So my final team looks something like
1. Hobbs (2.1)
2. Trumper/Grace (1.1)
3. Bradman
4. SRT/BCL (5.1)
5. Hammond/Headley (2.2)
6. Sobers (3.1)
7. Imran/Marshall (4.1)
8. Warne/Murali (5.2)
9. Tallon/Evans (3.2)
10. Lillee/Hadlee (4.2)
11. Barnes (1.2)
Hmmmm
I have six places to sort out between two players each from the same era. Before that my comments on this team so far.
- I am disappointed to have no bowlers from eras 2 and 3 barrring the all rounder. In losing Lindwall, Grimmett and Orielly, besides so many others, I feel a bit sad and the team weakened.
- I feel terrible having to leave out Viv Richards the best right handed batsman I have seen but having to take two from era 5 I had no choice butto take the two great spinners and the two master batsmen from India and west Indies. I would have prefered Sir Vivian over Sachin or Lara but it would have been a bigger compromise to have to chose a second player from the current era. I am afraid, I dont find any others who should be on such a team.
- I am disappointed to leave out Oldfield but Tallon would have been my second choice so this compromise is notthat bad and Sir Donals would approve
- It is terrible having to leave out the great West Indians particularly Holding and Roberts amongst the fast bowlers and the three W's.
- Finally Pollock is a big miss. But once Sobers was in, he could have come only by changing the keeper and again I would have had to chose another player from era 5, not my era for great players barring those included.
My normal all time XII would read Trumper/Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Hammond, Headley, Sobers, Oldfield, Imran, Lillee, Murali, Grimmett and Barnes. You could play an extra spinner from the 12 if conditions were suitable. This team has all three type of spinners, two fast bowlers inswing and out swing respectively and the greatest medium fast pacer of all time besides Hammond who could bowl pretty well.
I have never been able to decide between Grace and Trumper. I wish their were two sides, one for limited overs and one for tests and I would have put Trumper for ODI's and Grace for the longer version and felt less guilty as I will here when I finally drop one of them.
I have here 11 players from my prefered seventeen but unfortunately only eight of them (at best) can make this final XI