aussie
Hall of Fame Member
Well its simple based on all the years you have been watching this wonderful sport that is simply off the matt. Pick the best XI from all the major test nations that you have seen. My journey is just about a decade starting from the 97 Ashes.
AUSTRALIA:
1. Mark Taylor* - Captain
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Mark Waugh
5. Steve Waugh
6. Damien Martyn
7. Adam Gilchrist
8. Shane Warne
9. Jason Gillespie
10. Damien Fleming
11. Glenn McGrath
back-ups: Langer, Hussey, Kasprowicz, MacGill, Lee.
Overall the best combination i would have seen, very hard decision to leave out Langer but i felt Taylor captaincy which was so brilliant even in the few series i saw of him had to be in even if Langer overall was the better batsman. Another tight decision was to leave out Hussey, but i went for Martyn since he has performed in all conditons, but in a years time if Hussey does well in the sub-continent i would likely pick him i guess.
The bowling attacking only debate was the 3rd seamer. I went for Fleming since at his best he was better than Kaspa, Reifell & Lee (to date) in most conditons. Although if they were to play in India i had Kasper as the 3rd seamer no doubt.
ENGLAND:
1. Atherton
2. Trescothick
3. Vaughan*
4. Hussain
5. Thorpe
6. Pietersen
7. Stewart
8. Flintoff
9. Gough
10. Caddick
11. Hoggard
back-ups: Cook, Collingwood, Panesar, Harmison.
No major selection worries for me other than Cook/Atherton. Similar type players IMO if Cook keeps improving in a few years would have him ahead of Athers.
WEST INDIES:
1. Chris Gayle
2. Sherwin Campbell
3. Ramnaresh Sarwan
4. Brian Lara
5. Carl Hooper*
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Ridley Jacobs
8. Ian Bishop
9. Winston Benjamin
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Courtney Walsh
backups: K Benjamin, Collins, Bravo, Adams.
Decent side but unfortunately it hides the fact that alot of inconsistent and poor players played post 2000 especially in the bowling attack which has made the windies such a poor side.
PAKISTAN:
1. Saeed Anwar
2. Aameer Sohail
3. Ijaz Ahmed
4. Mohammad Yousuf
5. Inzamam-ul-Haq*
6. Saleem Malik
7. Moin Khan
8. Wasim Akram
9. Shoaib Akhtar
10. Saqlain Mushtaq
11. Waqar Younis
backups: Younis Khan, Asif, Mushtaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Latif
Wasted a great era, what a superbly talented side Pakistan had & still have, pretty much the Spain of world cricket.
INDIA:
1. Virender Sehwag
2. Rahul Dravid
3. VVS Laxman
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Mohammad Azharuddin
6. Sourav Ganguly*
7. Mahendra Dhoni
8. Anil Kumble
9. Javagal Srinath
10. Harbhajan Singh
11. Zaheer Khan
back-ups: Sidhu, Yuvraj, Sreesanth, Prasad, M Karthik
On paper for we always had the most lethal batting-line going around but didn't always prove it. If they had an Australian like bowling attack could have been the best in the world though.
Few selection worries, wanted to pick Sidhu badly never forget the way he took Warne apart in 98, but then again couldn't leave out none of those famous middle-order batsmen. This is the best side for a home test, overseas i would pick Sreesanth instead of Harbhajan.
SOUTH AFRICA:
1. Gary Kirsten
2. Herschelle Gibbs
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Daryll Cullinan
5. Hansie Cronje*
6. Jonty Rhodes
7. Lance Klusener
8. Mark Boucher
9. Shaun Pollock
10. Makhaya Ntini
11. Allan Donald
back-ups: Boje, Hudson, Smith, McMillan, Steyn, De Villiers
Very solid & talented side could have been the best in the world if Australia weren't around of course.
SRI LANKA:
1. Sanath Jayasuriya
2. Marvan Atapattu
3. Mahela Jayawardene
4. Kumar Sangakkara
5. Aravinda De Silva
6. Arjuna Ranatunga*
7. Romesh Kaluwitharana+
8. Chaminda Vaas
9. Nuwan Zoysa
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Lasith Malinga
back-ups: Fernando, Dharmusena, Herath, Tillkaratne, Dilshan.
NEW ZEALAND:
1. Mark Richardson
2. Bryan Young
3. Stephen Fleming
4. Nathan Astle
5. Scott Styris
6. Craig McMillan
7. Chris Cairns
8. Adam Parore
9. Daniel Vettori
10. Shane Bond
11. Goeff Allot
back-ups: Taylor, Sinclair, Doull, Nash.
