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STGs XI (Some Times Great) - How will they fare against ATGs XI

Bhaijaan

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You heard your Bhaijaan.

Name your team of XI players who might not be ATGs for most but were phenomenal and devastating on a given day.

How would this team fare against the generally recognized ATG XI if all players brought their best from both sides.
 
Some players who might feature in STG Xi:-

Shahid Afridi
Devon Malcom
Jimmy Amarnath
Andrew Flintoff

etc
 
My XI:

Sehwag
Cook
Younis
Pietersen
Jayawardane
Shakib
McCullum (c) (wk)
Swann
Johnson
Steyn
Anderson

12th man: Chanderpaul
 
Some players who might feature in STG Xi:-

Shahid Afridi
Devon Malcom
Jimmy Amarnath
Andrew Flintoff

etc

Great call! There was a two year period where he legitimately had a claim to being the best batsman in the world. Killed it in the West Indies.
 
Great call! There was a two year period where he legitimately had a claim to being the best batsman in the world. Killed it in the West Indies.

Jimmy Amarnath's performances against WI in WI are legendary.
 
my XI
1. Graeme Smith (c)
2. Sehwag/Cook
3. Younis/Amla
4. KP/Inzamam
5. Mike Hussey/VVS
6. Andy Flower (wk)
7. Andrew Flintoff/Shakib(depending on conditions)
8. Saqlain Mushtaq
9. Shane Bond
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. James Anderson
 
Rohit Sharma
Virender Sehwag
Imran Nazir
Umar Akmal
Luke Ronchi
Glen Maxwell
Kamran Akmal (WK)
Shahid Afridi (C)
Andre Nel
S Sreesanth
M Johnson
 
The premium should be on players who truly looked like forces of nature on their day, but who, for whatever reason, were unable to forge an extended career. We might imagine that there would be many South Africans on the list, as they were barred from international competition during the Apartheid era, but also players cut short by injury or worse. So someone like Graeme Pollock should be a shoe-in. But also, to my mind, Mohammad Zahid, the only Pakistani to take 10 wickets or more on debut, who Shoaib felt was faster even than the great Akthar himself. Sehwag to my mind is too close to ATG status to be considered, Afridi almost too obvious. Mitch Johnson would make it, because his career stats were not much more than good, but in his pomp he was frightful. But perchance also someone like poor Andy Caddick, if people remember him, who could be simply unplayable in English conditions.
 
VVS Laxman was also an STG. His stats don't tell of how great a player he looked when he was on song every now and then.

Monty Panesar among bowlers. He had his great moment.

Akhtar's figures are okay but he was devastating on his days.

What about De Silva? He was more dangerous than Sangakkara when he got it going. Still consider him the finest Sri Lanka has produced.
 
Ganguly needs an honourable mention here. Guy was phenomenal in the early part of his career.
 
Virender Sehwag
Chris Gayle
Sanath Jayasuriya
Kevin Pietersen
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Brendon McCullum
Shahid Afridi
Andrew Flintoff
Brett Lee
Saqlain Mushtaq
Shoaib Akhtar

On a good day these lads would score 450+ and bowl them out for 150
 
Last edited:
Hayden
Sehwag
Amla
Pietersen
Laxman
Flintoff
Andy Flower(wkt)
Johnson
Swann
Bond
Akhtar

Looks appropriate. They all were sometimes ATGs.
 
Hayden
Sehwag
Amla
Pietersen
Laxman
Flintoff
Andy Flower(wkt)
Johnson
Swann
Bond
Akhtar

Looks appropriate. They all were sometimes ATGs.

Hayden doesnt fit in here, he was pretty consistent and an in ATG category
 
my XI
1. Graeme Smith (c)
2. Sehwag/Cook
3. Younis/Amla
4. KP/Inzamam
5. Mike Hussey/VVS
6. Andy Flower (wk)
7. Andrew Flintoff/Shakib(depending on conditions)
8. Saqlain Mushtaq
9. Shane Bond
10. Shoaib Akhtar
11. James Anderson

Virender Sehwag
Chris Gayle
Sanath Jayasuriya
Kevin Pietersen
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Brendon McCullum
Shahid Afridi
Andrew Flintoff
Brett Lee
Saqlain Mushtaq
Shoaib Akhtar

On a good day these lads would score 450+ and bowl them out for 150


Now these STGs vs the ATG xi is gonna be a mouth watering contest. Even if one of the STG Xi fires its gonna mess the day/match. ABD can also be part of STGs XI
 
Hayden doesnt fit in here, he was pretty consistent and an in ATG category

For me, he misses out by slightly due to failing in countries where swing and seam is a general consensus- South Africa, England and New Zealand. Brilliant in Asia though but cant put him in ATG tier. Can be a borderline though.
 
Amla shouldn't be in there. He has been very consistent, except for the last year or so.
 
From India amongst players I have watched, I'd say

Mohammad Azharuddin
VVS Laxman
Sourav Ganguly
Yuvraj Singh (purely for his LOI achievements)
Virender Sehwag
Javagal Srinath (may be)
Harbhajan Singh (not an ATG for me, so a STG)
Zaheer Khan
 
Amongst Pakistani's that I've watched

Shoaib Akhtar
Mushtaq Ahmed
Saleem Malik
Mohammed Asif (could have been an ATG)
Mohammed Yousuf
Younus Khan
Danish Kaneria
Aaqib Javed
Saeed Ajmal
 
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