Bettor.com top bowling all-round players in Test cricket (Part 3)
(…Continuation of Part 2)
Besides his natural talent and developed skills in the sport, the English veteran all-rounder has 11 appearances in football league matches, as football is his second favourite sport. In August of 2009 he was honoured by the induction in the ICC Cricket
Hall of Fame fraternity.
The 6 foot and 2 inches tall Englishmen played a massive of 108 Test matches, in which he scored an impressive of 5200 runs, at a modest average of 33.54. The veteran’s batting abilities were well appreciated as he has 14 centuries and 22 half-centuries
to his name, with a best of 208 runs in a single innings.
Ian Botham bowled an enormous number of 21,815 balls in Test cricket, which resulted in 383 wickets, at an average of 28.40. The legendary English all-rounder took a massive of 27 five wicket hauls and was able to take more than ten wickets in a match four
times. His best figures in a single innings of a Test match are 8 for 34.
Not to forget, the veteran also played a massive of 402 first class matches, in which he made history as he scored a tremendous of 19,399 runs, at an average of 33.97. He was able to pocket 38 centuries and 97 half-centuries, with a best of 228.
Compared to his 21,815 balls bowled in Test cricket, he bowled a massive 63,547 balls in first class cricket, which allowed the veteran to take 1,172 wickets. He also had an impressive bowling average of 27.22, keeping in mind, that he played over 400 first
class Test matches. He has 59 five wickets hauls and 8 ten wicket hauls in a match, with a best of 8 for 34.
Ian Botham’s Test credentials show that his hard work in first-class cricket paid off over time in his career. The veteran has a difference of 5.14 between his batting and bowling averages in the highest format of the game. Thus, the Englishmen surely is
worthy of a position in the World’s best bowling all-round cricketers in the longer version of the game.
Richard Hadlee
Sir John Richard Hadlee is the all time New Zealand cricketing hero. He was born on 3rd July, 1951. The 6 foot 1 inch tall veteran was nicknamed “paddles”, as he was one of the unique cricketers whose batting style was of a left hander, and he
bowled with his right arm.
Hadlee had a 17 year long international cricketing career, in which he played his first Test and ODI match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and his last ODI and Test match was against England.
He played 86 Test matches in his 17 year tenure in the national team of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754, also known as the “black caps”. He scored a massive of 3653 runs, at an average of 27.16, he also scored 2 match-winning centuries with a highest of 151 not out, and a healthy
number of half centuries, with 15 in total.
The veteran had a tremendous record in the bowling department with an outstanding 431 wickets, at an impressive average of 22.29. Not to forget, his huge number of five wicket hauls, being 36, and 9 ten wicket hauls in match to his name. He also has an exceptional
match best bowling figures of 9 for 52.
In terms of Hadlee’s Test bowling credentials, he is by far the best bowling all-rounder among the other bowling all-rounders of his era, in light of Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Ian Botham. But his batting power-play makes him a less dominating all-round batsman
among his peer group.
One can also say that he was the greatest exponent of the new ball, and in light of Malcolm http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Joel-Garner-c67141, he was surely a better conventional swing bowler.
Richard Hadlee is well-deserving of a position in the top Test bowling all-round players. He managed to have a difference of 4.87 in the averages of the two cricketing disciplines. His batting though is considered to be his biggest hurdle in making him the
best of the bowling all-round players the cricket arena has ever witnessed.
(To be continued in Part4…)
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