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Hypothetical Test draft - 10 participants to pick their teams [Completed]

Kaddy said:
[MENTION=132969]Da_Future_Knick[/MENTION]
I requested you to trade my last pick with aliaster cook.
Now you have the most unbalanced XI.
You have no keeper
Three openers and your third fast bowler is ben stokes.
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The only way I would give up someone like cook is if I can a regular keeper. I have 2 spinners and 3 fast bowlers which is pretty balanced lol
 
Da_Future_Knick said:
The only way I would give up someone like cook is if I can a regular keeper. I have 2 spinners and 3 fast bowlers which is pretty balanced lol
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Take ABD and give Cook/Warner if allowable. You have Dravid, Miandad, Chanderpaul in the middle order so AB can keep and bat at no.6 or 7 with Stokes and Shakib also there.
 
therealAB said:
why would someone trade ABdV for Cook [MENTION=139595]Ab Fan[/MENTION]
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[MENTION=151884]Kaddy[/MENTION] is missing a test opener and I think he gave the offer first. So, deal vs deal. You need an opener and I need a keeper. I give you my best opener and you give me your best keeper batsmen. Ultimately, their final call.
 
[MENTION=137148]Rayyman[/MENTION]
[MENTION=152035]Bezli[/MENTION] has sent his pick to Abdullah, only you're left to make name your last pick
 
Ab Fan said:
[MENTION=151884]Kaddy[/MENTION] is missing a test opener and I think he gave the offer first. So, deal vs deal. You need an opener and I need a keeper. I give you my best opener and you give me your best keeper batsmen. Ultimately, their final call.
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Don't think he'd trade his third round pick for Cook. There are still a lot of openers left nearly as good as Cook but no wicket keeper batsman left who's even anywhere near the class of ABDV (strictly talking about the batting)
 
Just checked,

Three openers , a Dravid and a Chanderpaul :)))
 
My team has decided to give a guard of honour every time someone from [MENTION=151648]therealAB[/MENTION] team comes to bat.

Gotta respect the seniors

Hopefully they eill be too emotional and teary eyed and get out soon :yk
 
freelance_cricketer said:
My team has decided to give a guard of honour every time someone from [MENTION=151648]therealAB[/MENTION] team comes to bat.

Gotta respect the seniors

Hopefully they eill be too emotional and teary eyed and get out soon :yk
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Haha yep. Don't really prefer the older blokes, just no one else was picking them
 
Bezli said:
Beautiful AllRounder!! He had a potential but he decided to stick with ODI.

What a shame!! If we were alllowed to pick our 12th men and wanted this draft to go for forever, I would’ve selected my boy Afridi.
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Was expecting one [MENTION=152035]Bezli[/MENTION] amd @Raymman to pick Lala.

I is disappoint :afridi
 
Tough Nuts

1- Sir Len Hutton
2- Justin Langer
3- Rohan Kanhai
4- Allan Border (c)
5- Andy Flower (wk)
6- Steve Waugh
7- Tony Greig
8- Sir Richard Hadlee
9- Alan Davidson
10- Shane Warne
11- Dennis Lillee


Bowling Attack

5 genuine bowling options:

2 genuine right arm quickies (Lillee & Hadlee)
1 Left arm seamer (Davidson)
1 Leg spinner (Warne)
1 offspinner or 4th seamer (Tony greig)
2 more than handy part timers (Steve Waugh & Allan Border)

Shane Warne - Needs no introduction. The Wizard. The Magician. Undisputed greatest spinner of all time. Only bowler among the Wisden's 5 cricketers of the century.

Dennis Lillee - An epitome of fast bowling. Considered to be the most complete fast bowler of all time. Pace, aggression, swing, seam, accuracy. Lillee had it all. Voted #6 in the Wisden greatest cricketer of 20th century

Sir Richard Hadlee - Original swing of Sultan. Wisden named him as the second best test bowler of all time. Carried a mediocre Kiwi team for almost 2 decades and made them compete with the best. Boasts incredible bowling stats: 436 wickets at an average of 22 with 36 5 wicket hauls and 10 10fers. Bowling average of 21 in Asia proves Hadlee was all conditions, all weather bowler who would take pitch out of the equation.

Alan Davidson 2nd best left arm pacer of all time. Some even consider him even better than Wasim. He has the lowest bowling average (20.53) among all post war pacers with 100+ wickets. Bowling average of 17 in Asia proves his versatility as a bowler.

Tony Greig He is among the rare class of bowlers who could bowl seam as well as spin and be equally good at both of them. He has six 5 wicket hauls including 5 fers in West Indies and India bowling offspin while in New Zealand bowling medium pace. So he can become either the 4th seamer or 2nd spinner in my XI according to the pitch type.

Although part timers aren't required in an ATG bowling side but it doesn't harm to mention the fact that Steve Waugh has three 5 fers bowling medium pace while Border once won a match with his SLA bowling getting 11 wickets against West Indian side that included the likes of Viv, Greenidge, Haynes, Richie Richardson.

Batting lineup

One opener and 3 middle order batsmen with 50+ average. Left hand, right hand combination all the way till #8. 4 lefties in top 8. Top batsmen/AR's selected from their respective generations. Hutton (1940's), Kanhai (1960's), Greig (1970's), Border (1980's), Waugh & Flower (1990's), Langer (2000's). Most batsmen have even better away average. Amazing batting depth with Hadlee and Davidson batting at #8 and #9 and Warne with 12 test fifties batting at #10.



1- Sir Len Hutton Globally regarded as one of the greatest openers of all time alongside Sir Jack Hobbs and Sunil Gavasker. Batting with an average of 56+ as an opener in an era of uncovered pitches is no joke. He once held the record of highest score of 364 which was subsequently broken by Gary Sobers.

2- Justin LangerAlongwith Hayden, Justin Langer formed one of the greatest opening pairs of all time. He averaged 48+ as an opener which is three points higher than his career average.

