Top 11 Batsmen against pace bowling in the last four decades

Allan Border

The man who toppled Sunil Gavaskar’s run tally in Tests, Border, besides being a great leader, who spearheaded the Australian renaissance was also a gritty batsman. Between 1970 and 1995, Border is fourth on the list of most runs against West Indies in West Indies – 796 runs at 53.

Border’s entry into the list is on the basis of one very important credential – his average doesn’t vary much with the quality of bowling attacks, over the median, below the median, home or away – the sign of a truly reliable batsman. That level of consistency against various bowling attacks has been achieved only by a few other batsmen – the likes of Tendulkar and Sangakkara.

Border played a lot of his cricket on the fast bouncy pitches of Australia and also against a high-quality West Indies side through the 80s, a time when you couldn’t thrive without being good at dealing with pace bowling. Border also averages 59.5 against Pakistan, which has always been known for its pace bowlers overlapping with Border’s career.

The greatest aspect of his cricket is the fact that Border averages above 35 in all countries, 38 being the lowest, against South Africa where he played just three Tests and 46 being the next lowest in his own country.