kingkallis
International Coach
Looks like trundler and hb accesses forum via mobiles and they have not voted.
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I'd love to see the side that hb gives 10/10.
By the way sides don't need two spinners in the majority of conditions. One spinner is fine and if a side plays two spinners in most of the world they have to weaken their side to do so.
So we're to give Afghanistani conditions the same weight as English conditions in a draft? Come on, that's poor by anyone's standards.
If we take the last 70 years of cricket as a guide, the nations we'd play in are England, Australia, the West Indies, India, Pakistan, South Africa and maybe New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Only one of those nations (two if we count Sri Lanka) I'd play two spinners in under normal circumstances but if we're picking an XI to play in India them Murali and Warne are terrible picks.
There might be 5 subcontinental test match nations now, but in Pakistan quicks have traditionally been dominant. That leaves 4 nations in which you would consider two spinners. One of those nations has had a competitive test side (India). Sri Lanka have won a grand total of 16 tests outside the subcontinent. Bangladesh have won 3. Afghanistan haven't won any.
So using the number of subcontinental teams as an argument for two spinners in an all time side is a load of garbage. You're assuming you'd play in countries that are at best barely above minnow status.
A bowling all rounder may dig you out of a hole occasionally but batting all rounders are so much more valuable.5th bowler can be very very valuable. Support for frontline bowlers is underrated. Whenever Kallis couldn't turn up for SA, their attack appeared to lack penetration. Of course with someone like Kallis you lose nothing in batting. This is why I also think batting all-rounders are more valuable than bowling ones in test cricket.