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Graham Thorpe

BazBall21

International Regular
Happy birthday for yesterday to Graham Thorpe. Hope we hear some good news on his health soon ?

Not many England players are underrated, but he is certainly underrated. Imo, the second best England test bat out of players that debuted since 1980.
 

Xuhaib

International Coach
Happy birthday Thorpy

2nd is a big call top 5 definitely this would be my list
Root
KP
Cook
Thorpe
Trescothick or Bell?
 

Jayro

U19 12th Man
My fav back in the day, safe pair of hands and a gun one day player without making centuries also gutsy test cricketer who you can depend upon for consistency.
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Jeez that's an ordinary list isn't it? 40 plus years and that's the best they produced.
Pretty similar to NZ in the same time frame:

Williamson/Crowe < Root
Crowe/Williamson > KP
Taylor < Cook
Jones > Thorpe
Richardson > Tresc & Bell

I expect Conway and possibly Mitchell to challenge positions 4 and 5 in a few years. Latham could if he scored runs against top pace attacks.
 

BazBall21

International Regular
Pretty similar to NZ in the same time frame:

Williamson/Crowe < Root
Crowe/Williamson > KP
Taylor < Cook
Jones > Thorpe
Richardson > Tresc & Bell

I expect Conway and possibly Mitchell to challenge positions 4 and 5 in a few years. Latham could if he scored runs against top pace attacks.
Latham won’t make it
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Happy birthday Thorpy

2nd is a big call top 5 definitely this would be my list
Root
KP
Cook
Thorpe
Trescothick or Bell?
Would say Trott & Robin Smith must come into consideration there. Would deffo have the latter above Tres and Ding Dong.
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Was just thinking about Robin Smith in this discussion. Quality player (as was Trott). A Saffa XI who played for other sides would certainly be a decent team.
 

Himannv

International Coach
Pretty similar to NZ in the same time frame:

Williamson/Crowe < Root
Crowe/Williamson > KP
Taylor < Cook
Jones > Thorpe
Richardson > Tresc & Bell

I expect Conway and possibly Mitchell to challenge positions 4 and 5 in a few years. Latham could if he scored runs against top pace attacks.
Never heard of Jones and Richardson.
 

Xuhaib

International Coach
Jeez that's an ordinary list isn't it? 40 plus years and that's the best they produced.
Well tbf their two best batsmen from 80's and first half of 90's Gooch & Gower are not part of the list as they made their debuts couple of years earlier then the arbitrary cut off date for this thread.
 

Xuhaib

International Coach
Would say Trott & Robin Smith must come into consideration there. Would deffo have the latter above Tres and Ding Dong.
Oh yes missed Robin Smith a very good player.

Personally despite a lower test average I will take Atherton and Steward above Bell and Trescothick aswell
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Was just thinking about Robin Smith in this discussion. Quality player (as was Trott). A Saffa XI who played for other sides would certainly be a decent team.
Yeah, even just looking at England for the "debuted post 1980" cohort one can make a decent case that our RSA born batting would be at least as good as the native sons of Albion.

Lamb, Smith (R), Pietersen, Trott, Strauss and Prior off the top of my head. Roy, Jennings or Chris Smith to make up the top seven.

Bowling might be a bit thin though, can only think of Dernbach & Meaker, neither of whom (thankfully) got as far as the test XI.
 

BazBall21

International Regular
Well tbf their two best batsmen from 80's and first half of 90's Gooch & Gower are not part of the list as they made their debuts couple of years earlier then the arbitrary cut off date for this thread.
Yeah I made the 1980 filter because I think I rate Gooch ahead of Thorpe and Gower has a good case.
 

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