smalishah84's favorite XI

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Great minds etc. Who's your wicket keeper? Mine would have to be Mike Garnham

Excellent call.

I think my favourite innings of his was a superbly compiled duck against his old crew from Leicestershire. This was in a total score of 700+ for six declared where Neil Foster even made a ton. Garny managed to miss a straight one from Chris Lewis, as I recall. This innings is closely followed in my mind (in popularity and brevity) by another well compiled duck a couple of weeks later against the touring Kiwis. Done up like a kipper by Chris Pringle to be adjudged Lbw. Again in a decent total of 500 odd declared where the other Pringle (Derek) batted above him and made a fifty. What a guy.

 

[smash84]

HDS WAFG

 

[NUFAN]

Not really. I would say that a lot of people do place a lot of value on skill and what you can actually do with the ball. As Hendrix says that with 25 runs needed and 3 wickets remaining it would be Akram I would want to throw the ball to. You always felt (and quite often saw) one of those ridiculously swinging deliveries that would beat everything, sometimes even the umpire (Exhibit A Wasim Akram magic ball to Croft - Incredible - YouTube) and you knew you were watching something special.

Errr. Why do you say not really and then go on a tangent about something that doesn't have anything to do with my point or your not really comment.

People place a great value on skill. More people would pick Wasim in a favourite XI than in an all time XI on here..

 

[kyear2]

Errr. Why do you say not really and then go on a tangent about something that doesn't have anything to do with my point or your not really comment.

People place a great value on skill. More people would pick Wasim in a favourite XI than in an all time XI on here..

Fully agree. Extremely skilled bowler, didn't have the career to match the ability though, which is what most peoples atg teams are about.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Great minds etc. Who's your wicket keeper? Mine would have to be Mike Garnham


Now on to Wasim Akram and him being underrated. I just think he has this aura about him which fans of the game were drawn to so much that he makes a helluva lot of favourite XI's but those people sort of just think of him as there guy and don't necessarily think he deserves a spot in a best XI. I'm just thinking out aloud here..

I couldn't agree more with you.

The fact that he is the most skilled bowler I have ever seen is not in doubt but rather his performances to back that up.. I believe he was far more skilled as a bowler than a McGrath or even a Steyn today but McGrath's had a far greater career and Steyn will most likely surpass him too.
Now before I am attacked, I am not suggesting that Akram did not have a great career by any means..his stats are absolutely fantastic and anyone would die to be born as Wasim Akram and finish with 900 international wickets.. but I have over the years overtly analysed his career, after all he was my first cricketing hero, and I have come to the conclusion that he did not achieve the heights as someone with that skill set should have reached.. I remember when he made his umpteenth comeback in 96, he expressed his desire to break Kapil Dev's record but I think over the next few years, the match fixing saga and all the off field problems might have distracted him a little bit and his last few years in test cricket lacked the level of intensity he had set for himself.

He is still an all time great bowler and would be in my All Time XI..but if he is honest with himself, he knows that he was better than McGrath but failed to have the career to demonstrate it.

 

[smash84]

Errr. Why do you say not really and then go on a tangent about something that doesn't have anything to do with my point or your not really comment.

People place a great value on skill. More people would pick Wasim in a favourite XI than in an all time XI on here..

Sorry, my bad. I hadn't slept well and went off on a tangent

 

[smash84]

ok now, moving on to the next cricketer, probably my 2nd favorite of all time

 

[smash84]

and arguably the 2nd greatest batsman of all time

 

[Dan]

Why does this revelation require 3 posts?

 

[marc71178]

Ian Bell?

 

[Eds]

if Bradman's word is to be taken.

.. something best avoided.

 

[smash84]

Viv Richards

Viv is perhaps the coolest cricketer to grace the cricket field EVER. I saw him live after his prime years as a batsman (before that the VCR would do) but he still had that aura. Chewing gum, stepping onto the field with his bat in his hands (almost like a club you thought), with muscles rippling under his t-shirt (he was quite muscular for a cricketer, at least that is what I thought until the re-arrival of Matthew Hayden on the scene). He seemed real badass and there was usually a hush around the ground when he came in, an air of expectancy. He would take guard and survey the field and then..........bludgeon the **** out of your quickest bowlers. One of our learned (and quite experienced) members Fredfertang once described Viv as somebody who made batting look a bit complicated and something only a special person (that Viv was for sure) could do it well. I am not too sure I agree with the sentiments since at times he made batting look effortless and easy (the bowlers looked inept). When he was in the mood Viv could toy around with the bowlers. His reflexes were lightning quick. He would play his shots very late but would still never be late on the shot, and he could smash good length deliveries delivered at lightning pace outside the off stump to wherever he felt like on the leg side. I could go on and on about Viv and if Bradman's ridiculous figure of 99.94 wasn't staring me in the face I would have no question putting him on top among the pantheon of batting greats (Sobers can suck it ). Wasim Akram, Dennis Lillee, Richard Hadlee, Bob Willis, Ian Botham, Imran Khan, all of them would remember Viv as their finest adversary. Now if that ain't the **** then nothing is

 

[smash84]

Why does this revelation require 3 posts?

If any batsman deserves a few extra posts it is Viv

Ian Bell?

hmmm....this last Ashes Ian Bell was impressive but I don't think he might barely make my top 50 favorite batsmen. He might not even be in my top 10 English batsmen.

 

[smash84]

Team so far

1.
2. Mark Waugh
3. Viv Richards
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Wasim Akram
10.
11. Michael Holding

 

[OverratedSanity]

I love the picks and the writeups too, really entertaining... But I'm one of the few who doesn't consider contemporary opinion to be a fair indicator of a player's greatness, especially when it's someone who didn't play that long ago. For oldies, it's pretty much the only way you can judge players but for someone whose careers footage is readily available and who played in an era not too dissimilar from current times, it's better to focus more on why you yourself found him to be great ( which you did very well) instead of saying " Because so and so thought he was the greatest, so do I"

Viv though, amazing batsman, fortunate enough to have watched tons of footage of him on my dad's video tapes, and even though I didn't have the fortune of seeing him live, he had a presence unmatched by anyone in history

 

[Red]

Got in an elevator at the MCG one day. Viv was in there (he'd retired by this time). It was just me and him in there. I said "hey Viv" and he said "how you doin' mon?". And I nodded at him. And Viv nodded back. The end.








Oh, and I wet myself in excitement.

 

[smash84]

haha.....that is so awesome...i never got to meet viv unfortunatley

 

[smash84]

I love the picks and the writeups too, really entertaining... But I'm one of the few who doesn't consider contemporary opinion to be a fair indicator of a player's greatness, especially when it's someone who didn't play that long ago. For oldies, it's pretty much the only way you can judge players but for someone whose careers footage is readily available and who played in an era not too dissimilar from current times, it's better to focus more on why you yourself found him to be great ( which you did very well) instead of saying " Because so and so thought he was the greatest, so do I"

Viv though, amazing batsman, fortunate enough to have watched tons of footage of him on my dad's video tapes, and even though I didn't have the fortune of seeing him live, he had a presence unmatched by anyone in history

I do agree with you but just putting the names of some contemporaries because I think It is always fun to have an idea of what contemporaries thought of those players.

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Had so many great years, and staggering numbers as well. Though like so many his decline coincided with a diminishment of his standing to those who only look at numbers.
Oh and also, don't make us wait ages for the players, ****er

 

[smash84]

haha.....sorry man, been a little busy this past week, will post the next player this evening. And the team should hopefully be complete by the time the weekend arrives