Strauss - Man in form of Legend in the making ?

[Beny]

Let's talk about Clarke for a second here.

Clarke has a domestic batting average of 30. Yet the talent has been spoted and he is keeping out Batsmen who are averaging 50+.

[Maranello]

(and I would'nt call Tresco or Vaughen world beaters), suggests to me that Strauss never had the class.
At the end of the day though I've seen the guy bat and he is not Tendualker.

LOL...not Tendulkar? But then nor are Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Lehmann or Martyn! None are as good... and Vaughan is as good Langer, Lehmann or Ponting. Less said about Hayden, aka Shoaib's bunny, the better All these guys are decent Test players, but they are not a Tendulkar, a Lara or a Dravid. No one but an Aussie would believe that. That leaves Martyn and Gilchrist, yes, both pure class in different way. Still they are not SRT...!

Tresco and Vaughan are not world beaters, but then I wouldn't call Langer, Lehmann or Ponting a world-beater, they have not achieved that much yet. Even Hayden, at the end of the day, has less than 6,000 Test runs, long way to go till he is an all-time great...provided he can get over the scars of the hammering from Shoaib.

[Maranello]

Let's talk about Clarke for a second here.

Clarke has a domestic batting average of 30. Yet the talent has been spoted and he is keeping out Batsmen who are averaging 50+.

Exactly...talent can be spotted at any age, in Clarke's case its 23 odd..Strauss 27 odd... Hayden had to wait till 30 odd to really shine. You don't always have to be a genius in domestic cricket!

[Maranello]

he is keeping out Batsmen who are averaging 50+

By all counts, Clarke is keeping out Katich. His Test avg after 13 Tests is 41, decent without being spectacular, though his F/C avg is 50+.

Katich is another example of the oldie school, a la Hayden, Langer et al.... 29 and has only played 13 Tests, surely his best days are yet to come too.

[Beny]

Agreed about Tendualker, The man's a freak and I've probebly underrated Vaughn a bit there. But I still can't see Strauss as a 'class player'.

As for Aktar... The less said the better.

I was screaming when I saw how Hayden went out! Umpire might have called it a wide if he had'nt hit it.

[Maranello]

Looks like we are agreeing on some points here.

But I still can't see Strauss as a 'class player'.

Fair enough... time will tell. He can probably be as good as a Langer or a Thorpe or a Lehmann.... or even a Vaughan one day... but I agree, a Sehwag or a Gilchrist he is not though!

I was screaming when I saw how Hayden went out! Umpire might have called it a wide if he had'nt hit it.

Sure but it was the pressure built up by all the previus deliveries that got him, not the actual delivery, the dropped catch, the bouncers did him in. Same with Ponting, he was softened up by balls at his body, and so got out to a poor hook shot.

[Beny]

Unfrotunetly I only get to watch the highlights as I'm working when the game is telivised. I've watched more of the SA/England test than I have of this one.