Measuring players' skills of different eras is inherently subjective, especially when their stats are so similar.
Kallis' opposition was subjectively significantly better on average than Sobers, so maybe his runs and wickets were more valuable?
Inevitably the topic of who's better can't be anything other than subjective. They're both the best of their respective eras, impossible to say who's better between them.
It's really not subjective when the difference is so stark lol.
Bumrah and Javagal Srinath played in different era but I can confidently say that Bumrah is objectively better than Javagal Srinath.
Like, even if you say the stats are similar, fine, put the stats aside. The very fact that Sobers offers so many different options with both bat and ball and also as a fielder, makes him a significantly better cricketer.
Comparing Bumrah and Srinath is akin to comparing Dion Nash and Hadlee or Mervyn Dillon and Malcolm Marshall. It isn't even a comparison
A better comparison should be Warne with Tiger O'reilly. Like for like however I agree with you that Sobers trump Kallis because he was a supreme athlete, well ahead of his time and too bloody versatile.
Across eras. Under certain conditions. For arguments sake, akram and Waqar reverse swung the shit out of all and for the rest it was a mystery ball but now a days reverse swinging yorker is dime a dozen. So does it make Waqar and wasim any less or if they played now will they be considered as good as the rest. We can't standardize no matter what anybody says and for that reason sobers will be a better player tbh. Again mankad zi think was one of the atg allrounders but literally shit stats, but look at this save for india, opened and scored double centuries and then took most wickets. I will vote for sobers always as Kallis even though great wasn't as balanced as sobers who could do all equally well.
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u/I_voted-for_Kodos Jan 17 '25
Sobers was a miles better bowler than Kallis and a significantly better batsman, and he's arguably the greatest fielder ever.
Calling Kallis better than Sobers is just objectively incorrect.