All time XI's

[marc71178]

One quick irrelevant off-topic question. I couldn't find an appropriate forum on Cricket Web to post this enquiry ...

I would suggest Site Discussion (the one with the forum description "Ask the Cricket Web team a question) :P

Why are PM's not allowed? And why can't we volunteer to show or emails if we so wish ... hidden behind the link that appears at the bottom of each post?

It's covered in there - and involves spam both via PM and email inbox. Some of us got a lot.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Re: Re: Re: All time XI's

Obviously Gilchrist's keeping wouldnt be a patch on Healy's , Marsh's or Don Tallon's , however I chose the allrounder at number 6 rather than the extra batsman so it was neccesary to have a keeper who could bat , and no keeper can bat better than Gilchrist.

His keeping is not SUPERB , however it is very SOLID , and as Richard has said whould you rather an excellent keeper who averages 25 or a good keeper who averages 50??

But IMO an All-Time team is not about winning, but about showing appreciation for the outstanding service shown by a player. It is to recognize the great players. Gilchrist is very good, but not great.

Besides, your allrounder average 37. Furthermore, your top order averages 47, 47, 99, 54, 48. A little light on the batting are we?

 

[luckyeddie]

One point about playing Gilchrist in an all-time XI - the guy would only really be in the side for his keeping because he wouldn't get a knock very often.

 

[Craig]

Bob Taylor and Alan Knott would have to be ranked up there as well for England 'keepers.

My West Indian 15:

Greenidge, Haynes, Sobers, Lara, Gibbs, Holding, Marshall, Weekes, Worrell, Walcott, Headley, Walsh, Ambrose, Dujon, Richards.

Hunte, Nurse, Lloyd, Valentine, Ramhadin, Hall are all unlucky to miss out.

BTW nobody needs to tell me I have heaps of batsmen.

Who knows, had Cylde Walcott's brother Keith and Sober's brother Gerry got enough chances, they might have been pushing for a spot as from I have read, they were both very good batsmen.

 

[Richard]

A question, Craig: why do you, a Kiwi, do a West Indian squad?

 

[Mr. P]

Craigs an aussi. I dont know why he does a WI squad, seems he has a 'special knowledge' of them. j/k.

 

[Craig]

Because I have a huge interest in West Indies cricket. You can ask Liam that to. I once created a "West Indies Cricket discussion Thread".

I have read Sobers autobiography (and I have brought it last week), Richards two autobiography's, Walsh's biography, another book on Lara and by Sobers, and A Complete History of West Indies Cricket. Strangly enough, I found it my local libery.


I want to get my hands on "Beyond A Boundry" by CLR James.

 

[Craig]

Craigs an aussi. I dont know why he does a WI squad, seems he has a 'special knowledge' of them. j/k.

Really? I never knew that. Last time I checked I was born in NZ and lived there for 13.5 years and lived here since and never bothered to take out Australian Citizinship.

 

[Richard]

I want to get my hands on "Beyond A Boundry" by CLR James.

I was given that for my birthday. I'm ashamed to say I haven't started it yet, being first engaged in White Cap And Bails by Dickie Bird. I'm presently reading Picador Book Of Cricket by a widely acknowledged Indian guy called Ramachandra Guha, a sort of collection of his favourite passages. Planning to read Beyond A Boundary after I've finished that. Apparently it's widely acknowledged as the most influencial cricket book ever.

 

[esgallindeion]

Zaheer Khan? Virender Sehwag? Nayan Mongia? Harbhajan Singh? VVS Laxman? Ashish Nehra??

Surely Indian cricket has been better than that over the years...

Yeah, Indian cricket has been better than that over the years. They have had many superb players. Superb batsmen and bowlers. And yet they never were considered a great side.

Sure India has had their fair share of great players but none of them, at least imo, could blend as a team.

With the current batch (Zaheer, Sehwag, Harbhajan, Nehra, Laxman) you only need to look at them playing to know that they are a real team and not just a group of individuals.

I could have made a list of players who have done their best at that respective positions but I'm sure they would still be unable to win many matches. And with someone like gavaskar and Dravid in the side, unless you have someone like Sehwag, you'll find yourself drawing much more matches than winning them.

I don't know why I selected Mongia, though.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I'd be shocked if any agree with that reasoning.

 

[Mr. P]

Really? I never knew that. Last time I checked I was born in NZ and lived there for 13.5 years and lived here since and never bothered to take out Australian Citizinship.

Sorry. I made a presumption you were an aussi when your location used to say: Australia. How was i supposed to know your life story.

 

[marc71178]

I'd be shocked if any agree with that reasoning.

Richard probably does.

 

[royGilchrist]

this strange reasoning would only work if agarkar was also included

 

[esgallindeion]

I'd be shocked if any agree with that reasoning.

:rolleyes:

Well... we all have different opinions.

 

[Richard]

I'd be shocked if any agree with that reasoning.

I can assure anyone I don't. All-time XIs, as Liam recently stated, are about good players, not who might make the best team.

 

[Warne is god]

Australia

1.M.Hayden
2.W.Ponsford
3.D.Bradman*
4.M.Waugh
5.S.R.Waugh
6.A.Hasset
7.A.C.Gilchrist+
8.S.K.Warne
9.J.Thompson
10.D.Lillee(b1)
11.G.D.McGrath(b2)

opinions?

 

[iamdavid]

So Matthew Hayden is better than Arthur Morris , Bob Simpson , Bill Lawry , Geoff Marsh , Sid Barnes , Bill Woodful , Ian Redpath , Mark Taylor , the list goes on , he's got a good average but you must take into account the quality of pitches & standard of opposition he's made runs against compared to the guys listed above.

I was a huge fan of Mark Waugh , if I had to chose the XI I wanted to watch then I'd pick him , but for the XI I wanted to win I think chosing Waugh ahead of Border , Walters , G.Chappell , I.Chappell , Mcabe , Keith Miller , Ponting , Warwick Armstrong , David Boon , Charlie Macartney , Victor Trumper & many others may be pushing it a little.

 

[Warne is god]

oh god, your right i forgot Border

Revised XI

1.A.Border
2.W.Ponsford
3.D.Bradman
4.M.Waugh
5.S.Waugh*
6.A.Hasset
7.A.Gilchrist+
8.S.Warne
9.J.Thompson
10.D.Lilliee(b2)
11.G.McGrath(b1)

 

[bennyr]

It's a big one to bite into for a first post, but in for a penny...

You really have to go to the books, and not just the statistics, but also the impact that the players had on the game. This, IMO, warrants Trumper's selection in an Australian all-time side (and justifies Warne's despite the statistics). So my all time Australian side:

Trumper
Ponsford
Bradman
G.Chappell
Border
Miller
Lindwall
Healy
Warne
Lillee
O'Reilly



other squad members:
S.Waugh
Tallon
Spofforth