3- Rohan Kanhai Widely considered to be one of the best batsmen of 1960's. Has a much better record in Australia than the famous three W's. Sunil Gavaskar was such a fan of Rohan that he named his son after him and wrote of him "To say that he is the greatest batsman I have ever seen so far is to put it mildly."

4- Allan Border Epitome of resilience. Tough as they come. After Bradman, Border is easily among the top 5 batsmen Australia ever produced and probably the best Australian batsman against spin with an average of 54 in Asia. He was the best middle order batsman of 1980's (decade of legendary fast bowlers i.e. Marshall, Holding, Garner, Imran, Hadlee, Wasim, Kapil, Botham) with an average of 55+ and 20 hundreds which was ahead of Viv and Miandad. He averaged 60+ in 6 calendar years at his peak. 50+ average in England, Pakistan, India, New Zealand and West indies. Only batsman in history to have scored 150 in each innings of a test. Scored 50+ 90 times in his career which is the 6th most in test history (behind Sachin, Kallis, Dravid, Ponting and Chanderpaul)

5- Andy Flower Easily among the top 3 greatest wicket keeper batsmen of all time. Has the 2nd best batting average (53.7) of all time for a keeper. Only behind ABDV's 57 who only kept for a couple of years during his career. A champion cricketer who carried a minnow team like Zimbabwe and made them compete with the best. Has 50+ average in all continents barring Europe where he only played a couple of matches.

6- Steve Waugh The embodiment of true Australian grit. The ultimate fighter. Solid as a rock. Better away average than home. 2nd best middle order batsman of 1990's (only behind Sachin) with an average of 55+. After Bradman, easily among the top 5 Australian batsmen ever alongwith Border, Chappel, Ponting and Hayden. He holds the record of scoring most test centuries (24) at number 5 and the only batsman #6 batsman in history with an average of 50+ off all the batsmen scoring 3000+ runs batting at #6.

7- Tony Greig With an average of 40+, 8 hundreds and 20 fifties in his short career curtailed due to his role in Karry Packer rebellion, he's probably the best #7 of this draft. He has hundreds in Australia, England, India and West indies. Equally good batsman against both pace and spin as evident by his memorable hundred in Brisbane against fire breathing Lillee and Thomson or his hundred at Bridgetown against Holding & Roberts and a couple of hundreds in India against the spin trio of Bedi, Chandra and Prasanna. Chief architect of the famous series win in India.

8, 9 and 10 - Richard Hadlee, Alan Davidson, Warne With the batting averages of 27, 24 and 17 respectively and 2 hundreds and 32 fifties between them, these three form the strongest lower order in this draft so this is probably the only team without a tail. Even Lillee at #11 has a test 50.
 
[MENTION=151648]therealAB[/MENTION]

Had time so updated the writeup. Kindly use the above one.
 
therealAB said:
[MENTION=139595]Ab Fan[/MENTION] that makes sense, then Walcott could open
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Sorry I got it wrong. I thought Walcott is a wicket keeper, got confused between the three Ws. So, I said he can give a keeper for an opener.
 
[MENTION=55088]Watsupdoc[/MENTION] [MENTION=128087]last_knight[/MENTION] should we decide on an unpicked XI? This my suggestion:


1. Arthur Morris
2. Conrad Hunte
3. Neil Harvey
4. Dudley Nourse
5. Frank Worrell (c)
6. Aubrey Faulkner
7. Rod Marsh (wk)
8. Frank Tyson
9. Neil Adcock
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Clarrie Grimmett
 
therealAB said:
Writeups will come out tonight. Will you be able to organise the voting?
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yeah, I'll keep track of votes on a spreadsheet. So we're going with the ranking system I suggested
where every poster would rank top 3 teams, right?
 
AFM said:
[MENTION=55088]Watsupdoc[/MENTION] [MENTION=128087]last_knight[/MENTION] should we decide on an unpicked XI? This my suggestion:


1. Arthur Morris
2. Conrad Hunte
3. Neil Harvey
4. Dudley Nourse
5. Frank Worrell (c)
6. Aubrey Faulkner
7. Rod Marsh (wk)
8. Frank Tyson
9. Neil Adcock
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Clarrie Grimmett
Click to expand...

Some names from modern era

Chris Cairns
Ian Chappell
Mark Taylor
Desmond Haynes
Kalicharan
 
AFM said:
[MENTION=55088]Watsupdoc[/MENTION] [MENTION=128087]last_knight[/MENTION] should we decide on an unpicked XI? This my suggestion:


1. Arthur Morris
2. Conrad Hunte
3. Neil Harvey
4. Dudley Nourse
5. Frank Worrell (c)
6. Aubrey Faulkner
7. Rod Marsh (wk)
8. Frank Tyson
9. Neil Adcock
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Clarrie Grimmett
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Don't know if Barnes qualify. Picks have to be post WW1. Let me add more names and we can pick 11 of those.
 
AFM said:
[MENTION=55088]Watsupdoc[/MENTION] [MENTION=128087]last_knight[/MENTION] should we decide on an unpicked XI? This my suggestion:


1. Arthur Morris
2. Conrad Hunte
3. Neil Harvey
4. Dudley Nourse
5. Frank Worrell (c)
6. Aubrey Faulkner
7. Rod Marsh (wk)
8. Frank Tyson
9. Neil Adcock
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Clarrie Grimmett
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What about Mike Hussey (averages 50 plus) - I am actually surprised he wasn’t picked ahead of likes of Laxman, Clarke, etc.

For wicket keeping Quinton De Kock? - someone who can bat well as well.
 
Watsupdoc said:
What about Mike Hussey (averages 50 plus) - I am actually surprised he wasn’t picked ahead of likes of Laxman, Clarke, etc.

