'Current Test XI' Draft

[Line and Length]

LLCC – Melbourne Cricket Ground

1. Tom Blundell / Test Ave - 47.2 (68.0 @ MCG)
2. Oshada Fernando / - 43.7
3. Hashim Amla / - 46.6 (49.0 @ MCG)
4. Viray Kohli / capt. - 53.6 (52.7 @ MCG)
5. Travis Head / - 42.0 (49.0 @ MCG)
6. Colin de Grandhomme /o - 37.0 batting & 31.6 bowling
7. Jos Butler / wkp - 31.8
8. Jason Holder /o - 32.7 & 26.4 (34.0 batting @ MCG)
9. Nayeem Hasan o - 20.5
10. Josh Hazelwood o - 26.2
11. James Anderson - 26.8 (24.2 @ MCG)

8 players with experience at the MCG.
Competent openers followed by a strong middle order that bats down to 8.
Anderson, Hazelwood and Holder all front-line pace bowlers supported by de Grandhomme with the young Nayeem Hasan (19) already with two 5 for performances with his off spin.
A strong side led by an aggressive captain.

 

[JOJOXI]

Mustafizur Rahman


JOJOXI – JOJOXI – Sinhalese Sports Club

DIMUTH KARUNARATNE (SL) (c) - Averages 45 in 10 innings at the SSC
TOM LATHAM (NZ) - Not played at SSC but 76 average in 3 innings in Sri Lanka
KUSAL MENDIS (SL) - 38.12 in 8 innings at the SSC including a hundred v India and an 86 against England.
ROSS TAYLOR (NZ) - averages 54 in 2 innings at the SSC, just over 46 in 11 innings in Sri Lanka)
MUSHFIQUR RAHIM (BAN) (wk) - Averages 60 in 11 innings in Sri Lanka, not played at the SSC
BEN STOKES (ENG) - Averages 49.5 in 2 innings at the SSC
MOEEN ALI (ENG) - Averages 27.5 at the SSC batting, 36.75 with the ball at the SSC
RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN (IND) - Averages 39 in 3 innings at the SSC - 2 fifties, 11wkts @ 27.5 at the SSC)
MOHAMMAD AMIR (PAK) - Wicketless in only appearance at the SSC
KULDEEP YADAV (IND) - Not played at the SSC - 5 wkts @ 19.2 in his only appearance in Sri Lanka
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN (BAN) - no appearances at the SSC, 8 wkts @ 27.5 in Sri Lanka

In Karunaratne and Latham think we have a very solid opening pair adept at facing pace and spin alike. Kusal Mendis probably the weakness in the batting but nonetheless has shown plenty of potential if not fully unlocked it. Taylor, Mushfiqur, Stokes a very sturdy middle-order with Stokes offering the option of a bit of a short pitched barrage if needed. I'd like to think Moeen would be able to average higher if given a consistent run at 7 where he is less likely to be bounced out then in Australia for example. Him in combination with Ashwin and the variety of Kuldeep provides a very strong spin attack. I would like to think Mohammad Amir whilst not able to swing it as much as previously could exploit any movement with the new ball whilst providing a left-arm angle. Mustafizur Rahman likewise provides an awkward angle and whilst I considered having just the one seamer with Stokes as backup, Mustafizur's success in Asian conditions led me to including him at the expense of another spinner. Moeen, Ashwin and Kuldeep should be enough. Karunaratne a 4th part-time seam option if we are really desperate as well.

 

[JOJOXI]

Remaining picks

Tetuton – Teutonic Knights – Adelaide Oval

Weldone – Weldone – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

A massive Zebra – A massive Zebra - Shere-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (Dhaka)

Honestbharani – Honest Hunks – M.A. Chindambaran Stadium (Chennai)

Kingkallis - CricZo XI – Lords Cricket Ground

 

[Teuton]

Roston Chase

 

[weldone]

Shahbaz Nadeem

 

[a massive zebra]

Joe Burns

 

[weldone]

Kolkatar Mishti Doi:

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Rory Burns
3. Steve Smith
4. Angelo Mathews*
5. Henry Nicholls
6. Quinton de Kock+
7. Haris Sohail (5)
8. Tim Southee (1)
9. Nathan Lyon (3)
10. Lungi Ngidi (2)
11. Shahbaz Nadeem (4)

