Former Australian speedster Brett Lee on comparing Sachin Tendulkar and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis picks Tendulkar as greatest batsman and Jacques Kallis as most complete cricketer.
Lee, a contemporary of Tendulkar, said he found that the Indian batsman always had extra time to negotiate his deliveries.
“You think of Sachin Tendulkar, it just looked like he had more time,” Lee told former cricketer turned commentator Pommie Mbangwa.
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Lee, one of the fastest bowlers of his era, touched the 160 kmph mark and regularly clocked in excess of 140 kmph.
“The best way to explain the meaning of time in cricket is that it felt like Sachin was batting on the return crease, batting next to the stumps, it just felt like he had more time to play against me, in my opinion he was the best batsman in the world,” he said of Tendulkar who is the most prolific run-getter in Test and ODI cricket histury.
Tendulkar and Lara polarise opinions when it comes to debating the greatest batsman and for Lee the choice is clear.
And the Australian, who took over 700 wickets during his international career, feels that former South Africa allrounder Jacques Kallis is the greatest complete cricketer.
“Then you go on to Brian Lara, he was so flamboyant, it did not matter how quick you bowled against him, he could smash you in six different areas on the ground,” he said.
“Lara and Sachin are neck to neck when you talk about greatest batsmen. In my opinion, Sachin is the greatest batsman, but the greatest complete cricketer in my opinion has to be Jacques Kallis,” he added.
Brett Lee vs Tendulkar
Matches played: 42 (12 Tests, 30 ODIs).
Times Lee dismissed Tendulkar: 14.
Runs scored by Tendulkar: 2329 (six centuries, 11 fifties).
Notable record created by Jacques Kallis
Kallis is the only player in world to have scored over 10,000 runs and claimed more than 250 wickets in both ODI and Test cricket. He was also a useful slip fielder with 200 Test catches.
