Harsh Thakor
First Class Star
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- Oct 1, 2012
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Here I am pitting a left handers XI of those who retired before 1975 against left –handers who played after 1975.The likes of Vinoo Mankad, Zaheer Khan ,Roy Fredricks ,Alvin Kalicharan,Bill Voce and Ravichandra Ashwin ,Saurav Ganguly or Chris Gayle just missed out.
Best Left handers X1-upto 1975
1.Arthur Morris-One of the most dashing batsman of his time, who played an instrumental role in Bradman’s invincibles.
2.Bill Lawry –A model of consistency with great flair to rise up to the occasion. At his best against West Indies.
3.Graeme Pollock- The most talented left handed batsman of his ear who could have been 2nd to only Bradman had his test carer not been curtailed.
4.Neil Harvey-Few ever displayed greater mastery on bad wickets, like in South Africa when scoring an unbeaten 151 in a 336 run chase in 4th innings .
5.Garfield Sobers-Took allround cricketing genius to proportions unscaled, being three a three in one cricketer.No bowler was more versatile considering he bowled pace ,spin and chinaman , few batsmen were ever more complete or few fielders could pull off as stunning catches.
6.Frank Woolley-Close to the best all-rounder of all, who could conquer the most hazardous conditions.
7.Alan Davidson-Statistically the best left arm pace bowler of all,who was almost as lethal as a Trueman,Lindwall or Larwood.Also a very fine batsman as he proved in the tied test at Brisbane.
8.Dick Spooner.-Played very few tests but was a very effective performer,thus chosen behind the stumps.
9.Bill Johnston – Quoting cricinfo “Alternating between a sharp medium-pace and finger-spin, left-handed Bill Johnston was a fixture in Australian XIs for a decade after the war, until an incapacitating knee injury forced him from the game. Genial and avuncular, he nonetheless had a mean bouncer and a keen appetite for overs, harvesting 102 wickets at 16.8 on his first tour of England with Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles, including 9 for 183 from 84 overs in the first Test at Trent Bridge. Historians tend to cast him as an auxiliary to Lindwall and Miller, but he was more reliable than either, and the four years he took to surpass 100 Test wickets was a record.”
10.Hedley Verity-Quoting cricinfo “Judged by any standard, Verity was a great bowler. Merely to watch him was to know that. The balance of the run up, the high ease of the left-handed action, the scrupulous length, the pensive variety, all proclaimed the master. He combined nature with art to a degree not equalled by any other English bowler of our time.’
11.Tony Locke –Quoting cricinfo “Tony Lock was an aggressive, attacking left-arm spinner, who complemented ideally the subtleties of Jim Laker's off-spin when Surrey were winning the County Championship every year from 1952 to 1958 and England regained, then retained, the Ashes; their names were twinned in cricket lore in a way usually associated with opening batsmen and fast bowlers.”
Post -1975 left-handers XI
1.Matthew Hayden-Staistically amongst the top 5 openers of all and as a match-winner at the very top.
2.Saed Anwar –Few lefthanders ever possessed such a magic touch or were as destructive at their best.
3.Brian Lara –Took batting genius to heights unparalleled ,championing the cause for a weak side. No batsmen more mercurial in his time or able to turn a match.
4.David Gower-Took grace to divinic regions and at his best comparable to the best ever. Amongst the most talented batsmen ever and best ever players of genuine pace.
5.Kumar Sangakkara-Statistically the best batsmen of his era or even the best left-handed batsmen of all.Much more successful at home but also championed causes in Australia/A master on difficult tracks and grace personified.
6.Clive Lloyd –Few left –handers hit a cricket ball harder or championed a crisis better. He would lead my team as he was master in knitting together a bunch of talented individuals.
7.Ben Stokes- In many ways a re-incarnation of Ian Botham,who can turn the complexion of game 360 degrees. As explosive as Botham with the bat and can make crucial breakthroughs in the manner of Botham.One of the truly great cricketers of the modern era.
8.Adam Gilchrist-The most destructive player after Sir Viv Richards, who could explode like a dynamite.Argubaly the best match-winner of his day.Best wicketkeeper of his era who I choose behind the stumps.
9.Mitchelle Johnson-At his best a more daunting proposition than Dale Steyn ,as he proved in South Africa in 2014 and in home Ashes series against England .He displayed control or propelled a cricket ball to a degree few could ever ,displaying immaculate line and length and disconcerting bounce.
10Wasim Akram-No pace bowler was as versatile or complete or traversed such unexplored regions in pace bowling artistry.
11.Bishen Bedi-No spinner was more artistic or posesesd as classical variations.Could turn a match in any conditions.
