What if?...

[zaremba]

I thought I'd pick up the suggestion made by archie mac elsewhere and start a thread on cricketing "what ifs".

There are various ways of doing this but I suggest each poster answers the "what if" and then posts their own. Answers can be as long or as short as you want.

So to get us started:

What if Ashley Giles held onto the catch offered by Ricky Ponting at Adelaide in the 2006/7 Ashes?

 

[fredfertang]

What if Ashley Giles held onto the catch offered by Ricky Ponting at Adelaide in the 2006/7 Ashes?

It would probably not have been 5-0 at the end of the series but Australia would still have won 4

What if we'd had referrals in 2005 and Australia still had one when Jones caught Kasper at Edgbaston on that sunny sunday morning?

 

[Lillian Thomson]

It would probably not have been 5-0 at the end of the series but Australia would still have won 4

What if we'd had referrals in 2005 and Australia still had one when Jones caught Kasper at Edgbaston on that sunny sunday morning?

Daryl Harper would have given him out.


What if WG Grace had never been born?

 

[Uppercut]

It doesn't bear thinking about.

What if Murali had been permanently banned for chucking?

 

[G.I.Joe]

It doesn't bear thinking about.

What if Murali had been permanently banned for chucking?

One less cricketer to suffer fruitless dissection on cricket forums.

What if English counties had had a no-overseas-players rule in place since inception?

 

[Mister Wright]

One less cricketer to suffer fruitless dissection on cricket forums.

What if English counties had had a no-overseas-players rule in place since inception?

Mike Hussey's first class average would be under 40.

What if South Africa had never been banned from international sport?

 

[Chubb]

Mike Hussey's first class average would be under 40.

What if South Africa had never been banned from international sport?

They would have challenged the West Indies more than any other team in that period- with the added political spice that would ensue. People wouldn't lose parts or all of their career going on rebel tours. The despicable regime in SA might have lasted longer- difficult to prove that idea. Loads of implications, some on the pitch and some off it.

What if Zimbabwe got test status in 1985?

 

[pasag]

Mike Hussey's first class average would be under 40.

Nope.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Nope.

Take out his tests as well.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Mike Hussey's first class average would be under 40.

What if South Africa had never been banned from international sport?

World sport would have witnessed a split depending on the countries' stance on apartheid. Would be interesting to figure out which cricketing nations would have maintained ties with SA despite apartheid. Either way, the SA cricketing greats would have had their international records questioned.

What if Lara and Chanders were born 15 years earlier, and Marshall and Ambrose 15 years later?

 

[Lillian Thomson]

World sport would have witnessed a split depending on the countries' stance on apartheid. Would be interesting to figure out which cricketing nations would have maintained ties with SA despite apartheid. Either way, the SA cricketing greats would have had their international records questioned.

What if Lara and Chanders were born 15 years earlier, and Marshall and Ambrose 15 years later?

You're supposed to answer the previous question, not a random one of your choice.

 

[pasag]

Take out his tests as well.

Still not.

 

[Mister Wright]

World sport would have witnessed a split depending on the countries' stance on apartheid. Would be interesting to figure out which cricketing nations would have maintained ties with SA despite apartheid. Either way, the SA cricketing greats would have had their international records questioned.

What if Lara and Chanders were born 15 years earlier, and Marshall and Ambrose 15 years later?

Lara and Chaders would probably average 5 or 6 less than they did/do as tracks were more conducive to bowling then they are now. Marshal and Ambrose might have bucked the trend, but with tracks the way they are today might not have been as successful. Obviously an individual view, and all 4 players are class acts, but think the state of pitches would have had affected their careers in some way.

 

[Prince EWS]

Still not.

Yeah, he averages 42 for WA.

 

[G.I.Joe]

You're supposed to answer the previous question, not a random one of your choice.

I did answer the last question at the time. Took me that long to type it out

 

[Mister Wright]

Chubb's question should be answered next:

What if Zimbabwe got test status in 1985?

 

[Lillian Thomson]

They would have challenged the West Indies more than any other team in that period- with the added political spice that would ensue. People wouldn't lose parts or all of their career going on rebel tours. The despicable regime in SA might have lasted longer- difficult to prove that idea. Loads of implications, some on the pitch and some off it.

What if Zimbabwe got test status in 1985?

Graham Hick would never have played for England.

What if Gordon Greenidge had decided to play for England (he was qualified and could have played for either country.)

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Yeah, he averages 42 for WA.

Still pretty low really.

 

[Neil Pickup]

He'd have got picked and dropped incessantly and retired with a Test average of 27 from 52 Tests.

What if Kerry Packer had picked rugby league first?

 

[Matt79]

England would have had a kick ass opener for the period of his career, and the Windies would have been quite a bit closer to the field - still would have been number one however.

What if the BCCI's appeal against Harbhajan's suspension for racial abuse had failed in 2008?