England’s best-ever Test XI – ECB survey

[Fuller Pilch]

Honestly I'd take Jimmy over Larwood. Larwood was quality but never quite reached his peaks consistently at the International stage, and one of his highlights was Bodyline which does carry an asterix next to it given so many great pacers never got a chance to try that out themselves. Jimmy A has got just so much more volume of elite performances

I'd probably go Barnes - Trueman - Laker as locks in the bowling attack, with Jimmy competing against Snow, Willis, Larwood, Statham, Voce, etc. Also depends on how many all-rounders you pick - plenty of bowling in Botham, Grace, Hammond, Rhodes. Also could play two spinners with Verity.

Jimmy A definitely in the conversation

Larwood had a first class average of 17.5. Sure his test average was 28 (similar to JA) but there was a bloke called Donald something who adversely affected a few bowlers' averages

 

[cnerd123]

If we're going down the 'FC Averages Count' route then there are a whole host of bowlers with records more impressive than Larwood who never even got a Test

Larwood's great it's just that he didn't have enough international cricket at his peak, and Jimmy's sustained quality over a long period of time deserves credit.

 

[Singh767]

Cook definitely deserves to be in this discussion, not saying he should be in that 11 necessarily - look at his record in Asia and he opens in the hardest country to open batting (fully aware the others opened in England as well lol). Root when he retires will most likely make this list if he starts converting more which i'm sure he will, and Jimmy makes it for me in that 11 (he is definitely not out of place with the stats listed in the above posts). KP should not be in there though or Swann.

 

[OverratedSanity]

The only ones who deserve to even be discussed for the opening slot for England are Hobbs, Hutton and Sutcliffe. It's not really an insult to Cook because those are arguably 3 of the 4 greatest openers ever. It's just bonkers to consider anyone else imo. (Unless you count Grace and his FC career)

 

[Starfighter]

Jimmy's sustained quality over a long period of time deserves credit.

Eh, time is a flexible thing in cricket. Trueman bowled 100,000 balls in his professional career and Anderson has only bowled about 60,000 so far. That a greatly differing proportion of those have been in tests has nothing to do with a bowler's quality.

 

[mr_mister]

If we're going down the 'FC Averages Count' route then there are a whole host of bowlers with records more impressive than Larwood who never even got a Test

Larwood's great it's just that he didn't have enough international cricket at his peak, and Jimmy's sustained quality over a long period of time deserves credit.

more impressive than 17? Surely not that many 20th century quicks have it lower than that

 

[Adders]

Eh, time is a flexible thing in cricket. Trueman bowled 100,000 balls in his professional career and Anderson has only bowled about 60,000 so far. That a greatly differing proportion of those have been in tests has nothing to do with a bowler's quality.

Dunno where you got those figures from but they are nowhere near accurate to the cricinfo player profiles.

JA has bowled 100,317 balls in his professional career. Trueman ahead but not by that much....115,865

 

[Hicheal Michael]

Cook is only second to Mahela when talking about worst batsman to score 10k plus runs.

Those other players can keep their inflated averages - I'll take Australia 2010/11 and India 2012 anyday.

On topic, surely Swann would have posted some handy numbers during the Laker era?

 

[Starfighter]

Dunno where you got those figures from but they are nowhere near accurate to the cricinfo player profiles.

JA has bowled 100,317 balls in his professional career. Trueman ahead but not by that much....115,865

What you've done is added up all the balls faced figures while forgetting that those for tests and ODIs are included in the FC and LA figures. Big mistake.

Trueman: 99701 (FC) + 986 (LA) = 100767. Anderson: 46556 (FC) + 12414 (LA) + 933 (T20) = 59903

 

[fredfertang]

If we're going down the 'FC Averages Count' route then there are a whole host of bowlers with records more impressive than Larwood who never even got a Test

No other pace bowler topped the First Class averages five times, not even Sir Paddles or Maco

 

[Coronis]

Quite sad that people don’t remember the greats of the past. Mine would be:

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Hutton*
Compton
Hammond
Barrington
Botham
Knott+
Laker
Trueman
Barnes

May, Larwood unlucky to miss out. (bowling looks weak but if im getting peak Botham and Barnes I’ll be fine)

 

[Coronis]

more impressive than 17? Surely not that many 20th century quicks have it lower than that

No, but to be fair, this is a test XI and Larwood generally did not perform as highly as one would expect outside of Bodyline. Should Johnson make an Australian XI based on his 13-14 Ashes series?

 

[jimmy101]

Quite sad that people don’t remember the greats of the past. Mine would be:

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Hutton*
Compton
Hammond
Barrington
Botham
Knott+
Laker
Trueman
Barnes

May, Larwood unlucky to miss out. (bowling looks weak but if im getting peak Botham and Barnes I’ll be fine)

Peak Botham & Barnes might not even get a look in if peak Laker takes all ten!

 

[TheJediBrah]

No, but to be fair, this is a test XI and Larwood generally did not perform as highly as one would expect outside of Bodyline. Should Johnson make an Australian XI based on his 13-14 Ashes series?

If he's guaranteed to bowl like he did in that series, well yeah I guess

If he's going to bowl like he normally did, **** no

 

[trundler]

Leaving Larwood out of an all time XI just feels wrong though

 

[Starfighter]

Burgey's favourite Pommy rag has proposed an XI they reckon can beat this one:

1. Hobbs
2. Sutcliffe
3. Hammond
4. Compton
5. Barrington
6. Stewart +
7. Greig *
8. Rhodes
9. Bedser
10. Tyson
11. Barnes

Still no love for Laker, Ames is overlooked and maybe Statham over Bedser? But the batting shows up very well against the other team.

 

[ImpatientLime]

lol stewart

would be behind ames, prior and maybe even bairstow when keeping. bloke average just a shade under 35 when he had the gloves.

 

[cnerd123]

No other pace bowler topped the First Class averages five times, not even Sir Paddles or Maco

Haha the funny thing is I was already aware of this fact because I had read the article that you had written on him years ago

 

[Slifer]

Burgey's favourite Pommy rag has proposed an XI they reckon can beat this one:

1. Hobbs
2. Sutcliffe
3. Hammond
4. Compton
5. Barrington
6. Stewart +
7. Greig *
8. Rhodes
9. Bedser
10. Tyson
11. Barnes

Still no love for Laker, Ames is overlooked and maybe Statham over Bedser? But the batting shows up very well against the other team.

I can't take any English xi seriously if it omits Fred Trueman smh

 

[Starfighter]

I can't take any English xi seriously if it omits Fred Trueman smh

It's meant to beat the other team. Trueman can't be in two teams. Read the article (or even the first line of my post).