The 50 Greatest Test Batsmen

The 50 Greatest Test Batsmen

The Analyst Inside Cricket · 2025-05-08

Part 2 of our conversation with Jarrod Kimber, author of a new book The Art of Batting, counting down the fifty greatest Test batsmen of all time. Using scrupulous statistical analysis and exhaustive research, Kimber has identified some unexpected high rankers, and while Number 1 is no surprise, he has also eliminated some surprising stars for well explained reasons. Never before has such a meticulous evaluation of the greatest players been conducted and it makes for lots of excellent talking points. For instance, is it fair to rank modern batters higher than those brave souls who played in the pre-helmet era? The Art of Batting is available here - https://amzn.eu/d/7md9ktV

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to the Greatest Batters

01:02 Criteria for Ranking Batters

03:01 The Case of Graham Gooch

05:53 Comparative Metrics in Batting

09:01 The Unlucky Barry Richards

11:58 The Mental Approach to Batting

18:02 Exploring the Top 50 Batters

22:18 Controversies in Rankings

28:28 The Top 10 Batters Discussion

31:42 The Impact of Helmets on Batting Greats

34:30 Courage and Technique in Fast Bowling

37:36 Top 10 Batters: A Deep Dive

43:41 The Top Five Batters of All Time

52:00 Analyzing Bradman, Tendulkar, and Hobbs

59:46 The Legacy of Don Bradman


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The Analyst Inside Cricket

Sharp analysis and opinion from the cricket world with Simon Hughes, The Analyst and the BBC's Simon Mann, featuring comment, analysis, interviews with international players and celebrity guests.

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