Player Comparisons: Saeed Anwar vs Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly and Saeed Anwar had plenty of things in common. Both opened the innings for their teams in the shorter format of the game and their batting approach was aggressive. However, their speciality was their impeccable drives on the off side.

No matter how many fielders were patrolling that region, both men found the gap with precision and ease.

Their determined approach and their ability to wreck any bowling unit made them a legend and both finished their careers after amassing several memorable performances.

But who was the better among the two? Between Ganguly and Anwar, who had the better statistics? Let us dive into numbers and find out who among this two elegant and stylish left-hand batsmen had the better statistics.

#1 Overall performances

Anwar and Ganguly enjoyed long careers featuring monumental numbers. Anwar represented Pakistan in international cricket for 14 years while Ganguly’s international career lasted for 18.

Anwar and Ganguly's overall career statistics

These figures reflect the greatness of both these batsmen. Anwar piled up more than 12 thousand international runs and scored 31 hundreds while Ganguly’s tally of 18 thousand plus international runs and 38 hundreds is impressive as well.

However, Anwar’s ODI average of 39.21 does not do justice to his batting talent. His inconsistency is the reason behind his below par ODI average.

In Tests too, the Pakistani batsman featured in only 55 games.

And although his tally of 11 Test centuries in 91 games looks far more effective than Ganguly’s tally of 16 hundreds in 186 innings, it must be noted that the Indian batsman played in the middle order in Tests and hence had fewer chances to score a big knock.

Courtesy his consistency in averages, it can be concluded that Ganguly is ahead of Anwar in this aspect.

#3 Differences in home and away matches

Ganguly was impressive in overseas matches as well

Anwar and Ganguly's Test statistics

Anwar and Ganguly's ODI statistics

Batsmen generally struggle in conditions that are alien to them because it takes some time to adjust to these new conditions and these adjustments result in more mistakes.

In Tests, both batsmen have performed consistently in both home and away matches. Their averages have remained nearly the same but the Pakistani opener managed more hundreds in away Tests and it is reflective of high-quality batting.

In ODIs Anwar’s batting average dipped significantly in overseas games while Ganguly managed to stay consistent.

Poor performances in away matches affected Anwar’s overall ODI average and he ended with a below 40 average.

The opener though produced some of his finest knocks while batting on the overseas surface.

His legendary knock of 194 came when he was playing in India. In Tests too he produced a scintillating 169 at Wellington and a masterpiece of 176 at The Oval. His 119 at Brisbane is one of the finest knocks ever played by a visiting batsman in Australia in the third innings of a Test match.

However, the massive difference in averages in Anwar’s home and away ODI’s makes Ganguly a winner in this segment as well.

#3 Performances as captain

Sourav Ganguly is attributed to turning around the mentality of Indian cricketers

Ganguly enjoyed a long streak as a captain and during his era, he was India’s most successful captain. Anwar captained Pakistan for some duration and although his achievements weren’t monumental he left a significant mark on the Pakistan team with his captaincy.

Anwar and Ganguly's statistics while captaining their respective teams

In terms of individual performances, both Ganguly and Anwar’s average dropped when they were burdened with the additional responsibility of captaincy. It is interesting to note that out of Ganguly’s 16 Test hundreds, only five were produced when he was the captain.

Anwar’ overall Test average is 45.52 while his average when leading the team is 34.50 which is a massive dip.

Although their numbers as captains are decent, both players failed to perform to potential when they captained their sides.

#2 Performance against the best team

Saeed Anwar was at his best while playing against AustraliaAnwar and Ganguly played in the era when the Australian team was the dominating force in international cricket.

Anwar and Ganguly's performance against Australia

Led by Ponting, Australia was armed with a strong batting line-up and had bowling artillery that was capable of creating havoc in all conditions.

A crucial benchmark of success is the ability to perform against the best in the business and hence it is interesting to see performances of these two batsmen against Australia.

The table makes it clear that both batsmen performed horribly against Australia in ODIs. Anwar and Ganguly averaged below 24 against the Aussies which is significantly lower than their overall ODI average.

Ganguly, however, had a below par record against Australia in Test as well. However, his innings of 144 at Brisbane is regarded as one of the best knocks played by an Indian captain.

Anwar scored 282 runs during the tour of Australia in 1999 and had amassed three fifty plus scores in four innings during Australia’s tour of Pakistan in 1994.

Courtesy his outstanding performances against Australia in Tests, Anwar is the winner in this aspect.

#5 Contribution in winning matches

Saeed Anwar

The ultimate unit of measuring success is the contribution in winning. Anwar and Ganguly, both were aggressive batsmen and hence when they scored a big knock it was game over for the opposition.

Anwar and Ganguly: performances in winning matches

Anwar's and Ganguly's batting average in winning matches is, unsurprisingly, more than their overall career averages.

Ganguly's average of 55.06 in ODI's is impressive but Anwar's average of 66.29 in Tests that Pakistan won is outstanding.

The Pakistani batsman scored eight hundreds in 36 innings. One hundred every 4.5 innings.

The statistics indicate Anwar, as a match-winner, had better statistics than Ganguly.

The Final Verdict

As the numbers reveal, both batsmen played high-quality cricket throughout their career.

However, Saeed Anwar was inconsistent with his performances and that affected his numbers. Ganguly, on the contrary, maintained consistency, although he batted at various positions.

His contribution in winning games is slightly lesser than that of Anwar, but the Pakistani batsman averaged better against Australia.

Overall, the numbers don't produce a clear winner among the two and hence we can conclude that both batsmen were great at their positions and deserve respect.