Who will be the first batsman to retire with 9000 test runs?

And I don't count batsmen who have made 10,000.


Gooch was close with 8,900, Sunny just scraped into 10,000.

I did think Hayden was going to be the first but then injury and lack of hunger at the end of his career put paid to that. Then I thought VVS might be but with 350 runs to go, he may not last beyond the current series.

Sanga and Chanders are already there but I Sanga is still relatively young so should easily get to 10k and Chanders is close enough to 10k to continue on until he gets there.

Viru, Smiffy and Mo Yo are the next closest but Viru surely has about 2k runs in him to get to 10k. Smiffy might go the other way and fall short if his body continues to fall apart. I'm not even sure of MoYo still plays.

Smith and Sehwag will both hobble, bobble, smash, dash, nick and snick their way to 10,000.

First to retire in the 9000s? I'll go for AB de Villiers in the year 2019. I wonder if this thread will still be archived then? Will test cricket still be played? Will the internet still be used? Will the World even exist? Questions.....

[BD] Oozy Koaja [/BD]

KP or Strauss.

Strauss- Good call. But KP should stroll past 10,000.

Strauss won't get near that. He's 2,700 runs away. As is KP, who has a few more years in him. Depends what sort of golden period he's in, but he should get there and possibly beyond. I reckon the best call is Latchman because Smith and Sehwag should hack their way past to 10,000 and Chanders need only stroll I reckon. But Latchman's position is tenuous. I may go for Ronnie Bell who is currently miles away after underachieving for most of his career.

Brass Monkey wrote:Strauss won't get near that. He's 2,700 runs away. As is KP, who has a few more years in him. Depends what sort of golden period he's in, but he should get there and possibly beyond. I reckon the best call is Latchman because Smith and Sehwag should hack their way past to 10,000 and Chanders need only stroll I reckon. But Latchman's position is tenuous. I may go for Ronnie Bell who is currently miles away after underachieving for most of his career.

Belly should cruise past 10k. England play the most tests out of all the teams, and Belly is just reaching his peak.

Maybe we need a separate thread on who will end up with more than 10,000 runs at an average of less than 50.

Henry wrote:
Belly should cruise past 10k. England play the most tests out of all the teams, and Belly is just reaching his peak.

Hmmm, well Mr. Mudge, well.... he's nearly 30. He needs nearly 5,000 runs to get past 10,000. I wouldn't say it's a jolly stroll in an English country garden

But this is Ian Bell we are talking about, not some mere, undeserving mortal with limited ability, who isn't named Ian Ronald Bell.

Michael Clarke

tricycle wrote:Michael Clarke

A fair call. Although something tells me he'll get out of the game earlier than expected. I reckon he'll retire at 34-35.

Henry wrote:But this is Ian Bell we are talking about, not some mere, undeserving mortal with limited ability, who isn't named Ian Ronald Bell.

Just think, 900 runs a calendar year for the next 5 years and he still wouldn't be at 10G and he'd be just under 35 years old.... hmmmmmm. Also, he may return to Cap'n Malteaser once he faces attacks that actually threaten his wicket.

Ye of little faith!

Let's all just pray, clench-handed & bent-kneed, that they don't think the weako can hack the #3 spot full time.

Trott's got that spot for a while to come.

Cook will become the only Englishman to pass 10k, all the others will succumb to old age or celebrity tv shows and retire early.

Tres would be getting there right around now if he was still playing test cricket. *sniff*

Brass Monkey wrote:

Henry wrote:But this is Ian Bell we are talking about, not some mere, undeserving mortal with limited ability, who isn't named Ian Ronald Bell.

Just think, 900 runs a calendar year for the next 5 years and he still wouldn't be at 10G and he'd be just under 35 years old.... hmmmmmm. Also, he may return to Cap'n Malteaser once he faces attacks that actually threaten his wicket.

BS. He's proven himself against decent attacks and in pressurised situations over the last couple of years. He is also rid of that monkey he had on his back for what seemed like an eternity (never making a 100 unless another player had made one first).

ODIs he's still sh!thouse though.

Still 10k is a bit far fetched.

Younis Khan's another possibility.

vilkrang wrote:BS. He's proven himself against decent attacks and in pressurised situations over the last couple of years. He is also rid of that monkey he had on his back for what seemed like an eternity (never making a 100 unless another player had made one first).

ODIs he's still sh!thouse though.

Decent attacks, who? SA a couple of years back? Yeah, maybe. List them out, friend. List them out.

this could well be bell's year of greatness as much as england's

or not

as for the original question - no one you can say with any degree of certainty as of now. best guess would be laxman. i doubt he will get dropped permanently in an away tour. will probably get a home farewell, which should get him to 9,000

chanders and sanga will almost certainly get to 10,000 unless something calamitous happens

tricycle wrote:Still 10k is a bit far fetched.

Younis Khan's another possibility.

YK's the same as Strauss, too old and too far away.

The One wrote:as for the original question - no one you can say with any degree of certainty as of now. best guess would be laxman. i doubt he will get dropped permanently in an away tour. will probably get a home farewell, which should get him to 9,000

chanders and sanga will almost certainly get to 10,000 unless something calamitous happens

Ah yes. The good old Indian sympathetic farewell. As an ageing cripple gets wheeled out to the middle in a wheelchair by a nurse for one last time, wheezing and struggling to control his bladder, gets a sympathetic leg stump half volley which he gingerly puts away, before being dismissed cheaply, reacting three seconds late to a yorker, as stumps, bails, false teeth, and colostomy bags fly everywhere amidst a parade of overblown standing ovations and guards of honour formed by team mates with bats, whilst a keen youngster who is ready to play has to look on as the match becomes all about one player. The retiring player is then driven in a limo to his pre-paid seat in parliament to be the Minister of corrupt payment handouts or something. And India lose the match.