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smalishah84's favorite XI
- Thread starter smash84
- Start date
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
Ravi Shastri, Aamer Sohail, Russell Arnold, Bill Lawry, Barry Richards...
I know who it is and have not listed him above but apparently, this is a category with a stockpile of options
smash84
The Tiger King
Sunil Gavaskar
Not quite in the Viv Richards class but Sunil Gavaskar as an opening batsman was a brave man. Until hit on the head (by Malcolm Marshall I think) he used to bat quite without protection. When you saw Sunny bat (which I was lucky enough to) you noticed how compact he was as a batsman and probably of all the batsmen I have seen none was more sure of his off stump than this short little man from across our Eastern border. As somebody rightly said that his battles with his opposite number (Imran) have become part of sub continental cricketing folklore. Imran would run in to bowl with his long run up and would be bowling good length deliveries just outside off stump only to see Gavaskar leaving them and the deliveries that he didn't play pass inches above the off stump. Remarkable really. I would have loved to see Glenn McGrath bowl at him. I am sure if there was one defensive batsman that would have given McG a run for his money it would have been Sunny. Gavaskar was also a delight to watch when he would play his cover drive. He would be very compact, make sure that the delivery is right and then stretching as much as he could would execute a beautiful cover drive. As bagapath pointed out that in many series he was the only one standing between the opposition and victory. For a while that was the feeling in Pakistan too (somewhat like Tendulkar in the 90s) that get Gavaskar and you already have the upper hand. Even better was how he would move out of the way of the short pitched delivery. Watching it intently and then at the last moment just swaying a little and letting the ball pass effortlessly by, as if the bowler wasn't really as quick as the efforts were showing. His final innings of 96 was an absolute masterclass on a minefield. Too bad I couldn't watch it live, I would later regret not to have watched live (arguably) the greatest innings of the little master.
Not quite in the Viv Richards class but Sunil Gavaskar as an opening batsman was a brave man. Until hit on the head (by Malcolm Marshall I think) he used to bat quite without protection. When you saw Sunny bat (which I was lucky enough to) you noticed how compact he was as a batsman and probably of all the batsmen I have seen none was more sure of his off stump than this short little man from across our Eastern border. As somebody rightly said that his battles with his opposite number (Imran) have become part of sub continental cricketing folklore. Imran would run in to bowl with his long run up and would be bowling good length deliveries just outside off stump only to see Gavaskar leaving them and the deliveries that he didn't play pass inches above the off stump. Remarkable really. I would have loved to see Glenn McGrath bowl at him. I am sure if there was one defensive batsman that would have given McG a run for his money it would have been Sunny. Gavaskar was also a delight to watch when he would play his cover drive. He would be very compact, make sure that the delivery is right and then stretching as much as he could would execute a beautiful cover drive. As bagapath pointed out that in many series he was the only one standing between the opposition and victory. For a while that was the feeling in Pakistan too (somewhat like Tendulkar in the 90s) that get Gavaskar and you already have the upper hand. Even better was how he would move out of the way of the short pitched delivery. Watching it intently and then at the last moment just swaying a little and letting the ball pass effortlessly by, as if the bowler wasn't really as quick as the efforts were showing. His final innings of 96 was an absolute masterclass on a minefield. Too bad I couldn't watch it live, I would later regret not to have watched live (arguably) the greatest innings of the little master.
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bagapath
International Captain
thanks for the writeup on Mr. Gavaskar. but his last innings was, unfortunately, not an unbeaten knock. the cheats (indian umpires) sent him back to the pavilion when an iqbal qasim delivery bounced off his arm guard to rizwan us zaman at forward short leg ending the best 4th innings knock played on indian soil until Sachin's 136 in a Chepauk game 12 years later. This injustice also resulted in India sliding into its most painful defeat ever until the same Chepauk game in 1999 took us down into deeper abyss.
