-divided into two components, the straight forward Batting Average (weightage of 8.00) and Runs per Test (weightage of 2.00). This is to reduce the impact of Not outs. The top 3 batsmen by this measure are given below.
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Batting Avge Avge Index Runs per Test RPT Index
Bradman 99.96 8.00 134.5 1.79
G Pollock 60.97 4.88 98.1 1.31
H Sutcliffe 60.73 4.86 84.4 1.12
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Runs scored : This is a tribute to the longevity of a player and the runs he scores. The weightage is reasonably small so that it does not distort the overall picture. A run aggregate of 12500 will fetch the maximum of 10.0 Index points. The top 3 batsmen for this measure are given below.
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Runs scored Runs Index
Border 11174 8.94
S Waugh 10927 8.74
Lara 10818 8.65
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There is no doubt that Lara and Tendulkar will soon occupy the top 2 spots in this classification.
Scoring Rate : This is a tricky measure. The strike rates for the Test matches have only been available for the past 15 years or so (albiet for about 450 tests). It is essential to consider the strike rate in order to give due recognition to the extraordinary batting skills of batsmen like Gilchrist, Sehwag, Hayden et al. To be equally fair to all the batsmen of the first 1300 tests or so, the team scoring rates are taken for the innings and extrapolated to all the batsmen. This would reduce any anomalities to within the innings.
5 points are allotted for the strike rate. The basis being that a career strike rate of 83.33 gets the full 5 points. In other words the index points are equal to the career RPO of the batsman. The top 3 batsmen for this measure are given below. It is interesting to note that the entire career strike rate is available for these three batsmen.
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Strike Rate S/R Index
Gilchrist 83.2 4.99
Sehwag 72.6 4.36
Flintoff 67.7 4.06
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High Score Average: This measure is to recognize the ability for the batsmen to consistently compile high scores. The High Score Average, created by Hallmark Software, is used for this purpose. This is the average of the centuries. A High Score Average of 250 gets the full 2.50 points. The top 3 batsmen by this measure are given below.
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High Score Avge HSA Index
Bradman 186.0 1.86
Zaheer Abbas 179.8 1.80
Lara 173.5 1.74
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Batsman High Score: This measure is a straight computation of an index based on the highest score reached by the batsman. A score of 400 and above will fetch the maximum index value of 1.33 points and the other scores are proportionately computed. The impact is minimal. However it is a recognition of truly great performances. The top 3 batsmen for this measure are given below.
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Batsman HS BHS Index
Lara 400 1.33
Hayden 380 1.26
Sobers 365 1.21
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Percentage of Team Score: A strong measure of the value of a batsmen is the extent of contribution to the team score. This value is computed for each batsmen across their careers. The maximum index value of 2.50 is given where the batsman has scored 25% of the team runs or more. Lower values are proportionately computed. Players in strong teams might lose out slightly, (e-g) Ponting, Hayden, Gilchrist. However they are more than likely to make up in the next measure, as we will see. The top 3 batsmen by this measure are given below.
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% of team Score %TS Index
Bradman 25.0 2.50
Headley 21.6 2.16
Lara 19.2 1.92
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Team Wins: Winning is certainly not everything. But it can be an important measure of a batsman's contribution, considering the result is a desired one. Each batsman's %-of-wins (the number of games won/games played) is computed and translated to the index value. The top 3 batsmen by this measure are given below.
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% of matches won %TW Index
Gilchrist 75.5 1.51
Hayden 69.5 1.39
Ponting 69.0 1.38
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Some observations
We find that Bradman leads in 5 measures, Gilchrist in 2, Lara and Border in one each. Based on these measures, the Top 20 Test batsmen are listed below, with the final ratings points obtained by the weightage average scheme indicated above.
