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Which pacemen would comprise a perfect Test match pace attack?

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Harsh Thakor

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My choice of paceman to make the perfect pace quartet in a test team.Not considering batting prowess of the bowlers.

1.Wasim Akram
2.Glen Mcgrath
3.Curtly Ambrose
4.Malcolm Marshall

Reserve:Dennis Lillee



Wasim is chosen because of his posessing the greatest variety,being the best exponent of reverse swing and for giving left-arm variety.Mcgrath for posessing more control and intelligence than any paceman.Ambrose for his phenomenal accuracy and disconcerting bounce.Marshall for possesing every ingredient of a perfect paceman be it speed,movement or variation.Thus blends control accuracy,movement and variation in perfect proportion.

Incase of injuries Lillee would replace Marshall,Hadlee would replace Mcgrath,Alan Davidson would replace Wasim Akram and Joel Garner would replace Ambrose.Lillee,Hadlee,Davidson and Garner would be quite a foursome!

I would open with Marshall and Ambrose.Wasim was a genius with the old ball while Mcgrath was simply a metronome.
 
Wasim ( obviously the skills)
Shoaib ( sheer pace and great yorkers)
Rabada ( He is one if the best from mordern era)
Micheal Holding
 
todfod 11 said:
Wasim ( obviously the skills)
Shoaib ( sheer pace and great yorkers)
Rabada ( He is one if the best from mordern era)
Micheal Holding
Click to expand...

Not the control of Mcgrath-mastered weaknesses more than nayone of great batsmen.Not variety of Marshall?
 
Let’s start at the start.

Malcolm Marshall is the GOAT Test pace bowler by a colossal margin.

For a left-armer at the other end it’s between Wasim Akram and Alan Davidson who are totally and utterly inseparable. You can’t even split them by their batting.

For a very tall, accurate pace bowler you have to choose between four near-identical bowlers: Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, Vince Van Der Bijl and Glenn McGrath. Again, then are inseparable. I’ll go for Van Der Bijl as the one who extracted the most bounce.

Lastly, the fourth seamer needs to be a genuine all-rounder. So either Kallis, Sobers, Imran, Botham, Hadlee, Rice, Kapil Dev, Miller or Procter.

For me that came down to Procter or Imran to bat at number 7, because I’m picking Sobers to bat at 4 and be the fifth seamer and second spinner.

I’m going for Procter for the extra pace - he was around 155K at his peak to Imran’s 145K.

So my bowling attack is:

4. Sobers
7. Procter
8. Marshall
9. Wasim Akram
10. Warne
11. Van Der Bijl
 
Last edited:
Junaids said:
Let’s start at the start.

Malcolm Marshall is the GOAT Test pace bowler by a colossal margin.

For a left-armer at the other end it’s between Wasim Akram and Alan Davidson who are totally and utterly inseparable. You can’t even split them by their batting.

For a very tall, accurate pace bowler you have to choose between four near-identical bowlers: Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, Vince Van Der Bijl and Glenn McGrath. Again, then are inseparable. I’ll go for Van Der Bijl as the one who extracted the most bounce.

Lastly, the fourth seamer needs to be a genuine all-rounder. So either Kallis, Sobers, Imran, Botham, Hadlee, Rice, Kapil Dev, Miller or Procter.

For me that came down to Procter or Imran to bat at number 7, because I’m picking Sobers to bat at 4 and be the fifth seamer and second spinner.

I’m going for Procter for the extra pace - he was around 155K at his peak to Imran’s 145K.

So my bowling attack is:

4. Sobers
7. Procter
8. Marshall
9. Wasim Akram
10. Warne
11. Van Der Bijl
Click to expand...

No bowler of express speed like Thomson,Holding Shoaib Akhtar or Imran at his best?Let us exclude the all-rounders.Who would you then have instead of Procter and Sobers?
 
