English ATG Team- Open Voting
 

Same as the Australian thread. The idea is to create an AT English XI by open voting.

There will be four categories:

- Opening batsmen (2)
- Middle order batsmen (4)
- Wicketkeeper (1)
- Bowlers (4)

- Some players (Botham & Alec Stewart, for example) will appear in two categories. So, if you want Botham as an all-rounder batting at six, please select him as a middle order batsman. If you want him as an all rounder batting somewhere from 7-11, please select him as one of your four bowlers. This is not entirely fair I guess, but I can't think of another way without forcing the selection of an all-rounder.

You may wish to vote for players other than the ones I list. That's fine.

We'll start with the openers, please select two of the following:

Geoff Boycott
Graham Gooch
Mike Atherton
Andrew Strauss
Len Hutton
Alastair Cook
Marcus Trescothick
Jack Hobbs
Herb Sutcliffe
Alec Stewart
Michael Vaughan
Dennis Amiss
Arthur Shewsbury
WG Grace
Archie MacLaren
CB Fry
Cyril Washbrook
John Edrich


(England have produced a lot of ****ing good openers!)

Jack Hobbs and Len Hutton.

Two of the top three English batsmen of All Time and the pair chosen by Cricinfo for the World All Time XI. Lets not over think this one by trying to be too cute guys.

Tempted to be cute. But **** it.

Hobbs and Hutton

Hobbs and Hutton for me, but seriously tempted to take Boycott over Hutton.

Hobbs and Hutton.

Hobbs and Hutton.

Boycott was a great batsman as far as the art of batting goes, but his personality was too selfish and myopic. He fails as a team player.

Yep, that's what sways me.

England's collection of openers is absolutely in a class of its own, and this list is missing quite a few great ones (especially golden oldies) including off the top of my head:

WG Grace
Arthur Shrewsbury
Archie MacLaren
CB Fry
Cyril Washbrook
John Edrich

For me England have produced the three greatest openers of all time, and four of the top six. With no restrictions I'd pick Grace and Hobbs and offer my profuse apologies to Sir Len. However, as we are tending to pick Test-specific XIs I'm more than happy to go with the consensus of Hobbs and Hutton. Sutcliffe bloody unlucky, as he would unquestionably make any other team.

Hobbs and Sutcliffe naturally

Perm any two from Hobbs, Sutcliffe and Hutton - if forced to choose I'd omit Sutcliffe, but only just

This.

Actually, it's more than that Monk. From what I gather, Geoff Boycott fails as a human being. Bit nasty I know, but true none-the-less.

Hobbs and Sutcliffe.

Herb is, like maybe only Kenny Barrington, that rarest of things: an underrated English ATG.

Should be filled with players when only England was playing cricket.