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Is Tendulkar a better batsman than Bradman? Was Garfield Sobers a superior all-rounder in comparison to Ian Botham? Or was Freddie Spofforth a bigger demon than Waqar Younis?

The above are questions which confuse young enthusiasts of the game all over the world. Unfortunately, for them (and also for the game of cricket) the yardstick which these youngsters choose as their reference of comparisons is the statistical analysis of these players. By the above, I do not wish to run down or devalue the importance of statistics in the game of cricket. Indeed the study of facts and figures forms an integral part of the cricketing canvas. Probably, no other sport in the world lays as much stress and importance on statistics as the game of cricket. The amount of time, research and printed space allotted to statistics by the world of cricket is immense to the extent of being phenomenal. Cricketing records and their implications on performances and merits assume pivotal importance in proper context. The problem begins when an overdose of statistics overwhelms other factors.

For me to write on such a topic is more difficult than most would imagine. After having remained a chronic addict of facts and figures for so long, I feel that there is a limit to where these numbers can guide us in our cricketing assessments. Can we really call Rashid Khan the best-ever Test batsman produced by Pakistan just because he has an average of 188.00? Can we forget the cavalier style of Maqsood Ahmed who won the title of 'Merry Max' on the merit of his aggressive batting in England but never managed a Test century? Is it just for us to call Zaheer Abbas a greater batsman than Hanif Mohammad just because 'Zed' has more test runs to his credit? Is Kapil Dev a better bowler than Richard Hadlee just because he has overtaken Hadlee in the tally of test scalps?

All these are questions whose answers can never be found in the records books. Cricket records may well be the numerical analyst's main tool but even then the game is primarily the domain of the artists and idealists. The rhythm which flowed from the bat of Majid Khan in the 1976-77 series against New Zealand; or the sting of Imran's swing against India in 1982-83 and the patience of Hanif's marathon innings against the West Indies in 1957-58; can never be measured quantitatively. The stature of W.G. Grace, the speed of 'fiery' Fred Truman, the bite of West Hall the commanding presence of Bradman, and the mastery of Gary Sobers were for posterity to remember. Their impact can neither be evaluated numerically nor can their performance be reckoned without regard for time calculated.

Drawing parallells in any field of life is tricky business but in cricket it becomes all the more hazardous since here we tend to overestimate the value of cricketing records. Let us give due respect to those who create new records but also let us not forget those who created the original records at a time when doing so was a much more difficult and much less profitable exercise.