For wicket keeping Quinton De Kock? - someone who can bat well as well.
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I agree re Mike Hussey - noticed that as well.
 
AFM said:
[MENTION=55088]Watsupdoc[/MENTION] [MENTION=128087]last_knight[/MENTION] should we decide on an unpicked XI? This my suggestion:


1. Arthur Morris
2. Conrad Hunte
3. Neil Harvey
4. Dudley Nourse
5. Frank Worrell (c)
6. Aubrey Faulkner
7. Rod Marsh (wk)
8. Frank Tyson
9. Neil Adcock
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Clarrie Grimmett
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Barnes and Faulkner don't qualify
 
Watsupdoc said:
What about Mike Hussey (averages 50 plus) - I am actually surprised he wasn’t picked ahead of likes of Laxman, Clarke, etc.

For wicket keeping Quinton De Kock? - someone who can bat well as well.
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De Kock is a good shout. I think there maybe better names than Hussey.

What about bowlers?
 
What about Bob Willis to replace Barnes in that line-up. He was one of the greatest English bowlers
 
AFM said:
[MENTION=55088]Watsupdoc[/MENTION] [MENTION=128087]last_knight[/MENTION] should we decide on an unpicked XI? This my suggestion:


1. Arthur Morris
2. Conrad Hunte
3. Neil Harvey
4. Dudley Nourse
5. Frank Worrell (c)
6. Aubrey Faulkner
7. Rod Marsh (wk)
8. Frank Tyson
9. Neil Adcock
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Clarrie Grimmett
Click to expand...

Herschelle Gibbs
Denis Amiss
Ian Chappel
Denis Compton
Misbah
M Hussey
Ian Healy
Daniel Vettori
Boult
Bedser
Ntini

(Harbhajan and McDermott miss out).
 
last_knight said:
Herschelle Gibbs
Denis Amiss
Ian Chappel
Denis Compton
Misbah
M Hussey
Ian Healy
Daniel Vettori
Boult
Bedser
Ntini

(Harbhajan and McDermott miss out).
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Thought Richie Benaud would make it to unpicked XI.
Ian Bishop, Jeff Thomson and Bob Willis are the pacers I was expecting
 
maddgenius said:
Thought Richie Benaud would make it to unpicked XI.
Ian Bishop, Jeff Thomson and Bob Willis are the pacers I was expecting
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I was very tempted to include Bishop. But he could never fulfil his potential due to injuries - so hard to include him over an accomplished career.

Thommo was not consistent enough. Bob Willis is a good shout. Richie was a good spinner, but I think Grimmett is considered one of the few elite leggies in history.
 
[MENTION=151648]therealAB[/MENTION] [MENTION=133760]Abdullah719[/MENTION] almost done with my writeup. Is it fine if I post in about an hour?
 
last_knight said:
Herschelle Gibbs
Denis Amiss
Ian Chappel
Denis Compton
Misbah
M Hussey
Ian Healy
Daniel Vettori
Boult
Bedser
Ntini

(Harbhajan and McDermott miss out).
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Vettori wasn’t that great. I am sure there are better spinners out there than him.
 
AFM said:
I was very tempted to include Bishop. But he could never fulfil his potential due to injuries - so hard to include him over an accomplished career.

Thommo was not consistent enough. Bob Willis is a good shout. Richie was a good spinner, but I think Grimmett is considered one of the few elite leggies in history.
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Bishop was a tier 1 pacer and played long enough to be considered among top 30-30 pacers especially when even Bond and Asif were picked.

Thommo also makes a case as a tearaway pacer when we have someone picking Brett Lee or Johsnon.

Also, I think a team should have a good mix of modern era i.e. post ODI's players and black & white ones. This is why I picked Border and Waugh ahead of someone like Wally Hammond because I did't want too many ancient players in my team after I had picked Hutton and was planning to pick Davidson/Lindwall
 
Watsupdoc said:
Vettori wasn’t that great. I am sure there are better spinners out there than him.
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Top 6 all have average around 50 at their positions over a prolonger career. And everyone has enough Hundreds to be competitive.

All bowlers have significant number of 5-fers.
Vettori, Ntini have 300+ wickets
Boult and Bedser have about 250
 
last_knight said:
Top 6 all have average around 50 at their positions over a prolonger career. And everyone has enough Hundreds to be competitive.

All bowlers have significant number of 5-fers.
Vettori, Ntini have 300+ wickets
Boult and Bedser have about 250
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Bob Willis is a better option than Ntini no?

Instead of Vettori you could go for Shakib

Edit: Shakib is already picked :))

What about Ravi Jadeja?
 
Last edited:
Country wise breakup of the 110 players picked:

Australia - 22
England - 21
West Indies - 17
South Africa - 14
Pakistan - 12
India - 12
New Zealand - 5
Sri Lanka - 5
Zimbabwe - 1
Bangladesh - 1
 
Watsupdoc said:
Bob Willis is a better option than Ntini no?

Instead of Vettori you could go for Shakib

Edit: Shakib is already picked :))

What about Ravi Jadeja?
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or we can replace Hussey by Cairns and then replace Vettori by Harbhajan/Kaneria.

I think Bob Willis has been picked. No ?
 
last_knight said:
Herschelle Gibbs
Denis Amiss
Ian Chappel
Denis Compton
Misbah
M Hussey
Ian Healy
Daniel Vettori
Boult
Bedser
Ntini

(Harbhajan and McDermott miss out).
Click to expand...

Why Misbah over Yousaf?

Yousaf is criticized for having a poor record in Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka but Misbah's record in those countries is even worse. Also he was mediocre in England and New Zealand where Yousaf was a beast. Misbah the test batsman was a UAE bully
 
last_knight said:
or we can replace Hussey by Cairns and then replace Vettori by Harbhajan/Kaneria.

I think Bob Willis has been picked. No ?
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Would have Hussey over Misbah. And you don't really an A/R I think we can go with 6 bats + WK and 4 bowls.

