Indo-Aussie squad 2008

[SJS]

Here is an excercise for all you cricket lists buffs.

Select a touring squad of sixteen from the players who played in this Test series for both India and Australia. Then out of the sixteen choose a twelve for the playing squad (the twelfth man to depend on conditions)

You have to justify at least the more contentious selections (or all of them if you widh). Stats can be used to support the argument but as someone I read recently said, stats are good to support an argument but never a proof of anything by themselves

Here are the series stats

Batting :-

[B]Player                	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	0	4s	6s[/B]
G Gambhir (India)	3	6	0	463	206	77.16	907	51.04	2	1	0	54	2
SR Tendulkar (India)	4	8	1	396	109	56.57	756	52.38	1	2	0	46	0
MEK Hussey (Aus)	4	7	0	394	146	56.28	876	44.97	1	3	0	42	1
VVS Laxman (India)	4	7	3	381	200*	95.25	779	48.90	1	2	1	40	0
V Sehwag (India)	4	8	0	351	92	43.87	426	82.39	0	3	0	43	2
SM Katich (Aus)        	4	8	1	349	102	49.85	720	48.47	1	2	0	44	0
SC Ganguly (India)	4	8	2	324	102	54.00	660	49.09	1	1	1	27	2
MS Dhoni (India)	4	6	1	307	92	61.40	466	65.87	0	4	0	23	6
RT Ponting (Aus)	4	7	0	266	123	38.00	523	50.86	1	1	0	35	0
MJ Clarke (Aus)	        4	7	0	251	112	35.85	576	43.57	1	1	0	25	1
ML Hayden (Aus)       	4	8	1	234	83	33.42	368	63.58	0	2	2	33	2
SR Watson (Aus)       	4	7	0	170	78	24.28	382	44.50	0	1	0	24	1
BJ Haddin (Aus) 	4	7	1	163	37	27.16	430	37.90	0	0	0	18	1
CL White (Aus)  	4	7	2	146	46	29.20	330	44.24	0	0	0	15	1
Harbhajan Singh (India)	3	4	1	125	54	41.66	237	52.74	0	2	0	14	0
R Dravid (India)	4	7	0	120	51	17.14	274	43.79	0	1	1	18	0
Z Khan (India)    	4	5	2	94	57*	31.33	179	52.51	0	1	0	13	0
M Vijay (India)   	1	2	0	74	41	37.00	134	55.22	0	0	0	7	0
B Lee (Aus)       	4	6	1	71	35	14.20	212	33.49	0	0	2	10	0
MG Johnson (Aus)	4	6	1	67	26	13.40	133	50.37	0	0	0	7	1
A Kumble (India)	2	2	0	50	45	25.00	106	47.16	0	0	0	7	0
I Sharma (India)	4	5	1	17	9	4.25	82	20.73	0	0	1	2	0
JJ Krejza (Aus)  	1	2	0	9	5	4.50	38	23.68	0	0	0	0	0
A Mishra (India)	3	3	1	7	7	3.50	9	77.77	0	0	1	1	0
SR Clark (Aus)   	2	2	2	1	1*	-	3	33.33	0	0	0	0	0
PM Siddle (Aus)	        1	2	1	0	0*	0.00	12	0.00	0	0	1	0	0

