• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Best Asian Test Team of All Time

sumantra

U19 Cricketer
Mine is like this

Best Asian Test Team of All Time

Sunil Gavaskar
Vijay Merchant
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Javed Miandad
Kumara Sangakkara
Imran Khan (C)
Wasim Akram
Waqar Younis
Fazal Mahmood
Muttiah Muralitharan


Extras

Kapil Dev
Bishan Bedi
Shoaib Akhtar
Hanif Mohammad
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Can't really fault that XI. Maybe an argument for Sehwag( or even Anwar) over Merchant?
 

Slifer

International Captain
Excellent team. The rest:

Hobbs
Hutton
DB*
Viv
Sobers
Gilchrist
Miller
Hadlee
Marshall
Warne
McGrath
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
I'd drop Dravid for a specialist keeper (perhaps Farokh Engineer or Wasim Bari) who'd bat behind Imran and move Sanggakara to no3.
 

a massive zebra

International Captain
Sangakkara's batting record as keeper is no where close to his overall career record and he wasn't an ATG keeper, so I would also drop either Rahul Dravid or Javed Mianded for Syed Kirmani and move Sanga to 3. I don't think Engineer was at the same level as Kirmani or Bari as a keeper and Kirmani is comfortably the better batsman of the latter two. Also, the most effective lineup may vary depending on the location in which the match is played. Firstly, in Asia an attack with at least two spinners is often more effective than an attack dominated by pace, so Ashwin or Bedi might come in for Fazal in home conditions.Secondly, while Vijay Merchant was a much more technically and mentally solid player than Sehwag and would certainly stand a better chance of success outside Asia, Sehwag absolutely decimated some of the best attacks in the world at home and could turn a match on its head in no time, so he probably merits a place in Asia. Finally, if one was to bring in Kirmani for a batsman, that would admittedly weaken the batting, so it might be worth strengthening the batting by replacing Fazal with Kapil Dev, who arguably is a broadly similar calibre of bowler but a much more dangerous matchwinning batsmen.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Sangakkara's batting record as keeper is no where close to his overall career record and he wasn't an ATG keeper, so I would also drop either Rahul Dravid or Javed Mianded for Syed Kirmani and move Sanga to 3. I don't think Engineer was at the same level as Kirmani or Bari as a keeper and Kirmani is comfortably the better batsman of the latter two. Also, the most effective lineup may vary depending on the location in which the match is played. Firstly, in Asia an attack with at least two spinners is often more effective than an attack dominated by pace, so Ashwin or Bedi might come in for Fazal in home conditions.Secondly, while Vijay Merchant was a much more technically and mentally solid player than Sehwag and would certainly stand a better chance of success outside Asia, Sehwag absolutely decimated some of the best attacks in the world at home and could turn a match on its head in no time, so he probably merits a place in Asia. Finally, if one was to bring in Kirmani for a batsman, that would admittedly weaken the batting, so it might be worth strengthening the batting by replacing Fazal with Kapil Dev, who arguably is a broadly similar calibre of bowler but a much more dangerous matchwinning batsmen.
So you are basically making an All time squad and not an AT XI then? A squad of 30 probables might be a very interesting idea.
 

subshakerz

International Coach
Sangakkara's batting record as keeper is no where close to his overall career record and he wasn't an ATG keeper, so I would also drop either Rahul Dravid or Javed Mianded for Syed Kirmani and move Sanga to 3. I don't think Engineer was at the same level as Kirmani or Bari as a keeper and Kirmani is comfortably the better batsman of the latter two. Also, the most effective lineup may vary depending on the location in which the match is played. Firstly, in Asia an attack with at least two spinners is often more effective than an attack dominated by pace, so Ashwin or Bedi might come in for Fazal in home conditions.Secondly, while Vijay Merchant was a much more technically and mentally solid player than Sehwag and would certainly stand a better chance of success outside Asia, Sehwag absolutely decimated some of the best attacks in the world at home and could turn a match on its head in no time, so he probably merits a place in Asia. Finally, if one was to bring in Kirmani for a batsman, that would admittedly weaken the batting, so it might be worth strengthening the batting by replacing Fazal with Kapil Dev, who arguably is a broadly similar calibre of bowler but a much more dangerous matchwinning batsmen.
I think I would include Sanga as keeper for the following two reasons:

- There is no outstanding choice for Asian wicketkeeper batsman who is greatly skilled with gloves and is a decent batsman.
- Sanga will be batting at no.6 so he doesnt have to shoulder too much load.

My team:

Gavaskar
Anwar or Sehwag (I think Anwar was a better opener but more would go for Sehwag)
Tendulkar
Miandad
Dravid
Sanga
Imran
Wasim
Waqar
Kumble
Murali

It's a subcontinent team, so you need two spinners I think hehe
 

OverratedSanity

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Sangakkara's batting record as keeper while obviously inferior to his overall record as a pure batsman, is still pretty damn good, far better than any of the so-called pure keepers. Reckon his keeping is massively underrated too, simply because he was a great batsman. He kept to spin about as well as any keeper I've ever seen and Murali can't have been an easy assignment.
 

sumantra

U19 Cricketer
I think I would include Sanga as keeper for the following two reasons:

- There is no outstanding choice for Asian wicketkeeper batsman who is greatly skilled with gloves and is a decent batsman.
- Sanga will be batting at no.6 so he doesnt have to shoulder too much load.

My team:

Gavaskar
Anwar or Sehwag (I think Anwar was a better opener but more would go for Sehwag)
Tendulkar
Miandad
Dravid
Sanga
Imran
Wasim
Waqar
Kumble
Murali

It's a subcontinent team, so you need two spinners I think hehe
You were not probably deciding upon the batting order I believe, otherwise I see no reason to send Tendulkar at 3 and put Dravid at 5...

That two spinner thing depends on where we are playing, I would like Waqar or Fazal Mahmood under most circumstances...
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
Pointless to bat Sanga at 6, even when he was a keeper he was a number 3, just not quite as good

I like the one with Shakib in, if there's one XI that deserves two spinners, it's this one, and he balances the side better than Kapil.
 

harsh.ag

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Gavaskar
Sehwag
Sanga
Tendulkar
Dravid
Miandad
Sarfraz +
Imran
Wasim
Waqar
Murali

Sarfraz has been the best Asian keeper-bat during my lifetime bar Sanga and I want Sanga at full capacity at number 3. Sachin and Sehwag to bowl part time spin.
 

randycricfreak

State Vice-Captain
Sehwag
Gavaskar
Sanga
Sachin
Younis Khan ( Pretty underrated)
MS Dhoni
Imran Khan
Wasim
Kumble
Murali
Waqar

One could make a case for Ashwin against Kumble.But I went with Kumble cos of his 700 haul.
 

vcs

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Gavaskar
Sehwag
Sanga
Tendulkar
Dravid
Miandad
Sarfraz +
Imran
Wasim
Waqar
Murali

Sarfraz has been the best Asian keeper-bat during my lifetime bar Sanga and I want Sanga at full capacity at number 3. Sachin and Sehwag to bowl part time spin.
That's very high praise for Sarfraz.. if I wanted a specialist keeper, I would probably go for Prasanna Jayawardene or even Saha. Sarfraz's keeping isn't great.
 

harsh.ag

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Yeah, just go for the best keeper who can bat some. Engineer, Kirmani up for the spot too obviously. Just impossible to choose between so many candidates.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Sehwag
Gavaskar
Sanga
Sachin
Younis Khan ( Pretty underrated)
MS Dhoni
Imran Khan
Wasim
Kumble
Murali
Waqar

One could make a case for Ashwin against Kumble.But I went with Kumble cos of his 700 haul.
Definitely no place for Dhoni in an AT test XI
 

Top