Instead of Vettori Jadeja or Swann are better options.
 
Misbah vs Yousaf in SENA

Australia:

Yousaf - 31.8
Misbah - 16.8

South Africa:

Yousaf - 26.1
Misbah - 22.5

England:

Yousaf - 54.3
Misbah - 40.3

New Zealand:

Yousaf - 55.3
Misbah - 37.4
 
Watsupdoc said:
What about vs. Hussey?
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Hussey was a beast on Australian pitches as well as Asia but failed in swingning/seaming tracks.

On the other hand, Yousaf struggled on bouncy pitches as well as against quality spin so depends who fits better in your line up. But both are miles ahead of Misbah without a doubt
 
Unpicked XI

Denis Amiss
Vinoo Mankad( All Rounder)
Ian Chappell(c)
Denis Compton
Peter May
Chris Cairns( All Rounder)
Ian Healy (wkt)
Graeme Swann
Jason Gillispie
Kagiso Rabada
Bob Willis

I will go with this XI as my unpicked team. Mike Hussey and Mohammad Yousuf are good but these name pops up ahead IMO.
 
Ab Fan said:
Unpicked XI

Denis Amiss
Vinoo Mankad( All Rounder)
Ian Chappell(c)
Denis Compton
Peter May
Chris Cairns( All Rounder)
Ian Healy (wkt)
Graeme Swann
Jason Gillispie
Kagiso Rabada
Bob Willis

I will go with this XI as my unpicked team. Mike Hussey and Mohammad Yousuf are good but these name pops up ahead IMO.
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Peter May again had a huge variation in home vs away average

Home avg of 57 vs away avg of 35
 
maddgenius said:
Peter May again had a huge variation in home vs away average

Home avg of 57 vs away avg of 35
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Similar to Compton then. Graham Thorpe is another big name missing. He was a quality player and did well in sub continent.
 
It’s crazy that no one picked Healy. Best wicket keeper of all time after Knott
 
maddgenius said:
Why Misbah over Yousaf?

Yousaf is criticized for having a poor record in Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka but Misbah's record in those countries is even worse. Also he was mediocre in England and New Zealand where Yousaf was a beast. Misbah the test batsman was a UAE bully
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Misbah over Yousaf specifically for #5 position. For #4 Compton over Yousaf.
 
last_knight said:
Misbah over Yousaf specifically for #5 position. For #4 Compton over Yousaf.
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#4 and #5 aren't specialist batting positions in tests. A good #5 would be equally good at #5 and vice versa. In fact, Yousaf has played more matches and scored more hundreds at #5 compared to #4.
 
I was tempted to pick Carl Hooper for #6 and replace Vettori by Harbhajan.

Also Azharuddin and Aravinda misses out.
 
maddgenius said:
#4 and #5 aren't specialist batting positions in tests. A good #5 would be equally good at #5 and vice versa. In fact, Yousaf has played more matches and scored more hundreds at #5 compared to #4.
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How about Mark Waugh,Graham Thorpe?
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
It’s crazy that no one picked Healy. Best wicket keeper of all time after Knott
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Batting skills were also considered otherwise players like Stewart, Sanga, ABD and Mccullum wouldn't have got picked as a keeper who weren't even the best keepers of their National XI as Jack Russell, Prasanna Jayawardene, Boucher/Quinton and Watling kept ahead of them.
 
Guys please give me your thoughts on my team, my writeup is the bottom most post on the last page so it might have been missed :)
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the best, most balanced team yet. But of course, that's for you to decide. Here it is, my Thunderstorm XI.

1- Graham Gooch (C)
2- Sir Gordon Greenidge
3- Ken Barrington
4- Brian Lara
5- Michael Clarke
6- Damien Martyn
7- Alan Knott (WK)
8- Sir Andy Roberts
9- Sir Curtly Ambrose
10- Dale Steyn
11- Bishan Singh Bedi


Openers
There is much to be said about them, and very little that needs to be said. Everyone knows who they are.

1. Perhaps we'll begin with Graham Alan Gooch. England's best post-war opener, and arguably the best opener against pace of all time. He is most famous as the best batsman to tame the famous West Indian Calypso quartet of Roberts, Garner, Holding, and spearheaded by Sir Andy Roberts. In 1991, Gooch was responsible for what Wisden now hails as the 3rd greatest Test innings of all time. Playing the likes of Ambrose, Marshall, Walsh, and Patterson with sheer skill and mastery, many to this day remember his famous 2nd innings 154 at Headingly in bad light, where the second highest English score was 27. The innings is only superseded by two others in Wisden's all time ratings: Bradman's 270, and Lara's 153*. But he wasn't just a master against pace - you'd be well equipped to refer to his mammoth 472 runs in India in 1981.

2. Sir Gordon Greenidge. Technically correct, majestic, dominating. Many refer to him as the best opener of all time next to Gavaskar. One of the integral aspects of the GOAT Calypso team, and one of their greatest match winners. More consistent than Richards and Lloyd. What devastating cuts and pulls to terrorize any bowling attack! Some would say he is the best post-war opener ever, but there is a debate to be had. I agree, Gooch too has fair claim to the title.

3-7 Batting Order
3. Ken Barrington. Barrington, Barrington, Barrington. Nobody, not a soul, has ever done better at the number 3 position since Don Bradman himself. What a magnificent player he was. With an average of 77.24, this man knew how to bat day in and day out. There are very few batsmen I would trust more than him in a time of crisis. Perhaps the greatest English bulldog after Winston Churchill. All positions combined, only 2 men (Bradman and Steve Smith) have made more than his 6800 runs at a better average. He has the highest post-WW2 English score ever in the Ashes at 256, which is also the third highest of all time. Twice made centuries in 4 consecutive tests. An epitome of consistency, and the anchor to hold my innings as the devastating likes of Greenidge and Lara play around him.

