Who's the 2nd greatest test batsman of alltime?

Who's the 2nd greatest Test batsman of alltime?

Viv Richards.

Murky waters.

As far as Im concerned there is no clear cut answer

No, no clear-cut answer.

I'd go so far as to say definitely not Vivian Richards.

If I had to go for someone I'd probably go for George Headley.

However, it could be Vijay Merchant. It could be Walter Hammond. It could be Jack Hobbs. It could be Garfield Sobers. It could, even, be Sachin Tendulkar.

One person I'd be certain would get 0 votes who probably deserves 1 or 2 would be Kenny Barrington.

BTW, for me WG Grace cannot fit in a poll such as this. There has almost certainly been no more significant batsman in human history - WG made batting what it became in the late 19th-century.

However, cricket in his day was not what we know it as today, and I will always maintain that the 19th and 20th\21st centuries should really be divorced in cricketing terms.

Richard & Goughy,I know that there is clear-cut answer to this question but everyone has his/her 2nd best & just to know & discuss that,I've started this thread.

There is no clear answer as others have said, but I am slightly leaning towards Hobbs and Richards.

Almost certainly no-one contributed more to the evolution of 20th-century batting than Hobbs.

Had he been more run-hungry (he is often said to have deliberately given away his wicket after making a century, in order to give someone else a go, a trait considered acceptible bordering on commendible in his day but which would horrify anyone today) he'd very possibly have had an unanswerable case.

Richards needed to be far, far more run-hungry, however, to count IMO. Richards often seemed to care only about destroying the best bowlers, not grinding the lesser ones into the dust. Here, even Matthew Hayden can outdo him.

Brian Lara.....only beats richards bcoz of Lara bit more consistent than Richards.

For me,in this order

2.Viv Richards
3.Jack Hobbs
3.Brian Lara
4.Len Hutton
5.Gary Sobers
6.Greg Chappell
7.Sunil Gavaskar
8.George Headley
9.Sachin Tendulkar
10.Herbert Sutcliffe

Hobbs.

Bradman

BhupinderSingh said:

For me,in this order

2.Viv Richards
3.Jack Hobbs
3.Brian Lara
4.Len Hutton
5.Gary Sobers
6.Greg Chappell
7.Sunil Gavaskar
8.George Headley
9.Sachin Tendulkar
10.Herbert Sutcliffe

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I'd almost certainly not even have Richards in a top-ten TBH.

Headley and Sobers undoubtedly superior, Weekes too, amongst Caribbean, and possibly Lara.

Beleg said:

Bradman

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Who's the greaatest ever then,Mark Ramprakash?

All I am going to say is Richards (Viv, that is) is the best batsman I have ever seen.

Swervy said:

All I am going to say is Richards (Viv, that is) is the best batsman I have ever seen.

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The most dominant maybe, but no more than the greatest through the way you view great as. There have been many better runscorers in the time in question.

Richard said:

The most dominant maybe, but no more than the greatest through the way you view great as. There have been many better runscorers in the time in question.

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I will repeat...All I am going to say is Richards (Viv, that is) is the best batsman I have ever seen.


I think that it is a given that this is my opinion

I think it's you putting your opinion accross as fact.

You think Richards was the best you've seen. And in some respects he was.

In others (and these are those which I place more import on) he falls behind quite a few of those of the last 30 years.

Richard said:

I think it's you putting your opinion accross as fact.

You think Richards was the best you've seen. And in some respects he was.

In others (and these are those which I place more import on) he falls behind quite a few of those of the last 30 years.

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Richard, you are just aching for an arguement....one suspects your life would crumble if someone didnt bite. I am not here to give you the satisfaction

I have no problems with anyone saying that someone else was better to be honest.

As I say, the best batsman I have seen is Viv Richards

I'm not looking for anything, I'm taking issue with someone putting accross that their opinion that IVAR is the best they've seen as fact that he's the best in that time.

Sachin Tendulkar is clearly better. So, after he played nearly 50 Tests, was Stephen Waugh.

Richard said:

I'm not looking for anything, I'm taking issue with someone putting accross that their opinion that IVAR is the best they've seen is fact that he's the best in that time.

Sachin Tendulkar is clearly better. So, after he played nearly 50 Tests, was Stephen Waugh.

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No, I know its not fact, I have stated its my opinion.