Your country's current best test side

[tooextracool]

come on, bracken isnt all that bad ... although i'd admit australia should look for a better 3rd frontline seamer

bracken averages 42, and its likely to get worse if he plays in SA.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Wavell Hinds is a young clive loyd with all the potential in the world his lack of footwork and temprament is why he averages only 33 at test level then again that was greg blewett and mike athertons test average aswell and both guyz played great innings for their countries during what were 2 pretty illstrious test careers.

Mike Atherton averaged 37.69. That's a considerable difference given how many innings he played. Greg Blewett hardly had an illustrious Test career. Hinds and Blewett have shockingly similar Test batting stats though.

Ive played 2nd grade cricket in sydney and ive faced bowlers way better than darren powell unless you have the ability to consistintly take the ball towards the slips of the right hander u are going to struggle at international level to succees darren powell does not posses those abilities.

Powell was way below his best in Australia. He was less than a shadow of the bowler he was earlier in the year. I'd like to say it was due to a lack of fitness, and it probably was, but that's no excuse. If you're not fit enough to play professional sport, I don't care how talented you are - get out of my team.

it is for this reason the west indies need to look to pick nikita miller or to call back dave mohammed or my favourite choice would be Gareth Breese who has done well in english county cricket. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS???

Gareth Breese needs to stop getting himself out to idiotic shots and actually learning to build innings. He's not good enough to be picked purely as a bowler, and Nikita Miller CERTAINLY IS NOT either. Nikita Miller is a like the dead man's version of Ashley Giles. Miller does nothing with the ball. He's accurate, but any Test calibre batsman who gets out to him (at this stage in his career) would have to be dead.

Dave Mohammed is still the best spinner in the region, and yet, he's not very good yet. He's good enough for domestic cricket, but needs to flight the ball more before he's going to trouble Test batsmen. What's the use of a legspinner bowling flat in Test cricket really?

If Omari Banks can find some accuracy and consistency in line and length, he can be an excellent performer, because he's the best batsman out of the current crop of spinners and is quite potent when he gets it right with the ball.

 

[roseboy64]

I agree with that. If one of Breese or Banks can improve on their batting or bowling respectively, they're a definite shoe in for the team. I'd say in for either Edwards or Powell.

 

[Robertinho]

Australia

M.L. Hayden
J.L. Langer
R.T. Ponting (c)
D.R. Martyn
M.E.K. Hussey
A. Symonds
A.C. Gilchrist (wk)
B. Lee
S.K. Warne
S.C.G. Macgill
G.D. McGrath

OR

M.L. Hayden
J.L. Langer
R.T. Ponting (c)
D.R. Martyn
M.J. Clarke
M.E.K. Hussey
A.C. Gilchrist (wk)
B. Lee
S.K. Warne
S.C.G. Macgill
G.D. McGrath

Right now, I would go with the first team, because Symonds is quite an underrated bowler, as well as a destructive batsman when he's on song. Clarke will feature alot though - and he's very unlucky to miss out. Brad Hodge is a fat ******.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

West Indies

C Gayle
D Ganga(on recent performance alone)
R Sarwan
B Lara
S Chanderpaul
D Bravo
D Ramdin
D Powell
F Edwards
P Collins
C Collymore

Until Ganga scores big runs against Test quality opposition (a warmup match against good bowlers, not the coming Zimbabweans), I don't want him anywhere near my team. His presence is infuriating. It must be so heartwrenching for someone who seems so much more limited (like Wavell Hinds) to see Ganga squandering his talent. Basically, Ganga's presence makes Wavell Hinds cry. A sad Wavell Hinds = a sad world.

Ganga needs to sort his head out, and no amount of runs in domestic cricket will convince me he's done it.

