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Best before the Don

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
It's 1927 and you're sat in a.........place where the people of 1927 would gather.........and decide to select a Test XI from the first 50 years of Test Cricket.

Much to ponder. Should the first three Tests even count as the sides weren't fully representative and the participants didn't even know they were playing a Test Match?
Can you include WG based on his modest Test record?
Did SF Barnes chuck?
Do you get an abacus out and adjust some players stats to account for the War?
Could you justify having Clarrie Grimmett in the side based on his so far short Test career?
Since underarm and round arm bowling have recently died out do you have to make allowances for how much easier the current batsman have it?
.......and so on...........
 

watson

Banned
I think that certain pre-1927 players 'pick themselves', and I don't belief that there would be a lot of difference between 21st century hindsight, and 1920s zeitgeist.

Anyway, to get the ball rolling here is list of ad hoc guesses with no claim to accuracy;

01. Jack Hobbs
02. Herbert Sutcliffe
03. Charlie Macartney
04. Victor Trumper
05. WG Grace
06. Monty Noble
07. Jack Gregory
08. Bert Oldfield
09. Ted McDonald
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Arthur Mailey

The only point I will make is that I'm not sure whether Sutcliffe's and Oldfield's reputations were well founded by 1927 or not.
 
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harsh.ag

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
The best test batsman before the Don (btD) - Hobbs

The best batsman btD - Grace

The best test cricketer btD - Faulkner and Macartney

The best cricketer btD - Grace

Best team btD.. much more difficult, to be honest. I guess:

Hobbs
Grace
Trumper
Hill
Ranjitsinghji
Macartney
Rhodes
Gregory
Blackham (w)
Barnes
Lohmann
 

harsh.ag

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I think that certain pre-1927 players 'pick themselves', and I don't think that there would be a lot of difference between 21st century hindsight, and 1920s zeitgeist.

Anyway, to get the ball rolling here is list of ad hoc guesses with no claim to accuracy;

01. Jack Hobbs
02. Herbert Sutcliffe
03. Charlie Macartney
04. Victor Trumper
05. WG Grace
06. Monty Noble
07. Jack Gregory
08. Bert Oldfield
09. Ted McDonald
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Arthur Mailey

The only point I will make is that I'm not sure whether Sutcliffe's and Oldfield's reputations were well founded by 1927 or not.
Great team. I put Lohmann over McDonald. Not sure which is better. And Rhodes ahead of Mailey surely?

I wasn't sure about Sutcliffe either, so didn't select him. I would have Blackham over Oldfield though.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Great idea LT. :)

I think you have to pick Grace, despite his Test record not being particularly startling - and IMO Hobbs was unquestionably the greatest Test batsman before Bradman. Trumper could therefore play in the middle order but it's harsh on Sutcliffe to leave him out. Off the top of my head I think my team would look something like:

Grace
Hobbs
Taylor
Trumper
Ranji
Faulkner
Noble
Blackham
Lohmann
Spofforth
Barnes

On another day Woolley would come in for Ranji, Hill for Taylor, and I might find a place for Macartney, Rhodes, Tate, Trumble, Turner or Richardson. Or someone else really obvious who I've overlooked.
 
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watson

Banned
I think that the 1921 series would still weigh very heavily in the mind of 1927 cricket lovers. Therefore, I'm not sure that Ted McDonald can be brushed off so easily. He was also very successful in English county cricket.

Also, Hobbs would want Mailey in the team since he states in his autobiography that Mailey is best leg-spinner he faced. And the 1920s public would probably know his opinion.
 
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Teja.

Global Moderator
There is no doubt Herbie Taylor should be one of the front-runners for the top order, if the ability to score runs regularly against tough bowling is a sufficiently important criterion

However, there's no way the MCC coaching manual snobs would deem him fit to play in such a side in 1927.

Meh, It's better if he's in the second XI anyway, his talents would be best used facing Barnes from the first XI. :ph34r:
 
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Red

The normal awards that everyone else has
- Grace
- Hobbs
- Ranji
- Trumper
- McCartney
- Woolley
- Noble *
- Blackham +
- Lohmann
- Spofforth
- Barnes
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Stanley Jackson worthy of a mention, though wouldn't like to leave anyone out of Monk's team - Noble perhaps?
 

Coronis

Cricketer Of The Year
Can't see Faulkner not getting a run here. You get a very good leg spinner, and a guy with a 40+ test batting average. Not too shabby for the time frame we're looking at.
 

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