Sachin emerged winner over Don Bradman in a poll commissioned by an Australian newspaper on who is the best batsman of all time.
In an online poll conducted by the 'Sydney Morning Herald' asking readers to vote for 'The greatest batsman ever: Bradman or Tendulkar?’ Tendulkar secured 67 per cent of the votes as against Bradman's 33 per cent. 20768 cricket fans voted.Tendulkar seemed to have got votes from those who took into account that he played in three formats of the game and against 10 countries while Bradman played in only Test matches and primarily in Australia and England only.
"Tendulkar is better than Bradman. Tendulkar has played three forms of the game to Bradman's one. Tendulkar has played around in many different pitches, against a variety of bowlers, and is the highest run getter in Tests and one dayers. Undisputedly, the BEST EVER," one comment said.
"Bradman scored a total of 7000 runs of which 5000 plus were against one country. He played only against four countries in an era where not many matches were played in a year. He did not face too many world class bowlers, with the fastest being Larwood who bowled supposedly at 95 mph," another post said.
"I am Australian. I love Don Bradman.... But my unbias thought is Sachin is Greater. Sachin has more than 30,000 Runs. He is playing in an era where every ball is analyzed and taken note of. Yet 12 nations have not found the way to stop this man.
"When Bradman played cricket ... it was not analyzed as we do it today. Bradman only played Test and that to only in ENG and AUS. This 30,000 runs, 50 Test hundreds, 45 ODI hundreds, 200 runs in ODI stands out for Sachin and that's why he is greater," another fan said.
Those who consider Bradman better than Tendulkar felt the Australian legend played on uncovered pitches at a time when there was no helmet and yet he had a near hundred average.
"Bradman - no helmet, uncovered pitches, higher average, no advantage of a modern bat, more centuries per innings - enough said really. Tendulkar is the best in the modern game, but Bradman is hands down the greatest," one cricket fan commented.
"No brainer in my view, but no doubt that both were legends of their era. There are two many variables to make an accurate comparison across eras. Conditions, equipment, frequency of matches, quality of opposition. 99.94 is the stand out for me," another comment said.
But some felt the comparison was futile as the two legends played in different eras.
"Sounds foolish to compare players from two different eras. Numbers don't count much when the conditions are so different. Same debate has been on comparing Pele and Maradona," a comment said.
Wasim Akram has hailed Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest of all time after his record-extending 50th Test ton.
ReplyDeleteBy Faisal Kamal
Records have become synonymous with India's greatest sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar. The Master Blaster accomplished another rare feat at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday when he brought up his his 50th Test ton and became the only man in world to do so.
Speaking exclusively to Mobile ESPN from Karachi, former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram went down the memory lane to re-live some of the early recollections of a young Tendulkar making his debut against Pakistan way back in 1989.
"I remember Tendulkar making his debut against us. Waqar was around 20 years and I was about 21-22 years in the Karachi Test. We had heard that India have selected a player who is just about 16 years of age. We had also heard about his record-feat in school cricket with Vinod Kambli," recalled Akram.
Sachin has a bag overflowing with records under his belt in his 21-year- glittering career. The veteran batsman made a fighting 111 not out to help India put up some resistance in the first Test against South Africa. India lost the match by an innings and 25 runs but Sachin's knock salvaged some pride for the No.1 Test team.
Akram, though, reveals that he had never thought that Sachin would one day become such a great batsman.
"I was just about hitting peak as a bowler back then, and Waqar and I had discussed that he might be very talented but will have a tough time against Pakistan pace battery. We thought it would be too much for him to handle Imran Khan, Waqar, Aaqib Javed and me. I vividly recall dropping Sachin's edge at second slip. Then came the 4th Test, where he did not do much with the bat again. At that time we never thought he would be what he is today,” Akram reminisces.
Tendulkar stitched a 172-run 7th-wicket partnership with skipper MS Dhoni (90) to help India push the match on to Day 5. The 37-year-old batsman was dogged in his defenses as he handled the pace and guile of the South African pace battery. Akram still remembers his never-say-die attitude in Pakistan.
"In Sialkot, he was struck on the helmet but despite that he scored a half-century. The pitch was lush green, it was difficult to differentiate its colour from the outfield. He was struck on his face; there were no grills on the helmets during those days. But he faced us bravely for a valiant fifty. Then in an exhibition match in Peshawar, he hit Abdul Qadir for 5 sixes in an over. It was then that I realized that this guy was special and was going to be the greatest batsman of all time," said the Sultan of Swing.
In 175 Test matches, Sachin has accumulated 14513 runs at an average of 56.91 with 59 half-centuries and 50 tons. 21 years down the line is insatiable hunger for runs remains intact.
"I don't think anyone would even come close to Sachin's 50-ton record. When Don Bradman made 29 centuries, Sunny broke that record and we used to wonder that who would be the next to break it? Now see, Tendulkar has done it. Credit goes to him, his dedication, his hard work, his consistency and that's why, to me, he is the greatest of all time," said Akram.