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49th Match • IPL • T20 • Chennai

Chennai Super Kings

Punjab Kings

Today

2:00 PM

Match starts in 5 hrs 26 mins

Schedule Table Videos Series

RESULT • 48th Match • IPL • T20 • Lucknow

144/7

LSG

(19.2/20 ov, T:145) 145/6

LSG won by 4 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)

Schedule Table Report Series

The Greatest Allrounder - Blog

Time to pin your colours to the mast

OK, so you've had time to consider all of the options

Andrew Miller

25-Feb-2013

OK, so you've had time to consider all of the options. You've read the feature articles of our top 20 allrounders, enjoyed the memories of past great allrounder performances and watched some of the video profiles.

We've enjoyed reading and publishing your blog comments and following discussions, and occasional arguments, that have carried on over the last six months. We've received nearly 2000 blog posts on the greatest allrounder site and here's what you think:

You wonder why on earth is Chris Cairns not in the top 20 shortlist?

You ask why on earth is Ravi Shastri in the top 20 shortlist?

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The new Botham delivers

When I were a lass growing up in t'north west of England, all the local gossip centred on a defiant, destructive boy who was going around shattering windows at will

ESPNcricinfo staff

25-Feb-2013

When I were a lass growing up in t'north west of England, all the local gossip centred on a defiant, destructive boy who was going around shattering windows at will. But such demolition was to be commended: at last cricket had a new Botham. The question, though, was: would Andrew Flintoff be like all those other new Bothams who, came, saw and failed to conquer?

Despite his thumping batting talent, and fast, accurate bowling, the answer was: nearly. And his downfall was nearly of his own making. Even when he'd reached the lofty heights of England, he nearly threw it all away in 2001, overweight as he was and plagued by back problems. But it's a measure of the man that he responded to the resounding rollicking he received from Neil Fairbrother and Chubby Chandler.

He slimmed down, toned up and returned fitter, stronger than before, leading England to victory in arguably the greatest series ever, the 2005 Ashes, with some showstopping performances, not to mention stepping into the breach as captain the following year. A nation took him to their hearts.

But if you're going to judge a man as a great allrounder, then you may want to consider his what he's like off the pitch, as well. Leaving the recent Fredalo situation aside – he has come back before and he can come back again - what's not often documented is his outright loyalty to his friends.

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The allrounders' allrounder

You’re all spectacularly misinformed, not to mention blind

Will Luke

25-Feb-2013

You’re all spectacularly misinformed, not to mention blind. Botham? Nothing more than a flat-track bully. And as for the jolly-come-latelies, well where do I start? Kallis has lost his fourth gear, if he ever had one, and is struggling to get into third. Flintoff only has first and fifth gears, and the less said about Pollock and Gilchrist the better.

Imran had it all. With the ball, he was snappy and fierce, with a silky-smooth action; with the bat, he was flexible enough to adjust to the situation. And on top of all that, he captained Pakistan better than anyone ever has, and probably ever will do. 362 Test wickets, nearly 4000 runs and six hundreds, Imran was the man. Once bored with cricket, he built a hospital – and then became a politician. He was the allrounders' allrounder.

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Beefy still the man

Jon Hungin

25-Feb-2013

Yes, he can be massively annoying in the commentary box and yes he may have become everything he used to despise (ie he is now one of the "in-my-day" brigade) but Ian Botham is still the one for England cricket fans. Ask the majority of them who their favourite all-time player is, they will probably say Botham; ask them who they most listen to in Sky's commentary team or whose column they still read in the newspapers, they probably say Botham and ask who they'd most like to go for drink with and they will probably - at a pinch - say Botham.

And even if he is one of the in-my-day brigade, at the very least, he has the performances to back it up. Have any of the other allrounders every produced with bat and ball in the same match as often and to such devastating effect? Ok, so he should have retired in 87, but the sight of him running though the Australia middle-order one last time (and then bashing them for 50 with the bat) at the 1992 World Cup was a memory to treasure.

No cricketer has ever been able to connect with his country's supporters like Beefy and in this era when the word 'great' is bandied about left, right and centre he is the one who, in allround cricketing terms, actually defines the term.

