Choose the two opening bowlers for Post Packer World XI

[bagapath]

Choose two from the following list of fast bowlers to open your bowling.

Remember, we will choose one spinner. The top runners up from that poll and this one will be competing for the last bowling slot.

Keeping the cut off for the opening bowlers in this world XI at 100 wickets and avg < 25. Giving a wild card to Waqar coz he is missing out only on decimals.

Imran Khan (Pak) 1979-1992 66 101 2156.5 528 5234 269 8/58 14/116 19.45 2.42 48.1 18 5
Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) 1980-1990 60 103 2590.2 684 6386 324 9/52 15/123 19.70 2.46 47.9 30 7
MD Marshall (WI) 1980-1991 78 147 2852.4 602 7611 373 7/22 11/89 20.40 2.66 45.8 22 4
J Garner (WI) 1979-1987 51 97 1913.1 518 4550 221 6/56 9/108 20.58 2.37 51.9 7 0
CEL Ambrose (WI) 1988-2000 96 175 3606.5 965 8401 397 8/45 11/84 21.16 2.32 54.5 22 3
GD McGrath (Aus) 1993-2007 120 235 4747.3 1427 11930 549 8/24 10/27 21.73 2.51 51.8 29 3
AA Donald (SA) 1992-2002 69 123 2484.2 628 7113 316 7/84 12/139 22.50 2.86 47.1 19 2
MA Holding (WI) 1979-1987 47 88 1628.2 355 4550 192 6/21 11/107 23.69 2.79 50.8 9 1
SM Pollock (SA) 1995-2008 100 186 3827.2 1144 9238 389 7/87 10/147 23.74 2.41 59.0 15 1
Wasim Akram (Pak) 1985-2001 92 160 3349.2 770 8728 367 7/119 11/110 23.78 2.60 54.7 21 4
DW Steyn (SA) 2004-2009 26 48 867.0 152 3177 132 6/49 10/91 24.06 3.66 39.4 10 3
IR Bishop (WI) 1989-1998 43 76 1401.1 288 3909 161 6/40 8/57 24.27 2.78 52.2 6 0
DK Lillee (Aus) 1979-1984 38 70 1614.0 387 4476 184 7/83 11/138 24.32 2.77 52.6 11 3
CA Walsh (WI) 1984-2001 130 238 4922.4 1115 12554 510 7/37 13/55 24.61 2.55 57.9 22 3
BA Reid (Aus) 1985-1992 27 42 1040.4 244 2784 113 7/51 13/148 24.63 2.67 55.2 5 2
Waqar Younis (Pak) 1989-2003 73 128 2252.5 422 7374 293 7/76 12/130 25.16 3.27 46.1 16 4

 

[haroon510]

Mcgrath and Wasim

 

[bagapath]

still have not made up my mind about the no.6 spot. if i choose mran for that slot i will for two other bowlers here. if not, i would like to vote for him as soon as i can. still not sure. too many of my favorites are in this list.

 

[Matt79]

Voted Marshall and Lillee. Want Hadlee in there, but I see him as a first change bowler, rather than an opening one.

Having thought about it a bit more, for the period specified, I'd like to change my vote for Lillee to a vote for Ambrose - can't change it in the poll, but Bagapath, if it comes down to it, perhaps you can remember to +1 Ambrose?

 

[Athlai]

Voted Marshall and Lillee. Want Hadlee in there, but I see him as a first change bowler, rather than an opening one.

Hadlee only didn't open the bowling in a single match.
Lillee 6 times.
Marshall 35 times.

 

[Matt79]

Haha, knew some of our Kiwi brethen would take offense at that.

How often Hadlee vs. Marshall opened the bowling reflects the standards of the other quicks in their team, rather than where they'd be suited to bowl in an alltime standard attack. I don't really see it as a diss against Hadlee either, to say that he'd be the first change bowler in my ideal team for this period.

 

[Athlai]

Haha, knew some of our Kiwi brethen would take offense at that.