The boss of Eden Gardens Rohit Sharma will open and guide his opening partner Rory Burns. They will be followed by world's best batsman Steve Smith and an amazing player of spin Angelo, who will captain the side. A genuinely solid test match batsman Henry Nicholls will be at number 5 followed by world's best wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock and a fabulous destroyer of spin bowling Haris Sohail. Southee will come at number 8 to hit a few boundaries if necessary. The pace department will be managed by experienced Tim Southee and tall young talent Lungi Ngidi. A champion off-spinner Nathan Lyon will lead the spin attack, ably assisted by left-armer Shahbaz Nadeem who has deep experience of doing well in Indian conditions in First-Class cricket, especially Eastern parts of India. Haris Sohail is more than useful as 5th bowler, so hopefully we shall not need captain Angelo and legspinner Steve Smith to roll their arms.

 

[a massive zebra]

a massive zebra - Shere-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (Dhaka)

Joe Burns
Dhananjaya de Silva 6
Mominul Haque
Babar Azam
Ajinkya Rahane
Shakib al Hasan* 5
Dinesh Chandimal +
Ravindra Jadeja 3
Rahkeem Cornwall 4
Kemar Roach 2
Mohammed Abbas 1

This team has real depth with quality batting down to 8 and capable batting down to 9, most of whom are based in Asia and should be ideally suited to the Bangladeshi conditions. We also have great bowling depth including a couple of the worlds leading pace bowlers and four complimentary spinners who would be ideally suited to make perfect use of the dusty Dhaka wicket.

Joe Burns is a solid opening batsman with an average of nearly 40 after more than 20 Tests. Dhananjaya de Silva has averaged 42 against top 8 sides in Asia over the last four years and offers useful part time off spin. Over the last four years, Mominul Haque has more runs in Bangladesh than anyone, at an average of virtually 50. Babar Azam has established himself as one of the world's leading batsmen and is currently ranked #5 in the world. Ajinkya Rahane is a very solid 5 who averages 98 in Bangladesh. Shakib has been the #1 ranked all rounder in the world for many years and adds real depth to both the batting and the bowling. Dinesh Chandimal is a capable keeper and quality number 7 who averages 78 in Bangladesh with four centuries. Despite batting at 8, Ravi Jadeja is probably the best batsman among those in contention for the title of best spinner in the world. He averages 148 with the bat in Bangladesh and has 170 wickets at an average of 21 in Asia. Rahkeem Cornwall is a capable batsman and quality off-spinner who has made a strong start to his test career. Kemar Roach and Mohammed Abbas are two of the world's leading pace bowlers and are both currently ranked among the top 15 bowlers in the world. Abbas averages under 20 in both Bangladesh and Asia as a whole.

 

[honestbharani]

​Brendon Taylor

 

[honestbharani]

Honest Hunks - MAC Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Tamim Iqbal (vc)
Abid Ali (7)
Shai Hope
Kusal Perera
Brendon Taylor © (6)
Rishabh Pant (wk)
Sam Curran (3)
Yasir Shah (4)
Keshav Maharaj (5)
Dale Steyn (1)
Jasprit Bumrah (2)


Excellent bowlers for the reverse swing and skiddy bowling aiding Chepauk in Bumrah and Steyn and Curran, and given it is Chepauk, a solid spin bowling duo of Yasir Shah who continues to be a world beater in the SC and Keshav Maharaj who can alternate between keeping it tight and winning the game for the team. Taylor and Abid will chip in with part time spin where necessary.

Tamim and Abid are a wonderful combination of controlled aggression as an opening combination in the usual batsman friendly 3-4 days of the tests at Chepauk. A middle order full of nimble footed batsmen will keep the opposition spinners under check and the explosive power of Pant, Curran, Maharaj and Yasir will take care of the quick runs needed from the lower middle order. All in all, pretty happy with the side I drafted even though the randomizer was never kind to me except for R1.