4. Where to begin with Brian Lara, the Prince of the Port of Spain? The backlift? His Mozart-esque artistry in batting or the dynamite with a fuse that never forgets to go off? The records? Should it be his maiden century of 277 against Australia? Seriously, who does that? Or should it be the highest ever score of all time at the time, 375 against England batting for two days, also known as Wisden's 10th greatest innings of all time? Maybe it's his 400, setting the record again ten years later. I digress. True cricket fans know it's none of these, but actually his fighting 153* against Australia. With WI chasing 308 after being 105 for 5, his GOAT chasing knock is rated as the 2nd best innings of all time after Bradman by Wisden. Hailed as the toughest batsman to bowl to by Murali and Akram, Lara is easily the best batsman in this draft.

5. Michael Clarke. The third best batsman at Number 5 of all time. Please note that he is a specialist number 5 bat for me, and I will ignore his performances at number 4 which no doubt influences many's initial impression of him being in such a GOAT lineup. For context, he averages 30.6 at 4 over 62 innings vs 60.8 at 5 over 110 innings. The only triple centurion ever at number 5 after Don Bradman. With 40 fifty-plus scores in 110 innings and an average of 60.8, this man played with multiple injuries as well as was forced to carry the worst Aussie side in decades. Daddy hundreds of 151 and 130 in India, 151 and 161* in South Africa, and 187 and 136 in England. I'm not even talking about his triple century and 3 double centuries at home. To do so much with a weak batting side, a man who oozes as much class as Clarke would no doubt elevate himself with the Top 4 I have already cultivated - if I may be a little humble to say it is the best Top 4 of the draft.

6. Damien Martyn. What an underrated gem. It's easy to be passed over when you're in the same team as Ponting, Hayden, and Gilchrist. Especially when you make your trade in the lower batting order. But make no mistake, Martyn was possibly the most artistic batsman in the entirety of the ATG Aussie team and the most pleasing to watch. His mastery of the offside was simply impeccable. His timing, his shot placement, square cuts through two fielders standing two yards away from each other, simply fantastic. Player of the series in 2004, in Aussie's only ever Test series victory against India in India since 1969. Yes, it's been that long. What great second innings hundreds, what a great consolidation of the middle order. That Aussie team simply wouldn't have beat India away without him. So when you talk about Aussie's horrible modern day away record and why maybe they don't deserve the number 1 position, just think about what it means that their GOAT team might not have won in India either if not for this man. Martyn is also arguably the greatest fielder in the covers of all time with the ability to manufacture run outs out of thin air. When every opposition wicket is an ATG batsman, a GOAT fielder supporting your ATG bowling attack to provide you a breakthrough can win you the match.

7. 7- Alan Knott. Forget a draft XI where ten teams are made, this man will make most all time World XIs for his skill with the glove. The greatest wicket-keeper batsman (although perhaps Gilchrist takes it as batsman-wicket keeper), this eccentric man was energetic, agile, quick on his feet, and economical in movement. I have prioritized getting a better wicket keeper than batsman because I am more than confident of my top and middle order. At this point, I must ensure that not a single opportunity, not a chance, created by my bowlers goes missing. For this reason, in my opinion, the wicket keeper is perhaps the most important aspect of the entire lineup. This was a man who stood up to the stumps to Underwood on a wet pitch, and the same to medium pacers on seam-friendly pitches. An eccentric man too, who maintained his own technique, kept his collar up, and washed his hands with warm water before going on the pitch. This man was no slob with the bat. He innovated different grips between medium pacers and fast bowlers, while he was described by team mates as "dancing around the track" to India's famous spin quartet (including Bedi and Prasanna) in Bangalore, 1977.

Before I come to bowling, I must mention that my "tail" has 7 50's between them.

Bowling Attack
New Ball: Sir Curtly Ambrose and Dale Steyn. 405 and 417 wickets respectively, with a total of 822 wickets between the pair. Wow.

Who to begin with? Ambrose, what a bowler he was. We all remember his 7/1 against an immaculate Australia in 1993. Stunning, lethal, devastating, quick, aggressive, tall. No one has arguably ever been so accurate but terrorizing at the same time. His relentless fury, awkward arm angle, and amazing bounce. Best average of all time after Marshall among pacers at 20.99. Best pacer after Marshall with an average of 16.86 in wins, with Younis, Lillee, Pollock, and Akram at 18 or more. Ambrose is simply one of the greatest Test bowlers of all time. He could single-handedly destroy an entire batting lineup, and was immensely skillful at making his deliveries awkward to play through bounce and an extra gear of pace. To put it simply, he was a master of his craft, against the best of the best batsmen.

But he's not alone, for Dale Steyn is his perfect new ball partner; complimenting Ambrose's awkward angles, Steyn's mastery of the outswinger in a batsman dominated era place him at the top of the top. He is so, so, so far ahead of the bowlers of his era. So effective, so consistent. A monster with impeccable line, length, pace, and seam position. Beautiful run up and action that is just so good to watch. Performances go beyond conquering SENA. Devastated the ATG Indian batting lineup at its peak in India... perhaps the best overseas bowler in the subcontinent of all time. No bowler has ever dominated the number one spot in Test rankings as his incredible 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. In a time when bowlers average 34, the legendary Steyn Gun averages 22.9 at a SR of 42.4: nearly 5 wickets per match. A contender for one of the top Test bowlers of all time - definitely comes in any top 5, perhaps only behind Marshall, McGrath and Imran Khan. His ability to deliver individual match winning spells, to return and completely turn a game on its head, is second to none.