A team so messed up with injuries over the years but on occassion did manage to field a strong test side. But then again they always seemed better suited to ODI's whenever confronted with real pace they seemed to buckle.
AUSTRALIA:
1. Mark Taylor* - Captain
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Mark Waugh
5. Steve Waugh
6. Damien Martyn
7. Adam Gilchrist
8. Shane Warne
9. Jason Gillespie
10. Damien Fleming
11. Glenn McGrath
back-ups: Langer, Hussey, Kasprowicz, MacGill, Lee.
Overall the best combination i would have seen, very hard decision to leave out Langer but i felt Taylor captaincy which was so brilliant even in the few series i saw of him had to be in even if Langer overall was the better batsman. Another tight decision was to leave out Hussey, but i went for Martyn since he has performed in all conditons, but in a years time if Hussey does well in the sub-continent i would likely pick him i guess.
The bowling attacking only debate was the 3rd seamer. I went for Fleming since at his best he was better than Kaspa, Reifell & Lee (to date) in most conditons. Although if they were to play in India i had Kasper as the 3rd seamer no doubt.
ENGLAND:
1. Atherton
2. Trescothick
3. Vaughan*
4. Hussain
5. Thorpe
6. Pietersen
7. Stewart
8. Flintoff
9. Gough
10. Caddick
11. Hoggard
back-ups: Cook, Collingwood, Panesar, Harmison.
No major selection worries for me other than Cook/Atherton. Similar type players IMO if Cook keeps improving in a few years would have him ahead of Athers.
WEST INDIES:
1. Chris Gayle
2. Sherwin Campbell
3. Ramnaresh Sarwan
4. Brian Lara
5. Carl Hooper*
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Ridley Jacobs
8. Ian Bishop
9. Winston Benjamin
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Courtney Walsh
backups: K Benjamin, Collins, Bravo, Adams.
Decent side but unfortunately it hides the fact that alot of inconsistent and poor players played post 2000 especially in the bowling attack which has made the windies such a poor side.
PAKISTAN:
1. Saeed Anwar
2. Aameer Sohail
3. Ijaz Ahmed
4. Mohammad Yousuf
5. Inzamam-ul-Haq*
6. Saleem Malik
7. Moin Khan
8. Wasim Akram
9. Shoaib Akhtar
10. Saqlain Mushtaq
11. Waqar Younis
backups: Younis Khan, Asif, Mushtaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Latif
Wasted a great era, what a superbly talented side Pakistan had & still have, pretty much the Spain of world cricket.
INDIA:
1. Virender Sehwag
2. Rahul Dravid
3. VVS Laxman
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Mohammad Azharuddin
6. Sourav Ganguly*
7. Mahendra Dhoni
8. Anil Kumble
9. Javagal Srinath
10. Harbhajan Singh
11. Zaheer Khan
back-ups: Sidhu, Yuvraj, Sreesanth, Prasad, M Karthik
On paper for we always had the most lethal batting-line going around but didn't always prove it. If they had an Australian like bowling attack could have been the best in the world though.
Few selection worries, wanted to pick Sidhu badly never forget the way he took Warne apart in 98, but then again couldn't leave out none of those famous middle-order batsmen. This is the best side for a home test, overseas i would pick Sreesanth instead of Harbhajan.
SOUTH AFRICA:
1. Gary Kirsten
2. Herschelle Gibbs
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Daryll Cullinan
5. Hansie Cronje*
6. Jonty Rhodes
7. Lance Klusener
8. Mark Boucher
9. Shaun Pollock
10. Makhaya Ntini
11. Allan Donald
back-ups: Boje, Hudson, Smith, McMillan, Steyn, De Villiers
Very solid & talented side could have been the best in the world if Australia weren't around of course.
SRI LANKA:
1. Sanath Jayasuriya
2. Marvan Atapattu
3. Mahela Jayawardene
4. Kumar Sangakkara
5. Aravinda De Silva
6. Arjuna Ranatunga*
7. Romesh Kaluwitharana+
8. Chaminda Vaas
9. Nuwan Zoysa
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Lasith Malinga
back-ups: Fernando, Dharmusena, Herath, Tillkaratne, Dilshan.
NEW ZEALAND:
1. Mark Richardson
2. Bryan Young
3. Stephen Fleming
4. Nathan Astle
5. Scott Styris
6. Craig McMillan
7. Chris Cairns
8. Adam Parore
9. Daniel Vettori
10. Shane Bond
11. Goeff Allot
back-ups: Taylor, Sinclair, Doull, Nash.
A team so messed up with injuries over the years but on occassion did manage to field a strong test side. But then again they always seemed better suited to ODI's whenever confronted with real pace they seemed to buckle.