 

[JOJOXI]

Last pick KingKallis

Also Teuton when you next see this if you could list out team (with captain and keeper) please and any justifications for picks you want to add - e.g. your Faf du Plessis 2 test centuries at Adelaide example

 

[kingkallis]

Craig Erwine

CricZo XI @ Lord's, London

1. David Warner / © ( 70, 7244 runs @ 48.94, 335* )
2. Mayank Agarwal / ( 11, 974 @ 57.29, 243 )
3. Rassie van der Dussen / ( 4, 274 @ 34.25, 98 )
4. Craig Erwine / ( 18, 1208 runs @ 35.52, 160 )
5. Asad Shafiq / ( 74, 4593 runs @ 39.25, 137 )
6. Johnny Bairstow + / ( 70, 4030 runs @ 34.70, 167*; 184 ct / 13 st )
7. Chris Woakes o / ( 33, 1177 runs @ 26.75, 137*; 95 wickets @ 30.88, 11/102 )
8. Rashid Khan o / ( 4, 106 runs @ 15.14, 51; 23 wickets @ 21.08, 11/104 )
9. Mitchell Starc o / ( 57, 1515 runs @ 22.27, 99;244 wickets @ 26.97, 11/94 )
10. Kagiso Rabada o ( 43, 197 wickets @ 22.95, 13/144 )
11. Mohammad Shami o ( 49, 180 wickets @ 27.36, 9/114 )

Total tests played: 433

I will lead this young and dynamic team to No.1 position without any doubt, says confident Aussie David Warner.

We have probably the strongest opening pair in Myself & Agarwal backed by very good middle order of Rassie, Erwine & Shafiq. We just spoke to Rassie and Erwine and they can't wait to play and perform @ the Lord's. Shafiq has always performed well against strong teams and since we don't host West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland at the Lord's, he is going to be the main middle order bat for us.

We have 2 top English performers who love performing at the Lord's, Bairstow & Woakes. Bairstow will keep the wickets which gave us a chance to go with 5 proper bowlers. Woakes, Rashid, Starc all can bat so the contribution of 100,120 from our lower order is all we need, says skipper.

Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Shami & Rashid Khan backed by Chris Woakes. Everyone bar Shami has taken 10 wickets at least once in their short career. 5 attacking bowlers is all you need to take 20 wickets in the test match.

 

[Teuton]

1. Dean Elgar - Avg 38.5; good player of fast bowling, used to fast pitches of SA
2. Usman Khawaja - Avg 40.6; 53 in Aus. Significantly better in Aus and has had success as an opener.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara - Avg 48.6; 55 in Aus with a man of the series award and 72 in Adelaide.
4. Joe Root - Avg 48.4; 44 in Adelaide, a class act in middle order
5. Faf du Plessis c - Avg 39.8; 159 in Adelaide & 83 in Aus, has starred in his matches here
6. BJ Watling wk - Avg 38.5; 239 wk dismissals and a tough counter attacking batsman too.
7. Roston Chase - Avg 31.3, bowl Avg 42.3; hasn't played in Aus but a regular century maker and good 5th bowler to keep my strike bowlers fresh for the night session
8. Pat Cummins - bowl Avg 21.83, bat Avg 17; star quick with ability to bowl fast with movement will be magnified with pink ball.
9. Mehidy Hasan Miraz - Avg 33, bat 17; hasn't played in Aus but a good wicket taker who can bat too. Adelaide has taken spin in the past.
10. Stuart Broad - Avg 28.5, bat 18; experienced quick who can be deadly when the ball is swinging
11. Trent Boult - Avg 27.6; 14 at Adelaide, another fast, full bowler who can dominate with the pink ball.

 

[JOJOXI]

Following post will be the full lineups of all the final teams and justifications - over next few days if you could vote from 8pts for the side you think is the best for the pitch stated down to 2pts (excluding your own team). 8pts down to 1pt for anyone voting outside the draft. I will give it about a week (?) and tally up the scores after that. I will most likely give my votes around this time tomorrow but no massive rush as long as its done in a relatively timely fashion (next few days).

Thankyou all for taking part I've enjoyed hosting my first draft and has been interesting seeing all the teams take shape.

