Dravid and Saeed Anwar

[tmac4real]

Who do you think is a better test batsman?

Saeed Anwar or Rahul Dravid?

[ammarz]

contrasting style for both batsmen. One is an opener the other at 3rd position. left/right combo. Saeed had a few technique issues, but that never hindered him from playing awesome innings. Dont think its a fair comparison really!

[waqar_ahmad]

o man, anohter one of those threads comparing totally different people. when will these threads stop

[Rudi hater]

I know they both are different but Saeed had huge ability and natural talent that not many can have. Alone on ability and natural talent Saeed was ahead. He would play shots to balls that other could only defend, Dravid is great player too but not as good as Saeed.

[jusarrived]

I rate anwar very highly , but Dravid is in a different league !

[siddharth]

Anwar is the best(what i think) pakistani batsman .He had that natural aggression and elegance of a typical left hander .
Rahul Dravid ......One of the greatest batsman of all time.Very elegant and graceful with pure class.
BTW .what sort of a comparison is going on in PP nowadays.

[Usman Chadda]

:69: Another comparison thread!

[WasimG]

o man, anohter one of those threads comparing totally different people. when will these threads stop
Never cuz the random comparison generating software has been leaked onto the internet and is emailed to every new member signing up for PP. Its easy, you click a button and the random BRAINFART software generates two entries: ___________ vs ___________

Here's what mine came up with:

2 fast and furious or the Evolution theory?

I'll start this compelling thread on this comparison later.

[PlanetPakistan]

Trend 1: Comparison threads
Trend 2: Bashing of the comparison threads.

[siddharth]

Trend 1: Comparison threads
Trend 2: Bashing of the comparison threads.
Ever green trend ''Inzi or Akhtar '' thread. :D

[PlanetPakistan]

Ever green trend ''Inzi or Akhtar '' thread. :D
true, ironically a comparison thread now comes across as a bit of a change!

so coming to the topic i think Anwar was a complete batsman(Dravid isn't) but overall Dravid has achieved a lot more and would go down as the better batsman.

[the true passionist]

Dravid has greater value added.

Anwar was class and could win you matches on his day but not as much value as is dravid although lately dravid is apparently losing the plot. Maybe captaincy issues or he is waiting for a Pakistan series.

[the_love_machine]

Why are you guys so against these threads! I love them!

[Saqs]

if i wanted somebody batting for my life,
defenitly dravid

i still think dravid is underrated, even with all the accolades he gets...

anwar was class, flashy player, pleasing to the eyes...

but there's nothing quite like dravid square driving a ball through the offside field along the ground, or flicking one off his pads...or even playing that hook shot with his wrists rolling perfectly over it to keep it on ground level...

[Wazeeri]

Anwar was a better all round talent especially in ODI's

Dravid on the other hand is very strong yet a one dimensional batsman,

Dravid's test career speaks for itself and Anwar is no where close.

[Easa]

Saeed Anwar was the more talented of the two and far easier on the eye but Dravid is just a wall - he keeps plundering runs mercilessly and must be regarded as one of the best number 3 batsman of all time. No comparison especially in the longer form of the game.

[minhasuz]

Saeed Anwar no doubt

[IronMan2009]

lol 2 year old thread has suddenly woken up

[Oxy]

That was well worth the wait...

[Bublu Bhuyan]

Natural talent - Saeed Anwar
Achievement - Rahul Dravid
Better Legacy - Rahul Dravid by a humongous margin.

[Ghoshtbuster]

Saeed Anwar.

In all departments. Easily. By a mile. No contest. et cetera.

[Luton Bad Boy]

Natural talent - Saeed Anwar
Achievement - Rahul Dravid
Better Legacy - Rahul Dravid by a humongous way.

I think that above sums up the players perfectly but, both had the talent and gritty nature to be a force in their respective teams...

As for the legacy part, Dravid will be remembered for as the fighter and 'wall' of Indian cricket and Anwar is remembered as the 'pleasing' 'gifted' player to represent Pakistan in a long time...his legacy is such that even after 6 years Pakistan are still unable to find anyone remotely close to his talents!!

[minhasuz]

lol 2 year old thread has suddenly woken up

That was well worth the wait...


I just wrote "Saeed Anwar" in the search box and got a list of thread so I clicked most of them and decided to wake this thread up :P

[On_the_up]

Other than the little master, good openers for Pakistan have been a rarity.