============================================================================================= Top 20 Test Batsmen of all time : All : as at 23/08/2005 - Upto Test # 1760 (Qualification: Minimum 2000 test runs) No Player Cty RtgPts InsIdx AvgIdx RPTIdx RunIdx S/RIdx HSIdx BhsIdx %TSIdx WinIdx Maximum weightage 100.00 66.67 8.00 2.00 10.00 5.00 2.50 1.33 2.50 2.00 1.Bradman D.G Aus 84.87 59.90 8.00 1.79 5.60 2.96 1.86 1.11 2.50 1.15 2.Lara B.C Win 66.08 42.78 4.33 1.23 8.65 3.56 1.74 1.33 1.92 0.55 3.Richards I.V.A Win 61.09 41.00 4.02 0.94 6.83 3.32 1.47 0.97 1.50 1.04 4.Hobbs J.B Eng 59.51 41.70 4.56 1.18 4.33 2.87 1.43 0.70 1.82 0.92 5.Dravid R Ind 58.82 39.56 4.63 1.15 6.16 2.52 1.60 0.90 1.67 0.63 6.Tendulkar S.R Ind 58.72 37.07 4.58 1.10 8.11 3.26 1.53 0.82 1.64 0.62 7.Sobers G.St.A Win 58.48 38.46 4.62 1.15 6.43 2.85 1.51 1.21 1.58 0.67 8.Barrington K.F Eng 58.23 39.78 4.69 1.11 5.44 2.52 1.38 0.85 1.70 0.76 9.Ponting R.T Aus 58.19 38.24 4.48 1.06 5.78 3.52 1.50 0.85 1.40 1.36 10.Chappell G.S Aus 57.87 39.09 4.31 1.09 5.69 2.96 1.44 0.82 1.58 0.87 11.Gavaskar S.M Ind 57.51 37.20 4.09 1.08 8.10 2.81 1.41 0.78 1.67 0.37 12.EdeC Weekes Win 57.46 40.48 4.69 1.24 3.56 2.86 1.50 0.69 1.77 0.67 13.Hayden M.L Aus 57.37 38.18 4.16 1.12 4.70 3.70 1.44 1.26 1.44 1.37 14.Inzamam-ul-Haq Pak 57.27 38.02 4.06 1.01 6.10 3.20 1.41 1.09 1.53 0.85 15.Border A.R Aus 57.14 36.48 4.04 0.96 8.94 2.63 1.33 0.68 1.44 0.64 16.Hutton L Eng 56.93 37.96 4.53 1.18 5.58 2.40 1.56 1.21 1.83 0.68 17.Sehwag V Ind 56.76 39.13 4.48 1.21 2.46 4.36 1.68 1.03 1.71 0.71 18.Headley G.A Win 56.43 40.90 4.87 1.33 1.75 2.59 1.48 0.90 2.16 0.45 19.Kallis J.H Saf 56.41 37.89 4.55 1.05 5.87 2.57 1.38 0.63 1.52 0.95 20.Walcott C.L Win 56.34 40.50 4.53 1.15 3.04 2.90 1.33 0.73 1.61 0.55 ============================================================================================Some observations
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As already mentioned Bradman, leading in 5 of the measures, is not a surprise at the top. He is so far ahead of the second best that it is safe to say that he will be No.1 forever. His batting exploits can only be compared to the domination of Nicklaus and Pele in other sports.
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Lara at second place should have few dissenters. He has played more great innings than any other player in history (at last count 5 in the top 20 : 153*/214/400/375/277). He scores quickly and often compiles huge innings. 2 300s and 7 200s are proof of this. He is, arguably, the greatest modern player and deserves his place as the "best amongst the second bests".
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Richards' position is again a well-deserved one. He was in a much stronger West indies lineup than Lara. This has its advantages and disadvantages for an individual player. However the total domination he exercised over the bowlers is probably matched by Gilchrist today.
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Hobbs is, in the opinion of many, the greatest opener who ever played. Gavaskar runs him close. However Hobbs played most of his cricket against better quality opponents and on more difficult pitches.
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There have been comparisons between Lara and Tendulkar as to who is the greatest modern batsman. This position of Dravid, at No.5, ahead of Tendulkar should settle this argument once and for all. Tendulkar is not even India's best batsman, leave alone the world's best. Dravid's performances outside India are possibly amongst the best by any batsman away from home. In Rawalpindi, Adelaide, Calcutta and Headingley, Dravid showcased his outstanding batsmanship, against top quality bowlers.
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Tendulkar, Sobers, Barrington, Ponting and Greg Chappell complete the illustrious group of Top ten. Ponting, with his landmark innings at Manchester, has just moved into the Top 10, at the expense of Gavaskar.
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It is of interest to note that Gilchrist, despite a primary wicket-keeper responsibility and almost always batting at No.7, was in the Top 20 in the all-time list, but has just moved out because of his indifferent current batting form. Sehwag, with his collection of high quality innings around the world, is also in the Top 20.
For the benefit of those with particular interests, I've compiled the data by country; here are the links. A qualifying standard of 2000 runs has been applied.
- India
- Australia
- West Indies
- England
- Sri Lanka
- Pakistan
- South Africa
- New Zealand
- Zimbabwe
- Bangladesh
- .. and finally, The global all-time list
Y Anantha Narayanan
August 2005