Who's the second best Aussie batsman ever?

[cantplaycantalk]

For me Ponting is the best I have seen in a long time. Like Border he has guts, determination and a good head on his shoulders but he also has I think a little extra as an actual batsman. Not as good a captain as Border IMHO, but a better batsman.

[ykickamoocow]

Originally Posted by south beds mikey

Can only comment on the ones I've seen so have gone for S.Waugh There have been many Aussie batsman I'd rather watch (his brother for one) but for guts and productivity, and if you wanted a player from any country in the 90s to bat for your life he must be your man.

Agreed. Many people rate batsmen on just the records they have and their averages and Steve Waugh has a high average and several records. But what is most important to remember is the context in which he scored those runs. Steve Waugh spent much of his career being Australia's only reliable batsman and i remember many occasions where it was up too Steve Waugh to win the match as all the other batsmen had failed. It is much harder to score runs when under that kind of pressure. Compare Waugh's career to Ponting's who has spent most of his career in a dominent team where it is easier to score runs. The commentators have said it many times that when the team is performing well many players perform better but the true test of a batsman is how he performs under pressure and with that fact allown i think Steve Waugh is the better batsman.

[feverpitch]

Would it not be prudent to add Victor Trumper to this poll?

[mudney]

Ponting has shown he can do it under pressure - think Old Trafford 2005, when he was facing arguably the best bowling attack that wasn't Australian in the 2000's. I would say he is easily the best batsmen i've seen, because he DOMINATES bowling attacks and can destroy them. Yes the bowling in this particular era hasn't been the best but you can only score runs against the attacks you're put up against. If Punter was facing the attacks of the mid-90's I reckon he would still average over 50. The bowlers he would have struggled most against would be the ones who rely on a fuller length (think Younis and Akram) because of his tendency to fall away on to the offside early in his innings. Anyway, he is eons better than all of todays batsmen bar perhaps Mohammed Yousuf, on current form alone.

[draexem]

Originally Posted by mudney

If Punter was facing the attacks of the mid-90's I reckon he would still average over 50.

Punter did face the attacks of the mid 90's :P. So did Martyn and Langer.

[ykickamoocow]

Originally Posted by mudney

Ponting has shown he can do it under pressure - think Old Trafford 2005, when he was facing arguably the best bowling attack that wasn't Australian in the 2000's

Steve Waugh was amazing against what is argueably the best pace attack ever of Ambrose and Walsh. Waugh is the reason why we beat the Windies. It is important that we dont forget that the average bowling attack in Ponting's era isnt nearly as strong as the bowling attacks of Steve Waugh's era.

[Glenn]

If Hussey continues his remarkable start to his career, another name to add to list.

[The229club]

So hard to discuss over different eras...but I consider a champion of one era would be as good in another. Trumper was considered the best Australian by quite a distance over his career and Border was also(they only Australian able to match the West Indian fast bowling at his peak) ...so I would put these two closer to Bradman than a Ponting and a Greg Chappell.