Cricketers high praise for each other

Cricketing rivalries have been famous since time immemorial - between nations and players. This does not take anything away from the respect which a star cricketer commands from another one - whether he is a fellow countryman or a rival. Some of these high praises have been listed below:

Kumar Sangakkara wrote in ESPNcricinfo about Brian Lara: "Whatever he did on the field he did with style and grace. He was not just a cricketer, he was a performer. There have been many great players, but few with the same ability to thrill a crowd".

Vivian Richards once said about Sachin Tendulkar: “I didn’t see Don but to me, in all my years associated with the game, I haven’t seen a better batsman than Sachin Tendulkar”.

Imran Khan placed Lillee as the best bowler of his generation and exclaims "I thought very highly of his single-minded attitude, he was always attacking, and trying to think of ways to get the batsman out."

Geoff Boycott says "With Michael Holding, you always felt he could be quicker than he already was. And that was a scary thought"

Sunny and Imran sharing a joke

Kapil Dev said Marshall's devastating slinging action was the key for the only bowler he could remember who rattled the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. "On a green pitch at Kanpur, Marshall hit Sunil on the arm and the bat flew out of his hand. I said `wow' - I had never seen such a thing before."

Alan Border after watching Gavaskar's century at Lords in MCC bicentenary test remarked "I think this particular innings of Sunny should be preserved in a video, and not only preserved, It should also be shown to all young cricketers as a model inning. I don't believe there were many moments in which there was an imbalance in the man's positioning. The feet were always in place, the head was well down and the left shoulder was leading him into the shots perfectly."

Gary Kirsten on Dhoni “I would go to war with Dhoni by my side”

Kohli said in the show Breakfast With Champions “I have never faced Shoaib Akhtar. But I have seen him in a game in Dambulla against Pakistan. I got out. I couldn’t face him. He looked lethal. When I saw that, I realized what it would feel like after his ball hit the batsmen on the body,”

Steve Waugh once praised Dravid by saying "Try to take his wicket in the first 15 minutes. If you can't then only try to take the remaining wickets"

Curtly Ambrose termed Pakistan's pace bowling legend Wasim Akram as one of his “all-time favorites “Wasim Akram is one of my all-time favorite bowlers and any team that I would select comprising of the world’s best cricketers, Wasim Akram has to be in it. I’ve seen Wasim Akram do things with a cricket ball that people like me and others cannot really do. He was such a great bowler and I have a lot of admiration and respect for him.”

Kevin Pietersen once said of Kallis: “I truly believe he is the best cricketer ever. He is truly phenomenal.”