[Savak]

Comparing Saeed Anwar and Dravid are like comparing Apples and Oranges. One was a flamboyant opener who had the guts to see off the new ball and at the same time still maintain his flamboyant nature of batting with maturity.

However Dravid was a more difficult man to get out and would always anchor the innings. But Saeed Anwar once he got going, even if he got a quick 50 still did his job for Pakistan. Anwar matured as a batsman in the later stages of his career where he tempered his natural aggression with good shot selections.

One must not discount Saeed's personal tragedy which led to a gradual decrease of interest in the game and the fact it played a huge role in his decision to leave the game when he could have played for another 3-4 years. I think Pakistan blundered by forcing Anwar into retirement. I think Anwar was capable of scoring an additional 2000-3000 runs in both formats of the game. But the good thing is that Anwar left the game proving his class with a century and a not out in his final innings.

[Legendary_Sage]

Unfair comparison.

[Informer]

One is exciting and a real joy to watch. The other is a good cure for my insomnia

[Wazeeri]

I think Dravid achieved a lot more then Saeed Anwar but I will never call him one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Dravid for me is in the league of Kallis, defend, defend, defend no flair what so ever.

[Xoib]

Saeed's daughter death came at a very unfortunate time in his career. It curtailed his career by 3 years and also made him disinterested for atleast the last 3 years. I think its unfair to compare the two the more apt will be Saeed vs Ganguly.

[abc_to_xyz]

Come on! Anwar is the best batsman!! No one can be compared him..... No Viv, No Garry, No Lara, No Sachin.... Anwar is better then all....


Dravid is a fine batsman of its generation but can't be compared to compelled Saeed Anwar!

[kingusama92]

Saeed Anwar was a great opener, but Dravid was a great batsman and technically sound. He's lost his solidity now but it appears at times in his innings even at this point in his career.

The thing about Saeed Anwar was that he had flair but also the consistency to stick it out with the superstars of the cricketing world.

In the end both players were brilliant in their prime and eased off near the end of their careers as is being shown by Dravid right now.

[pullshot]

saeed bhai is the best by a long distance...who is Dravid btw??

[DHONI183]

saeed bhai is the best by a long distance...who is Dravid btw??

Ever heard of Rahul Sharad Dravid:13:? He is a famous milkman in Asian countries:|.

[pullshot]

Ever heard of Rahul Sharad Dravid:13:? He is a famous milkman in Asian countries:|.
Do you buy milk from him??? :)

[dblock]

Old debate but..

Saeed's record was quite underrated..

Look at batting averages for openers in the 90's (20 innings min):

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/stats/index.html?batting_positionmax1=2;batting_position val1=batting_position;class=1;filter=advanced;orde rby=batting_average;qualmax1=90;qualmin1=40;qualmi n3=20;qualval1=batting_average;qualval3=innings;sp anmax1=06+Mar+2000;spanmin1=15+Mar+1990;spanval1=s pan;template=results;type=batting

[Random Aussie]

Both very good players. Dravid ahead in Tests, Anwar in ODI. But very hard to split.

A few years ago Dravid had him covered but Dravid's long slow slide out of form (and eventually the Indian team) has done some damage to his reputation. I mean he used to average nearly 60 batting at number 3.

[Tupac]

Saeed Anwar.

In all departments. Easily. By a mile. No contest. et cetera.

How?

In Tests, Anwar averages only more then Dravid against Australia and Sri Lanka. The rest Dravid has better averages against. While there are ups and downs with Dravid's record, there aren't really any gaping holes where you can say he's really underperformed. With Anwar, he averages 23 against South Africa, and a pathetic 19.6 against West Indies. Dravid's lowest average is 36.5, against South Africa.

Take away the stats, what are Anwar's finest knocks? I would say his 188* against India, which was truly a gem, and although I haven't seen it, but people tell me about the 145 against Pak at Rawalpindi. But does it even compare with Dravid's 233 at Adelaide, or his 180 at Kolkatta? How about his twin 50s on a Barbados minefield to secure both Man of the Match and Man of the Series against the West Indies? His 270 to secure the series against Pakistan in 2004? His twin hundreds to beat Pakistan again in Kolkatta?

