1. Neil McKenzie (Batting: 42.83, Bowling: N/A) 2. Imran Farhat (Batting: 42.51, Bowling: 29.38) 3. Thilan Samaraweera (Batting: 47.33, Bowling: 23.36) 4. Ross Taylor (Batting: 39.22, Bowling: N/A) 5. Jean-Paul Duminy (Batting: 52.74, Bowling: 42.34) 6. Heath Streak (Batting: 26.31, Bowling: 28.76) 7. Mark Boucher (Batting: 33.17, Bowling: N/A) 8. Daniel Vettori (Batting: 29.12, Bowling: 31.57) 9. Saqlain Mushtaq (Batting: 16.69, Bowling: 23.56) 10. Stuart Clark (Batting: 14.37, Bowling: 27.07) 11. Iain O'Brien (Batting: 8.82, Bowling: 25.07) 12. Dilhara Fernando (Batting: 7.31, Bowling: 28.90) 13. Mohammad Kaif
Very happy to get Vettori again. He's not the best spinner in the world. He's not the best alll-rounder in the world. He's not the best captain in the world. But he damn sure is the best spin-bowling all-rounder who captains.
Given Vettori averages ten more runs with the bat in the last 5 years, and slightly less with the ball, not really. Then you add in the weight of the length of Vettori's career, the fact he bowls in NZ and not the subcontinent, his undoubted captaincy skills, the fact he's nearing 300 test wickets rather than 50, along with him being the highest test runscorer in the current NZ side and it becomes a bit undebateable tbh.
Given that Shakib plays for Bangaldesh and has to carry his team single hadedly at times. I just Shakib but I don't think you can argue against the fact that had he been playing for a different side he'd have better stats.
On the other side of the coin, Shakib is his side's only decent bowler, so he's got more chance of getting a decent haul of wickets. Vettori has to compete with stronger bowling partners for the scalps. I dare say Jason Gillespie would have better stats if he didn't have to compete with Warne and McGrath for wickets.
Hmm, fair point but you could argue that because Gillespie was with Warne and McGrath he regularly picked up 2-30 before McGrath and Warne cleaned up. With Shakib it's down to him, he gets so little support that he bowls the most, therefore conceeds the most runs etc.
Shakib - Bowls the most, concedes the most, takes the most. Gillespie - Bowls the least, concedes the least, takes the least. It's not conclusive either way so you can hardly raise it as an argument for Shakib, when it can just as easily be turned against him.
I don't think he does too badly, not counting Mahmudullah who has only played 2 tests. Shakib is the only Bangladesh bowler to average <39 He also has the highest batting average of the team with only 1 other averaging >27. Also vettori's batting stats are heavily inflated from playing Bangladesh IIRC. Shakib doesn't have that luxury.