OverratedSanity
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Came off his glove didn't it? It was a brutal delivery though, kicked up viciously off a length. And he probably should have been out LBW a couple of times in the innings. Nonetheless, considering the fact that the pitch was an absolute nightmare, it's arguably better than Sachin 136
The Battlers Prince
International Vice-Captain
Great write up. Did he always sway out of the way of the bouncers or did he duck as well? I'm always concerned by that, against the likes of Thomson who brought his bouncer back into batsmen how they (particularly Sunny in this circumstance) would have gone.
bagapath
International Captain
Gavaskar is 5'5" which means what would be a chest high skidder for the 6 foot Vengsarkar would be a chin threatening bouncer for him. A hip high in dipper for the majority would be an in coming skidder. A normal bouncer aimed at a tall batsman's head would pass above his head quite harmlessly.
Pietersen is supposed to be the tallest batsman in the 7000 club. No one else stood 6'4" or above and scored as many runs as him. Sunny must be the shortest of the lot.
Such obviously conspicuous physical traits must come with their own advantages and limitations.
So Pietersen learnt to pull off the front foot and Gavaskar learnt to weave out of bouncers.
Pietersen is supposed to be the tallest batsman in the 7000 club. No one else stood 6'4" or above and scored as many runs as him. Sunny must be the shortest of the lot.
Such obviously conspicuous physical traits must come with their own advantages and limitations.
So Pietersen learnt to pull off the front foot and Gavaskar learnt to weave out of bouncers.
The Battlers Prince
International Vice-Captain
That's the same height as Sachin I think
EDIT I believe 5'4" for Gavaskar (holy crap, that's the old girls height!), and 5'5" for Sachin. wonder what Bradman was...
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The Battlers Prince
International Vice-Captain
Imran is not a surprise
smash84
The Tiger King
The captain of my side and my favorite cricketer of all time. The surprise part is that I am not doing Imran last
Imran Khan
It might be impossible for people not raised in Pakistan in the 1980s and 90s to imagine just what Imran meant to that generation of Pakistanis. For that generation he was Dennis Lillee, Tom Cruise, Casanova and dependable batsman xyz rolled into one. It certainly helps his persona that he is the most glamorous man to grace the cricket field. Period (maybe with the possible exception of Keith Miller). He was literally what every boy dreamt to be be. The girls wanted to be with him and the guys wanted to be like him
, yes I know the Jack Reacher motto is quite cheesy from Lee Child but it really did apply to Imran. He was the first express bowler to come out of Pakistan. The first thing you noticed Imran at that time (talking of the early 80s) was his long run up. Turning at the top of the mark, staring into the batsman's eyes to see if he detected anything and then he would bow his head and start his run up and gathering speed his mane would be flowing, his arms making small swift circles during his run up and then he would near the crease and leap in the air, coiling while at the top of his jump (at times as high as the top of the stumps it seemed) and then uncoiling and sending down thunderbolts swinging in viciously. The batsmen would see their stumps flying and it would be such an exhilirating sight. Another thing that I loved about him was that he absolutely hated losing and was probably the most hardworking cricketer I have ever seen ensuring that himself and his team do not lose out EVER due to a lack of preparation. He wasn't naturally as talented as your Tendulkars or Vivs or Laras or Wasims. He worked REALLY REALLY hard. He started off as a medium pacer and completely changed his action to become (at one point) the fastest bowler in the world. He would be the first Pakistani bowler to really set the batsmen up and get them out and he would pass it on to Wasim and Waqar. He also had that never say die spirit which the Pakistanis always admired (but sadly always lacked). His leadership provided real spine to the Pakistan team, so much so that they would challenge arguably the finest sporting unit of all time. He also worked really hard to become a very dependable batsman. He could hold up an end and save matches.. His determination, grit, hard work, bowling, work ethic, dependable batting, leadership and his charisma make him my favorite cricketer of all time. The highest post ww2 peak of any bowler and the lowest average (and SR?) for the whole of the 1980s. When you saw him on the field you knew Imran was special. He looked regal, commanding, and stood out from the rest of the players on the field. It is sad that his bowling often gets forgotten due to him being marked as one of the great all rounders. He bowled well everywhere and always looked to get the best opposition batsmen out (and did it most of the times too). Perhaps Sunil Gavaskar phrased it best to watch Imran running into the breeze to send down his thunderbolts "Imran Khan running in to bowl is a sight for gods".