Bowling :-

[B]Player                 	Mat	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5	10[/B]
I Sharma (India)	4	138.0	31	406	15	4/77	7/117	27.06	2.94	55.2	0	0
Harbhajan Singh (India)	3	172.2	34	433	15	4/64	7/158	28.86	2.51	68.9	0	0
A Mishra (India)	3	122.0	29	337	14	5/71	7/106	24.07	2.76	52.2	1	0
MG Johnson (Aus)	4	166.0	30	521	13	4/70	5/93	40.07	3.13	76.6	0	0
JJ Krejza (Aus)  	1	74.5	4	358	12	8/215	12/358	29.83	4.78	37.4	1	1
Z Khan (India)    	4	145.5	31	475	11	5/91	6/137	43.18	3.25	79.5	1	0
SR Watson (Aus)       	4	115.4	20	321	10	4/42	5/84	32.10	2.77	69.4	0	0
B Lee (Aus)       	4	148.0	24	493	8	2/48	3/167	61.62	3.33	111.0	0	0
V Sehwag (India)	4	82.0	14	217	5	5/104	5/118	43.40	2.64	98.4	1	0
CL White (Aus)  	4	93.0	8	342	5	2/71	3/119	68.40	3.67	111.6	0	0
PM Siddle (Aus)	        1	43.0	6	176	4	3/114	4/176	44.00	4.09	64.5	0	0
A Kumble (India)	2	98.3	15	286	3	3/112	3/126	95.33	2.90	197.0	0	0
SR Clark (Aus)   	2	73.0	24	161	2	1/12	1/70	80.50	2.20	219.0	0	0
MJ Clarke (Aus) 	4	85.3	18	256	2	2/38	2/78	128.00	2.99	256.5	0	0
SM Katich (Aus)        	4	19.0	3	73	1	1/60	1/65	73.00	3.84	114.0	0	0
RT Ponting (Aus)	4	2.0	0	11	0	-	-	-	5.50	-	0	0
SR Tendulkar (India)	4	3.0	0	15	0	-	-	-	5.00	-	0	0
MEK Hussey (Aus)	4	12.0	2	41	0	-	-	-	3.41	-	0	0

 

[Prince EWS]

Where are we touring? India?

 

[SJS]

You need to have at least three opening batsmen, at least two spinners, ONLY one wicket keeper (who could be a keeper), at least one all rounder and have to nominate a captain and a vice captain and a manager for the side. The manager, needless to say has to be from the two managers on this tour.

 

[SJS]

Where are we touring? India?

We need a side ready for all conditions. If you want to be more specific you could assume one of the Test wickets (it is a Test squad) would be a pace bowlers delight, another a spinners delight, one a batsman's paradise and two other good balanced tracks that have something for everyone

 

[SJS]

1. Katich
2. Gambhir
3. Hussey
4. Tendulkar
5. Laxman
6. Watson
7. Dhoni
8. Harbhajan
9. Mishra
10. Ishant
11. Zaheer

Justification: I'd like to see the side.

We need 12 + 4 plus a manager.

 

[silentstriker]

Yea, I misred the initial post. I'll do it in a bit after some thought. Especially if this is an overall side for outside the subcontinent too, then players like Ponting, Lee, Clark would be in there no doubt.

 

[Precambrian]

My Squad

Openers
G Gambhir (India) - Topscorer
V Sehwag (India) (Effect with bat + Handy offspin)
S Katich (Aus) (Reserve opener)

Middle Order
M Hussey (Aus) - Obvious
S Tendulkar (Ind) - Obvious
S Ganguly (Ind) - Obvious
V Laxman (Ind) - Obvious

Keeper
M Dhoni (Ind)

Allrounder
S Watson (Aus) (Sheer effort)

Bowlers
Fast
I Sharma (obvious)
Z Khan (stats hardly speak the effect he had)
M Johnson (Reserve)

Spin
H Singh
A Mishra
J Krejza

Only 15 make it. :-(

Maybe M Vijay as specialist 12th man. So 16.

Playing Eleven

G Gambhir
V Sehwag
M Hussey
S Tendulkar
V Laxman
M Dhoni (wk) (c)
S Watson
H Singh
Z Khan
A Mishra/Johnson (Depending on wicket)
I Sharma

12th man - M Vijay

Edit : Posted before I read conditions: Though I matched with them.
Manager/Coach : Gary Kirsten/Indian manager.

 

[Polo23]

How does Vijay get 12th man?!