My team:

CH Gayle
DS Smith - he has what it takes... dear God, please let him show it soon...
RR Sarwan (C)
BC Lara
S Chanderpaul
DJJ Bravo
D Ramdin (vc) (wk)
FH Edwards
PT Collins
JP Bennett
CD Collymore

That's surely the worst tail in the history of West Indies cricket, but I think that's the best team we can put out at the moment. I'm tempted to take out Edwards and bring Wavell Hinds, Runako Morton or Narsingh Deonarine into the middle order, but I think a genuinely quick bowler is needed given the rest of the attack.

Bowling Standbys: Tino Best (only other firebrand atm), Reyad Emrit (remember this name!), Kenroy Peters (won't ever get a proper run, if any, at Test level... he should though), Ian Bradshaw (he will play Test cricket eventually), Dave Mohammed, Odean Brown (I'm intrigued as to his potential development... I doubt he'll get many chances though).

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I agree with that. If one of Breese or Banks can improve on their batting or bowling respectively, they're a definite shoe in for the team. I'd say in for either Edwards or Powell.

If Powell can improve his fitness (I say it again) and can reach the sort of pace he did at the start of last season, I'd take him ahead of Edwards and let Edwards develop in domestic cricket. No doubt that Edwards is talented, but he shouldn't have to learn to play Test cricket whilst playing it. I'm convinced that, had he been given 2 full seasons of domestic cricket leading into this year, he'd be a world class bowler by now. He's just 23 years of age though, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[mahartaab]

Pakistan

1. salman butt
2.taufeeq umar
3.younis khan
4.moyo
5.inzi
6.afridi
7.kamran akmal
8.shoaib akhtar
9.rana naved
10.umar gul
11.danish kaneria

 

[tooextracool]

RR Sarwan (C)

i cant see how sarwan can be made captain despite the immaturity that he continues to display as a batsman. i've certainly liked the look of narsingh deonarine, and i continue to think that dwayne smith, despite his blatantly obvious weakness against the ball coming into him, might amount to something in the future.
As far as the bowling is concerned, Darren Powell was poor, bordering on disgraceful in Australia and it was a big let down considering my somewhat high regard for him. Edwards for me simply isnt test class and i dont see him being test class anytime soon either. I hope that Collins is fit because he looks like the only bowler who is capable of being world class in the side ATM. Collymore i think cant be anything more than a support bowler at the test match level.

 

[Arjun]

Agreed for the most part, but the experienced guys like Balaji, Nehra and Zaheer also need to be tried out under the Chappell fitness regime to be fair. At the same time, the new options like Munaf, VRV, Sreesanth, RP Singh and Gagandeep need to be tried out. Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar should be top contenders for the ODI 2nd spinner's spot. Actually, we can keep going and going about potential players for India, so I'll leave it at that and maybe start a new thread about India prospects.

An in-form Zaheer would be an automatic choice, but when not in form, he's a weak link. Once he's bowling at full pace, rush him in. Balaji's a good swing bowler, but he lacks pace and seems a better bowler when the ball is a few overs old. Nehra's a very good limited-overs bowler, especially in the final overs, but now you have RP Singh, who's not too bad (very useful so far), and can field a lot better. With Munaf and VR Singh, there is some pace in this attack, missing for several years. Munaf, though, hasn't been picked for his pace, but his six-hitting, as a player similar to Justin Kemp. Piyush Chawla has just started FC cricket, so once he finishes a season (preferably one more), he can be considerd for the national team. We don't need more Parthiv Patels.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

i cant see how sarwan can be made captain despite the immaturity that he continues to display as a batsman.

Grame Smith was very rough around the edges before he named as captain. He's a much better player since. I was very tempted to give the captaincy to Denesh Ramdin straight off, but they've been grooming Sarwan for so long that it just seems a waste not to give him a proper chance. In the ODIs that he's led the side, he's led it well. In fact, even in the periods as vice-captain when the captain has been off the field he's looked good.

i've certainly liked the look of narsingh deonarine, and i continue to think that dwayne smith, despite his blatantly obvious weakness against the ball coming into him, might amount to something in the future.

