The greatest ever West Indian batsman

[Nostromo]

Over the years, the West Indies have produced several world class batsmen at Test level. Comparisons are difficult, but which one would you consider as the greatest of them all?

[Ninjaman]

Impossible to choose

[Nostromo]

I have read a lot about the history of West Indian cricket and based not just on statistics but the quality of the opposition, I rate the great Jamaican George Headley as the greatest ever West Indian batsman. He played mainly in the 1930s when the West Indies were a poorly trained, fledgling team that was no match to the likes of England and Australia. Their batting depended entirely on the success or failure of Headley against the likes of Grimmett, O'Reilly, Allen, Farnes etc. Also, their match opportunities were limited due to financial considerations. Despite all that, Headley scored 2190 runs in just 22 matches, including 10 centuries at an average of over 60! His overall first class figures were even more astounding...nearly 10,000 runs in 103 matches at almost 70 runs per innings. His nickname at the time "The Black Bradman" was undoubtedly patronising, but gives an idea of his class.

[pie_chucker]

Its difficult to say who was the greatest. I've went for Viv purely because i've seen him play and not seen Sobers or Headley.

While Viv was not "techically" correct he was damned effective and was probably the first batsman to intimidate bowlers. If he was in the mood you knew he was going to score runs.

By the way I though the Windies nickname for Bradman was "the white Headley"?

[Andy Mellon]

I would probably have to say Sir Viv. Most of the others were before my time, although I did always enjoy a good partnership between Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge. Well, I say enjoy, but at the time I didn't really enjoy the way they took the English attack apart too much

I wonder if Rachael's answer to this question would be Carl Hooper?

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Andy Mellon

I wonder if Rachael's answer to this question would be Carl Hooper?

LOL. I'd be as happy WATCHING Carl Hooper.. but I quite accept that others have been better players.

I accept Viv's claim to fame without ever having taken to his play,,, and whilst I have a lot of time for Lara I do find the excessive backlift and high hands a little off-putting: I'm quite sure that were I able to see Headley and the three Ws... I'd find an option I found preferable.

That said.. for me, WI greatness in cricket is about bowling rather than batting... and if you had to list the 5 greatest WI players of all time I'd hope that not ONE batsman figured!

[mikesiva]

Comparisons are very difficult to make between different eras. That said, four batsmen stand heads and shoulders above all others - Headley, Sobers, Richards and Lara. Headley was the star batsman of a developing side, and his average of 60 was a fantastic one. Sobers was the greatest allrounder of all time. richards could dismantle an attack with brute strength.


But to me it has to be Lara. He has scored more centuries than any of the others, and he has held the world record for most runs in an innings twice. He has also scored more Test runs that the other three. He also has an aura about him, and in the modren game, has the rep to take the match away from any attack on a given day.

[Seamer]

I would have to choose the great man - Sir Viv. Not only was he head and shoulders above his contempories, but he achieved things yet to be emulated to this day.
For example, he holds the record for the fastest test century. In this day and age, the wickets are better prepared, the bats are far superior, the boundaries are generally shorter, and there are weak teams such as Bangledesh and Zimbabwae to smack around. And still no-one has beaten his record.
Viv is my all time greatest player - not just WI's greatest.

[Nostromo]

=pie_chucker While Viv was not "techically" correct he was damned effective and was probably the first batsman to intimidate bowlers. If he was in the mood you knew he was going to score runs.

You are right about Viv's presence intimidating the bowlers. By the way, if he did have a weakness, it might have been against leg spinners - with his relatively closed stance and tendency to shift his weight to the off-side. B S Chandrasekhar 'did' him on a few occasions, but their careers crossed only for a very short period. But I wonder how Viv would have performed against Shane Warne? Now that would have been a great contest.

By the way I though the Windies nickname for Bradman was "the white Headley"?

LOL. Yes, but that was in a chagrined response to the 'Black Bradman' bit. During the Windies 1930-1 tour of Australia (the first by a WI team), the 21 year old Headly struggled initially against Grimmett. He then opened up his stance a bit and played the legspinners so successfully that years later Bill O'Reilly is supposed to have commented that Headley was the best player of legspin bowling that he had ever seen (presumably including Bradman!)

[Milo]

Originally Posted by Rachael

That said.. for me, WI greatness in cricket is about bowling rather than batting... and if you had to list the 5 greatest WI players of all time I'd hope that not ONE batsman figured!

Rachael, Sobers and Viv would almost certainly figure. The two, for me, are the best two players the West Indies have ever produced, and they are also the best two batsmen. I think Viv gets it by an edge. In their times, they were both clearly the best batsmen in the world and it is a pity that Sobers' all-rounder status has always taken the debate away from how brilliant a batsman he was.