With Steve’s retirement this year and Wasim’s last year, I think we only have Sachin left and Lara to an extent out of people who sell. I mean these are the names that brought people to the grounds. Before these super stars we had several others like Imran, Lilee, Hadley etc. Players that attracted crowds on their own. Players that had charisma, the ones that were different and could change the game on their own, not once or twice but many a times. But now it seems like we don’t have any superstars left. Yes, we have many stars but anyone as big as these guys? Please don’t say we have Shoaib Akhtar bummer
There are plaenty of stars out there but you are right not many superstars apart from Sachin and Lara. There was a time in the 80's when the world of cricket was awash with 4 all rounders, all of them superstars in their own right, Imran, Botham, Kapil and Hadlee. That was a superb era together with the likes of Richard, Lloyd, Miandad, Gavskar and the Chappel brothers.
During the 1982 tour of England by Pakistan, Botham called a press conference before the test at Edgbaston and asked the journalists to name which ball of the over from Imran they wanted him to hit it for a six. When he came to bat the ground was buzzing with excitement. After a while Imran came on to bowl and Botham was facing. The first two balls were played quietly on the third ball the delivery by Imran was so fast that before Botham could bring his bat down, his wickets went flying out of the ground. I was sitting behind the bowlers arm and therfore had a superb view. The stadium erupted. What rivalry that was.
England 1st innings R M
DW Randall b Imran Khan 17 35
CJ Tavare c Javed Miandad b Abdul Qadir 54 252
AJ Lamb c Wasim Bari b Sikander Bakht 6 12
DI Gower c Wasim Bari b Imran Khan 74 164
**IT Botham b Imran Khan 2 14**
MW Gatting b Tahir Naqqash 17 67
G Miller b Imran Khan 47 98
IA Greig c sub b Imran Khan 14 76
EE Hemmings lbw b Imran Khan 2 2
+RW Taylor lbw b Imran Khan 1 10
*RGD Willis not out 0 8
Extras (b 4, lb 10, w 6, nb 18) 38
Total (all out, 92.3 overs) 272
FoW: 1-29 (Randall), 2-37 (Lamb), 3-164 (Gower), 4-172 (Botham),
5-179 (Tavare), 6-228 (Gatting), 7-263 (Miller),
8-265 (Hemmings), 9-271 (Taylor), 10-272 (Greig).
Bowling O M R W
Imran Khan 25.3 11 52 7
Tahir Naqqash 15 4 46 1
Sikander Bakht 18 5 58 1
Mudassar Nazar 5 2 8 0
Abdul Qadir 29 7 70 1
Shoaib Akhtar is a crowd puller. Have no doubts about that. Foreign commentators all agree to it. Then we have Lee, Ponting, Dravid, Gully, Sarwan to a lesser extent and so many others. Cricket is in safe hands for now.
Ehsan, thx for that anecdote. I wish we could clone Imran.
Players dont become great overnight.It takes time before someone is called great.So it is a function of time. When peple said that 80s has greats like Gavasker,Richard and Imran etc.,At that time also Wasim and Waugh were there.Only difference is that they were not called great then.
Case is same now... Sachin ,Lara and Warne has been around for sometime.But then there are others who are either on the verge of being called great or will be called great very soon.Like Hayden,Ponting,Dravid,Macgrath.
By the way..why everyone is forgetting Murali...oh...he chucks. :)
So coming to post... Era of greats will never end... Game will keep producing them.