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An Invincible whose name is immortalised

Keith Miller was the best thing to happen to post-war cricket and his batting, bowling and personality made him a favourite throughout the world

Peter English

25-Feb-2013

Keith Miller was the best thing to happen to post-war cricket and his batting, bowling and personality made him a favourite throughout the world. Capable of frightening spells with the ball and punishing displays with the bat, he deserves a prominent place in any list of great allrounders.

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Kapil the extraordinary

There’s a lot more to Kapil Dev than mere numbers, which were impressive in themselves

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

25-Feb-2013

There’s a lot more to Kapil Dev than mere numbers, which were impressive in themselves. He arrived at a time when India relied primarily on spinners, he defied convention with his daring hitting and did the unthinkable by lifting the World Cup, an outcome which not even the most optimistic of fans would have foreseen. Plying his trade primarily on flat, dusty pitches at home, he surged to the world record number of wickets. He was supremely fit and when abroad did the bulk of the bowling.

A Test average of 31.05 doesn’t indicate what a good batsman he was, capable of playing that one blinding knock which can stun the opposition. Some of his centuries are forgotten epics, largely because he never managed it on a consistent basis. Yet, he must be judged on the circumstances he played in. He didn’t have the bowling support that Imran Khan enjoyed and didn’t enjoy the seaming conditions that Richard Hadlee and Ian Botham thrived in. He rose against the tide and defied convention.

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Gilly is the man

Adam Gilchrist is the modern-day master blaster - even Viv Richards loves watching him bat

Peter English

25-Feb-2013

Adam Gilchrist is the modern-day master blaster - even Viv Richards loves watching him bat. Add in his fine wicketkeeping skills and he is not just a valuable, multi-skilled contributor, but one of the game's greatest allrounders. Australia have flown to new levels with Gilchrist in the side and he continues to provide outstanding and breathtaking performances.

In the third Ashes Test in Perth he blasted a 57-ball century, narrowly missing Richards' world-record mark, and he has made useful contributions at the top of the one-day order throughout his career. In a team of champions, Gilchrist stands out as the side's crucial allrounder, which is a rare description for a gloveman.

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Pollock's claims match the best

When the topic of the great allrounders in the modern game is discussed the conversation tends to centre on the respective attributes of Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff

Andrew McGlashan

25-Feb-2013

When the topic of the great allrounders in the modern game is discussed the conversation tends to centre on the respective attributes of Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff. One name that constantly slips under the radar, despite consistently impressive performances since his debut in 1995, is that of Shaun Pollock. Perhaps people dismiss Pollock as merely a bowler? Certainly his bowling record is that of an all-time great; 412 wickets from 106 Tests, at an average of 23.20 heading into the second Test against Pakistan. What tends to be forgotten is that he also possesses extremely impressive batting statistics, having scored over 3700 runs at an average of 32.5, with two centuries.

When these are compared with those of Flintoff, who averages 32.50 with the bat and 32.20 with the ball in Tests, it is easy to see why Pollock's supporters feel he is hard done by. Add the fact that his record in one-day internationals is equally impressive, and the argument is persuasive. Pollock also possesses another thing that Flintoff does not, an impeccable record as captain. He won 14 out of 26 Tests as captain before being disgracefully sacked after the country's poor showing at the 2003 World Cup, just three months after he had taken them to the top of the world rankings.

More recently, he has answered the media who have called for his retirement with a string of impressive performances to fully justify his place in the South Africa line-up at the age of 33. He may not be the greatest allrounder of all time, but Pollock's achievements certainly deserve more discussion in the modern game.

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Greig worth a closer look

I have to admit, I'd not considered Tony Greig at all

Jon Hungin

25-Feb-2013

I have to admit, I'd not considered Tony Greig at all. To me he has always been the laughably excitable C9, and then Channel 4, commentator who cracked me up with his "Fantastic shot!" statement when it was quite clear the ball was heading straight into the fielder's hands.

However, of all of our twenty allrounders, he is the last who should be written off. No only does he hold an excellent Test record (averaging 40 with the bat, 32 with ball in 58 matches) but he was a superb captain and leader for England. Yes, he did make some silly statements but anyone who signals a boundary when batting against Dennis Lillee has clearly got something about them.