 

[Prince EWS]

My Squad

Openers
G Gambhir (India) - Topscorer
V Sehwag (India) (Effect with bat + Handy offspin)
S Katich (Aus) (Reserve opener)

Middle Order
M Hussey (Aus) - Obvious
S Tendulkar (Ind) - Obvious
S Ganguly (Ind) - Obvious
V Laxman (Ind) - Obvious

Keeper
M Dhoni (Ind)

Allrounder
S Watson (Aus) (Sheer effort)

Bowlers
Fast
I Sharma (obvious)
Z Khan (stats hardly speak the effect he had)
M Johnson (Reserve)

Spin
H Singh
A Mishra
J Krejza

Only 15 make it. :-(

Maybe M Vijay as specialist 12th man. So 16.

Playing Eleven

G Gambhir
V Sehwag
M Hussey
S Tendulkar
V Laxman
M Dhoni (wk) (c)
S Watson
H Singh
Z Khan
A Mishra
I Sharma

12th man - M Vijay

Edit : Posted before I read conditions: Though I matched with them.
Manager/Coach : Gary Kirsten/Indian manager.

You've based that completely on the recent series, yeah?

I think the idea is to select the team as if it was just about to go and tour somewhere, based on each player's overall strengths, weaknesses and career record.

 

[SJS]

You've based that completely on the recent series, yeah?

I think the idea is to select the team as if it was just about to go and tour somewhere, based on each player's overall strengths, weaknesses and career record.

Thats correct. We need a side to play in 2008-09. So current for is important but the relative scores in this four Test series are only one indicator of current form and not always an infallible one.

 

[SJS]

One modification. Since there aren't too many choices for an all rounder and I dont want to make anyone an automatic selection we are removing the need to have an allrounder. Or better still, the wicketkeeper could be used to fill the one all rounder position. This way people dont HAVE to chose both Dhoni and Watson.

PS Actually they could even chose Harbhajan and Haddin

 

[Precambrian]

You've based that completely on the recent series, yeah?

I think the idea is to select the team as if it was just about to go and tour somewhere, based on each player's overall strengths, weaknesses and career record.

Oh, ok. However, still my team looks solid enough I hope.

How does Vijay get 12th man?!

Why not? He's the youngest after Ishant, and he's not bad close-in fielder.

 

[Prince EWS]

You need to have at least three opening batsmen, at least two spinners, ONLY one wicket keeper (who could be a keeper), at least one all rounder and have to nominate a captain and a vice captain and a manager for the side. The manager, needless to say has to be from the two managers on this tour.

Can we have two wicket keepers in the squad and only one in the eleven? 16 is a pretty large squad size - I'd be taking a backup keeper if I took that number on tour.

 

[SJS]

Why not? He's the youngest after Ishant, and he's not bad close-in fielder.

There is no 12th man in this case in the conventional sense where the final 11 is fixed and the best fielder (or the man best suited to serve drinks) is the 12th man.

Here the FINAL SQUAD is required to be of 12 people instead of 11 so that all conditions can be covered.

For example, you may have five bowlers in the 12 and play all five and have a middle order batsman (or the al rounder) as 12th man OR play four bowlers with the fifth being 12th man.

Similarly, you could have two spinners and three pacers even when you are planning to play only four bowlers and make either a spinner or a pacer be 12th man depending on conditions.

Fielding is not the criteria.

 

[SJS]

Can we have two wicket keepers in the squad and only one in the eleven? 16 is a pretty large squad size - I'd be taking a backup keeper if I took that number on tour.

Well, I thought of tyhat but one thing I want is for people to excercise a choice. Since we are chosing only from those who played on this tour, we would have both Dhoni and Haddin as automatic selections. I dont want that. Thats why I modified the all rounder bit so that Watson does not get automatic selection even if someone doesn't want him in his squad.

If we were chosing from all Australian and all Indian players currently playing, I would have said two keepers which is correct.