How often Hadlee vs. Marshall opened the bowling reflects the standards of the other quicks in their team, rather than where they'd be suited to bowl in an alltime standard attack. I don't really see it as a diss against Hadlee either, to say that he'd be the first change bowler in my ideal team for this period.

Yeah I know but somebody had to say it

 

[The Sean]

I went Marshall and Lillee, but Hadlee/McGrath/Ambrose would all be equally good really.

Imran is a given for this side IMO, but I'll be picking him as the all-rounder.

 

[archie mac]

Could pick another three combinations and still not be sure I have it right, but in the end went for Lillee and Ambrose, I thought they would compliment each other nicely

Anyway listening to Roebuck on the radio, he thought out of the bowlers he had watched that Lillee and Marshall could not be seperated, fair call I thought

 

[andruid]

Mcgrath and Garner for mine

 

[zaremba]

My God, this one's tough.

I went for Marshall and Ambrose, but on another day I might've gone for Hadlee and Garner, or Lillee and McGrath.

Wasim and a young Waqar were maybe the best fast bowling combination I've ever seen but both were such good old ball bowlers that I'd probably not select them as my openers.

And had he avoided injury, Ian Bishop could have been just about the best of the lot.

 

[bagapath]

this is actually one of the most intereting polls. wk was a given. no surprise in openers either. this one has too many great players and actually there are no right answers. every time imran doesnt get selected in these polls i feel bad for botham. coz imran is automatically considered for the all-rounder's slot. why cant we just take him in as a new ball bowler and bring in beefy at no.6? anyways, i still cant decide.

 

[Matt79]

then what happens to Hadlee?

 

[The Sean]

this is actually one of the most intereting polls. wk was a given. no surprise in openers either. this one has too many great players and actually there are no right answers. every time imran doesnt get selected in these polls i feel bad for botham. coz imran is automatically considered for the all-rounder's slot. why cant we just take him in as a new ball bowler and bring in beefy at no.6? anyways, i still cant decide.

then what happens to Hadlee?

This encapsulates the reason we started this discussion - there are simply so many great cricketers who've plied their trade in the 30 years since WSC that many blokes we think must be locks for a combined team in that era are going to be left out.

When this combined XI is finalised, I bet we could then pick a Second XI from the era that would be so close in quality to the First XI as to be almost interchangeable.

 

[andyc]

Honestly, I battled with myself there, but I just can't resist a big multi-poll.

 

[Uppercut]

Toughy. I went for Marshall and McGrath. Akram would be better with the old ball.

 

[bagapath]

why cant we take in imran and marshall for now. select war/murali as the spinner. choose lillee/hadlee for the fourth bowler. and then bring in beefy as the all-rounder?

an attack of, say, imran, marshall, hadlee, warne and botham looks menacing enough to me. also this is one hell of a batting line up too. in this scenario marshall and warne would bat at 10 and 11 - and both of them are handy bats. no 9 (hadlee) has scored 2 centuries. and no 8 (imran) has 6. no. 7 (gilly) has 17. no 6 (beefy) has 14. and they all were attacking stroke makers.

interesting possibility, me thinks

 

[Days of Grace]

love it how Lillee is being chosen over Hadlee,despite his average being some 8 points higher.

Oh, I forgot: Lillee is Australian and it would be unheard of for a New Zealand bowler to be considered better than him.

I always thought that if roles were reversed and Lillee was a New Zealander, and Hadlee and Australian, and they ended up with the same career stats, people would consider Hadlee to be much better. Think about it.

 

[The Sean]

Makes sense really. Kiwis are rubbish at everything.

 

[Evermind]

love it how Lillee is being chosen over Hadlee,despite his average being some 8 points higher.

Oh, I forgot: Lillee is Australian and it would be unheard of for a New Zealand bowler to be considered better than him.

I always thought that if roles were reversed and Lillee was a New Zealander, and Hadlee and Australian, and they ended up with the same career stats, people would consider Hadlee to be much better. Think about it.

Yep - I chose Hadlee over Lillee. Always thought Lillee was a little overhyped, considering his average.