watson
Banned
During the recent ‘ATG XI – Open Voting’ thread the following bowling combinations were selected for the First XI (current July 6th);
WITH ALLROUNDER
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
(3 Votes)
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Bill O'Reilly
11. Harold Larwood
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Wasim Akram
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
08. Imran Khan
09. Richard Hadlee
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Imran Khan
09. Richard Hadlee
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Shane Warne
(2 Votes)
08. Imran Khan
09. Wasim Akram
10. Shane Warne
10. Malcolm Marshall
08. Imran Khan
09. Shane Warne
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Sydney Barnes
08. Imran Khan
09. Mike Procter
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Shane Warne
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Curtly Ambrose
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Muttiah Muralitheran
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Curtly Ambrose
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
(2 Votes)
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Harold Larwood
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Shane Warne
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Sydney Barnes
08. Mike Procter
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Alan Davidson
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Joel Garner
WITHOUT ALLROUNDER
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Fred Trueman
11. Dennis Lillee
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Glenn McGrath
(2 Votes)
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Sydney Barnes
08. Wasim Akram
09. Malcom Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
TALLY:
01. Malcolm Marshall = 29
02. Shane Warne = 21
03. Imran Khan = 12
04. Glenn McGrath = 11
05. Richard Hadlee = 11
06. Muttiah Muralitheran = 7
07. Curtly Ambrose = 4
08. Sydney Barnes = 4
09. Dennis Lillee = 4
10. Wasim Akram = 3
11. Harold Larwood = 2
12. Mike Procter = 2
13. Bill ‘O’Reilly = 1
14. Alan Davidson = 1
15. Joel Garner = 1
16. Fred Trueman = 1
TOTAL RESPONDENTS = 29
DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS = 24
MOST COMMON COMBINATION (3 Votes) = Imran-Marshall-Warne-McGrath
TOP 4 BOWLERS = Marshall-Warne-Imran-McGrath/Hadlee
WITHOUT ALLROUNDER = 5 (17%)
ALL PACE ATTACK = 1
DUAL SPIN ATTACK (SLOW) = 2
MEDIUM PACE BOWLER (Sydney Barnes) = 4 (14%)
CONCLUSION:
It seems that the most desired bowling combination was:
one fast bowling allrounder, two fast bowlers plus one spinner.
Only on 6 (21%) occasions was the attack varied with an extra spinner or medium paced bowler. When a medium paced bowler was chosen it was always Sydney Barnes. No respondent thought to include the expertise of a bowler like Maurice Tate, Alec Bedser, Bill Johnston, Fazal Mahmood, or a medium paced ‘swerve’ bowler from the19th century.
While the most desired type of bowling combination was obvious, there was no clear concensus as to who the four bowlers should be. However, it was clear that Imran Khan (10/34%) and Richard Hadlee (7/24%) were the most favoured allrounders to occupy the No.8 batting position. And of course Malcolm Marshall and Shane Warne remain clear favourites of CricketWeb.
Only 6 (21%) respondents chose not to include an allrounder, but instead thought that the combined batting skills of Malcolm Marshall and Shane Warne (plus Wasim Akram on one occasion) was acceptable in the No.8 and No.9 positions.
QUESTION:
Prior to Clive Lloyd’s captaincy the most successful teams featured two fast bowlers, a slower medium paced bowler, plus one spinner. Sometimes they would even feature two spinners. A typical example is; Lindwall-Miller-Johnston-Johnson.
Was Clive Lloyd correct in making us all assume that an attack needs at least three fast bowlers to be the strongest type of attack possible? Or is the quality of each bowler the key factor, rather than the quantity of each type of bowler?
(Note: There may be some counting and mathematical errors, plus typos - I'm not perfect. Also, I have changed the batting order of some combinations according to the batting average of each bowler, and generally accepted ability.)
(Note: A special mention for the attack featuring: Davidson-Marshall-Warne-Garner - I like it.)
