If you were born as a cricketer who would you like to be?

[Xuhaib]

Simple old question.

Imran Khan or Shane Warne for me,both had quite an eventful life on and off the field. They also had one thing in common: an unsuccessful marriage.

 

[Dissector]

Richie Benaud probably. I love the idea of being a wrist-spinner out-foxing opposing batsmen. Plus he was a more than useful batsman and a great captain. Seems a thoroughly decent and intelligent chap as well and I doubt anyone has seen as much great cricket from a commentary box as he has.

I admit I haven't read much about him; can anyone recommend a good book on or by him?

 

[silentstriker]

Glenn McGrath. No fuss, just loads of wickets.

 

[Engle]

Phil Tufnell....no particular reason why. Just wonder what it would be like to be a Phil Tufnell

 

[Richard]

Richie Benaud probably. I love the idea of being a wrist-spinner out-foxing opposing batsmen. Plus he was a more than useful batsman and a great captain. Seems a thoroughly decent and intelligent chap as well and I doubt anyone has seen as much great cricket from a commentary box as he has.

I admit I haven't read much about him; can anyone recommend a good book on or by him?

Several: Benaud is one of the great underrated cricket authors.

As for me... Dominic Cork or Aravinda de Silva - ideally a fusion of the two. For no reason other than that they are my favourite bowler and batsman. They're both completely different personalities to me, and without beating on too much about it I'm actually rather fond of being the way I am and wouldn't want to change that in any way shape or form. But I'd still rather like to be them.

 

[GIMH]

 

[PhoenixFire]

Malcolm Marshall/Shoaib Akhtar

 

[Prince EWS]

Ray Illingworth. If you took all my current skills as a cricketer and keep exaggerating them at the same rate, you'd eventually end up with Ray Illingworth. I guess I'm the Ray Illingworth of HKHD C-Grade.

Wouldn't mind being Kallis though, thinking about it.

 

[Richard]

Ray Illingworth.

There's an interesting one... I wonder, because of his superlative economy-rate and allowance of others to get similarly good ones... yet still giving himself a chance of scoring... by any chance?

Illy was half the bowler after covered pitches, mind.

And he's also, even more so than with me and Aravinda\Corky, somewhat of a different personality to you!

 

[Richard]

Malcolm Marshall/Shoaib Akhtar

The combination of the man who extracted every last morsel from the skills he had and turned one of the typically greatest weaknesses of a seam-bowler into a massive strength... and one of the biggest wasters the game of cricket has ever seen.

Interesting, again.

 

[Prince EWS]

And he's also, even more so than with me and Aravinda\Corky, somewhat of a different personality to you!

My decision was purely based on cricket, it should be noted.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Probably Shane Warne, given that the man was a total genius on the pitch.

Aside from Warne, I'd probably go with Lara. Yes, he had some dark years in the middle of his career, but that would have only made it more interesting.

 

[Richard]

Warne and Lara's careers actually followed very similar patterns, aside from Warne's initial struggle which for Lara was a single Test-match and a "proper" introduction in being around the team without playing for a while.

Thereafter, they were both superlative for a long time, then both far below their usual standards for a while, then superlative once more despite a little wavering toward the very end.

BTW... great thread... a real Warne contender.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Paul Collingwood

 

[shortpitched713]

Sir Garfield Sobers or Imran Khan. Superlative with both bat and ball, so I'd always be in the mix.

 

[Richard]

Paul Collingwood

Why would one ginger (fellow) want to be another?

 

[Langeveldt]

Neil McKenzie

 

[roseboy64]

Would have to say Sobers but modern day.

 

[Xuhaib]

Neil McKenzie

Kinda feel like changing my mind now

 

[Fusion]

Imran Khan or Viv Richards.