All Formats Draft

[harsh.ag]

I was going to pick someone else, but then decided to go with Justin Langer. I underrated him for too long, I think, and this is my tribute to the man. Wonderful test record (highest FC run getter for Australia ever), of course, but he also has a T20 strike rate of 136, and he once played this insane innings:

Expialidocious XI:

Tests

-
Justin Langer
Sir Viv Richards
Graeme Pollock
Michael Clarke
Shane Watson
-
-
Dale Steyn
Sir Andy Roberts
Courtney Walsh

Limited Overs

Justin Langer
Shane Watson
Sir Viv Richards
Graeme Pollock
Michael Clarke
-
-
-
Dale Steyn
Sir Andy Roberts
Courtney Walsh

 

[Dan]

I was considering Sir Frank - absolutely love the bloke and rate him so highly as a cricketer - but I'm not so sure how he would have gone in the shorter formats, given his principled stance against playing across the line. Now I understand that he may well have adapted his technique to suit, but Worrell was a man of principle and would have stuck to his guns for as long as possible IMO.

 

[Red]

Could never figure out why Langer didn't play more ODIs later in his career when he became pretty aggressive as a batsman, but I guess the opening partnership of M.Waugh/Gilchrist and then Hayden/Gilchrist meant there wasn't a spot.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah Langer is a possibly quite an inspired pick. Early in his career he was really terrible in OD cricket - I remember watching him play some arguably match-losing innings for WA in the format - but towards the end he really became quite good at it. Still always a very boundary-reliant player but he expanded his stroke range and really took advantage of the field restrictions, hence his success in T20. There was never a need for Australia to call him up because of the other riches they had but he really turned his limited overs game around in general.

 

[Red]

Yeh, just noticed the last time Langer played an ODI was 1997. Seems crazy he didn't get one more go in the early 2000s

 

[Saint Kopite]

I was considering Sir Frank - absolutely love the bloke and rate him so highly as a cricketer - but I'm not so sure how he would have gone in the shorter formats, given his principled stance against playing across the line. Now I understand that he may well have adapted his technique to suit, but Worrell was a man of principle and would have stuck to his guns for as long as possible IMO.

Well, he still managed played some fantastic attacking knocks. Like those innings against England in Nottingham and Georgetown and innings against New Zealand in Auckland etc. I kinda get your point but if you consider the overall package, ie his tremendous fielding, handy bowling and his great leadership ability along with his batting, it was a no brainer for me.

 

[AldoRaine18]

Could never figure out why Langer didn't play more ODIs later in his career when he became pretty aggressive as a batsman, but I guess the opening partnership of M.Waugh/Gilchrist and then Hayden/Gilchrist meant there wasn't a spot.

Exactly, and the middle order was packed as well with Punter, Martyn, Steve being regulars.

 

[Prince EWS]

I was considering Sir Frank - absolutely love the bloke and rate him so highly as a cricketer - but I'm not so sure how he would have gone in the shorter formats, given his principled stance against playing across the line. Now I understand that he may well have adapted his technique to suit, but Worrell was a man of principle and would have stuck to his guns for as long as possible IMO.

I think this is just because he felt it the best tactic for success though, rather than it being somehow unholy or beneath him. As well as being a principled man he was also a fine captain, and while he's more famous for his man-management skills than his tactics, it'd surprise me if he seriously analysed limited overs cricket and came to the conclusion that never playing across the line under any circumstances was the best tactical option.

 

[Dan]

I think this is just because he felt it the best tactic for success though, rather than it being somehow unholy or beneath him. As well as being a principled man he was also a fine captain, and while he's more famous for his man-management skills than his tactics, it'd surprise me if he seriously analysed limited overs cricket and came to the conclusion that never playing across the line under any circumstances was the best tactical option.

That's another, entirely valid way of looking at it. That's the fun of this draft - inferring how people would do in formats they never played. I just can't imagine Frank Worrell playing T20. It's just, well, strange.

