If you could make 1 change from the Wisden All time 11...

[Singh Is King]

I am saying 1 change because otherwise it will become the usual ATG debate lol !
Copy and Pasting from BBC Article 2 weeks ago.

1. Jack Hobbs (England, 1908-1930)

61 Tests, 5,410 runs at 56.94

2. WG Grace (England, 1880-1899)

22 Tests, 1,098 runs at 32.29

3. Donald Bradman (Australia, 1928-1948 - captain)

52 Tests, 6,996 runs at 99.94

4. Sachin Tendulkar (India, 1989-2013)

198 Tests, 15,837 runs at 53.86

5. Viv Richards (West Indies, 1974-1991)

121 Tests, 8,540 runs at 50.23

6. Garry Sobers (West Indies, 1954-1974)

93 Tests, 8,032 runs at 57.78, 235 wickets at 34.03

7. Alan Knott (England, 1967-1981 - wicketkeeper)

95 Tests, 4,389 runs at 32.75, 250 catches, 19 stumpings

8. Wasim Akram (Pakistan, 1985-2002)

104 Tests, 414 wickets at 23.62

9. Shane Warne (Australia, 1992-2007)

145 Tests, 708 wickets at 25.41

10. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies, 1978-1991)

81 Tests, 376 wickets at 20.94

11. Sydney Barnes (England, 1901-14)

27 Tests, 189 wickets at 16.43


My change would be Grace. Simply because 22 tests is not enough I believe to make you an all time great. Peoples averages majority of the time are high at the beginning then fade down , hence why the averages Lara and Tendulkar have are so incredible considering amount of Matches they have played.

For Grace I would change to Gavaskar. That would be the 1 change I make. Gavaskar the complete opener in my opinion.

 

[smash84]

I would make 2 changes to it.

Bring Imran in for Wasim

and get Grace out and bring hutton or gavaskar

edit: and yes, get gilly in

3 changes only

 

[andyc]

Obvious one would be Gilchrist in for Knott. Wasim's spot probably the next in danger, would be happy to see him out for a number of bowlers (Hadlee, Lillee, Imran, McGrath, etc.).

 

[Singh Is King]

I would make 2 changes to it.

Bring Imran in for Wasim

and get Grace out and bring hutton or gavaskar

edit: and yes, get gilly in

3 changes only

Just the 1 change allowed otherwise will become another ATG thread !!!

 

[smash84]

Then probably I will change knott for gilchrist

 

[GuyFromLancs]

WG Grace out.

A guy who just bullied and manipulated the rules so blatantly.

My favourite story of him is the one were the bowler ripped up his offstump, and after a few seconds deliberation, Grace eventually started walking back to the pavillion, only for the bowler to shout "Going, Doctor? But there's two stumps left standing"

Says it all.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

Knott was clearly a far better keeper then Gilly. And in this team you wouldn't need 15 extra runs an innings for an inferior keeper.

 

[Prince EWS]

It's extremely easy for me; Wasim out for Imran.

I'm of the belief that Bradman was the best Test batsman of all time and Imran was the best Test cricketer of all time. Remove the word "Test" from both of those descriptions and Grace is suddenly a worthy challenger to both titles. He wasn't an all-time great based on his Test career in isolation, however he played through an era where Test cricket was certainly not regarded as all-important; his county dominance at a time when county cricket was regarded as extremely important is worth a lot to me.

 

[subshakerz]

Imran for Wasim and Gilchrist for Knott are two clear changes. Imran was simply Wasim's superior is batting, bowling and captaincy, while Gilchrist was the first and only cricketer to combine high-class keeping with world-class destructive batting. I think Imran's case is clearer, since you can at least still argue Knott was the finest glovesman of all and a decent bat.

Having said that, both of these changes are not as egregious as the need to remove Grace with a proper cricketer like Gavaskar or Hutton. Grace was simply an oddity of the 19th century and as much as he contributed to the development of the game, he is a mismatch in this group of professionals.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

I would remove Grace for Hutton because I don't know how comparable Grace would be in the modern game.

If more changes were allowed (in order of priority):

1. Sydney Barnes for Lillee - Don't want 2 spinners in my All-time XI.
2. Alan Knott for Gilchrist - Obvious change
3. Wasim for Imran - Better Test cricketer
4. Tendulkar for Lara - Lara the better batsman for me.

Final XI

Hobbs
Hutton
Bradman
Lara
Viv
Sobers
Gilchrist (wk)
Imran (c)
Warne
Marshall
Lillee

 

[harsh.ag]

Gilly for Knott.

 

[Singh Is King]

1 change ONLY. You can talk about other changes elsewhere!!! 1 CHANGE ONLY. DISCUSS IN AS MUCH DETAIL YOU WANT. JUST 1 CHANGE ALLOWED or the thread will go off topic as always!!!!!

 

[OverratedSanity]

Hutton for Grace. He's one of the all time greats and without a doubt the most influential cricketer ever, but he was from a very different era... A definite misfit

 

[Shri]

Lara instead of Richards. Richards is out of position in that XI.

 

[nightprowler10]

Leave Wasim alone you bastards!

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Grace out and Hutton in.

 

[Fusion]

Leave Wasim alone you bastards!

Imran in for Wasim.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Grace out and Hutton in.

I concur.

That said Gilly for Knott and Imran for Wasim are both good swaps too its just that the absence of Hutton is quite glaring.

 

[grecian]

Wasim out, Hadlee or Garner in.

Also the Knott/Gilchrist thing should be put into perspective, pitches were different when Knott was playing, they deteriorated much more decisively, and were harder to bat on, and keep on after a fair few overs, having said that I'd still probably go Gilchrist with a gun to my head, but it's pretty close.

If your getting rid of Grace (which I wouldn't) Sutcliffe would be the man

Partnerships are gold......

 

[GIMH]

Botham in for Sobers. I've long had a theory that though Bradman was the greatest ever Test batsman, Botham was the greatest Test cricketer. Remove the words 'Test', 'batsman' and 'cricketer' though and these words could well apply to Pele, Michael Schumacher or Ric Flair, so I might sneak them in. It means a lot to me.