Best XI's ever put out in a test match by each country?

[mr_mister]

I've been digging around in a few scorecards to find England's objective best ever line up, and I couldn't find one that featured all of Hobbs-Sutcliffe-Hamond-Ames-Larwood-Tate-Rhodes in the 20s, though it would have been theoretically possible to play all those guys in an XI.


But I found this gem:

England played a virtual who's who of classical English batting in the 1st test of the 1928 tour of Aus, with a top 6 of

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Mead
Hammond
Jardine
Hendren


5 of those blokes feature in the top 6 for all time FC centuries and top 7 for all time FC runs. Not too shabby. In this XI Larwood and Tate both featured but there was no Rhodes(or even Freeman, though he was in the touring squad) to really make it England's clear cut best ever XI to take the field.


So then I looked in the late 40's early 50's scorecards to hopefully find a crazy good lineup and found this gem from the 5th test of Aus's 53 tour of England


Hutton
Edrich
May
Compton
Graveney
Bailey
Evans+
Laker
Lock
Trueman
Bedser


ATG galore, from top to bottom. I'd say this is the best XI England ever put to out on the park, all things considered.



Now what are some for other countries?

 

[trundler]

Great thread.

WI seems straight forward enough, though it must be noted the quartet didn't all peak simultaneously eg when GOAT Marshall took over Holding was in and out due to injuries.

 

[OverratedSanity]

From the first test in Australia in 2012 . Ironically it's from probably the worst series defeat in Indian history, but it makes sense that this sort of XI would be seen in a period when the old guard is fading and the new greats are just coming in.

Gambhir
Sehwag
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Kohli
Dhoni
Ashwin
Zaheer
Ishant
Umesh

Can make a solid case for 8 of them to be in India's AT XI.

 

[wpdavid]

This XI has to be in the running for the West Indies.


3rd Test, West Indies tour of Australia at Adelaide, Jan 26-30 1980 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo

It's not just the personnel; but also their stages of their careers. Maybe Haynes is a bit early in his career, and Rowe at the other end of his, but most of them are at their peaks. My only concern is that it doesn't include Marshall. I know that he didn't play many tests with all of Roberts, Holding and Garner, so maybe someone can dig out one of those as an alternative.

 

[a massive zebra]

Not sure they all ever played together but these could have been phenomenal lineups.

Jack Hobbs
Herbert Sutcliffe
Walter Hammond
Patsy Hendren
Phil Mead
Douglas Jardine *
Les Ames +
Maurice Tate
Harold Larwood
Tich Freeman
Charlie Parker

Or

Arthur Morris
Sid Barnes
Don Bradman *
Lindsay Hassett
Neil Harvey
Bill Brown
Keith Miller
Ray Lindwall
Don Tallon +
Bill Johnston
Ernie Toshack

Or

Len Hutton *
Colin Cowdrey
Peter May
Denis Compton
Keith Barrington
Tom Graveney
Godfrey Evans +
Johnny Wardle
Jim Laker
Frank Tyson
Brian Statham

Or

Barry Richards
Eddie Barlow
Ali Bacher *
Graeme Pollock
Lee Irvine
Buster Farrer
Denis Lindsay +
Mike Proctor
Trevor Goddard
Tiger Lance
Peter Pollock

Or

Gordon Greenidge
Desmond Haynes
Richie Richardson
Viv Richards
Clive Lloyd *
Larry Gomes
Jeff Dujon +
Malcolm Marshall
Andy Roberts
Michael Holding
Joel Garner

Or

Justin Langer
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting
Mark Waugh
Steve Waugh *
Damien Martyn
Adam Gilchrist +
Shane Warne
Jason Gillespie
Stuart MacGill
Glenn McGrath

Or

Graeme Smith *
Dean Elgar
Jacques Kallis
Hashim Amla
AB de Villiers
Faf du Plessis
Quinton de Kock +
Vernon Philander
Dale Steyn
Morne Morkel
Kagiso Rabada

 

[TheJediBrah]

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Martyn
Hussey
Clarke
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
McGrath

Aus might have had a stronger side in Bradman's time, 1948 invincibles or some such but hard to compare

edit: ^or zebra's team probably just as good, though I'm not sure if that exact team played together.

this is probably the closest to zebra's team:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/15431/scorecard/63966/australia-vs-south-africa-3rd-test/

Just Lee played instead in GIllespie

 

[trundler]

From the first test in Australia in 2012 . Ironically it's from probably the worst series defeat in Indian history, but it makes sense that this sort of XI would be seen in a period when the old guard is fading and the new greats are just coming in.

Gambhir
Sehwag
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Kohli
Dhoni
Ashwin
Zaheer
Ishant
Umesh

Can make a solid case for 8 of them to be in India's AT XI.

A bowling attack as good as the Indian ATG one.

How horrid.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I don't think my team ever played together either, always at least 1 missing. Replace Gillespie with S Clark though and you get the 2006/07 Ashes side

 

[trundler]

Not sure they all ever played together but these could have been phenomenal lineups.