 

[JOJOXI]

Fuller Pilch – Ilford 2nd XI – Basin Reserve

Azhar Ali
Aiden Markram
Kane Williamson (c)
Marnus Labuschagne
Ollie Pope
Hanuma Vihari
Bem Foakes (wk)
Vernon Philander
James Pattinson
Neil Wagner
Ishant Sharma

Strong top 6 - world class 3/4 with good keeper at 7 and good tail with Philander and Pattinson at 8 and 9. It is a beautifully balanced aggressive 4-man pace attack with strong options to bowl into the wind. I deliberately didn't pick any specialist spinners for NZ conditions, but there are decent part-timers (except Pope) amongst the batsmen. I can't access personal stats at the Basin on my phone but Wagner has done well there in tough conditionds, Ishant has taken a couple of five-fers there, and Williamson averages 66.88 there (which includes his highest score of 242*).





Line and Length – LLCC – Melbourne Cricket Ground


1. Tom Blundell / Test Ave - 47.2 (68.0 @ MCG)
2. Oshada Fernando / - 43.7
3. Hashim Amla / - 46.6 (49.0 @ MCG)
4. Viray Kohli / capt. - 53.6 (52.7 @ MCG)
5. Travis Head / - 42.0 (49.0 @ MCG)
6. Colin de Grandhomme /o - 37.0 batting & 31.6 bowling
7. Jos Butler / wkp - 31.8
8. Jason Holder /o - 32.7 & 26.4 (34.0 batting @ MCG)
9. Nayeem Hasan o - 20.5
10. Josh Hazelwood o - 26.2
11. James Anderson - 26.8 (24.2 @ MCG)

8 players with experience at the MCG.
Competent openers followed by a strong middle order that bats down to 8.
Anderson, Hazelwood and Holder all front-line pace bowlers supported by de Grandhomme with the young Nayeem Hasan (19) already with two 5 for performances with his off spin.
A strong side led by an aggressive captain.





JOJOXI – JOJOXI – Sinhalese Sports Club

DIMUTH KARUNARATNE (SL) (c) - Averages 45 in 10 innings at the SSC
TOM LATHAM (NZ) - Not played at SSC but 76 average in 3 innings in Sri Lanka
KUSAL MENDIS (SL) - 38.12 in 8 innings at the SSC including a hundred v India and an 86 against England.
ROSS TAYLOR (NZ) - averages 54 in 2 innings at the SSC, just over 46 in 11 innings in Sri Lanka)
MUSHFIQUR RAHIM (BAN) (wk) - Averages 60 in 11 innings in Sri Lanka, not played at the SSC
BEN STOKES (ENG) - Averages 49.5 in 2 innings at the SSC
MOEEN ALI (ENG) - Averages 27.5 at the SSC batting, 36.75 with the ball at the SSC
RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN (IND) - Averages 39 in 3 innings at the SSC - 2 fifties, 11wkts @ 27.5 at the SSC)
MOHAMMAD AMIR (PAK) - Wicketless in only appearance at the SSC
KULDEEP YADAV (IND) - Not played at the SSC - 5 wkts @ 19.2 in his only appearance in Sri Lanka
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN (BAN) - no appearances at the SSC, 8 wkts @ 27.5 in Sri Lanka

In Karunaratne and Latham think we have a very solid opening pair adept at facing pace and spin alike. Kusal Mendis probably the weakness in the batting but nonetheless has shown plenty of potential if not fully unlocked it. Taylor, Mushfiqur, Stokes a very sturdy middle-order with Stokes offering the option of a bit of a short pitched barrage if needed. I'd like to think Moeen would be able to average higher if given a consistent run at 7 where he is less likely to be bounced out then in Australia for example. Him in combination with Ashwin and the variety of Kuldeep provides a very strong spin attack. I would like to think Mohammad Amir whilst not able to swing it as much as previously could exploit any movement with the new ball whilst providing a left-arm angle. Mustafizur Rahman likewise provides an awkward angle and whilst I considered having just the one seamer with Stokes as backup, Mustafizur's success in Asian conditions led me to including him at the expense of another spinner. Moeen, Ashwin and Kuldeep should be enough. Karunaratne a 4th part-time seam option if we are really desperate as well.





