WHO'S THE GREATEST BATSMAN?

 

Image Credit- The Hindu

It is often debated among the cricket fans that who is the greatest batsman ever to play the game of cricket. Furthermore this has to be determined on the basis of his performance in the longest format of the game i.e. the test cricket. Though one can argue to include performances in ODI cricket as well. But, mostly its the performance in test cricket which matters the most. 

Statistics is the easiest way to determine the same. However stats may not always project the right picture. After all with every generation the nature of the game has changed. As a result we cannot compare the stats of players from different generation. It would be wrong.

However we can compare the statistics of the modern day greats with their own peers and settle this debate of greatness. Currently there are only 3 active cricketers who average more than 50 in the longest format of the game. They are Steven Smith (Avg. 60.89), Marnus Labuschagne (Avg. 59.43) and Kane Williamson (Avg. 53.83). Joe Root (Avg. 49.43), Virat Kohli (Avg. 48.9) and Babar Azam (Avg. 48.63) are not very far from that coveted 50.00 mark. It is pertinent to note that Virat Kohli averaged more than 50 until February 2022. But, in  March 2022 his average slipped below 50.00 and is now currently at 48.90. 

However again just by comparing the average we cannot get the accurate result. Averages might lie. Pitches and playing conditions of Pakistan cannot be compared with pitches and playing conditions of England. One cannot forget the fact that the pitches in recent times have occupied the center stage of innumerable debates. However one can still compare their stats with the contemporary players of their times and check out the difference between the two.

The same has been done by the author of this piece. As a result the editor of this blog felt like sharing the same with his readers. However it is interesting to note that even the author of this piece failed to arrive at a concrete answer. Thus, at last it can be said that no calculation can help us arrive at the answer of this question. So just enjoy the batting of your favorite cricketers till the time they play.