I continue to maintain that IMO Dwayne Smith is the most talented batsman to come out of the West Indies since Lara. He's an idiot though (cricket-wise) and until he learns some common sense at the crease, he won't achieve his awesome potential.

Edwards for me simply isnt test class and i dont see him being test class anytime soon either.

I agree. Edwards has lots of talent, but talent won't doesn't make you international calibre. As I've said many times, he needs to play more domestic cricket and refine his talents a whole lot.

I hope that Collins is fit because he looks like the only bowler who is capable of being world class in the side ATM. Collymore i think cant be anything more than a support bowler at the test match level.

Collymore doesn't have the pace to consistently trouble Test batsmen, but he has still bowled superbly of late. The problem with Collins is that he's rarely ever 100% fit.

 

[godofcricket]

Although Pakistan hasnt yet found the ideal opening pair but i believe that either Farhat or hameed will find themselves as permanent members of the team pretty soon:

1: Salman Butt
2: Imran Farhat/ Yasir Hameed
3: Younis Khan
4: Yousuf, Mohammad
5: Inzamam-ul-Haq
6: Shahid Afridi
7: Kamran Akmal
8: Rana Naved
9: Mohammad Sami
10: Shoaib Akhtar
11: Danish Kaneria

 

[Kweek]

and if your country doesnt play Test cricket ?What then ?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

and if your country doesnt play Test cricket ?What then ?

Then you lose eternally. Go find some petty sport... like football.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

JL Langer
ML Hayden
*RT Ponting
DR Martyn
MEK Hussey
A Symonds/SR Watson/MJ Clarke
+AC Gilchrist
SK Warne
B Lee
SCG MacGill/NW Bracken/JN Gillespie
GD McGrath

 

[Kweek]

Van der Sar
Bouma
Vlaar
Heitinga
rightback dunno
Van der Vaart
Van persie
Seedorf!(!)
Castelen
Kuijt
vandeman

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Van der Sar
Bouma
Vlaar
Heitinga
rightback dunno
Van der Vaart
Van persie
Seedorf!(!)
Castelen
Kuijt
vandeman

Tuitert
Romme
de Jong
Uytdehaage
Ritsma
van der Rijst
Bos
Janmaat
Groothuis
Nijenhuis
Olde Heuvel

Hey, I'm sure they could compete with your team at cricket

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I actually had the idea of having a Manchester United XI play the Cricket Web XI in a charity match in the near future. I then lost the idea.

 

[Matteh]

Van der Sar
Bouma
Vlaar
Heitinga
rightback dunno
Van der Vaart
Van persie
Seedorf!(!)
Castelen
Kuijt
vandeman

Kromkamp in right back?
what about Davids, Vennegor of Hesselink, Kluivert

 

[PY]

and if your country doesnt play Test cricket ?What then ?

Then you lose eternally. Go find some petty sport... like football.

One could argue a little that the West Indies don't play Test-standard cricket currently Liam.

Tests
Trescothick
Vaughan*
Strauss
Pietersen
Bell
Flintoff
Jones+
Giles
Hoggard/Plunkett
Harmison
Jones

Bats down to 9 if you take Plunkett instead of Hoggard which would be a path in India perhaps. Take Vaughan back upto opener and drop Strauss to three as I don't think it'd affect Strauss. Could even swap Strauss and Bell around after IB's efforts in Pakistan.

I think breaking up Freddie and KP might become necessary at some stage due to their styles.

ODI
Trescothick
Vaughan*
KP
Strauss
Flintoff
Collingwood
Prior+
Blackwell
Plunkett
Ali/Anderson
Harmison

Maybe dunk Vaughan and bring in Bell (probably not going to happen) but I quite like the balance of that side in terms of workers of the ball and the long-ball hitters.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

One could argue a little that the West Indies don't play Test-standard cricket currently Liam.

Shhh. Not so loud. You might wake up the ICC.

I must fix this...

"Umm... look over there... Zimbabwe!"