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Team full of batsmen or team full of bowlers? Which is stronger on paper?

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
I just simmed ATG South African bowlers vs ATG English batsmen in ICC 2014. England dominated when South Africa weren't allowed their all-rounders, but when Barlow/Goddard/Faulkner/Procter were selected, South Africa held them off comfortably.

Jardine took a 10wm, and Peter Heine made a Test ton.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I just simmed ATG South African bowlers vs ATG English batsmen in ICC 2014. England dominated when South Africa weren't allowed their all-rounders, but when Barlow/Goddard/Faulkner/Procter were selected, South Africa held them off comfortably.

Jardine took a 10wm, and Peter Heine made a Test ton.

see if those 4 guys you mentioned who got runs also carried SA's bowling load I say fair game
 

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
It'd be more entertaining if you avoided all-rounders completely and had some batsmen who barely ever bowled even at domestic level bowling to the likes of Tufnell, Panesar, Chris Martin etc.
 

TheJediBrah

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It'd be more entertaining if you avoided all-rounders completely and had some batsmen who barely ever bowled even at domestic level bowling to the likes of Tufnell, Panesar, Chris Martin etc.
I was just thinking this. Putting all-rounders like Imran, Sobers etc just defeats the purpose IMO
 

Tom Flint

International Regular
What about a team of genuine batting all rounders against genuine bowling all rounders, say;
Dilshan
Gayle
Kallis
Viv
Sobers
Jayasuria
Steve. Smith
Stokes
Shakib
Matthews
Dhoni (can definately bowl).
3 proper seamers +'dhoni , right and left arm off spinners, a leggie and then sobers who could bowl anything.

Imran
Pollock
Hadlee
Bresnan
Dev
Vettori
Flintoff
Botham
Afridi
Wasim
Ashwin
 

smash84

The Tiger King
keith miller missing there but that;s a good question. Get afridi the **** out of that side

I reckon on a green top the bowling team would run through the batting lineup. On a spinning wicket probably the batting team.

On the flat track it'll probably be a draw with the batter piling on the runs
 

TheJediBrah

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keith miller missing there but that;s a good question.
Miller was a genuine all-rounder

I would also say Flintoff, Botham, Afridi, Shakib, Stokes, Kallis, Sobers (all who were listed in that side) are genuine all rounders as well rather than batting or bowling all-rounders
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
It'd be more entertaining if you avoided all-rounders completely and had some batsmen who barely ever bowled even at domestic level bowling to the likes of Tufnell, Panesar, Chris Martin etc.
That is a better/good suggestion.

E.g some hack bowler like Dean Brownlie to open with the new cherry.

Then Ross Taylor's dibbly dobblers/mediums to come on first change.

I reckon I could take 12-15 runs off a Taylor over,
 

TheJediBrah

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Batting Side
Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Dravid
Lara
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Sangakkara
Gilchrist
Jayawardene
Mohammad Yousuf
Stephen Fleming

Bowling Side
Jason Gillespie
Shoaib Akhtar
Harmison
Kasprowicz
Zaheer Khan
Hoggard
Muralitharan
MacGill
McGrath
Ntini
Danish Kaneria


I'd think the batting side would win most series. Because when they struggle, they'd still get a lot of draws because they could bat forever.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
It's weird calling Sobers a genuine all-rounder when you compare his bowling stats to his batting stats, but I'm aware he bowled practically all the time
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I guess an interesting thought is that 5 bowlers is enough players to allow for your others bowlers to rest and stuff, but 11 ATG bowlers would be interesting if they're all used in 3-4 over spells so they are constantly fresh as ****
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Batting Side
Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Dravid
Lara
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Sangakkara
Gilchrist
Jayawardene
Mohammad Yousuf
Stephen Fleming

Bowling Side
Jason Gillespie
Shoaib Akhtar
Harmison
Kasprowicz
Zaheer Khan
Hoggard
Muralitharan
MacGill
McGrath
Ntini
Danish Kaneria


I'd think the batting side would win most series. Because when they struggle, they'd still get a lot of draws because they could bat forever.
Nice Post - beside the batsman team, and only if you can be arsed, can you post a bowling order - I want to imagine who would open and then bowl 1st and 2nd change,
 

Victor Ian

International Coach
I think it is worth considering the fielding abilities of the two sides. Perhaps it is wrong, but I have always had the suspicion that batsmen make better fielders. Sure, bowlers could be good in the outfield but who is going to field in the slips, who is going to patrol the midfield, etc.

I also suspect that the slow bowlers would not benefit from short burst style bowling. They would rather keep on and build pressure and work plans. It would be scarey to think of the fast men. As the keeper is unique, I'd pick teams with ten bowlers and ten batsmen and 1 keeper.

Would the batsmen prefer the expert keeper, so they have their rare chances put down, or would the bowlers prefer the better keeper so as to minimise the damage from dropping a champion batsman?
 

Victor Ian

International Coach
Would a team of all rounders necessarily beat either of the batting only or bowling only teams? You'd only get three super bats and three super bowlers, I'd think, the rest would taper off quickly.
 

TheJediBrah

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I think it is worth considering the fielding abilities of the two sides. Perhaps it is wrong, but I have always had the suspicion that batsmen make better fielders. Sure, bowlers could be good in the outfield but who is going to field in the slips, who is going to patrol the midfield, etc.

I also suspect that the slow bowlers would not benefit from short burst style bowling. They would rather keep on and build pressure and work plans. It would be scarey to think of the fast men. As the keeper is unique, I'd pick teams with ten bowlers and ten batsmen and 1 keeper.

Would the batsmen prefer the expert keeper, so they have their rare chances put down, or would the bowlers prefer the better keeper so as to minimise the damage from dropping a champion batsman?
It's not wrong
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
I agree. How many ATG bowlers were good slippers apart from Beefy Botham and Shane Warne? Obviously Flintoff, Southee, Mark Craig and Chris Jordan were/are good in the slips but their bowling isn't/wasn't world class.
 

91Jmay

International Coach
Can't see how the bowlers can possibly win this one. It is about maximising your resources, all batsmen can bat twice a test match but with 10 bowlers you really aren't going to get the chance to bowl them for the extended spells bowlers need to get any kind of value.
 

Red

The normal awards that everyone else has
Can't see how the bowlers can possibly win this one. It is about maximising your resources, all batsmen can bat twice a test match but with 10 bowlers you really aren't going to get the chance to bowl them for the extended spells bowlers need to get any kind of value.
It'd be epic as a timeless test.
 

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