Tetuton – Teutonic Knights – Adelaide Oval

1. Dean Elgar - Avg 38.5; good player of fast bowling, used to fast pitches of SA
2. Usman Khawaja - Avg 40.6; 53 in Aus. Significantly better in Aus and has had success as an opener.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara - Avg 48.6; 55 in Aus with a man of the series award and 72 in Adelaide.
4. Joe Root - Avg 48.4; 44 in Adelaide, a class act in middle order
5. Faf du Plessis c - Avg 39.8; 159 in Adelaide & 83 in Aus, has starred in his matches here
6. BJ Watling wk - Avg 38.5; 239 wk dismissals and a tough counter attacking batsman too.
7. Roston Chase - Avg 31.3, bowl Avg 42.3; hasn't played in Aus but a regular century maker and good 5th bowler to keep my strike bowlers fresh for the night session
8. Pat Cummins - bowl Avg 21.83, bat Avg 17; star quick with ability to bowl fast with movement will be magnified with pink ball.
9. Mehidy Hasan Miraz - Avg 33, bat 17; hasn't played in Aus but a good wicket taker who can bat too. Adelaide has taken spin in the past.
10. Stuart Broad - Avg 28.5, bat 18; experienced quick who can be deadly when the ball is swinging
11. Trent Boult - Avg 27.6; 14 at Adelaide, another fast, full bowler who can dominate with the pink ball.





Weldone - Kolkatar Mishti Doi – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Rory Burns
3. Steve Smith
4. Angelo Mathews*
5. Henry Nicholls
6. Quinton de Kock+
7. Haris Sohail (5)
8. Tim Southee (1)
9. Nathan Lyon (3)
10. Lungi Ngidi (2)
11. Shahbaz Nadeem (4)

The boss of Eden Gardens Rohit Sharma will open and guide his opening partner Rory Burns. They will be followed by world's best batsman Steve Smith and an amazing player of spin Angelo, who will captain the side. A genuinely solid test match batsman Henry Nicholls will be at number 5 followed by world's best wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock and a fabulous destroyer of spin bowling Haris Sohail. Southee will come at number 8 to hit a few boundaries if necessary. The pace department will be managed by experienced Tim Southee and tall young talent Lungi Ngidi. A champion off-spinner Nathan Lyon will lead the spin attack, ably assisted by left-armer Shahbaz Nadeem who has deep experience of doing well in Indian conditions in First-Class cricket, especially Eastern parts of India. Haris Sohail is more than useful as 5th bowler, so hopefully we shall not need captain Angelo and legspinner Steve Smith to roll their arms.





a massive zebra - Shere-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (Dhaka)

Joe Burns
Dhananjaya de Silva 6
Mominul Haque
Babar Azam
Ajinkya Rahane
Shakib al Hasan* 5
Dinesh Chandimal +
Ravindra Jadeja 3
Rahkeem Cornwall 4
Kemar Roach 2
Mohammed Abbas 1

This team has real depth with quality batting down to 8 and capable batting down to 9, most of whom are based in Asia and should be ideally suited to the Bangladeshi conditions. We also have great bowling depth including a couple of the worlds leading pace bowlers and four complimentary spinners who would be ideally suited to make perfect use of the dusty Dhaka wicket.

Joe Burns is a solid opening batsman with an average of nearly 40 after more than 20 Tests. Dhananjaya de Silva has averaged 42 against top 8 sides in Asia over the last four years and offers useful part time off spin. Over the last four years, Mominul Haque has more runs in Bangladesh than anyone, at an average of virtually 50. Babar Azam has established himself as one of the world's leading batsmen and is currently ranked #5 in the world. Ajinkya Rahane is a very solid 5 who averages 98 in Bangladesh. Shakib has been the #1 ranked all rounder in the world for many years and adds real depth to both the batting and the bowling. Dinesh Chandimal is a capable keeper and quality number 7 who averages 78 in Bangladesh with four centuries. Despite batting at 8, Ravi Jadeja is probably the best batsman among those in contention for the title of best spinner in the world. He averages 148 with the bat in Bangladesh and has 170 wickets at an average of 21 in Asia. Rahkeem Cornwall is a capable batsman and quality off-spinner who has made a strong start to his test career. Kemar Roach and Mohammed Abbas are two of the world's leading pace bowlers and are both currently ranked among the top 15 bowlers in the world. Abbas averages under 20 in both Bangladesh and Asia as a whole.