Have to admit that I have taken very small parts of the write up from Bagapath and Burgey's words on Imran because I thought they really fit the bill.
And now for some rare Imran pics :d (some from his playboy days too which I am sure Imran the politician wouldn't want to see too much)
Imran Khan
It might be impossible for people not raised in Pakistan in the 1980s and 90s to imagine just what Imran meant to that generation of Pakistanis. For that generation he was Dennis Lillee, Tom Cruise, Casanova and dependable batsman xyz rolled into one. It certainly helps his persona that he is the most glamorous man to grace the cricket field. Period (maybe with the possible exception of Keith Miller). He was literally what every boy dreamt to be be. The girls wanted to be with him and the guys wanted to be like him
, yes I know the Jack Reacher motto is quite cheesy from Lee Child but it really did apply to Imran. He was the first express bowler to come out of Pakistan. The first thing you noticed Imran at that time (talking of the early 80s) was his long run up. Turning at the top of the mark, staring into the batsman's eyes to see if he detected anything and then he would bow his head and start his run up and gathering speed his mane would be flowing, his arms making small swift circles during his run up and then he would near the crease and leap in the air, coiling while at the top of his jump (at times as high as the top of the stumps it seemed) and then uncoiling and sending down thunderbolts swinging in viciously. The batsmen would see their stumps flying and it would be such an exhilirating sight. Another thing that I loved about him was that he absolutely hated losing and was probably the most hardworking cricketer I have ever seen ensuring that himself and his team do not lose out EVER due to a lack of preparation. He wasn't naturally as talented as your Tendulkars or Vivs or Laras or Wasims. He worked REALLY REALLY hard. He started off as a medium pacer and completely changed his action to become (at one point) the fastest bowler in the world. He would be the first Pakistani bowler to really set the batsmen up and get them out and he would pass it on to Wasim and Waqar. He also had that never say die spirit which the Pakistanis always admired (but sadly always lacked). His leadership provided real spine to the Pakistan team, so much so that they would challenge arguably the finest sporting unit of all time. He also worked really hard to become a very dependable batsman. He could hold up an end and save matches.. His determination, grit, hard work, bowling, work ethic, dependable batting, leadership and his charisma make him my favorite cricketer of all time. The highest post ww2 peak of any bowler and the lowest average (and SR?) for the whole of the 1980s. When you saw him on the field you knew Imran was special. He looked regal, commanding, and stood out from the rest of the players on the field. It is sad that his bowling often gets forgotten due to him being marked as one of the great all rounders. He bowled well everywhere and always looked to get the best opposition batsmen out (and did it most of the times too). Perhaps Sunil Gavaskar phrased it best to watch Imran running into the breeze to send down his thunderbolts "Imran Khan running in to bowl is a sight for gods".Have to admit that I have taken very small parts of the write up from Bagapath and Burgey's words on Imran because I thought they really fit the bill.
And now for some rare Imran pics :d (some from his playboy days too which I am sure Imran the politician wouldn't want to see too much
)
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The Battlers Prince
International Vice-Captain
glad you didn't leave him til last, I'm assuming he's batting in his preferred 7 position? Good write up, would have liked some more on his batting but still shows how influential and heroic he was to many, including outside Pakistan.
smash84
The Tiger King
Actually no, in this team Imran will bat at 8.
Good write up, would have liked some more on his batting but still shows how influential and heroic he was to many, including outside Pakistan.