Sir Geoffrey Boycott's fantasy all-time Test teams (Imran Khan and Wasim Akram included)

[MenInG]

Sir Geoffrey Boycott feels that it is always unfair to judge players merely on figures. All good players have great numbers so he judges them against contemporaries from their own eras. Modern day Tests many teams go in with one spinner and three seamers. In his view, great fast bowlers have always decided a lot of Tests. They are the aces and the match winners and in Boycotts words "if you can’t handle fast bowling at the highest level then don’t turn up"


Team One

Jack Hobbs & Herbert Sutcliffe (England)

Donald Bradman (Australia, captain)

George Headley (West Indies)

Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Gary Sobers (West Indies)

Alan Knott (England)

Shane Warne (Australia)

Jim Laker (England)

SF Barnes (England)

Malcolm Marshall (West Indies)

Dennis Lillee (Australia)


Team two

WG Grace (England)

Len Hutton (England)

Viv Richards (West Indies)

Wally Hammond (England)

Brian Lara (West Indies)

Imran Khan (Pakistan, captain)

Adam Gilchrist (Australia)

Bill O'Reilly (Australia)

Wasim Akram (Pakistan)

Harold Larwood (England)

Fred Trueman (England)

Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)

 

[marlonbrowndo]

I like Boycott but I can name way better 11s

 

[Ab Fan]

Good teams but you can easily substitute 7-8 of those England players with better replacements.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Sir Geoffrey Boycott feels that it is always unfair to judge players merely on figures. All good players have great numbers so he judges them against contemporaries from their own eras. Modern day Tests many teams go in with one spinner and three seamers. In his view, great fast bowlers have always decided a lot of Tests. They are the aces and the match winners and in Boycotts words "if you can’t handle fast bowling at the highest level then don’t turn up"


Team One

Jack Hobbs & Herbert Sutcliffe (England)

Donald Bradman (Australia, captain)

George Headley (West Indies)

Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Gary Sobers (West Indies)

Alan Knott (England)

Shane Warne (Australia)

Jim Laker (England)

SF Barnes (England)

Malcolm Marshall (West Indies)

Dennis Lillee (Australia)


Team two

WG Grace (England)

Len Hutton (England)

Viv Richards (West Indies)

Wally Hammond (England)

Brian Lara (West Indies)

Imran Khan (Pakistan, captain)

Adam Gilchrist (Australia)

Bill O'Reilly (Australia)

Wasim Akram (Pakistan)

Harold Larwood (England)

Fred Trueman (England)

Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)

Imran Khan as the Captain. He was an All time great Captain

 

[Saj]

I miss Geoffrey Boycott on commentary.

I know he wasn't everyone's favourite but he was to the point and didn't hold back when it came to criticism and praise of players.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Surprised Gilchrist didn't make it to Team 1 which seems like Boycs' first choice XI?

 

[PakPremi]

Surprised Gilchrist didn't make it to Team 1 which seems like Boycs' first choice XI?

Or Viv he was easily the best batsman of West Indies atleast.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Or Viv he was easily the best batsman of West Indies atleast.

As great as Viv was, at least in test cricket Sobers, Lara, Headley all pose decent challenge to him.

Gilchrist is pretty much 99% people's first choice WK in their ATG XIs.

 

[Hitman]

Or Viv he was easily the best batsman of West Indies atleast.

Sobers was better in a lot of people’s view.

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

Any world test XI without Gilchrist is a joke. No keeper batsman in the history of the game was better than Gilchrist as a package.

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

Dennis Lillee & Michael Holding must be two of the most overrated fast bowlers of all time. Mcgrath & Ambrose were both significantly better than the former two.

 

[Hitman]

No Younis Khan, according to a certain poster a better batsman and match winner than Sachin Tendulkar?

 

[Bhaijaan]

Dennis Lillee & Michael Holding must be two of the most overrated fast bowlers of all time. Mcgrath & Ambrose were both significantly better than the former two.

Mikey , probably

Dennis The Mannis Lillee? Hell no. The dude revived fast bowling and transcended cricket. He's a folk hero

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

Dennis Lilee is way inferior compared to Mcgrath & Ambrose. He was great but hugely overrated because he's considered to be among the top 3/5 bowlers of all time which he isn't.

 

[Hitman]

Dennis Lilee is way inferior compared to Mcgrath & Ambrose. He was great but hugely overrated because he's considered to be among the top 3/5 bowlers of all time which he isn't.

Imran Khan rates him the greatest bowler of all time.

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

Thanks for being obvious.

At least we know not to take you seriously ever again.

Mcgrath has more wickets with a better average playing in a batting friendly era. But no, A guy who averaged 100 in Asia, only performed in his home country & England is the real undisputed GOAT...

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

Imran Khan rates him the greatest bowler of all time.

Imran Khan rated Inzamam ul Haq better than Sachin & Lara. Also rated Kamran Akmal better than Dhoni(During 06 Indo-Pak series)

 

[Ab Fan]

My all-time test XI:-

1. Graeme Smith(c)
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Virat Kohli
6. Adam Gilchrist (wkt)
7. Shaun Pollock
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Shane Warne
10. Dale Steyn
11. Allan Donald

 

[umarf76]

My all-time test XI:-

1. Graeme Smith(c)
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Virat Kohli
6. Adam Gilchrist (wkt)
7. Shaun Pollock
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Shane Warne
10. Dale Steyn
11. Allan Donald

You are clearly too young.

 

[Ab Fan]

You are clearly too young.

I am well versed of the quality of cricket pre-70s. It was pretty awful. Dennis Lillee was the founder of proper fast bowling in 1970.

Before that, the quality of cricket was pretty low and lacked professionalism. The quality got better when other countries where cricket was expanded started becoming a force to reckon. Before 1970, it was only two good teams playing against each other and rest were basically what Ireland and Bangladesh are today or in 1990s.

England playing in and against India or Pakistan or South Africa before 1970s was same as New Zealand or Pakistan playing in and against Zimbabwe or Ireland today.

 

[Bhaijaan]

My first choice XI

Gavaskar
Hobbs
Bradman (captain)
Tendulkar
Lara
Sobers
Gilchrist (wk)
Warne
Donald
Lillee
Muralitharan



Second Choice XI

Greenidge
Barry Richards
Hutton
Viv Richards (captain)
Border
Sangakkara (wk)
Imran
Hadlee
Wasim
Marshal
Bedi

 

[Bhaijaan]

To be honest though, I don't think theres as much skill gap between top 10 fast bowlers as there is among top 10 ever batsmen or even top 5 spinners.

I could go with Pollock, Ambrose..Waqar, Courtney, Anderson, Steyn, Garner etc and I will doing ok

But i already see a huge gulf in class among my top 5 batsmen and the rest

 

[SL_Fan]

My all-time test XI:-

1. Graeme Smith(c)
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Virat Kohli
6. Adam Gilchrist (wkt)
7. Shaun Pollock
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Shane Warne
10. Dale Steyn
11. Allan Donald

No room for Sir Benjamin Stokes?

 

[SL_Fan]

I’ll go with a couple of XIs I would love to watch go up against each other.

Gavaskar
Sehwag
Ponting (c)
Sachin
Lara
Gilly (w/k)
Imran
Wasim
Warne
Steyn
McGrath

B Richards
G Smith
Bradman
Viv (c)
Kallis
Sobers
Sanga (w/k)
Marshall
Murali
Donald
Ambrose