HonestBharani - Honest Hunks - MAC Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Tamim Iqbal (vc)
Abid Ali (7)
Shai Hope
Kusal Perera
Brendon Taylor © (6)
Rishabh Pant (wk)
Sam Curran (3)
Yasir Shah (4)
Keshav Maharaj (5)
Dale Steyn (1)
Jasprit Bumrah (2)


Excellent bowlers for the reverse swing and skiddy bowling aiding Chepauk in Bumrah and Steyn and Curran, and given it is Chepauk, a solid spin bowling duo of Yasir Shah who continues to be a world beater in the SC and Keshav Maharaj who can alternate between keeping it tight and winning the game for the team. Taylor and Abid will chip in with part time spin where necessary.

Tamim and Abid are a wonderful combination of controlled aggression as an opening combination in the usual batsman friendly 3-4 days of the tests at Chepauk. A middle order full of nimble footed batsmen will keep the opposition spinners under check and the explosive power of Pant, Curran, Maharaj and Yasir will take care of the quick runs needed from the lower middle order. All in all, pretty happy with the side I drafted even though the randomizer was never kind to me except for R1.





KingKallis - CricZo XI @ Lord's, London

1. David Warner / © ( 70, 7244 runs @ 48.94, 335* )
2. Mayank Agarwal / ( 11, 974 @ 57.29, 243 )
3. Rassie van der Dussen / ( 4, 274 @ 34.25, 98 )
4. Craig Erwine / ( 18, 1208 runs @ 35.52, 160 )
5. Asad Shafiq / ( 74, 4593 runs @ 39.25, 137 )
6. Johnny Bairstow + / ( 70, 4030 runs @ 34.70, 167*; 184 ct / 13 st )
7. Chris Woakes o / ( 33, 1177 runs @ 26.75, 137*; 95 wickets @ 30.88, 11/102 )
8. Rashid Khan o / ( 4, 106 runs @ 15.14, 51; 23 wickets @ 21.08, 11/104 )
9. Mitchell Starc o / ( 57, 1515 runs @ 22.27, 99;244 wickets @ 26.97, 11/94 )
10. Kagiso Rabada o ( 43, 197 wickets @ 22.95, 13/144 )
11. Mohammad Shami o ( 49, 180 wickets @ 27.36, 9/114 )

Total tests played: 433

I will lead this young and dynamic team to No.1 position without any doubt, says confident Aussie David Warner.

We have probably the strongest opening pair in Myself & Agarwal backed by very good middle order of Rassie, Erwine & Shafiq. We just spoke to Rassie and Erwine and they can't wait to play and perform @ the Lord's. Shafiq has always performed well against strong teams and since we don't host West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland at the Lord's, he is going to be the main middle order bat for us.

We have 2 top English performers who love performing at the Lord's, Bairstow & Woakes. Bairstow will keep the wickets which gave us a chance to go with 5 proper bowlers. Woakes, Rashid, Starc all can bat so the contribution of 100,120 from our lower order is all we need, says skipper.

Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Shami & Rashid Khan backed by Chris Woakes. Everyone bar Shami has taken 10 wickets at least once in their short career. 5 attacking bowlers is all you need to take 20 wickets in the test match.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I'm very happy with my side and think it would turn the Basin Reserve into a fortress. It is very hard to rank so many teams especially regarding different conditions. I'd prefer to place some teams equally as I really can't split them and it is almost like judging on the no of boundaries! I would probably vote differently on a few tomorrow, but today I will say:

8 points - Teuton (Teutonic Knights) Solid batting lineup with no major weaknesses and good seam/swing attack to use the pink ball under lights.

7 points - JOJOXI Very good openers for the conditions and the side has lots and lots of bowling options. Perhaps some vulnerability in the middle order if early wickets are lost.

6 points - Welldone - excellent specialist batting lineup for the conditions (even Rory Burns can fight hard). There is a long tail however. The bowling is weaker than the batting.

5 points - LLCC - a few question marks over the batting except for Kohli (as Amla finished his career disappointingly). Has a pretty decent seam attack though and snaring Josh Hazelwood late in the draft improved things a lot.

4 points - a massive zebra - no superstars in the batting (although Babar is close) but this is a solid lineup for the conditions. High quality spin allrounders give the side depth.

3 points - King Kallis (Cric Zo XI) superb bowling attack (possibly the best) but major doubts about the batting at Lords. The quality openers might struggle there and the middle order hasn't had as much success as some of the other teams. Would do well in low-scoring bowler-dominated tests.

