Sydney Barnes: The Most Threating Analysis Of Sydney Bradman

Let me preface this by saying, Sydney Barnes, like Donald Bradman among batsmen, is the god standard by which all bowlers are judged statistically. He has no equal with which we can compare. Therefore, he is not included in this analysis of mere mortals, out of respect.
With that said, my all-time seven favourite pace bowlers (in alphabetical order) are Ambrose, Hadlee, Imran Khan, Lillee, Marshall, McGrath and Wasim. By the eye test, these are the greatest pace bowlers and most objective cricket followers will agree. However, what do the numbers say?
SEVENTEEN GREATS
I looked at pace bowlers who played more than 40 Tests matches, took 200 or more wickets, had an average less than 26 and a strike rate less than 58. It was my view that pace
The parameters included: bowling average (Ave), strike rate (SR), economy rate (Econ), best bowling in an innings (BBI), best bowling in a match (BBM), four or more wickets per innings, ten or more wickets per match, wickets per inning (WpI) and wickets per match (WpM).
I looked at four different ways of analyzing the nine different statistical parameters and came up with an overall ranking. One constant from the analysis was that no matter how many different ways I analyzed the data, the 17 bowlers were divided into three groups: Top (1-6), Middle (7-11) and a Bottom
I was surprised to see Donald & Garner in this elite group. Many wouldn’t consider Donald in the top-6 fast bowlers of all time – sacrilege some would say. Similarly, Garner is often rated below his contemporaries, for example, the more stylish and elegant Michael ‘Whispering Death’ Holding. However, this goes to show you how underrated Donald and Garner were as bowlers.
Steyn is the only current player on this list, and to make the top-6 is a testament to the type of career he has to date. This despite Steyn playing in the batsman dominated era. Batting averages in Steyn’s era are the highest since the 1920s-1940s. Ridiculous!
Middle 5 (alphabetical order): Ambrose, Imran Khan, Lille, McGrath, and Waqar. I was stunned to see Ambrose and McGrath in this group. However, both Ambrose and McGrath had mid-table rankings in terms of WpI, WpM and SR, which contributed to their drop to the middle group.
One thing about all these bowlers in this group is that they were attacking juggernauts. They never backed down from any batsman and always drove the fear of God into