Colombo, Aug. 21: "Give me some time mate for my assessment," said Team India coach Greg Chappell when this correspondent asked him for his choice of five all time great batsmen and bowlers. On Monday morning at the team hotel here in Colombo, he had his answer sheet ready. "I couldn’t restrict it to five, chose eight batsmen and seven bowlers instead," said the former Australia captain who has had 7110 runs in 87 Tests which include 24 centuries. The list, along with Chappell’s assessment on his favourite players is as follows….

Batsmen

Sir Garfield Sobers

Sir Garfield is not only the best batsman that I have seen but he is the best all round cricketer that I have seen. He is the best multi-faceted cricketer in my time with four genuine strings to his bow, batting, pace bowling, finger spin and fielding. His record speaks for itself.

Sir Vivian Richards

Sir Vivian was the most damaging batsman of his era. Whether against spin or genuine pace he had the ability to turn a match in a session with his explosive power. I rate him as the best all round fielder that I have witnessed.

Graeme Pollock

It is interesting that three of the top-five are left-hand batsmen. At a time when most of the top batsmen were of modest stature, Graeme was one of the first quality batsmen who stood over six feet tall. Graeme was a brutal player who had a wide stance and got by with minimal footwork, but he was always well balanced and his weight was always ideally positioned for each shot. Like Vivian Richards, Graeme could turn a game in a trice with his brute force against pace or spin.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin has an amazing record for one who started so young and has played for such a long time in the most demanding market that cricket has to offer. No one, not even Bradman, has had the weight of so much expectation resting on his shoulders each time he bats. His range of stroke-play has been the most outstanding feature of his exquisite silky-smooth skills.

Brian Lara

Brian is another in the long line of West Indian greats and another left-hander with a brilliant and destructive range of shots against all types of bowling. Brian gets into my list for his ability to make big scores as much as for his brilliance. Few players in the history of cricket have made as many multiple centuries as Brian and this is because he paces himself differently from most players that I have watched. He has an uncanny ability to play in destructive bursts at stages in his innings that sets him apart from all except Sobers and Bradman of the elite of the elite that game has produced.

Barry Richards

I give a special mention to Barry Richards whom I rate as the most aesthetically pleasing and damaging batsman that I have seen. Barry looked like the coaching manual had come to life from his upright stance to his precision drives, cuts and pulls. The only reason he has not got into the top five is that history was cruel to him and prevented him from playing enough Test cricket to give a fair assessment of his ability against the very best bowlers over the long run at the highest level.

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting is another whom I rate a special mention for his ability to turn a game with his dynamic power. By the end of his career he may well have pushed himself into the top five if he continues at the phenomenal success rate of the past few years.

Rahul Dravid

Rahul is another who will most likely push himself into the top bracket by the time his career has finished. His powers of concentration and his consistency rather than his range of stroke-play is his hallmark, but his ability to make runs in all conditions puts him into the elite class.

Tomorrow: ‘Lillee was the best’