We can, of course reduce the squad size to fifteen if everyone agrees.

Opinion please !!

 

[Precambrian]

Yeah, 15 is a good number. Actually, however I tried, could not really decide the 16th in my squad and had to go for Vijay.

 

[Prince EWS]

Well, I thought of tyhat but one thing I want is for people to excercise a choice. Since we are chosing only from those who played on this tour, we would have both Dhoni and Haddin as automatic selections. I dont want that. Thats why I modified the all rounder bit so that Watson does not get automatic selection even if someone doesn't want him in his squad.

If we were chosing from all Australian and all Indian players currently playing, I would have said two keepers which is correct.

We can, of course reduce the squad size to fifteen if everyone agrees.

Opinion please !!

Yeah that's fair enough.

I have no issues either way with 15 or 16.

 

[SJS]

Yeah, 15 is a good number. Actually, however I tried, could not really decide the 16th in my squad and had to go for Vijay.

Thats because you never considered one of the modern greats in your squad !!

And he is also one of the world's finest fielders - so even your other criteria would have been satisfied.

 

[Precambrian]

Thats because you never considered one of the modern greats in your squad !!

And he is also one of the world's finest fielders - so even your other criteria would have been satisfied.

I know, since this is a squad to be able to tour "anywhere", I excluded him because of his (very) poor record in India, and mediocre in England. :-)

 

[Prince EWS]

Openers

• Virender Sehwag
• Matthew Hayden
• Simon Katich

Sehwag and Hayden pick themselves - in reality they're the best two Test openers going around at the moment, even given Hayden's poor series in India. Katich over Gambhir was a tough one, but whilst Gambhir is starting to look like a class act in subcontinental conditions, I have more faith in Katich to score runs in all conditions at this point in time. Katich is also more versatile in theory - as a backup batsman it's handy that he's batted all over the place and could slot in anywhere. I think Gambhir could do this as well without any troubles really but Katich has actually done it, at First Class level at least. Sehwag is my surprise choice as captain: he has experience as a captain at First Class level and, from all reports, is a very tactically astute cricketer.

Middle Order Batsmen

• Ricky Ponting
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Michael Hussey
• VVS Laxman
• Shane Watson

Ponting, Tendulkar and Hussey pick themselves. Ganguly's retired, so I didn't consider him. I've opted against picking Clarke as I really don't think he's proven much at all in either Test or First Class cricket - my opinions on him have been well-documented lately so I won't carry on too much on that regard. Dravid's only hanging on by a thread in the Indian team let alone a combined one so that leaves Laxman and Watson to round this out - Watson obviously being picked partly due to his bowling ability, as the allrounder.

Wicket Keeper

• Mahendra Dhoni

I actually think Haddin will have a better Test career than Dhoni (as a batsman anyway) but based on what they've done so far, Dhoni is the very clear choice. I've opted against making him captain though because, whilst he's clearly a good tactician, I don't think he puts the required emphasis on Test cricket - something I find very important in the context of modern day cricket. Anyone who requests to rest from a big Test series after playing a stack of ODIs should not be leading a Test side AFAIC.

Bowlers

• Brett Lee
• Stuart Clark
• Ishant Sharma
• Amit Mishra
• Harbhajan Singh
• Zaheer Khan

This is fairly straight-foward for mine. They really pick themselves when you consider that the alternatives are Johnson, Siddle, Krejza and.. White.

Final Twelve

1. Virender Sehwag (c)
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Michael Hussey
6. VVS Laxman
7. Mahendra Dhoni (wk)
8. Brett Lee
9. Harbhajan Singh
10. Amit Mishra
11. Stuart Clark
12. Ishant Sharma

Make-up of the bowling attack dependent on pitch conditions. I'd probably play Watson ahead of Laxman if I had two spinners playing as well but we had to trim it to twelve, so that's my twelve.

Reserves:

• Simon Katich
• Shane Watson
• Zaheer Khan