11 players who made their test debuts in 11 different decades DRAFT thread

[The Battlers Prince]

Rock or Bust XI
Victor Trumper\
Bob Simpson\•
Charlie Macartney\•
Wally Hammond\•
Andy Flower\+
Doug Walters\•
-
Hedley Verity•\
Sir Alec Bedser• (2)
Ian Bishop• (3)
Michael Holding• (1)

 

[watson]

Round 10
watson: Farokh Engineer / Fazal Mahmood (R11)
AndrewB: Joe Root
honestbharani: Bill Edrich
jimmy101: Timed-Out
Howe_Zat: Rahul Dravid
J_C: Johnny Briggs
schearzie: Ian Bishop
AldoRaine18: Lindsay Hassett
Saint Kopite: Timed-Out
OverratedSanity:
Red Hill:
mr_mister:

 

[AndrewB]

Since I'm the last person to pick for the 1950s...

Fazal Mahmood

So the 1950s players picked would give us a "squad" of:

Conrad Hunte
Trevor Goddard
Rohan Kanhai
Bob Simpson
Ken Barrington
Garry Sobers
Richie Benaud
Alan Davidson
Frank Tyson
Fred Trueman
Fazal Mahmood
Brian Statham

with I guess Kanhai keeping wicket.

 

[watson]

I think that the 1950s was probably the strongest decade. What was surprising was the relative lack of great players who debuted in the 1980s. Obviously, the quality of play during 1980s was due to players like Richards, Botham, Border, and Miandad who had all formed their skills in the 1970s. Not due to new players who happened to burst on to the scene.

 

[AldoRaine18]

Lindsay Hassett. 30s.

 

[mr_mister]

I think that the 1950s was probably the strongest decade. What was surprising was the relative lack of great players who debuted in the 1980s. Obviously, the quality of play during 1980s was due to players like Richards, Botham, Border, and Miandad who had all formed their skills in the 1970s. Not due to new players who happened to burst on to the scene.

1990s or 1970s strongest fo sho. 50's batting too weak in comparison

 

[OverratedSanity]

80s was surprisingly weak. Before I looked it up, I thought it'd be a strong decade, but as watson said, most of the greats who dominated the 80s debuted in the mid 70s.

 

[OverratedSanity]

1990s or 1970s strongest fo sho. 50's batting too weak in comparison

40s, 90s and 70s the three strongest, clearly.

 

[mr_mister]

yeah 40s too. Weird that watson would claim 50s over all 3 as the strongest. People like Simpson, Hunte and even Barrington are always very late picks in drafts usually if they're picked at all. Kinda weird Barrington is seen as lesser than Hammond, Hutton and Hobbs despite averaging just as much as them for a very long period of time

 

[jimmy101]

Sorry for the hold up. My next pick: Denis Lindsay (1960s)

 

[mr_mister]

Saint > OS > Red Hill

 

[Saint Kopite]

HUGH TAYFIELD

​

 

[AndrewB]

The 40s "squad" is

Arthur Morris
Frank Worrell*
Everton Weekes
Clyde Walcott+
Neil Harvey
Vijay Hazare
Keith Miller
Ray Lindwall
Jim Laker
Alec Bedser
Hugh Tayfield
Bill Johnston

 

[mr_mister]

Interesting how the batting and bowling works itself out to make a good team. The 30s squad might be a bit batsman heavy though

 

[OverratedSanity]

Arthur Shrewsbury (1877-1899)

 

[AndrewB]

Interesting how the batting and bowling works itself out to make a good team. The 30s squad might be a bit batsman heavy though

Yes, no fast bowlers picked from the 1930s at all:

Len Hutton
Vijay Merchant
Sid Barnes
George Headley
Bill Edrich
Denis Compton
Stan McCabe
Eddie Paynter
Dudley Nourse
Lindsay Hassett
Hedley Verity
Bill O'Reilly

 

[mr_mister]

McCabe used to open the bowling didn't he?

 

[OverratedSanity]

McCabe used to open the bowling didn't he?

Only occasionally I think, and at medium pace

 

[AndrewB]

McCabe used to open the bowling didn't he?

So if you had to pick an XI from this squad you'd have Edrich and McCabe as opening bowlers, then switch as fast as possible to O'Reilly and Verity, plus some left-arm wrist-spin from Compton. Sid Barnes keeping wicket, possibly.

 

[AndrewB]

The 19th century "squad" is more balanced, though would probably be improved by picking some of all-rounders available from that era (Monty Noble, Stanley Jackson, George Giffen, Billy Bates, Billy Barnes, George Ulyett, AG Steel...):

WG Grace
Victor Trumper
Arthur Shrewsbury
Ranjitsinhji
Clem Hill
Wilfred Rhodes
Jack Blackham
Johnny Briggs
George Lohmann
Fred Spofforth
Tom Richardson
Jack Ferris