WITH ALLROUNDER
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
(3 Votes)
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Bill O'Reilly
11. Harold Larwood
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Wasim Akram
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
08. Imran Khan
09. Richard Hadlee
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Imran Khan
09. Richard Hadlee
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Shane Warne
(2 Votes)
08. Imran Khan
09. Wasim Akram
10. Shane Warne
10. Malcolm Marshall
08. Imran Khan
09. Shane Warne
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Sydney Barnes
08. Imran Khan
09. Mike Procter
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Shane Warne
08. Imran Khan
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Curtly Ambrose
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Muttiah Muralitheran
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Curtly Ambrose
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
(2 Votes)
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Harold Larwood
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Shane Warne
08. Richard Hadlee
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Sydney Barnes
08. Mike Procter
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Alan Davidson
09. Malcolm Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Joel Garner
WITHOUT ALLROUNDER
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Fred Trueman
11. Dennis Lillee
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Sydney Barnes
11. Glenn McGrath
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Glenn McGrath
(2 Votes)
08. Malcolm Marshall
09. Shane Warne
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Sydney Barnes
08. Wasim Akram
09. Malcom Marshall
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath
TALLY:
01. Malcolm Marshall = 29
02. Shane Warne = 21
03. Imran Khan = 12
04. Glenn McGrath = 11
05. Richard Hadlee = 11
06. Muttiah Muralitheran = 7
07. Curtly Ambrose = 4
08. Sydney Barnes = 4
09. Dennis Lillee = 4
10. Wasim Akram = 3
11. Harold Larwood = 2
12. Mike Procter = 2
13. Bill ‘O’Reilly = 1
14. Alan Davidson = 1
15. Joel Garner = 1
16. Fred Trueman = 1
TOTAL RESPONDENTS = 29
DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS = 24
MOST COMMON COMBINATION (3 Votes) = Imran-Marshall-Warne-McGrath
TOP 4 BOWLERS = Marshall-Warne-Imran-McGrath/Hadlee
WITHOUT ALLROUNDER = 5 (17%)
ALL PACE ATTACK = 1
DUAL SPIN ATTACK (SLOW) = 2
MEDIUM PACE BOWLER (Sydney Barnes) = 4 (14%)
CONCLUSION:
It seems that the most desired bowling combination was:
one fast bowling allrounder, two fast bowlers plus one spinner.
Only on 6 (21%) occasions was the attack varied with an extra spinner or medium paced bowler. When a medium paced bowler was chosen it was always Sydney Barnes. No respondent thought to include the expertise of a bowler like Maurice Tate, Alec Bedser, Bill Johnston, Fazal Mahmood, or a medium paced ‘swerve’ bowler from the19th century.
While the most desired type of bowling combination was obvious, there was no clear concensus as to who the four bowlers should be. However, it was clear that Imran Khan (10/34%) and Richard Hadlee (7/24%) were the most favoured allrounders to occupy the No.8 batting position. And of course Malcolm Marshall and Shane Warne remain clear favourites of CricketWeb.
Only 6 (21%) respondents chose not to include an allrounder, but instead thought that the combined batting skills of Malcolm Marshall and Shane Warne (plus Wasim Akram on one occasion) was acceptable in the No.8 and No.9 positions.
QUESTION:
Prior to Clive Lloyd’s captaincy the most successful teams featured two fast bowlers, a slower medium paced bowler, plus one spinner. Sometimes they would even feature two spinners. A typical example is; Lindwall-Miller-Johnston-Johnson.
Was Clive Lloyd correct in making us all assume that an attack needs at least three fast bowlers to be the strongest type of attack possible? Or is the quality of each bowler the key factor, rather than the quantity of each type of bowler?
(Note: There may be some counting and mathematical errors, plus typos - I'm not perfect. Also, I have changed the batting order of some combinations according to the batting average of each bowler, and generally accepted ability.)
(Note: A special mention for the attack featuring: Davidson-Marshall-Warne-Garner - I like it.)
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