The Sky Commentary Team pick their team of the "Noughties"

[Flem274*]

Watson > Kallis > Cairns > Flintoff > Oram

Discuss.

 

[watson]

- Matthew Hayden
- Graham Smith
- Ricky Ponting
- Jaques Kallis
- Brian Lara
- Mohammed Yousuf
- Adam Gilchrist
- Shane Warne
- Jason Gillepsie
- Glenn McGrath
- Muralitharan

The selection of Gillespie is pretty close to the money because the bowling trio of McGrath-Warne-Gilliespie gained more wickets than any other trio in the history of cricket.

However,

Lee brought in a much higher match-winning quality and raised the Warne/McGrath win % by well over 10% to an incredible 79%. That is 4 out of 5 Tests. Lee had the best strike rate amongst all three. These three captured over 75% of all team wickets.

Blogs: The best bowling trios in Test cricket | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

The most successful trio of all time is the one of Warne, McGrath and Lee, even if the other trio of Warne, McGrath and Gillespie gathered more wickets. Probably the next best bowling trio honour should be given to the current English trio of Anderson, Broad and Swann. I would rate Holding, Garner and Marshall next. Wasim, Waqar and Mushtaq would be competing for these two places.

Blogs: The best bowling trios in Test cricket | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Viscount Tom]

Watson > Kallis > Cairns > Flintoff > Oram

Discuss.

You need to stay off the sauce.

 

[morgieb]

Watson > Kallis > Cairns > Flintoff > Oram

Discuss.

Nice trolling.

 

[watson]

Watson > Kallis > Cairns > Flintoff > Oram

Discuss.

Nice ironic touch too. But as they say, "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit".

 

[fredfertang]

...... and as they usually add "wit is the lowest form of intelligence"

 

[Cabinet96]

Kallis failed repeatedly against the greatest side of his era.

He's also ****ing boring to watch.

Still did better against said sides than Flintoff. The only sides Flintoff averaged under 30 with the ball against where West Indies and New Zealand, with the bat he only averaged more than 40 against the West Indies and New Zealand.

Also interesting that one of your main deterrents on Kallis is a subjective matter, which has no relevance in a results business. I love watching Kallis bat.

 

[hendrix]

Kallis has a pull shot to rival Ponting's, and freaking beautiful drives. I love watching him bat too. He's no Trott by any means.

 

[Cabinet96]

I like watching Trott bat too

 

[Viscount Tom]

Kallis has a pull shot to rival Ponting's, and freaking beautiful drives. I love watching him bat too. He's no Trott by any means.

No pull shot matches Ponting's.

 

[Red]

The selection of Gillespie is pretty close to the money because the bowling trio of McGrath-Warne-Gilliespie gained more wickets than any other trio in the history of cricket.

However,

There was a period when Gillespie was unbelievably good. Probably the best pace bowler in the world at times during the 2000s...

 

[watson]

There was a period when Gillespie was unbelievably good. Probably the best pace bowler in the world at times during the 2000s...

I think that Gillespie's best series was against India in 2004: 20 wickets at 16.14 over 4 Tests !

However, it's a shame that my memories of this great bowler are tarnished by the 2005 Ashes series where Vaughan told his batsman to deliberately target Gillespie and belt him out of the series. This inspired bit of captaincy left Gillespie with an average of exactly 100 for his 3 Tests, and virtually finished off his career.

 

[Red]

I remember reading some anecdotal thing by some batsmen sometime that said that Gillespie in his peak was a far more fearsome proposition than Warne or McGrath.

 

[kyear2]

No pull shot matches Ponting's.

Agreed, I understand the Kallis love, but for me, not quite the batsman Ponting was.

Just my opinion though.

 

[watson]

Agreed, I understand the Kallis love, but for me, not quite the batsman Ponting was.

Just my opinion though.

Certainly I'd prefer Ponting in the No.3 position because of his ability to 'take-on' the bowlers. But at 4-5-6 I'd tend toward Kallis' dependability.

 

[watson]

I remember reading some anecdotal thing by some batsmen sometime that said that Gillespie in his peak was a far more fearsome proposition than Warne or McGrath.

 

[social]

I think that Gillespie's best series was against India in 2004: 20 wickets at 16.14 over 4 Tests !

However, it's a shame that my memories of this great bowler are tarnished by the 2005 Ashes series where Vaughan told his batsman to deliberately target Gillespie and belt him out of the series. This inspired bit of captaincy left Gillespie with an average of exactly 100 for his 3 Tests, and virtually finished off his career.

Gillespie was done by 2005 and targeting him would almost certainly have led to failure if attempted earlier in his career

I remember watching him bowl against NZ at the Gabba after the Indian tour and thinking that he had left something behind in India and so it proved

 

[bagapath]

I think that Gillespie's best series was against India in 2004: 20 wickets at 16.14 over 4 Tests !

However, it's a shame that my memories of this great bowler are tarnished by the 2005 Ashes series where Vaughan told his batsman to deliberately target Gillespie and belt him out of the series. This inspired bit of captaincy left Gillespie with an average of exactly 100 for his 3 Tests, and virtually finished off his career.

dont feel bad for him watto. in his last three tests dizzy averaged 85 with the bat and 25 with the ball; arguably the best numbers anyone can have in test cricket - even better than bradman's.

 

[King Pietersen]

Still did better against said sides than Flintoff. The only sides Flintoff averaged under 30 with the ball against where West Indies and New Zealand, with the bat he only averaged more than 40 against the West Indies and New Zealand.

Also interesting that one of your main deterrents on Kallis is a subjective matter, which has no relevance in a results business. I love watching Kallis bat.

From 2004 in 54 Tests Fred scored 3152 runs at 36.65 with 4 Tons, and took 186 wickets at 30.89. Averaged under 30 with the ball against New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and 30.11 against India. He then with the bat averaged over 40 against India, New Zealand, West Indies and 38 against South Africa. At the peak of his powers, Fred was a bloody good all-rounder. Doesn't have the Kallis numbers with the bat, but I'd take Freddie in a 3 man seam attack any day.
My team:

Matthew Hayden - 8364 runs at 52.93
Virender Sehwag - 5869 runs at 53.84 (as an opener)
Ricky Ponting - 9458 runs at 58.38
Sachin Tendulkar - 7129 runs at 53.20
Brian Lara - 6380 runs at 54.06
Adam Gilchrist + - 5130 runs at 46.63 and 397 dismissals
Andrew Flintoff - 3695 runs at 32.69 and 220 wickets at 32.38
Shaun Pollock - 260 wickets at 24.76
Shane Warne * - 357 wickets at 25.17
Muttiah Muralitharan - 565 wickets at 20.97
Glenn McGrath - 297 wickets at 20.53

 

[hendrix]

From 2004 in 54 Tests Fred scored 3152 runs at 36.65 with 4 Tons, and took 186 wickets at 30.89.

Between 2000-2010, Kallis has taken 217 wickets at 32.88, bowling primarily as a 5th bowler with an old ball and against very established batsmen.

He also scored 9828 runs at an average of 60.

He's a hugely superior batsman, and I would actually say a superior bowler as well given that he was usually given the ball in more difficult circumstances than Flintoff was.