I would back the post -1975 left hander XI to win by the slenderest of margins because it has more versatility or skill in bowling department and more match-winners.Pre-1975 team has marginally stronger bating with Sobers,Pollock and Harvey and more all-round cricketing skill with Davidson and Woolley adding to Sobers.
Best Left handers X1-upto 1975
1.Arthur Morris-One of the most dashing batsman of his time, who played an instrumental role in Bradman’s invincibles.
2.Bill Lawry –A model of consistency with great flair to rise up to the occasion. At his best against West Indies.
3.Graeme Pollock- The most talented left handed batsman of his ear who could have been 2nd to only Bradman had his test carer not been curtailed.
4.Neil Harvey-Few ever displayed greater mastery on bad wickets, like in South Africa when scoring an unbeaten 151 in a 336 run chase in 4th innings .
5.Garfield Sobers-Took allround cricketing genius to proportions unscaled, being three a three in one cricketer.No bowler was more versatile considering he bowled pace ,spin and chinaman , few batsmen were ever more complete or few fielders could pull off as stunning catches.
6.Frank Woolley-Close to the best all-rounder of all, who could conquer the most hazardous conditions.
7.Alan Davidson-Statistically the best left arm pace bowler of all,who was almost as lethal as a Trueman,Lindwall or Larwood.Also a very fine batsman as he proved in the tied test at Brisbane.
8.Dick Spooner.-Played very few tests but was a very effective performer,thus chosen behind the stumps.
9.Bill Johnston – Quoting cricinfo “Alternating between a sharp medium-pace and finger-spin, left-handed Bill Johnston was a fixture in Australian XIs for a decade after the war, until an incapacitating knee injury forced him from the game. Genial and avuncular, he nonetheless had a mean bouncer and a keen appetite for overs, harvesting 102 wickets at 16.8 on his first tour of England with Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles, including 9 for 183 from 84 overs in the first Test at Trent Bridge. Historians tend to cast him as an auxiliary to Lindwall and Miller, but he was more reliable than either, and the four years he took to surpass 100 Test wickets was a record.”
10.Hedley Verity-Quoting cricinfo “Judged by any standard, Verity was a great bowler. Merely to watch him was to know that. The balance of the run up, the high ease of the left-handed action, the scrupulous length, the pensive variety, all proclaimed the master. He combined nature with art to a degree not equalled by any other English bowler of our time.’
11.Tony Locke –Quoting cricinfo “Tony Lock was an aggressive, attacking left-arm spinner, who complemented ideally the subtleties of Jim Laker's off-spin when Surrey were winning the County Championship every year from 1952 to 1958 and England regained, then retained, the Ashes; their names were twinned in cricket lore in a way usually associated with opening batsmen and fast bowlers.”
Post -1975 left-handers XI
1.Matthew Hayden-Staistically amongst the top 5 openers of all and as a match-winner at the very top.
2.Saed Anwar –Few lefthanders ever possessed such a magic touch or were as destructive at their best.
3.Brian Lara –Took batting genius to heights unparalleled ,championing the cause for a weak side. No batsmen more mercurial in his time or able to turn a match.
4.David Gower-Took grace to divinic regions and at his best comparable to the best ever. Amongst the most talented batsmen ever and best ever players of genuine pace.
5.Kumar Sangakkara-Statistically the best batsmen of his era or even the best left-handed batsmen of all.Much more successful at home but also championed causes in Australia/A master on difficult tracks and grace personified.
6.Clive Lloyd –Few left –handers hit a cricket ball harder or championed a crisis better. He would lead my team as he was master in knitting together a bunch of talented individuals.
7.Ben Stokes- In many ways a re-incarnation of Ian Botham,who can turn the complexion of game 360 degrees. As explosive as Botham with the bat and can make crucial breakthroughs in the manner of Botham.One of the truly great cricketers of the modern era.
8.Adam Gilchrist-The most destructive player after Sir Viv Richards, who could explode like a dynamite.Argubaly the best match-winner of his day.Best wicketkeeper of his era who I choose behind the stumps.
9.Mitchelle Johnson-At his best a more daunting proposition than Dale Steyn ,as he proved in South Africa in 2014 and in home Ashes series against England .He displayed control or propelled a cricket ball to a degree few could ever ,displaying immaculate line and length and disconcerting bounce.
10Wasim Akram-No pace bowler was as versatile or complete or traversed such unexplored regions in pace bowling artistry.
11.Bishen Bedi-No spinner was more artistic or posesesd as classical variations.Could turn a match in any conditions.
I would back the post -1975 left hander XI to win by the slenderest of margins because it has more versatility or skill in bowling department and more match-winners.Pre-1975 team has marginally stronger bating with Sobers,Pollock and Harvey and more all-round cricketing skill with Davidson and Woolley adding to Sobers.
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