At first change, I have Sir Andy Roberts. What do Barry Richards, David Gower, Greig, Botham, Sunny Gavaskar and the Chappels all have in common? They all name the spearhead of the great Calypso attack, Sir Roberts himself, as the best they ever played against. A pioneer, leading the famous West Indian pace quartet, Andy Roberts is undoubtedly one of the greatest "thinking" bowlers to ever play the game. This legendary paceman crafted skill and painted tapestries of innovation with his use of trajectories, 2 different bouncers (slow and fast), what is said to be an incredible off cutter, and subtle variations on a masterful line and length. Removed both the Chappels off back to back deliveries. Crowe writes in his autobiography of an innings in county where Roberts brutalized him with 4 bruises to his chest. And he is also said to have knocked Botham's teeth out.

My spinner - the great Bishan Singh Bedi. The best of the Indian spin quartet. Indisputably the greatest left arm spinner ever. The great Jim Laker once described, "My idea of paradise is Lord’s in the sunshine, with Ray Lindwall bowling from one end and Bishan Bedi from the other". An aggressive personality, Bedi is one of the few spinners with the character of a fast bowler - completely ruthless, Bedi is described to have bowled with clockwork precision, computerized line and length, and weaving a web of magic deliveries around the batsmen. Would too often deceive a batsman with flight, and dominated on even the flattest of pitches.

-----

You will see that I have very precisely cultivated a balanced squad, with no holes in the lineup. My players have not just performed in all conditions, but have dominated in all conditions, in addition to masterful 4th innings abilities; I have also picked my players keeping their specific batting position and bowling role in mind. It is a highly specialized lineup, where there are few players anywhere in the world who will do better in the specific roles I have given to my players.

This was a long writeup, but I hope you enjoyed it. What do you think?
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the best, most balanced team yet. But of course, that's for you to decide. Here it is, my Thunderstorm XI.

1- Graham Gooch (C)
2- Sir Gordon Greenidge
3- Ken Barrington
4- Brian Lara
5- Michael Clarke
6- Damien Martyn
7- Alan Knott (WK)
8- Sir Andy Roberts
9- Sir Curtly Ambrose
10- Dale Steyn
11- Bishan Singh Bedi


Openers
There is much to be said about them, and very little that needs to be said. Everyone knows who they are.

1. Perhaps we'll begin with Graham Alan Gooch. England's best post-war opener, and arguably the best opener against pace of all time. He is most famous as the best batsman to tame the famous West Indian Calypso quartet of Roberts, Garner, Holding, and spearheaded by Sir Andy Roberts. In 1991, Gooch was responsible for what Wisden now hails as the 3rd greatest Test innings of all time. Playing the likes of Ambrose, Marshall, Walsh, and Patterson with sheer skill and mastery, many to this day remember his famous 2nd innings 154 at Headingly in bad light, where the second highest English score was 27. The innings is only superseded by two others in Wisden's all time ratings: Bradman's 270, and Lara's 153*. But he wasn't just a master against pace - you'd be well equipped to refer to his mammoth 472 runs in India in 1981.

2. Sir Gordon Greenidge. Technically correct, majestic, dominating. Many refer to him as the best opener of all time next to Gavaskar. One of the integral aspects of the GOAT Calypso team, and one of their greatest match winners. More consistent than Richards and Lloyd. What devastating cuts and pulls to terrorize any bowling attack! Some would say he is the best post-war opener ever, but there is a debate to be had. I agree, Gooch too has fair claim to the title.

3-7 Batting Order
3. Ken Barrington. Barrington, Barrington, Barrington. Nobody, not a soul, has ever done better at the number 3 position since Don Bradman himself. What a magnificent player he was. With an average of 77.24, this man knew how to bat day in and day out. There are very few batsmen I would trust more than him in a time of crisis. Perhaps the greatest English bulldog after Winston Churchill. All positions combined, only 2 men (Bradman and Steve Smith) have made more than his 6800 runs at a better average. He has the highest post-WW2 English score ever in the Ashes at 256, which is also the third highest of all time. Twice made centuries in 4 consecutive tests. An epitome of consistency, and the anchor to hold my innings as the devastating likes of Greenidge and Lara play around him.

4. Where to begin with Brian Lara, the Prince of the Port of Spain? The backlift? His Mozart-esque artistry in batting or the dynamite with a fuse that never forgets to go off? The records? Should it be his maiden century of 277 against Australia? Seriously, who does that? Or should it be the highest ever score of all time at the time, 375 against England batting for two days, also known as Wisden's 10th greatest innings of all time? Maybe it's his 400, setting the record again ten years later. I digress. True cricket fans know it's none of these, but actually his fighting 153* against Australia. With WI chasing 308 after being 105 for 5, his GOAT chasing knock is rated as the 2nd best innings of all time after Bradman by Wisden. Hailed as the toughest batsman to bowl to by Murali and Akram, Lara is easily the best batsman in this draft.

5. Michael Clarke. The third best batsman at Number 5 of all time. Please note that he is a specialist number 5 bat for me, and I will ignore his performances at number 4 which no doubt influences many's initial impression of him being in such a GOAT lineup. For context, he averages 30.6 at 4 over 62 innings vs 60.8 at 5 over 110 innings. The only triple centurion ever at number 5 after Don Bradman. With 40 fifty-plus scores in 110 innings and an average of 60.8, this man played with multiple injuries as well as was forced to carry the worst Aussie side in decades. Daddy hundreds of 151 and 130 in India, 151 and 161* in South Africa, and 187 and 136 in England. I'm not even talking about his triple century and 3 double centuries at home. To do so much with a weak batting side, a man who oozes as much class as Clarke would no doubt elevate himself with the Top 4 I have already cultivated - if I may be a little humble to say it is the best Top 4 of the draft.