JB Hobbs
H Sutcliffe
WR Hammond
EH Hendren
CP Mead
DR Jardine
LG Ames +
MW Tate
H Larwood
AP Freeman
CWL Parker

Or

AR Morris
SG Barnes
DG Bradman
AL Hassett
RN Harvey
WA Brown
KR Miller
RR Lindwall
D Tallon +
WA Johnston
ERH Toshack

Or

L Hutton
MC Cowdrey
PBH May
DCS Compton
KF Barrington
TW Graveney
TG Evans +
JH Wardle
JS Laker
FH Tyson
JB Statham

Or

BA Richards
EJ Barlow
A Bacher
RG Pollock
BL Irvine
WS Farrer
DT Lindsay +
MJ Proctor
TL Goddard
HR Lance
PM Pollock

Or

CG Greenidge
DL Haynes
RB Richardson
IVA Richards
CH Lloyd
HA Gomes
PJL Dujon +
MD Marshall
AME Roberts
MA Holding
J Garner

Or

JL Langer
ML Hayden
RT Ponting
ME Waugh
SR Waugh
DR Martyn
AC Gilchrist +
SK Warne
JN Gillespie
SCG MacGill
GD McGrath

Didn't Goddard play only a couple of innings as a non opener? Gomes probably the weakest link.

 

[OverratedSanity]

A bowling attack as good as the Indian ATG one.

How horrid.

if Ishant has a couple of good years he may actually make a case for India's AT Xi. Scary thought isn't it?

 

[Dendarii]

Graeme Smith *
Dean Elgar
Jacques Kallis
Hashim Amla
AB de Villiers
Faf du Plessis
Quinton de Kock +
Vernon Philander
Dale Steyn
Morne Morkel
Kagiso Rabada

South Africa got very close to this one against India, just with Markram and Maharaj instead of Smith and Kallis.

1st Test, India tour of South Africa at Cape Town, Jan 5-8 2018 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo

 

[morgieb]

This XI has to be in the running for the West Indies.


3rd Test, West Indies tour of Australia at Adelaide, Jan 26-30 1980 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo

It's not just the personnel; but also their stages of their careers. Maybe Haynes is a bit early in his career, and Rowe at the other end of his, but most of them are at their peaks. My only concern is that it doesn't include Marshall. I know that he didn't play many tests with all of Roberts, Holding and Garner, so maybe someone can dig out one of those as an alternative.

The 84/85 tour probably tops that -

Haynes
Greenidge
Richardson
Gomes
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Marshall
Holding
Garner
Walsh

Admittedly not everyone was at their complete peaks, but when the worst player in that team is Larry Gomes, that is damn impressive.

 

[Dendarii]

Graeme Smith *
Dean Elgar
Jacques Kallis
Hashim Amla
AB de Villiers
Faf du Plessis
Quinton de Kock +
Vernon Philander
Dale Steyn
Morne Morkel
Kagiso Rabada

And another "near miss" for South Africa - Alviro Petersen and Robin Peterson instead of De Kock and Rabada.

1st Test, Pakistan tour of South Africa at Johannesburg, Feb 1-4 2013 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo

 

[mr_mister]

It's interesting with Bradman whether to go pre war or post war.

With a team from the 30s you can hook him up with Ponsford-Woodfull-Mccabe-Brown-Oldfield-OReilly-Grimmett


It's missing pace bowlers but the 48 invincibles didn't have a notable spinner

 

[morgieb]

Imagine if O'Reilly had lasted to the Invincibles tour. IRL Loxton/Johnson damages the side slightly, but everyone else was either at least an ATVG or only missed out through lack of Tests. Add O'Reilly and you have probably the greatest side of all-time.

 

[a massive zebra]

Imagine if O'Reilly had lasted to the Invincibles tour. IRL Loxton/Johnson damages the side slightly, but everyone else was either at least an ATVG or only missed out through lack of Tests. Add O'Reilly and you have probably the greatest side of all-time.

Fair points regarding Loxton and O'Reilly but I think you are being very harsh on Bill Johnston who took 160 test wickets at under 24.

 

[wpdavid]

The 84/85 tour probably tops that -

Haynes
Greenidge
Richardson
Gomes
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Marshall
Holding
Garner
Walsh

Admittedly not everyone was at their complete peaks, but when the worst player in that team is Larry Gomes, that is damn impressive.

Good choice. I was about to suggest that Holding was a bit past his best by then, until I saw his 6-for in that match. Plus Gomes' ton of course.

For whatever reason, I have am more drawn to the 1980 version, but I couldn't really argue why your side isn't superior.

 

[Himannv]

These two West Indian lineups are pretty strong as well.

1st Test, West Indies tour of England at Nottingham, Jun 5-10 1980 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo
1st Test, India tour of West Indies at Kingston, Feb 23-28 1983 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo

 

[trundler]

Noob Marshall and past his peak Kallicharan but yeah.

 

[AndrewB]

Fair points regarding Loxton and O'Reilly but I think you are being very harsh on Bill Johnston who took 160 test wickets at under 24.

Ian Johnson (who took 109 wickets at 29), not Bill Johnston.