Where did Greig stand among great post-1960 all-rounders?

Greg Matthews is another interesting one. He was originally a batsmen, who then was advised by Bobby Simpson to turn to bowling to prolong his career. He took that advice, and kicked on. He would often bat in the top 6, he has four test centuries , a batting average of 41. Took some wickets too. Steve Waugh started as a bowling all rounder. Simon O'donnell was like Shane Lee , he didn't ever figure out what he was better at, same with shaun young and Chris Lewis.

Footage revealed the delivery to be a no ball. Since it was Vettori, a spinner, bowling, the umpire should have picked it up. But alas he didn't. In my opinion, with an average of 17 it would be incogrous for Warne to have a test century to his name in the same way that it is incogruous for Gillespie to have a test double century.

From everything I have read about Alan Davidson I get the impression that he was a freak with the ball from 1957 to 1963 and that the swing he got from the ball was close to umplayable. Johnson as good as he is has not achieved anything like that level as a bowler that Davidson achieved. Furthermore regarding their role as batsmen. Davidson played as a no 7 no 8 batsman in an era when pitches were uncovered and there was no protective equipment. Johnson played in an era of flat wickets with maximum protective equipment. I am willing to bet that Davidsons record in first class cricket outside of test cricket as a batsman is much better than Johnsons, and this in an era when the best players aren't playing shield cricket with anything like the frequency they did in the 50's and sixties.

Botham's record against the great West Indian sides was very poor.

I've often heard it said that a 'batting all-rounder' is someone whose batting average is better than his (or her) bowling average.

Had an exchange of tweets with him yesterday, JohnB, although he was always one step ahead in his research.

AD, reading Chris Barrett's article in the SMH this morning strongly suggests he's either a close reader of the Roar, or you!

agree, Australians have a big opinion of Freddie because of that series

I reckon a country should field its strongest XI. SCG had a reputation of being a spinner's paradise till a few years ago. And MacGill and Warne had a field day. Now that they do not have a world-class spinner pitches are perhaps made for fast bowlers. Since quickies Siddle, Johnson, Starc and Bird are in form and SL obviously shaken with fracture fear, the selectors should go ahead with four fast bowlers.

AD, I looked at Cricinfo grounds archive for the SCG, and searched "results" from 1970 - it lists each result with a link to the scorecard. Still have to go through one by one though. I thought England may have played a 4 man pace attack - something like Bedser, Tyson, Bailey and someone else - in the 50s but didn't really have time to look! The 1954 example you found - Bill Johnston would have been near the end of his career I think, but while he sometimes bowled spin my impression is he bowled pace the great majority of the time. That incidentally would be close to an all-time best-batting bowling lineup (Johnston excepted) - Benaud, Lindwall and Archer with test 100s and Davidson a good bat also. I also thought it a bit more legitimate to count McDonald as a quick than it was to count Watson, given he was (in my view) more in the side for his bowling than his batting. The Windies played 4 quicks at Sydney in 76 (Holding Roberts Boyce Julien) 82 (Holding Clarke Garner Croft) 84 (Marshall Garner Holding Walsh) and 96 (Ambrose Walsh Benjamin Bishop) - for 3 losses and a draw in 82.

John B, I've been working my way through Wisden from 1946 edition. Only example I've come to so far is 2nd Ashes Test at SCG in December 1954, when the selectors chose Ray Lindwall, Alan Davidson, Ron Archer and Bill Johnston (who Wisden says bowled fast and not in his alternative left-arm spin mode). Richie Benaud was the chosen spinner, although he only bowled in the second innings. But it looks like the 2009 Test against South Africa was the last time, not all that long ago, that Australia went in with four quicks. I'm counting Ronnie McDonald as a quick. Not sure about Watto in subsequent two seasons. Does he count as a quick?

AD - I couldn't think of any instances of 4 quicks for Aust at the SCG. I had a look back from 1970 on. If you don't count batsmen who also bowled a bit like Walters, Greg Chappell, Cosier, Blewett and Steve Waugh as "quicks", and if you don't count Shane Watson, the only time it happened in that period was 2009 v Sth Africa, and even then you have to count Andrew McDonald as a quick - backing up Johnson, Siddle and Bollinger, with Hauritz also playing. The folowing 2 years Shane Watson also bowled with Johnson, Siddle and Bollinger (v Pak) and with Johnson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus (v Eng) so you can argue whether or not that's 4 quicks. Even counting McDonald and Watson as "quicks", there was no occasion in that period where there were 4 quick bowlers picked and no spinner. I didn't look back before then, and didn't look at the other teams' bowling lineups in that period. I imagine the Windies might have played 4 quicks once or twice in that period? I don't think anyone else would have. Before 1970, it would have been almost unheard of for teams to pick all pace attacks I think - even in the Bodyline series England's attack in the 2 Sydney tests had only 3 real pace bowlers (Larwood, Voce, Allen) although Hammond also bowled at a fair pace apparently.

Interesting suggestion, Chop, In my book "Cricket's Great All-rounders" (2008), I had a separate section on wicket-keeping all-rounders. They were in chronological order: Les Ames (Eng), Godfrey Evans (Eng), Farokh Engineer (Ind), James M Parks (Eng), Alec Stewart (Eng), John Waite (S. Af), Alan Knott (Eng), Syed Kirmani (Ind), Jeffrey Dujon (WI), Rod Marsh (Aus), Ian Healy (Aus), Andy Flower ( (Zim), Adam Gilchrist (Aus), Mark Boucher (S Af), Kumar Sangakkara (SL). Since 2008, we can add MS Dhoni (Ind), AB de Villiers (SAf), Brad Haddin (Aus). What about Matthews Wade, Roarers? Any other nominations?

So a bit of a fielding all-rounder then ? I guess so, bit of a chicken or the egg question though, did the bowler create the catch/stumping or did the WK ? Taking into consideration catches, stumpings & run-outs would show some interesting statistics no doubt, any Statsguru gurus willing to show us some ?!

To be fair though cricket is only his 'second' sport behind his true love- boxing.

Kallis is just incredible ! I once famously said the only thing that would make him better would be if he was Australian ! lol

I used to enjoy listening to him and reading what he wrote. Plenty of affectionate anecdotes going round, including one from Mike Selvey on how CMJ acquired the nickname The Major. It seems he lobbed in the press box one day and his first words to anyone were "Hampshire won". One of the journos, channelling Basil Fawlty, replied: "Did they, Major?" CMJ was The Major from then on. He was famously disorganised. On one occasion, he arrived late for the start of play at Lord's. The Test was actually at The Oval. Last but not least, Kersi, do you have any idea when Australia last went into an SCG Test with four quicks?

Kersi, Does Adam Gilchrist get a guernsey as an alrounder? Is a 'Keeper Batsman a different category? Personally I think the 'Keeper Batsman should be included as alrounders and Gilchrist would be up there with the best of them.

What a sad coincidence that England's noted cricket writer and BBC commentator Christopher Martin-Jenkins (CMJ) passed away a few days after Tony Greig. He also suffered from cancer. His last article was an obituary on Greig. Who is sure of tomorrow? I owe a lot to CMJ. My first article published in England was in "The Cricketer", edited by CMJ. It was on "Hat-tricks in minor cricket". It became a book about 30 years later. Thank you, CMJ. We later met many times in the SCG Pressbox. Vale CMJ.