Top-ranked team vs Rest of the World XI

[marc71178]

hes played pretty well against the Aussie side this summer and swings the ball alot and quite well...

Vaas has been one of the best bowlers in World Cricket for years - as a left armer, there's not many as good as him (if any)

 

[hourn]

if the game were played now, Shoaib Akhtar would be the first bowler i'd pick to play against us.

He always seems to be the most dangerous.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

hes played pretty well against the Aussie side this summer and swings the ball alot and quite well...

I bet the Aussie batsmen would love to face Pathan instead of Vaas...

 

[Richard]

Of course they would.
What a ridiculous assertion.:rolleyes:

 

[Ford_GTHO351]

These games will be interesting to watch, but they should never be counted as a Test or a ODI.

 

[Richard]

IMO they should be counted as something totally different.
Just routine "friendly cricket" - no more.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Short article on the subject:

The Real World XI

 

[Don Ricardo]

Short article on the subject:

The Real World XI

Why did u omit tendulkar at the expense of a specialist captain?

Why did mark boucher not even make the shortlist for wicketkeeper, let alone make the squad?

No offence, man, but that team is hardly the 'best of the rest'

 

[masterblaster]

lol, Sachin Tendulkar as 12th man??

Im sorry Liam, we'll have to agree to disagree, Id have him over Lara anyday, this has been Tendulkar's first lean patch in over 17-18 years of International Cricket, Lara has had many before, also Tendulkar's bowling and younger age wins it over Lara for me.

Personally Id have both, but its kind of hard isn't it with Stephen Fleming taking up that spot.

 

[marc71178]

It looks to me like Liam has made every effort to include players from every nation in that last (bar Bangladesh)

To that mind, you can only pick 1 or maybe 2 from each country, and if you don't take Lara, who do you take?

 

[Tim]

Yes, you could have a healthy debate over whether to include Stephen Fleming over the likes of Sachin or Lara.

Fleming's batting over the last 18 months has improved dramatically, but arguably he's still a long way behind Sachin & Lara. I guess you have to weigh up whether Fleming's captaincy is far better than what anyone else has to offer.

If you're picking the best players for their specific roles, then surely you should also have the player considered to be the best captain in there.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Lol. Good to see it's generated response.

The omission of Boucher from the shortlist was an oversight on my part, but I would still have Taibu instead.

I would pick Lara over Tendulkar at the moment if I had to choose, because Lara has had an amazing 12 months, scoring 1585 runs @ 72.04 with 6 hundreds (including 2 doubles) and 6 fifties. Tendulkar on the other hand, has scored 454 runs (half the innings) @ 50.44, with only one innings of note. In his last 12 Tests, he's scored 914 runs @ 50.77 with 2 hundreds (including 1 double).

Are you saying that Tendulkar is in better form than Lara?

 

[Tim]

Agreed, in test cricket alone you would pick Lara over Tendulkar at the moment.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Thirded.

 

[Don Ricardo]

You should definately pick both IMO at the expense of fleming, i mean these guys are all time greats, whilst fleming is nowhere near there league- there are plenty of others who could do a good job as captain

You should always pick the best 11 players and then chose a captain from that bunch if you want the strongest side.

 

[marc71178]

i mean these guys are all time greats, whilst fleming is nowhere near there league- there are plenty of others who could do a good job as captain

Likewise there are plenty of batsmen who could do a "good" job.

The difference is that Fleming is a superb captain, far better than his peers, so you can easily sacrifice 10 runs per innings in batting when you get someone that much better.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Likewise there are plenty of batsmen who could do a "good" job.

The difference is that Fleming is a superb captain, far better than his peers, so you can easily sacrifice 10 runs per innings in batting when you get someone that much better.

You beat me to it. Well said.

 

[Tim]

I think Fleming is batting well enough with the bat anyway.
In recent times he's hit 274* & 193 & he's also scored a couple of good ODI centuries.

 

[Langeveldt]

I think Fleming is batting well enough with the bat anyway.
In recent times he's hit 274* & 193 & he's also scored a couple of good ODI centuries.

I certainly dont think there are too many batsmen around who would take his place... Maybe someone elses....

 

[Craig]

Also Fleming is an under rated 1st slip fielder.

As he will never get sacked (well it is very unlikely) he can play for as long as he likes and have a chance of bracking Mark Waugh's Test catching record.

Here is the previous thread on it