Harsh Thakor
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Does South Africa have the best all-time Test XI ever?
- Thread starter Harsh Thakor
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Alan Lamb. What. He actually averaged the same as Hooper. He isn't proven to be great in any conditions. Gooch also is nowhere near the class of Richards
Border is a debate
As match winners? Probably not. Ponting. Gilchrist. Bradman. Top drawer stats & importantly also completely grabbed a game & changed it's complexion. Amla & Kallis fall just short there imo.
As stated I can't consider Proctor or B. Richards simply as they never got the chance to play.
SA have a top drawer pace attack. You can probably argue Steyn, Donald, Pollock with Lillee, McGrath, Cummins and have a good case for either. Matchwinners all.
Spin is a clear victory for Oz. No one is coming close to Gilchrist.
Summed it up in one sentence.
If AB keeps wicket I think he’s actually superior to Gilchrist!
You have the right to your opinion but it's wrong.
Gilchrist changed the game & the role of keepers from busy, "chip in" tyoe batsmen ala Healy & Moin Khan to the point where teams demand a proper batsmen, decades later.
No batsman has ever turned so many matches on their head with a counter attacking innings.
I’ve been thinking about this.
There is no way that Graeme Smith gets in to the South Africa team.
Eddie Barlow averaged 75.37 as a Test opener and unlike many of the others played 30 Tests and scored over 2500 Test runs (average 45.74) as well as taking 40 wickets at 34.05.
By having Barlow, Kallis, Rice, De Villiers, Shaun Pollock and Procter in the team you effectively have 17 players in your starting eleven!
And you don’t need Smith as a specialist skipper anyway, because Clive Rice was a far more positive and aggressive skipper.
1. Eddie Barlow (RMF)
2. Barry Richards
3. Jacques Kallis (RFM)
4. Graeme Pollock
5. AB De Villers (wk)
6. Clive Rice (RF) (captain)
7. Mike Procter
8. Shaun Pollock (RFM)
9. Neil Adcock (RF) or Vince Van Der Bijl (RFM)
10. Dale Steyn (RF)
11. John Traicos (OB)
I’ve got SEVEN international class pace bowlers in that team, which means that they are going to be at full pace.
My racial mix isn’t great though!
Chrish
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Yeah not sure how Hayden would go against Steyn/ Donald/ Pollock. This is all time Xi. Not all time Xi against Australia.
I would rate Hayden higher myself but it’s a faulty way of looking at things.
James
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James
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Deeply sad that some people are picking a guy to open, Barry Richards, who played in one home Test series (four games) — OVER Graeme Smith, arguably South Africa’s greatest ever matchwinning batsman, captain, and overall servant who had an extensive career at the top level.
When nostalgia loses its mind.
When nostalgia loses its mind.
Justcrazy
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If you are looking at best all round Team ever , I think Aussies have a major advantage with Bradman and Shane Warne. No other team has that.
West Indies lacks a quality spinner, which does not make their team complete for all conditions, the same is an issue with SA team.
If you make a Pakistan best Team , they will lack solid openers and all round middle order. India will have a weak bowling line up , which does not have much impact.
West Indies lacks a quality spinner, which does not make their team complete for all conditions, the same is an issue with SA team.
If you make a Pakistan best Team , they will lack solid openers and all round middle order. India will have a weak bowling line up , which does not have much impact.
Hanif Mohammad and Saeed Anwar are pretty solid openers tbh. And a middle order of Miandad,Inzi and Younis is pretty solid as well.
Justcrazy
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Not in all conditions, In Australia and South Africa , Anwar , Inzamam , Miandad , Zaheer Abbas , Younis all will struggle big time.
In Asian Conditions Pakistan all-time XI will be almost unbeatable,
Justcrazy
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In asian conditions they lack quality spinner to force a win.
Unbiased-Fan
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How can you select all time XI with players less than 10 match experience??
Though Barry Richards and Procter had legendary first class careers, they are untested at test level. We saw many players who had great start to their test careers but faded very early. You should select your Test XI with players who have atleast played handful amount of tests.
I'll replace Kirsten with Richards and deKock with Procter, rest are fine.
Smith *
Kirsten
Pollock
Amla
Kallis
Devilliers
Dekock (wk)
Pollock
Steyn
Tayfield
Donald
This team looks great but nowhere close to All Time XIs of Windies, Australia and England. Even Pakistan XI is almost equal strong.
Windies XI :-
Greenidge
Haynes
Headley
Richards *
Lara
Sobers
Dujon
Marshall
Holding
Gibbs
Ambrose
Asutalia XI :-
Hayden
Langer
Bradman *
Ponting
Smith
Miller
Gilchrist
Davidson
Warne
Lillee
McGrath
England XI :-
Hobbs
Hutton *
Hammond
Pietersen
Barrington
Botham
Knott
Underwood
Barnes
Trueman
Anderson
Pakistan XI :-
Hanif
Anwar
Younis
Miandad
Inzamam
Imran *
Bari
Akram
Younis
Qadir
Mahmud
Though Barry Richards and Procter had legendary first class careers, they are untested at test level. We saw many players who had great start to their test careers but faded very early. You should select your Test XI with players who have atleast played handful amount of tests.
I'll replace Kirsten with Richards and deKock with Procter, rest are fine.
Smith *
Kirsten
Pollock
Amla
Kallis
Devilliers
Dekock (wk)
Pollock
Steyn
Tayfield
Donald
This team looks great but nowhere close to All Time XIs of Windies, Australia and England. Even Pakistan XI is almost equal strong.
Windies XI :-
Greenidge
Haynes
Headley
Richards *
Lara
Sobers
Dujon
Marshall
Holding
Gibbs
Ambrose
Asutalia XI :-
Hayden
Langer
Bradman *
Ponting
Smith
Miller
Gilchrist
Davidson
Warne
Lillee
McGrath
England XI :-
Hobbs
Hutton *
Hammond
Pietersen
Barrington
Botham
Knott
Underwood
Barnes
Trueman
Anderson
Pakistan XI :-
Hanif
Anwar
Younis
Miandad
Inzamam
Imran *
Bari
Akram
Younis
Qadir
Mahmud
de Kock lol. Dudley Nouse and B Mitchell might have something to say as well. Give the gloves to AB and have Nouse bat a step higher.
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