6. Damien Martyn. What an underrated gem. It's easy to be passed over when you're in the same team as Ponting, Hayden, and Gilchrist. Especially when you make your trade in the lower batting order. But make no mistake, Martyn was possibly the most artistic batsman in the entirety of the ATG Aussie team and the most pleasing to watch. His mastery of the offside was simply impeccable. His timing, his shot placement, square cuts through two fielders standing two yards away from each other, simply fantastic. Player of the series in 2004, in Aussie's only ever Test series victory against India in India since 1969. Yes, it's been that long. What great second innings hundreds, what a great consolidation of the middle order. That Aussie team simply wouldn't have beat India away without him. So when you talk about Aussie's horrible modern day away record and why maybe they don't deserve the number 1 position, just think about what it means that their GOAT team might not have won in India either if not for this man. Martyn is also arguably the greatest fielder in the covers of all time with the ability to manufacture run outs out of thin air. When every opposition wicket is an ATG batsman, a GOAT fielder supporting your ATG bowling attack to provide you a breakthrough can win you the match.

7. 7- Alan Knott. Forget a draft XI where ten teams are made, this man will make most all time World XIs for his skill with the glove. The greatest wicket-keeper batsman (although perhaps Gilchrist takes it as batsman-wicket keeper), this eccentric man was energetic, agile, quick on his feet, and economical in movement. I have prioritized getting a better wicket keeper than batsman because I am more than confident of my top and middle order. At this point, I must ensure that not a single opportunity, not a chance, created by my bowlers goes missing. For this reason, in my opinion, the wicket keeper is perhaps the most important aspect of the entire lineup. This was a man who stood up to the stumps to Underwood on a wet pitch, and the same to medium pacers on seam-friendly pitches. An eccentric man too, who maintained his own technique, kept his collar up, and washed his hands with warm water before going on the pitch. This man was no slob with the bat. He innovated different grips between medium pacers and fast bowlers, while he was described by team mates as "dancing around the track" to India's famous spin quartet (including Bedi and Prasanna) in Bangalore, 1977.

Before I come to bowling, I must mention that my "tail" has 7 50's between them.

Bowling Attack
New Ball: Sir Curtly Ambrose and Dale Steyn. 405 and 417 wickets respectively, with a total of 822 wickets between the pair. Wow.

Who to begin with? Ambrose, what a bowler he was. We all remember his 7/1 against an immaculate Australia in 1993. Stunning, lethal, devastating, quick, aggressive, tall. No one has arguably ever been so accurate but terrorizing at the same time. His relentless fury, awkward arm angle, and amazing bounce. Best average of all time after Marshall among pacers at 20.99. Best pacer after Marshall with an average of 16.86 in wins, with Younis, Lillee, Pollock, and Akram at 18 or more. Ambrose is simply one of the greatest Test bowlers of all time. He could single-handedly destroy an entire batting lineup, and was immensely skillful at making his deliveries awkward to play through bounce and an extra gear of pace. To put it simply, he was a master of his craft, against the best of the best batsmen.

But he's not alone, for Dale Steyn is his perfect new ball partner; complimenting Ambrose's awkward angles, Steyn's mastery of the outswinger in a batsman dominated era place him at the top of the top. He is so, so, so far ahead of the bowlers of his era. So effective, so consistent. A monster with impeccable line, length, pace, and seam position. Beautiful run up and action that is just so good to watch. Performances go beyond conquering SENA. Devastated the ATG Indian batting lineup at its peak in India... perhaps the best overseas bowler in the subcontinent of all time. No bowler has ever dominated the number one spot in Test rankings as his incredible 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. In a time when bowlers average 34, the legendary Steyn Gun averages 22.9 at a SR of 42.4: nearly 5 wickets per match. A contender for one of the top Test bowlers of all time - definitely comes in any top 5, perhaps only behind Marshall, McGrath and Imran Khan. His ability to deliver individual match winning spells, to return and completely turn a game on its head, is second to none.

At first change, I have Sir Andy Roberts. What do Barry Richards, David Gower, Greig, Botham, Sunny Gavaskar and the Chappels all have in common? They all name the spearhead of the great Calypso attack, Sir Roberts himself, as the best they ever played against. A pioneer, leading the famous West Indian pace quartet, Andy Roberts is undoubtedly one of the greatest "thinking" bowlers to ever play the game. This legendary paceman crafted skill and painted tapestries of innovation with his use of trajectories, 2 different bouncers (slow and fast), what is said to be an incredible off cutter, and subtle variations on a masterful line and length. Removed both the Chappels off back to back deliveries. Crowe writes in his autobiography of an innings in county where Roberts brutalized him with 4 bruises to his chest. And he is also said to have knocked Botham's teeth out.

My spinner - the great Bishan Singh Bedi. The best of the Indian spin quartet. Indisputably the greatest left arm spinner ever. The great Jim Laker once described, "My idea of paradise is Lord’s in the sunshine, with Ray Lindwall bowling from one end and Bishan Bedi from the other". An aggressive personality, Bedi is one of the few spinners with the character of a fast bowler - completely ruthless, Bedi is described to have bowled with clockwork precision, computerized line and length, and weaving a web of magic deliveries around the batsmen. Would too often deceive a batsman with flight, and dominated on even the flattest of pitches.

-----

You will see that I have very precisely cultivated a balanced squad, with no holes in the lineup. My players have not just performed in all conditions, but have dominated in all conditions, in addition to masterful 4th innings abilities; I have also picked my players keeping their specific batting position and bowling role in mind. It is a highly specialized lineup, where there are few players anywhere in the world who will do better in the specific roles I have given to my players.

This was a long writeup, but I hope you enjoyed it. What do you think?
Click to expand...

Very good team! At least most of the names I know or have seen playing :))

Honestly for me in terms of voting call it biased, but I vote most likely vote for the team of which players I have seen playing myself or have at least heard of from my dad.