The comparison isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Anwar was a fine player, but he's not in Dravid's class.

[Plasma]

This thread is nothing!

This is the title of a thread at PakMusic :

"Waqar Younis vs Sohail Khan <-- Who's better bowler? "

No I'm not lying - here is the link :http://www.pakstop.com/pmforums/f15/waqar-younis-vs-sohail-khan-whos-better-bowler-89306/

[desi_larka420]

I think Saeed Anwar has won more matches in the ammount of matches he played........

[IronMan2009]

No I'm not lying - here is the link :http://www.pakstop.com/pmforums/f15/waqar-younis-vs-sohail-khan-whos-better-bowler-89306/

Some one has asked to ban his IP :))

[desi_larka420]

No comparison, one played in one of the best attacks of the modern era and one played in a "decent" or so-so if you wanna call it batting attack......... as far as ODI cricket goes please don't even compare.... In Test Cricket Saeed Anwar made 11 hundreds and 8 have been in winning matches...... in ODI cricket Saeed Anwar made 20 and 16 have been in winning matches...... the only edge Dravid has is he played waaaaay more.... Saeed Anwar after all played for Pakistan and if you play for Pakistan you are normally a "under achiever"

[12thMan]

"Waqar Younis vs Sohail Khan <-- Who's better bowler? " Very good question. Maybe the older people will fill us on this raging debate burning the cricket world. There should have been a thread for this

[prince40]

duh dravid obviously

[12thMan]

duh dravid obviouslyplease explain for the younger audience

[Tupac]

No comparison, one played in one of the best attacks of the modern era and one played in a "decent" or so-so if you wanna call it batting attack......... as far as ODI cricket goes please don't even compare.... In Test Cricket Saeed Anwar made 11 hundreds and 8 have been in winning matches...... in ODI cricket Saeed Anwar made 20 and 16 have been in winning matches...... the only edge Dravid has is he played waaaaay more.... Saeed Anwar after all played for Pakistan and if you play for Pakistan you are normally a "under achiever"

In Test Cricket how can you even being to make a comparison to Dravid? Doesn't it mean something when your highest ODI score is better then your highest Test score?

If your talking about value to your side and winning matches, quote any Anwar innings that compares with Dravid's 270, 233, or twin fifties against Windies on a minefield

[prince40]

please explain for the younger audience

cos dravid is an all time great for world cricket, anwar is an all time great only for pakistan cricket

for believers in stats-

anwar

Tests 55 91 2 4052 188* 45.52 7265 55.77 11 25 535 14 18 0

dravid

Tests 131 227 26 10509 270 52.28 25097 41.87 26 53 1322 14 180 0


dravid played 76 more tests with 15 more hundreds, an average of 45 vs. 52 is very telling too
and yea dravid played many more match winning knocks, especially away from home

[Xoib]

cos dravid is an all time great for world cricket, anwar is an all time great only for pakistan cricket

for believers in stats-

anwar

Tests 55 91 2 4052 188* 45.52 7265 55.77 11 25 535 14 18 0

dravid

Tests 131 227 26 10509 270 52.28 25097 41.87 26 53 1322 14 180 0


dravid played 76 more tests with 15 more hundreds, an average of 45 vs. 52 is very telling too
and yea dravid played many more match winning knocks, especially away from home
Ponting averages more then Sachin does that make him a better player. I would give an edge to Dravid but its a lot closer then people think Saeed played in an era where fast bowling was top class while Dravid has mainly played in the era of roads where flat track bully's like Yousuf and Jayawardena has averaged mid 50's.

[The_Cricket_Devil]

It is hard to directly compare batsman of such contrasting styles and roles on their respective teams.

Now, my favourite player of all time is Saeed Anwar so you can guess what my heart says when anyone is compared to Saeed. However, if you are going to talk about just stats then I think if Saeed had played the same number of matches as Dravid and against the same attacks that Dravid has there is no doubt in my mind that we would see Saeed with the superior record.

Of course, that is a subjective statement and reality differs from that. Dravid is "The Wall" for a reason and he has been the true rock of a much vaunted Indian batting lineup for well over a decade and his stats prove it. He has scored runs everywhere and against all attacks that he has contended. Now, he has had the luxury of not having to face the West Indian attacks and South African attacks of yesteryear and that has helped him gain an edge over Saeed.

