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Specialists draft

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
The criteria for this draft are simple: each player you pick must have:
- played at least one Test,
- have a Test batting average which is less than half their Test bowling average, or have taken no Test wickets.

So no all-rounders (or, at least, none who were successful in Tests). No Bradman either (since his Test bowling average was 36).

Usual 16-hour rule for Round 1, 8-hour rule from Round 2 onwards.
 

trundler

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What of wicketkeepers? Do they need to be specialist wicketkeepers too? Or will wk bats qualify?
 

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
What of wicketkeepers? Do they need to be specialist wicketkeepers too? Or will wk bats qualify?
I haven't come up with a way to exclude wicketkeeper-bats, so unless someone thinks of one fast they will be eligible (except for those like de Villiers and Walcott who are excluded by their bowling averages).
 

trundler

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Not sure if you should but you could be putting a cap on average, number of tons or something like that.
 

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
How about "the team's wicket-keeper must have played all their Tests as designated wicket-keeper"?
 

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
Reasonable I reckon.
OK, we'll go with that. Note that as well as obvious non-specialists such as Sangakkara/Walcott/de Villiers/Stewart, this excludes some players more generally thought of as specialist keepers such as Dujon, Waite, Moin Khan, Les Ames, Lindsay, de Kock, Blackham...
 

a massive zebra

International Captain
I agree. Blackham was universally considered the best wicket keeper in the history of cricket before WWI, and his batting was middling at best. Any criteria that excludes him from a list of specialist keepers is not fit for purpose.
 

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