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A blog by mikesiva

Usually, a question like that is answered without hesitation.

Sir Garfield Sobers has so dazzled fans with his exhiliarating left-handed batting, whether it’s opening the batting on his way to a world-record 365 not out, or whether it’s thrashing the bowling to all parts of the ground with his batting in the middle order.

He has also proved more than a handful with his medium-fast bowling. The story has been told about Dennis Lillee peppering Sobers with some short balls, and when the great paceman had his turn at bat, Sobers gave him a taste of his own medicine!

But that was not all.  When the pitch called for some useful spin, Sobers chipped in with his left-armers.  The great Barbadian played 93 Tests, hit more than 8,000 runs, and scored 26 centuries, and took 235 wickets. He averaged 57.78 with the bat, and 34.03 with the ball.

The equation that is often used to measure allrounders involves subtracting the player’s bowling average from his batting average.  When that is done to Sobers’ stats, he registers an impressive 23.75!

Recently, though, there has been a significant challenger to his crown.  Let’s look at the contenders….

IMRAN KHAN

Arguably Pakistan’s most successful captain, Imran Khan motivated his team to challenge Viv Richards’ West Indies for world supremacy. This brilliant Pakistani led from the front, with both the bat and the ball. From 88 Tests, Imran hit six centuries and took 362 wickets.

Imran was outstanding with the ball, finishing his Test career with a miserly average of 22.81.  However, his batting was distinctly average, and when he finally called it a day, his average was 37.69.  Take away his bowling average from his batting average, the difference is 14.88.

KAPIL DEV

Then there was the outstanding Indian allrounder, Kapil Dev, who led India to their first-ever triumph in the World Cup. When he first burst onto the scene, Kapil was a raw, fast bowler, but as time went on, he ended up as a medium pacer.  Similarly, his batting tapered off a bit towards the end of his career.

From a mammoth 131 Tests, Kapil Dev hit eight centuries and took a then-world-record 434 Test wickets. Kapil ended his career with a batting average of 31.05 and a bowling average of 29.64.  Imran ended his career with better stats than Dev….

KEITH MILLER

Maybe we have to go back in time to find a real challenger to Sobers.  Keith Miller starred for Australia in the early post-war years, hitting seven centuries and taking 170 wickets from 55 Tests.  But his figures are still in the shadow of the great Gary.

Miller averaged 36.97 with the bat, and 22.97 with the ball. Even though he was a better bowler than Sobers, his batting fell significantly short of the achievements of the Barbadian.  The difference between Miller’s batting and bowling was exactly 14.

RICHARD HADLEE

The great Kiwi allrounder Richard Hadlee carried his team on his shoulders during the post-Packer years. New Zealand were a serious force for world leadership in the 1980s, and seriously tested the Richards-led West Indies.

Hadlee broke the world record on his way to 431 wickets, but he only hit two Test centuries. While Hadlee was a brilliant bowler, finishing his career with a very impressive average of 22.29, his batting was less so.  He only averaged 27.16 as a Test batsman.

SHAUN POLLOCK

Like Hadlee, Shaun Pollock came from a famous cricketing family. Pollock led the South African assault in the post-apartheid era, with both the bat and the ball. However, while he took 421 wickets, he only hit two centuries.

His bowling was miserly, and he ended his Test career with an average of 23.11.  But his batting was average, as a stat of 32.31 will testify.

ANDREW FLINTOFF

Andrew Flintoff has often been the inspiration of the England team, leading with both bat and ball. However, while he has figured in match-winning performances, they have not been consistent. ‘Freddie’ is still a work-in-progress, as he currently has hit five centuries and has taken 206 wickets.

To date, there is very little difference between Flintoff’s batting and bowling Test averages. He averages 32.35 with the bat and 32.21 with the ball….

JACQUES KALLIS

All the above contenders were bowling allrounders, and generally did not bat well enough to hold a place in their side on that basis alone.  Jacques Kallis, however, is a player who could hold a place in his team as either a batsman or a bowler.

The quiet man of South African cricket has compiled some impressive stats to date. For many years, Kallis has been the rock of the Saffer batting line-up, while chipping with his medium-fast bowling when it was needed.

A batting allrounder, like Sobers, Kallis has played 125 Tests to date, during which time he’s hit 30 centuries and taken 245 wickets. HIs batting average in Tests is 55.06 and his bowling average is 30.92, which is a difference of 24.14!

SOBERS VS KALLIS

That is marginally better than Sobers’ stats.  However, it needs to be pointed out that a year or two ago, Kallis’ Test batting average was higher than it is now, and it appears that he’s going into decline.  Will his allrounder stats decline as a result?

Can Kallis maintain his impressive batting and bowling stats, now that he’s the wrong side of 30? That was the challenge that faced Sobers in later years, and his stats suffered towards the end of his career.  I suspect the same may happen to Kallis….

I don’t see Kallis calling it a day any day soon, just to protect his stats, and to keep them above the Barbadian’s.  When Jacques calls it a day, I’m willing to bet that Sobers will have a superior difference between his Test batting and bowling stats than Kallis.