2 points - HonestBharani (Honest Hunks) - I felt bad rating this at the bottom as all teams are good. This side has magnificent new ball bowlers and pretty good spinners, but might struggle for really big scores with the bat.

Often in drafts it seems like getting elite bowlers and/or allrounders first is the way to go, but imo (many may disagree) getting batsmen was better for this draft. Last of all, many many thanks for JOJO for running this - lots of fun.

 

[Teuton]

Apologies in advance to the teams i rated lower but thats what this system requires. Everyone drafted strong teams really.

8 - JoJo - batting well suited to SL and great bowling depth for spinning wicket
7 - A massive zebra - well suited bowlers, batting not as good as Jojo (esp openers)
6 - Fuller Pilch - great batting too, I get that NZ is a graveyard for spinners but would feel a bit more balanced with a proper spinner
5 - Honestbharani - Batting suspect but superb bowling even if Steyn is a little nullified in SC conditions
4 - Line & Length - some great names but a few too many inexperienced players for mine
3 - weldone - bowling weaker than other teams, good batting though
2 - kingkallis - batting weaker than other teams, using an early pick on Warner in England was a mistake i think. really good bowling though.

 

[JOJOXI]

All good sides and took a decent amount of time deciding order of teams and I'd say for a few of the positions it really was a width of a hair in it and like Fuller Pilch might've judged things differently on another day actually even mow I'm questioning one of my placings in particular. Thanks again for all contributing to a fun draft.


8 points - Teuton (Teutonic Knights) – Khawaja an interesting pick as opener with limited experience there but has done well whenever asked. Like the grit in the batting especially Elgar and Pujara in the top 3 but even the engine room you’ve got du Plessis and Watling playing around a world class batsman in Root important especially when facing the pink ball. Better number 8s around but a very nice seam attack that are likely to trigger several collapses with a left arm variety from Boult too. Slight questions over Mehidy with some spinners struggling in Australia – had you have got Lyon (I know you wanted him) would’ve been final ribbon on a very strong side.


7 points - Fuller Pilch (Ilford 2nd XI) – Like the pick of Markram although Azhar Ali averages poorly in NZ and England. World Class 3 and 4, although an inexperienced middle-order. Perhaps room for a top-class spinner if the pitch flattens in 2nd half of match but understand why you didn’t pick one. Great pace attack and Wagner gives you a unique edge to most other teams with his method of attack. Great keeper for what its worth too.


6 points - A Massive Zebra – Some questions over opening pair (Burns has little experience and no success in Asia, Dhananjaya de Silva hasn’t opened in Test Cricket.) Really like the batting after the openers though and they seem well suited to the conditions. Shakib, Chandimal and Jadeja a very good 6,7,8. Cornwall can bat and even Roach isn’t the worst tail ender around so you have plenty of depth with the batting. Although Roach hasn’t got the best record in Asia or Dhaka. Abbas is a nice pick though and you definetly won’t struggle for spinners with Jadeja, Shakib al Hasan, Cornwall and DDS. Definitely would’ve challenged my top 2 if not for the openers.


5 points - Weldone - (Kolkatar Mishti Doi)– Might have tried to fit Steve Smith at 4 where he has had his most success but have a world class batsman there. Like the contrast between Rohit and Burns. Perhaps could argue Rohit has had his success in Kolkata largely in middle order and inexperienced as an opener but he does average 92 as an opener!! Mathews not quite the force he once was if you subscribe to best player at 4 theory, not the best record in India or Kolkata either. Despite QDK and Nicholls not having much success in India and Sohail not helped by Pakistan-India politics like the 5-7, Sohail a nice 3rd spinner too. Southee a very nice pick given his success in India, although would argue other sides have better 2nd spinners then Nadeem and Lyon’s record in India is mixed. Southee’s hit and miss batting at 8 also means this side might go from 6 down to all out very quickly on occasion. Having said all that think I like the team a lot more than the above suggests though!


4 points - Line and Length (LLCC) – Whilst his career ended on a downer think on a flat MCG pitch Amla and Kohli are a pretty good 3 and 4. Although risk opening pair may expose middle order earlier then liked. Not sure how many the top 5 would make combined but a 6,7 and 8 which if on song betters most I’d argue. Hazlewood and Anderson make a very good seam pair, Holder and CDG are solid options but in Australian conditions at least don’t wow as much as other 3rd and 4th seamers. Also wonder how Nayeem Hasan would adapt from Bangladesh to the MCG.