How can I vote for some team and guys who I barely heard of and never saw play. :))
 
ahmadharis1 said:
ahmadharis1's XI

1. Sanath Jayasuria
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Steve Smith
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Virat Kohli (C)
6. Andrew Flintoff
7. Brendon McCullum (WK)
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Vernon Philander
11. Pat Cummins

Introduction​

Ladies and gentlemen, I firmly believe that my XI is the best batting lineup of the entire draft. Top to bottom, every single member of my team has the batting ability to torture and wear down opposition bowlers. With a perfect mix of aggression, composure, and depth, my XI will have no difficulty putting up runs.


That's not to say my team is completely dominated by bat. I have also put together a versatile and attacking bowling lineup. Mitchell Starc, Vernon Philander, and Pat Cummins compose a strong pace trio and Ashwin is a modern bowling great. With 5 genuine bowlers and plenty of part-time options, my bowling is just as strong as my batting.

Openers
Sanath Jayasuria/Saeed Anwar​

Opening the batting are the lefty duo of Sanath Jayasuria and Saeed Anwar. These two are more than capable of balancing between classic test match batting and aggressive stroke play to keep bowlers on their toes. Jayasuria revolutionized the opening game, while Anwar is a classy fan-favorite player. With 25 test centuries between them, they form a powerful opening combination

Middle Order
Steve Smith/Sachin Tendulkar/Virat Kohli​

In my honest opinion, the best middle order of the entire draft. Coming in at 3 is Steve Smith. Already solidifying himself as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Steve Smith has made a name for himself with 26 test centuries and counting. With a famous unorthodox technique that bowlers can't figure out, even the legends will struggle to take his wicket.

Coming in at #4, the Little Master himself. The first pick of the entire draft... ladies and gentleman I present... Sachin Tendulkar. Whatever I write about this batsman will not do justice to the extraordinary talent he possesses. 51 test centuries. Almost 16,000 test runs. The greatest batsman of all time.

If you think that wasn't enough. Coming in at 5, the spiritual successor to Sachin himself, is Virat Kohli, the captain. The fiery, passionate Kohli bolsters what is already a powerful middle order. 27 test centuries and counting, his textbook technique will prove difficult for even the legendary bowlers.

Imagine being an opposition bowler facing this powerful batting lineup. If they had manage to get the openers out, in comes Steve Smith. If, by some miracle, he heads back to the pavilion, in comes the greatest batsman of all time, Sachin Tendulkar. And if that wasn't enough, standing by at #5 is Virat Kohli.

Between the three, 104 test centuries and over 30,000 runs.

Lower Order
Andrew Flintoff/Brendon McCullum (WK)​

Coming in at 6, a legendary all rounder who has won matches with the bat and ball... Andrew Freddy Flintoff. The man has made a name for himself for his starring role in the 2005 Ashes Series. With the bat, he can play the attacking role, pounding opposition bowlers after they tire bowling to the middle order. He is no sham with the ball either. The legendary Ricky Ponting himself has called him one of the best bowlers he's faced, recalling Flintoff's over to him in Edgbastonb 2005 as the ‘Best over I ever faced’

If that wasn't enough aggression for you, in at #7, the wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum. Baz has made a career for himself striking fear into the hearts of bowlers. He is the proud owner of a brutal triple century to go along with 12 test hundreds. He is also a genuine keeper who will have no trouble on that end.

Bowlers
Ravichandran Ashwin/Mitchell Starc/Vernon Philander/Pat Cummins​

The frontline bowlers of my XI form a modern day legendary bowling quartet. At #8 is Ravichandran Ashwin, already one of the greatest off-spinners of all time. With 365 test wickets to his name, Ashin has the know-how and ability to test even the greatest of batsmen.

Don't let Mitchell Starc's limited overs prowess fool you; he is a brilliant test bowler who has spearheaded Australia's attack for nearly a decade. He's a tall, pinpoint accurate bowler with a deadly yorker that can topple all batsmen.

Vernon Philander is yet another modern day great in the XI. Even without the brutal pace of Starc, he has taken 224 test wickets at an extraordinary average of 22.32. He hits the same spots consistently, testing out rival batsmen. His knowledge and experience will be handy in the bowling lineup.

Rounding out the team and bowling attack is Pat Cummins. At just 27 years old and 30 tests old, Cummins was a bit of a surprise pick in the draft, but he will prove the doubters wrong. 143 wickets at a fantastic average of 21.82 proves his ability.

The XI also has plenty of part time options with Jayasuria and Sachin Tendulkar forming a capable spin duo when needed.

Together, this versatile bowling attack is more than capable of bowling out opposition teams, at the same time being capable with the bat.

______________________

I'm going to be honest, having only really started watching cricket in 2015, I know I have taken a few surprising picks when I could have taken other players. I didn't really know any players before 2000 and that is evident in my XI. There were moments during the draft when I saw someone picked I'd think "Who is that???"

That being said, I do believe I have a balanced team that will more than hold its own.

Regardless, I had fun participating in the draft and hope you all vote for my team!
Click to expand...

This is a great team as well! Definitely the middle order is super strong and probably one of the best in the draft.

Though the opening duo can be a bit vulnerable especially given the quality of bowling of other teams.

The lower order as well could be vulnerable but definitely has the depth and the bowling skills on display are very varied and should be able to tackle different conditions.
 
Watsupdoc said:
Very good team! At least most of the names I know or have seen playing :))

Honestly for me in terms of voting call it biased, but I vote most likely vote for the team of which players I have seen playing myself or have at least heard of from my dad.

How can I vote for some team and guys who I barely heard of and never saw play. :))
Click to expand...


Well, you should vote for Ahmedharis team then as he picked a 21st century XI as I'm sure you'd have never watched Berrington play or even Bedi, Knott and Roberts :usman
 
maddgenius said:
Well, you should vote for Ahmedharis team then as he picked a 21st century XI as I'm sure you'd have never watched Berrington play or even Bedi, Knott and Roberts :usman
Click to expand...

That’s right never saw them play though did hear great things about Bedi from my dad.

But I could also vote for the Rayymen :srt
 
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