My XI Cricketers pick their favourites

@voltairC. Gavaskar scored hundred plus in Delhi test. That was his fastest hundred. Gavaskar normally plays ground shots only. But in the Delhi test we have seen a diffrent/ attacking Gavaskar.

Marshall was a truly wonderful fast bowler. An abiding memory for me was his spell of 5-29 against the Aussies in the '89 SCG test. He was the only fast bowler on either side to make an impact in a match dominated by spinners (Border took 11 wickets). Such a shame he died young but he left us with so many great memories.

Thanks to you the white lightening AKA Allan Donald, I did like you as a fast bowler when you came into the SA side and knocked who ever came in your way but your insight into these fast bowling greats who I have seen in action as well and those memories still are etched in my mind which happened during my teen years and as a matter of fact I was a fast bowler myself having played grade cricket but didn't go too far having imitated Imran and Marshall but without that effect and being indian you know the mindset existing then but anyway I could sense now that the education you had in your early days with guys like Marshall, Holding and many more during your interaction in the English counties or SA domestic games and some of the legendary fast bowlers of SA who the world could not see in action during their playing days due to unfortunate circumstances like Le Roux and others has helped. If I ever happen to pick up a list of atleast 16 fast bowlers, you would definitely be one of them.

Macko-Quite simply better than the Best! My first brush(visually) with Macko was the 83-84 series in India.Seething with rage at the World Cup debacle,Macko simply unleashed mayhem,the likes of which were never seen again. I watched the 2nd test(Ferozshah Kotla) opening overs on the telly.watching him run with such springy menace and bowl with such venom was frightening experience even on TV.The Indian batsmen were sh* scared..ironically the respect forSunny/Vengsarkar increases phenomenally as they scored some glorious tons in the very same series. Macko's spell in Calcutta was the fastest that he bowled..by his own accounts in his bio Despite English press ignoring it, this series was the crowning glory and firmly established him as lynchpin of windies attack for yrs to come. His death is so unbearably sad..makes me cry everytime. To know that he was such a fantastic person, 'giver' in Mark Nicholas words, makes the pain immeasurable.His deliveries might have hit,but he touched lives

What is remarkable is that Marshall stood head and shoulders above all the remaining bowlers in the greatest pace quartet of all time.He may well have taken 5 wickets per test like Lillee and Hadlee had he played in a weaker bowling attack.Marshall was the most lethal paceman of all as though he did not posess the speed and classical action of Holding,the accuracy of Garner,the mastery of swing of Wasim Akram ,the classical repertoire and agression of Lillee he had an armoury of deliveries that no paceman posessed .I can never forget Marshall bowling with a shorted run -up and capturing 7 wickets at Leeds in 1984 and taking 5 wickets on a turning track at Sydney in 1989.Graham Gooch and Alan Border rate Marshall,the best paceman they ever faced.Never forget the way he troubled Gavaskar whom he morally trapped leg-before before he even opened his account in 1987 at Lords in the game between M.C.C and Rest of the World.

With Dennis Lillee Malcolm Marshall was the best fast bowler ever posessing every component of a perfect pace bowler.He posessed lightning pace,could swing the ball at different speeds,could move the ball in and out with the same action and had amazing accuracy and control..His skidding bouncer was an innovation of his own which was a more lethal version of the bouncer than any delivery of it's kind..Inspite of his being short in inches he superbly manipulated the crease producing unplayable banana swing.In many ways he was an unorthodox form of Dennis Lillee.Lillee was classically more complete but Marshall posessed an armoury of deliveries in his repertoire which even Lille did not posess.

Above all he shone when other paceman like Garner and Holding their best and still outplayed them.His 1988 35 wicket haul in a 5 test series in England is the best pace bowling I have ever seen in England.Statistically a giant with a strike rate of 46.7 and average of 20.94.

The first person I didn't know personally whose death had me in tears. I only got to see him play once, in a Sunday League game at Lord's that would end in a tie. As the match drew to a close, he was fielding on the boundary by where my Dad and I were sat, and he was keeping us entertained and laughing with his antics, turning to us and feigning trembling and biting his nails. I always maintain he was the best - the way he could work out a batsman showed his mettle, yet there was always a smile on his face even if he was trying to knock someone's head off. Why, when there are so many evil creatures on this planet, was he only given just over 40 years of life?

The greatest fast bowler ever, period.

I became a cricket fan around 1983 and became a Malcolm Marshall fan almost immediately. His 'twinkle toes' run up was such a calm before the storm of hostile, accurate and skilfully dangerous fast bowling. The angled run up probably made most batsmen unhappy to begin with but then the speed and swing were irresistable. This era of cricket has had a number of fast bowling greats with Hadlee, McGrath, Akram, Ambrose and Marshall as frontrunners. I pick Marshall as marginally the best.

I also happened to watch that series. If I remember right the 1st day was rained out. But Gaekwad was'nt out 1st ball. I think it was the 4th ball of Marshall's second over(the innings 3rd). But what I will never forget about Marshall came in 1984. I think it was the 3rd test in Leeds. He had fractured his left thumb. Windies were 9 down and Gomes close to a century. He came out, batted one handed, helped Gomes complete the century. And then: he comes out to bowl - 7 for 53. Anyone who has done some bowling could understand the pain he went through. I only read this in the paper, but boy was I awed.If I am right, he has the best economy rate for any fast bowler with over 300 wickets.