3 points - KingKallis - (CricZo XI) – Warner and Agarwal a good opening pair although Warner’s record at Lord’s and in England is mixed and Agarwal’s success has largely come in India and Australia. Nonetheless an opening pair likely to be high on confidence and more intimidating a pair then other openers. Van der Dussen an interesting pick certainly showed something in the England Tests and in ODIs. Ervine, Shafiq (although irrationally a fan of his for no reason) and Bairstow perhaps not the strongest middle order on current form although Bairstow and Shafiq have some success at Lords. Perhaps not the strongest tail batting but a very good seam attack all with experience of playing at Lords too. In the case of Woakes an other-worldly bowling record at Lords too and a batting record most batsman would be proud of! Although question if Rashid Khan could replicate his performances in Bangladesh and Northern India at Lords against stronger batting lineups.


2 points - HonestBharani – (Honest Hunks) - I like the opening pair with Tamim’s experience and Abid Ali’s good introduction although inexperienced to Test Cricket, would like to think they can adapt well to the conditions too. Although question marks over the middle order – Hope and Perera have largely flattered to deceive, Brendan Taylor’s test record middling and average shrinks to mid 20s if you exclude Tests v Bangladesh. Pant and Curran an enterprising pair who might flourish more with a more established top 5. Leaves a longish looking tail with Yasir at 8. When the batting clicks it will be beautiful to watch just question if it would click enough. Although despite rating this side bottom it is still a good side and has a great bowling attack. This is right towards the top if judging on bowling – Steyn and Bumrah a great pair and with Curran there too ensures the opposition will have no easy overs. Yasir Shah and Keshav Maharaj a very nice spin combination too.

 

[JOJOXI]

I'm very happy with my side and think it would turn the Basin Reserve into a fortress. It is very hard to rank so many teams especially regarding different conditions. I'd prefer to place some teams equally as I really can't split them and it is almost like judging on the no of boundaries! I would probably vote differently on a few tomorrow, but today I will say:

8 points - Teuton (Teutonic Knights) Solid batting lineup with no major weaknesses and good seam/swing attack to use the pink ball under lights.

7 points - JOJOXI Very good openers for the conditions and the side has lots and lots of bowling options. Perhaps some vulnerability in the middle order if early wickets are lost.

6 points - Welldone - excellent specialist batting lineup for the conditions (even Rory Burns can fight hard). There is a long tail however. The bowling is weaker than the batting.

5 points - LLCC - a few question marks over the batting except for Kohli (as Amla finished his career disappointingly). Has a pretty decent seam attack though and snaring Josh Hazelwood late in the draft improved things a lot.

4 points - a massive zebra - no superstars in the batting (although Babar is close) but this is a solid lineup for the conditions. High quality spin allrounders give the side depth.

3 points - King Kallis (Cric Zo XI) superb bowling attack (possibly the best) but major doubts about the batting at Lords. The quality openers might struggle there and the middle order hasn't had as much success as some of the other teams. Would do well in low-scoring bowler-dominated tests.

2 points - HonestBharani (Honest Hunks) - I felt bad rating this at the bottom as all teams are good. This side has magnificent new ball bowlers and pretty good spinners, but might struggle for really big scores with the bat.

Often in drafts it seems like getting elite bowlers and/or allrounders first is the way to go, but imo (many may disagree) getting batsmen was better for this draft. Last of all, many many thanks for JOJO for running this - lots of fun.

Thanks, all participators have made it good fun and a nice paced draft too a few times would be pleasantly surprised at speed of progress between picks. Agreed on the batting aspect, I'd perhaps add for the Asian based sides a good spinner was perhaps needed early with needing 2 minimum and good spinners in shorter supply then seamers. But I do think the batting was the weaker aspect across the draft - think that is a reflection of Test Cricket currently, Shannon Gabriel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Jofra Archer, Duanne Olivier all didn't get picked (perhaps in some cases influenced by nationality restriction), the odd notable batsman not picked but certainly feels like there was greater depth in the unpicked seamers compared to any other player roles.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Mark Wood didn't get picked either. I thought Sikander Raza might have been chosen too.