Test XI for The Last Quarter Century

[Mr Miyagi]

This is a terrible post if you'r serious.

Maybe I am. Maybe I am not.

Please further discuss the problems that ABdV has with line and length bowling :P

 

[trundler]

Anyway my team as of yet is:
Tendulkar
Gilchrist
Ponting
Kohli
ABDV
Hussey
Klusener
Pollock
Akram
Murali
McGrath

Getting Tendulkar out counts for more than getting some useless Poms out.

Might move Kohli at 3, take Ponting out and add a slogger like Symonds or Buttler if he does it in the WC

 

[trundler]

Just because you're the greatest line and length bowler (better than Hadlee...) doesn't mean you don't have other tricks up your sleeve

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Buttler hasn't played enough for me to include him. His stats may nosedive.

Agreed. But they're damn impressive now.

Add Starc to your team for consistency in selection approach if you don't see this as an issue.

He was close, but Akram at 10 bats better.

Additionally, he has only played in the era in which strike rates have exploded. His stats era adjusted are a bit better than Gilchrists, but not much. Dhoni has been playing a while- his strike rate is ok. Same stats as Amla, but I think he scores tougher runs. Plus he brings it by keeping and being an awesome captain.

I have Amla. And Buttler has outperformed Dhoni in the comparative era they have overlapped no?

Watson averages 45 when opening and low 30s when not (only about 10 50s).

Watson is in the 40's when batting 7 and 48.5 career high when batting 5, I have him at 5.

6 bowlers adds value, yes. Significant value considering their similarity, probably not. Pick Symonds instead if you want to go this route.

No thanks. I thought about him. I went against him for Watto, Kluesner, Flintoff and Pollock.

Much better fielder and middle order bat, and the quality of his bowling will be compensated for (wholly or partly) by the variety.

Fielding is a point. But my team isn't full of passengers in the field. And I really like the 6 front line bowling options.

Pick Ponting if you think Bevan is too slow.

I went with Kohli at 3. He's got him. And ABdV at 4. There was no room for Punter. I looked, and tried, but I wanted 6 bowlers.

I can't really argue McGrath above Flintoff. It's just preference in team balance, on which we differ- there isn't a definitive answer.

Flintoff has 3 odi centuries, McGrath none.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Just because you're the greatest line and length bowler (better than Hadlee...) doesn't mean you don't have other tricks up your sleeve

Because McGrath has swing?

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Anyway my team as of yet is:
Tendulkar
Gilchrist
Ponting
Kohli
ABDV
Hussey
Klusener
Pollock
Akram
Murali
McGrath

Getting Tendulkar out counts for more than getting some useless Poms out.

Might move Kohli at 3, take Ponting out and add a slogger like Symonds or Buttler if he does it in the WC

I like Hussey but loathe your 6th bowling option whoever it is. I can't tell. 10 overs from Kluesner? Why is Kohli batting behind Punter? Is yesterday's 250 now 375? :P

 

[trundler]

Klusener it is.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Klusener it is.

I like your team but I think you need more bowling. I like Mike Hussey, and tried to fit him in my team before Punter :P Yeah I said it.

Neither made it. Tendulkar, Amla, Kohli and AbDV own the batting spots for me.

Tendulkar copied Greatbatch and made it his own. Amla is seriously underrated. Kohli is verging on the best that has played once het gets past Viv, ABdV and Tendulkar (that latter hay have already) and Viv is out of the date range. (I ma starting to think that Kohli will at 29 years of age currently only.)

Imo.

 

[trundler]

Maybe Punter needs to go for an all-rounder. Flintoff at 4? Shakin down the order?

 

[trundler]

I'm sticking with Hussey. Just need to decide between Symonds, Flintoff and Shakib.

 

[Bolo]

As for my team, people saying it only has two strong batsman are taking the piss a bit considering it has Kohli, AbD, Watson, Gilchrist, Buttler, Maxwell, Russell, Pollock, Rashid Khan in it. My team has a career average of well above 300, so there’s no chance it’s going to collapse often against any attack.

Every team collapses. No getting around it. Your team bats deep, which is good. Other than Kohli and AB, your bats have the potential for brilliance, but aren't that reliable. Rather have some extra reliability in there somewhere. Someone like a Bevan can be relied on to score more runs if everyone else is failing. If the rest of the team is succeeding, no need for him to bat at all.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Every team collapses. No getting around it. Your team bats deep, which is good. Other than Kohli and AB, your bats have the potential for brilliance, but aren't that reliable. Rather have some extra reliability in there somewhere. Someone like a Bevan can be relied on to score more runs if everyone else is failing. If the rest of the team is succeeding, no need for him to bat at all.

Less reliability is needed with high SR and batting deep. :P

Modern Aus (remember Faulkner at 9), SA (don't tell me Phelwayo is a bowler - seriously), Eng (Woakes at 8, Willey at 9 when one of Ali Khan or Plunkett don't play) and maybe even Indian teams have proven this.

NZ used to use the same formula. It has become fairly common.

 

[trundler]

That's what sets Viv and ABDV a class apart from all others.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

That's what sets Viv and ABDV a class apart from all others.

Dude, this has been my position for years, but Kohli is knocking down on that door. As much as I don't rate him in t20 vs ABdV, Narine or Russell as a a cricketer (Watto, KL Rhul keeping, many more dual role players I still think);

in ODI cricket he smashing down the door to Viv and ABdV, runs in 2019 WC for me, he is there already.

He's already at career average 58 with SR in the low 90's. At some point its just like Virat - stop making runs. We recognise you're amazing already.

 

[cnerd123]

Maybe I am. Maybe I am not.

Please further discuss the problems that ABdV has with line and length bowling :P

Do you not understand that McGrath didn't simply land the ball at the same spot every time, but that he landed it at the spot where that specific batsman found it hardest to play? He adjusted to everyone he bowled to and had specific plans to set them up and dismis them, down to how he set his field, and which shot he was going for to lure them to play at which ball of the over.

The man was a freak. Comparing him to Haze is just insulting

 

[trundler]

When McGrath mastered the Master - ESPNcricinfo

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Do you not understand that McGrath didn't simply land the ball at the same spot every time, but that he landed it at the spot where that specific batsman found it hardest to play? He adjusted to everyone he bowled to and had specific plans to set them up and dismis them, down to how he set his field, and which shot he was going for to lure them to play at which ball of the over.

The man was a freak. Comparing him to Haze is just insulting

Yeah Nah.

Nice post.

I'll take Wasim's swing (at 10) and Pollock's batting at 9 with Murali at 11 thanks. #Ain'tovertillit'sover. Thanks.

I don't doubt McGrath was Amzeballs. He really was. I respect that he was.

But he couldn't bat well. Akram batted better and swung the ball. Pollock batted better. I had McGrath at the start and removed him.

 

[trundler]

Great article about McGrath's plan for Tendulkar. Tendulkar averages in the 20s against him.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Great article about McGrath's plan for Tendulkar. Tendulkar averages in the 20s against him.

Gets Kohli and AbdV in earlier. Perfect. I like batting to 9 :P

 

[trundler]

Yeah but they wouldn't last long. :/ Then Flintoff and Cairns and the all-rounders with weaker batting will get wrecked by Gilly in the 2nd innings...