 

[Prince EWS]

That's another, entirely valid way of looking at it. That's the fun of this draft - inferring how people would do in formats they never played. I just can't imagine Frank Worrell playing T20. It's just, well, strange.

Yeah I'm far from convinced he'd been much good at T20 - I probably wouldn't have picked him quite this early either - but I don't think an ideological opposition to playing across the line would be the reason. I think he was probably right in that not doing so actually maximised his run-scoring and therefore utility to his side in Test cricket, and that's just so obviously not going to be the case in T20 stuff. He'd get in the nets and practice the heave if his team needed him to play 33% T20 games, IMHO.

 

[Red]

That's another, entirely valid way of looking at it. That's the fun of this draft - inferring how people would do in formats they never played. I just can't imagine Frank Worrell playing T20. It's just, well, strange.

Interestingly, I can imagine WG Grace loving the IPL….

 

[Dan]

Would you be a socialist 33% of the time if the country needed it?
Would you pick Nathan McCullum 33% of the time if it was necessary?

Somewhat nonsensical jokes aside, perhaps his ability to split gaps would make him useful as an opener in the Mark Waugh mould, perhaps? Supporting a power player by constantly throwing the fielding team off guard by finding a way to get the ball through the in-field in the first 15.

 

[Dan]

Interestingly, I can imagine WG Grace loving the IPL….

6 weeks per year, stacks of money, big crowds and the ability to be better than everyone else because you're WG Grace. And oh the advertising revenue that would go with that beard.

"Oh and there's another DLF Maximum from the bat of WG Grace! You could see the India Cements logo dyed into his beard bristle as that ball sailed LIKE A TRACER BULLET over the fence!" [/Shastri]
"And the Chennai SUPER KINGS will be very, very happy with the Bearded Doctor's shot there, Dillers could only watch on as it went a mile over his head! HONKERS!" [/Morrison]

And once you're done, you can duck back to jolly old England, play a few domestic matches here and there, and be a doctor. An improved version of a weird cross between Dan Harris and Luke Wright, one suspects.

 

[Prince EWS]

Would you be a socialist 33% of the time if the country needed it?
Would you pick Nathan McCullum 33% of the time if it was necessary?

Haha, I get what you're saying, and I agree that he wouldn't have played across the line if he felt it somehow evil. I just think it's far more likely he chose not to do it for perfectly valid tactical reasons, and that those tactical reasons would vanish in a T20 setting. Change the rules of the game and his theories about batting would naturally change, assuming he was as good a captain as you keep telling us anyway.

The answer to both those questions is actually yes ftr. I'd just be far harder convince of both those things than most. Which probably makes them pretty good analogies to this situation actually.

 

[Prince EWS]

6 weeks per year, stacks of money, big crowds and the ability to be better than everyone else because you're WG Grace. And oh the advertising revenue that would go with that beard.

"Oh and there's another DLF Maximum from the bat of WG Grace! You could see the India Cements logo dyed into his beard bristle as that ball sailed LIKE A TRACER BULLET over the fence!" [/Shastri]
"And the Chennai SUPER KINGS will be very, very happy with the Bearded Doctor's shot there, Dillers could only watch on as it went a mile over his head! HONKERS!" [/Morrison]

And once you're done, you can duck back to jolly old England, play a few domestic matches here and there, and be a doctor. An improved version of a weird cross between Dan Harris and Luke Wright, one suspects.

Well you can lock this one in for next year's BOTM "classic quotes".

 

[Dan]

Monk so much of a fan that he liked it twice

 

[Red]

Ha…think CW had a little spaz out there. Was a good post though...

 

[Prince EWS]

Remember when Hooksey liked a Redbacks post three times? Good times.

 

[Red]

I've unliked it now, had second thoughts….

 

[Dan]

Remember when Hooksey liked a Redbacks post three times? Good times.

Yeah, I've done it on a couple of occasions, and IIRC Spark has as well.
Low quality internet problems.