In addition, we must remember that Saeed was an opener while Dravid usually bats at 2 down or so. Their roles are contrasting and I don't think that anyone will argue opening is one of the toughest jobs in world cricket, and especially so when facing the quality attacks that Saeed Anwar did. To do that and yet average 60 against Australia and keep an overall career average in the mid 40's is quite remarkable. As you can see with Dblock's post earlier Saeed had one of the highest test averages for openers in his era.

In conclusion, I will not say whether one player is better than another in this comparison but that both these players have played their roles for their countries to absolute perfection. Their styles may contrast and Saeed Anwar may be more gifted than Rahul Dravid but they have both achieved great heights and are greats in their own rights.

Btw, there are many superb players who have a higher ODI score than their highest test score. It doesn't indicate all that much. Mark Waugh is a great example of this.

[truth]

Away avg Dravid

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/28114.html?class=1;template=results;type=allround

Away Avg: 56.62

Away Avg for Saeed

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/42605.html?class=1;spanmax1=29+Aug+2003;spanval1=s pan;template=results;type=allround

Away Avg for Saeed: 45.42


Dravid had played more matches and has a healthy avg gives him a high point.

[desi_larka420]

In Test Cricket how can you even being to make a comparison to Dravid? Doesn't it mean something when your highest ODI score is better then your highest Test score?

If your talking about value to your side and winning matches, quote any Anwar innings that compares with Dravid's 270, 233, or twin fifties against Windies on a minefield

Statistics don't always explain the whole picture....... now lets compare "talent".......In "Test Cricket" if you can analyze talent by comparing their performances against the best attacks...... your performances against the best balling attack in test cricket is what counts the most... Dravid whether he would like to admit it or not but the best balling attack he played during his playing days where Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saqlain...... that was the best attack..... he didn't make those big scores against them...... while Saeed Anwar during his career the best bowling attack he would have faced had to be Australia's, and just look at Saeed Anwars test record against Australia where all other Pakistani batsmen including inzamam have "mostly failed: "its 59 I think".

[Noman]

I think Dravid achieved a lot more then Saeed Anwar but I will never call him one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Dravid for me is in the league of Kallis, defend, defend, defend no flair what so ever.

I think you are spot on here. Dravid is scores runs, but damn boring to watch, Well I would be Happy if Pakistan had a batman like him, But Dravid for me is very boring to watch, Classsy and boring..
Saeed was all about class.

[off_the_hook]

Not really a fair comparision as they are different players. As rightfully pointed out both primarily came to fame in different forms of the game. saeed always seemed to hammer india, and inspite of this I enjoyed watching him bat, pure class. A lot of folks here are posting stats on saeed's his career. His stats are soilds in both fors of the game. However imo they don't articulate the man's grace and class.

[Tupac]

Statistics don't always explain the whole picture....... now lets compare "talent".......In "Test Cricket" if you can analyze talent by comparing their performances against the best attacks...... your performances against the best balling attack in test cricket is what counts the most... Dravid whether he would like to admit it or not but the best balling attack he played during his playing days where Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saqlain...... that was the best attack..... he didn't make those big scores against them...... while Saeed Anwar during his career the best bowling attack he would have faced had to be Australia's, and just look at Saeed Anwars test record against Australia where all other Pakistani batsmen including inzamam have "mostly failed: "its 59 I think".

Dravid played just 2 test matches against Wasim, Waqar and Saqlain.

Saeed Anwar failed against West Indies and South Africa, also top bowling attacks of that time.

Anwar is a fine batsmen no doubt, but not in the class of Dravid, who has had the longevity to play 131 test matches and keep his average above 50. Anwar was not even close.

I think people are looking at the quality of shots to decide who's the better batsmen. Let me clear this up: Anwar was easily the more entertaining, better to watch batsmen. His cover drives were beautiful. But in terms of value to his side and being a match winner and rock in the middle, Dravid, any day of the week.

[Tupac]

Btw, there are many superb players who have a higher ODI score than their highest test score. It doesn't indicate all that much. Mark Waugh is a great example of this.

That's why Mark Waugh will never be rated as highly as Steve Waugh in Test Cricket. Never went on to make the really big one.

[DHONI183]

Easy pick for me, it´s Rahul Dravid:)!

Do you buy milk from him??? :)

No, he use to fool others by mixing water in it:|.