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[Alvaro]

interesting, sustained excellence assisted by a banker.
Sangakkara played the best Test innings I have seen, but was sawn off by an umpire (Koertzen if I remember correctly) - 192 against Australia at Hobart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2fDEqxPr1c

[100 not out]

15 is too many

Bradman
Richards
Lara
Tendulkar
S Waugh
Grace
Miandad
Gavaskar
M Crowe
C Lloyd
Gooch
Sobers
Kallis
Hutton
Border

[Bruce]

Bruce, you've missed the point. Test BATSMEN.

Take McGrath, Lee, Warne, Murali, Flintoff, Botham and Gayle out for starters. And Punter #1? You're having a laugh.

Whoopsie 

But Ponting isn't my #1, but he is right up there. Not based on current form, But 3rd in alltime test scorers isn't to be sniffed up.

[Alvaro]

only 1943
which is somewhat less than the 2697 scored by DPMD Jayawardene 9or the 2015 scored by Gooch at Lords.

How many matches did Gooch play at Lord's?

[alba caerulea]

Glenn McGrath
Gerhardus Liebenberg
Aftab Habib
Andy Lloyd
Courtney Walsh
Phil Tufnell
Steve James
Peter George
Imran Farhat
Vikram Rathour
Doug Marillier
Mark Vermuelen
Gavin Hamilton
Chris Adams
Aakash Chopra

Surely theres a spot for Alan Mullally in there???

[Alvaro]

He twunted an entertaining 20-odd once though didn't he?

[Cover_Drive]

Here is my list;

1. Mohammad Yousuf
2. Inzamam Ul Haq
3. Javed Maindad
4. Hanif Mohammad
5. Sir IVA Richards
6. Brain Charles Lara
7. Sir Don Bradman
8. Jacques Kallis
9. Ricky Pointing
10. Kumair Sangakarra
11. Rahul Dravid
12. Sir Gary Sobers
13. Steve Waugh
14. Mathew Hayden
15. Saeed Anwar

[Cover_Drive]

Alvaro no Chris Martin and Walsh?;-)

[Alvaro]

Courtney's in there CD.

Chris Martin isn't really a cricketer.

And, if we're picking holes, Gloucestershire's Zaheer Abbas was ten times the player Saaed Anwar was...

[roco]

In no order

Sir viv
The don
Graham pollock
Sobers
Sachin
Kallis
Lara
Steve Waugh
Dravid
Hutton
Gavascar
Lloyd
Border
Barry Richards
Gayle (for a bit of fun)

[alba caerulea]

Chris Martin and Alan Mullally are cult heros at my club!

Such a difficult question because of the years cricket has spanned - the best players i've seen play are Lara and Tendulkar, although i'd also begrudgingly stick Steve Waugh up there.

[Cover_Drive]

And, if we're picking holes, Gloucestershire's Zaheer Abbas was ten times the player Saaed Anwar was...

Oh definitely mate I fully agree with you. But I love Saeed Anwar and I'm big fan of him. Lovely timing etc

Hence he was last, I know he doesn't break into Top 15 but I added because I like him LOL

[Alvaro]

Perhaps 15 Modern Test batsmen is a better topic.

Wally Hammond would be my pick as the best. Particularly as he lost time to the war, was shafted by county qualification red tape and, best of all, riven with syphilis in the second half of his career.

Also, unlike Bradman, he didn't whinge about the short stuff

[Cover_Drive]

Perhaps 15 Modern Test batsmen is a better topic.

Wally Hammond would be my pick as the best. Particularly as he lost time to the war, was shafted by county qualification red tape and, best of all, riven with syphilis in the second half of his career.

Also, unlike Bradman, he didn't whinge about the short stuff

LOL I have never seen Wally Hammond stats let alone his batting!

[Manormanic]

Hokay, I'll have a go - the following list starts after the Great War only because that allows for the chance of at least some archive footage. 

Bradman, Sutcliffe, Hutton, Hammond, Tendulkar, Lara, Richards, Sobers, Ponting, Miandad, Compton, Worrall, Steve Waugh, Clive Lloyd, Border

Its not an easy task because there are so many variables - I initially included George Headley but then discounted him on grounds of his relatively brief test career - harsh, but then what would one do with Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock who would surely merit places on this list if they had had a bit longer?

Idon't personally place too much store in the weight of runs scored by modern players - they get more games to score them in - nor do I look purely at averages because the conditions are so obviously variable.  I've ignored players currently at or close to their peak because, well, we just don't know where they will eventually get to - though Kallis, who is past his peak, is left out on purpose because he is, when it comes down to it, a fat blocker with one eye on his average!  Likewise, no Geoff Boycott...

Some of you may perceive a couple of these to be odd choices - if you want me to elaborate I'm happy to...