Greatest XI: (one from each era)

[bunny]

How about coming up with a greatest XI such that you don't choose 2 batsmen (or 2 bowlers who played in the same era). You can list your all rounder as a batsman or a bowler. Wicket keeper can be from any era.

( You can have your own definition of era. Mine is divide the entire cricketing history into periods of 15 years. 1990-2005, 75-90, 60-75, 45-60, 30-45, 15-30,...and a player can be chosen in an era if he played 50% of his matches in that period).

Also, it would be interesting to come up with a XI containing players that got "underhyped" by the media or fans in that era because of the presence of other greats.

Make sure that your favorite batsmen/bowlers (*) makes one of the lists

First XI: Hobbs(c), Gavaskar, Bradman, Tendulkar, Walcott, Sobers, Knott, Marshall*, Ambrose, Trueman, Barnes.

Underrated XI: Sutcliffe, Ponsford, Dravid*, Barrington, May, Border (c), Boucher, S Pollock*, Underwood, Tyson, Bill Bowes.

 

[Goughy]

These are my 11 definitions. Will fill in the blanks when Ive thought it through.

Underarm and Gambling (previous-1820)-
Pre Test- (1820-1877)-
Early Years (1877-1890)-
Golden Age (1890-1914) -
Inter Wars Years (1918-1939)-
Immediate Post War (1945-1955)
Black and White TV- (1955-1970)
SA Isolation (1970-1980)-
Rebels and Post Packer (or WI dominate) (1980-1992)-
OD and Global Colour Explosion (1992-2000)-
21st C (2000-Present)-

 

[bagapath]

okay goughy.. i've got 9 slots filled up from your list.. just find two middle order bats from pre test era and underarm bowling times. then you have a rocking team...

hutton (immediate post war)
wg grace (early years)
bradman (between wars)

sobers (black and white TV)
gilchrist (2000 - present)
imran (rebels and post packer)
warne (odi and color explosion)
syd barnes (golden age)
lillee (SA post isolation)

 

[Goughy]

okay goughy.. i've got 9 slots filled up from your list.. just find two middle order bats from pre test era and underarm bowling times. then you have a rocking team...

hutton (immediate post war)
wg grace (early years)
bradman (between wars)
George Parr (pre-test)
sobers (black and white TV)
gilchrist (2000 - present)
imran (rebels and post packer)
warne (odi and color explosion)
syd barnes (golden age)
lillee (SA post isolation)
Lumpy Stevens(Underarm)

Id have probably put Grace in the pre-Test era and freed up another spot for a player that is easier to make a judgment on. Especially as Test cricket never saw the best of Grace.

Looks a good team though

 

[archie mac]

Lumpy Stevens
WG Grace
Trumper
Barnes
Bradman
Miller
Sobers
Lillee
Richards
Tendulkar
Gillchrist

 

[JBMAC]

Archie, agree with most withe exception of Gilchrist.With that amount of batting talent you need a pure stumper...ie Don Tallon

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Archie, agree with most withe exception of Gilchrist.With that amount of batting talent you need a pure stumper...ie Don Tallon

If it's one player per era and you put Tallon in you would have to leave out Miller.

 

[archie mac]

Archie, agree with most withe exception of Gilchrist.With that amount of batting talent you need a pure stumper...ie Don Tallon

Hard to tell the merits of keepers, I was tempted to include Blackham, but like LT writes having Tallon would cost me Miller, besides Gilly is not that bad a keeper?

 

[The_Bunny]

Hard to tell the merits of keepers, I was tempted to include Blackham, but like LT writes having Tallon would cost me Miller, besides Gilly is not that bad a keeper?

Also even with a batting line up that formidable an aggressive finisher like Gilly would still be useful.

 

[archie mac]

Also even with a batting line up that formidable an aggressive finisher like Gilly would still be useful.

Once Bradman, Miller, Richards etc has finished, Gilly would be the last person you would want coming down the steps