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All-time Northern vs. Southern Hemisphere

Who would win a 3 test series played in England?


  • Total voters
    39

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Northern Hemisphere XI;

Hobbs
Gavaskar
Richards
Tendulkar
Lara
Sobers
Imran (c)
Sangakkara (wk)
Marshall
Murali
Ambrose

Southern Hemisphere XI

B. Richards
Trumper
Ponting
G.Chappell
G Pollock
Kallis
Gilchrist (wk)
Hadlee
Warne
Lillee
McGrath

NH batting looks considerably better to me if the Don is removed - more established openers with one bloke alone having 197 centuries.Tendulkar+Richards+Lara looks much more intimidating than Chappell+Ponting+Kallis

Sangakkara more or less equal to Gilchrist - Gilchrist slightly better keeper and Sangkarra slightly better test batsman

Bowling attack

Ambrose > Mcgrath debatable yes...but I rate Ambrose just above Mcgrath
Imran > Hadlee
Murali > Warne purely as bowler IMO....
Marshall > Lillee
The difference between a Hobbs/Gavaskar and Richards/Trumper is little if anything. That's of course if we take into account the reputation of the SH pair because if you're going by averages then yes. I'd personally take Richards/Simpson and there is probably even less difference.

The middle order is more or less the same. If you want to be objective there's little in it either way.

Ponting = Tendulkar
Chappell = Richards
Pollock = Lara

Then there is Sobers vs Kallis. Sure, Sobers > Kallis but not by a great deal. Overcome by Gilchrist > Sangakkara. Who while a good batsman, was not as good as a batsman/keeper.

The bowlers are more or less the same strength too: Lillee, McGrath, Hadlee and Warne vs Marshall, Imran, Ambrose and Murali.

The fact that you think many of the NH players are > the SH players is almost irrelevant. Let's be objective, because just as many people will say < to the SH players and both would be right. There's so little in it. That's the point. But when there is Bradman, you can pretty much forget about it. Which leads me back to my other post.
 
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Sir Alex

Banned
Really? Like how Ponting plays spin in India and in Sri Lanka?

Anyway, Zinzan is the authority for his reasoning, not me.
1. Ponting making runs in sri lanka against them in spin friendly conditions is a myth. But let's do that in another thread.

2. Fair enough.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
1. Ponting making runs in sri lanka against them in spin friendly conditions is a myth. But let's do that in another thread.

2. Fair enough.
Ponting averages 50.11 in matches against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. Even more if you include his matches against Saqlain where Sri Lanka was neutral location.
 

bagapath

International Captain
The difference between a Hobbs/Gavaskar and Richards/Trumper is little if anything. That's of course if we take into account the reputation of the SH pair because if you're going by averages then yes. I'd personally take Richards/Simpson and there is probably even less difference.
quite a big difference i think. hobbs/ gavaskar is a pairing that will be a mile ahead of any SH opening combo. but as i said, the bradman advantage can be reduced a lot with proper NH team selection but never really nullified. he will always be the difference between the teams, even if only a little bit. anyone else in his place, the slight advantage would shift to NH

actually this is a pretty cool thread!
 
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Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Ikki not saying that NH>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SH but man for man sans Bradman,NH are better.I am quite sure most would agree
You said they have a considerable advantage. I don't think anyone would agree with you.

Also, Bradman is in it. So why did you vote NH>SH?
 

Sir Alex

Banned
That's not the point at all. They're the only two places in the world where spin outdoes pace. Ponting did worse against inferior spinners than he did against one of the best of all time. I am just showing the fallacy in taking things in such simplistic terms as Sir Alex was. Things don't necessarily happen in a linear fashion.
Ha ha, the irony!

Even if Ponting vs Sachin is a stalemate, the latter gets upperhand due to his superb record in england.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Despite the don's presence it iooks like it will be 50.05 for SH and 49.95 for NH. could be anybody's game honestly.
If there is a clear advantage in lower order batting then there is a clear advantage in the bowling stakes. I don't think even his #1 fan would say Sobers = Miller as a bowler.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Ha ha, the irony!

Even if Ponting vs Sachin is a stalemate, the latter gets upperhand due to his superb record in england.
What are you talking about, what irony?

Really, whereas fielding, leaderrship etc, don't count? As a player Ponting > Tendulkar, no question. If you are just considering England; how about we bring Allan Border? :laugh:
 
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bagapath

International Captain
If there is a clear advantage in lower order batting then there is a clear advantage in the bowling stakes. I don't think even his #1 fan would say Sobers = Miller as a bowler.
miller is a far better bowler, of course. but both the bowling units are equal overall; the top four bowlers in each team would do the demolition job quite comfortably. miller or sobers will be the support act alone. their relative bowling strengths dont add/subtract much to the total bowling strength.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
miller is a far better bowler, of course. but both the bowling units are equal overall; the top four bowlers in each team would do the demolition job quite comfortably. miller or sobers will be the support act alone. their relative bowling strengths dont add/subtract much to the total bowling strength.
But if you are of the mind that the 4 bowlers are enough, then you wouldn't pick Miller...you'd pick Kallis. Which would then make the bowlers equal, yet again, and give back the lower order batting advantage to SH. No matter how you cut it; with the Don the SH team is clear ahead.
 
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bagapath

International Captain
England getting solidly under-represented by most in the NH selections IMO.
hobbs, hammond and barnes are in my team. cant really think of anyone else who belongs there. dont think there is much between hutton and gavaskar. either one would be fine.
 

bagapath

International Captain
But if you are of the mind that the 4 bowlers enough, then you wouldn't pick Miller...you'd pick Kallis. Which would then make the bowlers equal, yet again, and give back the lower order batting advantage to SH. No matter how you cut it; with the Don the SH team is clear ahead.
i didnt pick miller. i picked faulkner as the second spinner to support warne and as the all-rounder.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Hobbs & Sutcliffe to open for NH, IMHO. Also not sure Imran would be required with Sobers's bowling so the NH could test Bradman out with a battery of Ambrose, Marshall & Trueman. Would also play Wally Hammond as his medium-fast seamers would be more useful than Sachin's slow allsorts in English conditions.

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Hammond
IVR Richards*
Lara
Sobers
Sangakarra+
Marshall
Trueman
Ambrose
Murali


Voting v much along hemispheric lines too...
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
i didnt pick miller. i picked faulkner as the second spinner to support warne and as the all-rounder.
Why Faulkner over Kallis? The support bowler, as you say, won't add much yet Kallis is clearly the better batsman, only a slight level below Sobers.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
hobbs, hammond and barnes are in my team. cant really think of anyone else who belongs there. dont think there is much between hutton and gavaskar. either one would be fine.
No issue with those selections. I personally have Hobbs, Grace, Knott and Barnes, with Hammond 50-50 with Lara for one batting spot. It seems though that a lot of selections have only one or at most two English players, which (IMO of course) is a major under-representation of one of world cricket's historic Big 3.
 

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