Wasim - swing
Ambrose - bounce
Holding-speed(i think he was better than shoaib)
Imran khan - (Pace bowling all rounder, extraordinary performances in subcontinent ).
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
Wasim - swing
Ambrose - bounce
Holding-speed(i think he was better than shoaib)
Imran khan - (Pace bowling all rounder, extraordinary performances in subcontinent ).
Click to expand...

Mcgrath's bowling intelligence would overpower the hostility and agression of Ambrose .Not Thomson instead of Holding for sheer pace or Marshall for sheer variety?
 
Everyone at their peak? Or near end of their career?

Steyn (What he did in Subcontinent dead pitches...)
Marshall (GOAT - someone mentioned already)
Wasim (Left arm - Swing)
Wesley Hall (Do your own research)
 
Bradman
Gavaskar
Viv
Tendulkar
Sobers
Imran Khan (c)
Gilchrist(wk)
Akram
Warne
Steyn
Marshall

Akram and Marshall to open the bowling. Steyn first change followed by Imran.

If going with 4 pacers then swap Warne for Mcgrath.
 
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Imran King Khan (at his peak) would overtake all 4 of your pacers.

You got to fit him in there somehow
 
topspin said:
Bradman
Gavaskar
Viv
Tendulkar
Sobers
Imran Khan (c)
Gilchrist(wk)
Akram
Warne
Steyn
Marshall

Akram and Marshall to open the bowling. Steyn first change followed by Imran.

If going with 4 pacers then swap Warne for Mcgrath.
Click to expand...

Good team .why not McGrath instead of Steyn? McGrath a more all round bowler?
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Still purely as a bowler I think Ambrose would give the attack more diversity and balance.
Click to expand...
Ambrose was great on bouncy pitches or ones that offered a little bit of assistance.

On flat tracks and in Asia, he was out-performed by his teammate, Courtney Walsh.

All the four pacers I mentioned are capable of running through sides even on tracks that offer nothing to the bowlers.
 
G Mcgrath
Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
Malcolm Marshall

I think thats probably thes best balanced pace attack

The best skillful lefty, mcgrath provides the best probing control and accuracy, imran to take the pitch out of the equation and be the enforcer and marshall the all round pitch it up champion bowler
 
ManFan said:
Akram
Imran Khan (C)
McGrath
Marshall

Beat that if you can!
Click to expand...

Zaz said:
G Mcgrath
Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
Malcolm Marshall

I think thats probably thes best balanced pace attack

The best skillful lefty, mcgrath provides the best probing control and accuracy, imran to take the pitch out of the equation and be the enforcer and marshall the all round pitch it up champion bowler
Click to expand...

Perfect choice well done
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Good team .why not McGrath instead of Steyn? McGrath a more all round bowler?
Click to expand...

Mcgrath was an unbelievable bowler and significantly better than Steyn in ODIs however I cannot overlook what the protean has achieved in the most batting friendly era - he is heads and shoulders above everyone else. Mcgrath would still have been very successful no doubt and still come out with ATG status if he retired today, however I feel with the flatter and slower nature of the pitches in Aus at the moment and particularly overseas and with the current crop of batsmen being more very innovative (due to the evolution of T20s), I believe they would find ways to unsettle and overcome his threat for e.g. with there wider array range of shots and use of the crease etc.

But Steyn had that extra pace and skills who could deliver in all conditions with new + old ball and has been able to adapt to all these techniques from the newer crop of batsmen to still maintage an average in the low 20s (22.64). Glenn Mcgrath's average in my opinion would have taken a slight dip towards 24-25 I reckon if he was playing today, not because he would have achieved less wickets, no but because he would concede more runs for every scalp.
 
Harsh Thakor said:
Great choices.Not Ambrose or Hadlee for their phenomenal accuracy?
Click to expand...

McGrath is there for accuracy. Between Ambrose and Steyn, I will go with Steyn because Steyn can change the series with 1-2 spells and have done it in pretty much in all venues. Ambrose would be first pick if there is uneven bounce, but I was pickling it for all venues.
 
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