Former South African pace bowler and skipper Shaun Pollock has named Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar as the best cricketer of his era. Pollock was in a conversation with Sky Sports when he rated ‘Master Blaster’ as the best batsman of his generation.
During his conversation with Sky Sports, the South African legend heaped praise on Sachin Tendulkar and his understanding of the game. He said –
It was how well he understood his game and how he would adjust. He talked to me once about going to Australia and understanding he couldn’t take on the short-pitched deliveries anymore so he would ramp the ball over the wicketkeeper and slip.
Interestingly, Pollock is one of the few bowlers who managed to trouble the ‘Little Master’ in his career. Pollock managed to dismiss Tendulkar 9 times in ODIs.
There were times, especially in the subcontinent, where you thought, ‘I’m not sure we can knock this guy over”. ‘We were hoping he would make a mistake, rather than had a genuine plan.”
Shaun Pollock added further.
Former West Indies pace bowler Michael Holding who was popularly known as the ‘whispering death’ chose his countrymen Sir Vivian Richards as the best batsman ever.
Holding said –
“Viv is the best batsman I have seen against anything and everything, He never looked intimidated. Richard Hadlee in New Zealand, Dennis Lillee in Australia, Abdul Qadir in Pakistan, Bishan Bedi in India. Ian Botham in England. He got runs against anybody and everybody.
As he was batting at No 3 for West Indies, I often saw him watch the first couple of overs, get a visual picture, and then go and sleep.
Both Michael Holding and Shaun Pollock were in a conversation with Sky Sports when they made these revelations.