Who would you pick in the Greatest Cricket XI of YOUR Lifetime?

[rivera213]

Silent Striker has a virulent hatred of all slow bowlers.

Ha ha.

Re the middle order opener question, agree some middle order players could do it, but saying that they dealt with the second new ball means they could open is a bit wrong IMO. Normally such a batsman would be set by the time the new ball was taken, the opposing bowlers won't be as fresh, and if your teams innings has lasted 80 overs and your middle order are still in, they're probably on their way to a decent total. Combined with pitches tending to be at their liveliest at the start of day 1, the prospect of facing completely fresh bowlers with the score nil-all is a different challenge.

Graham Thorpe was often in on the first morning anyway. Lol.

I know what you're saying, and I mentioned in my original post that middle order players like to get in against the old ball.

I think someone like Viswanath could definitely do it. New ball bowling wasn't all that terrifying on Indian wickets in the 70's and early 80's. How he would fair in Australia @ Perth or at Barbados with Holding and Roberts on day 1, we can only guess.

I think with Katich's success moving up and, with all respect to him, not being as good as Viswanath or Border, it's a valid debate- though I agree mainly based on guessing and estimations.

A poster from India who has seen Sutcliffe and Bradman ??

But wait, is this about people you have seen or people who lived and played after you were born ?

I have included Barry Richards whom I havent seen playing except in recorded videos

Including Barry. By watching footage you have technically "seen" his batting. You can determine a lot from footage of a batsman, probably more so than if you were at the game so definitely include him. I doubt anyone will argue with Richards being in the team! Lol

 

[Matt79]

A poster from India who has seen Sutcliffe and Bradman ??

But wait, is this about people you have seen or people who lived and played after you were born ?

I have included Barry Richards whom I havent seen playing except in recorded videos

It's meant to be who played since you were born, but lots of people are interpreting that as "players I've seen".

 

[funnygirl]

Whats with the year ? Is that the year you were born ?

Yes. I thought thats the norm .As for following cricket,it will be like 76/77 listening to names like Holding.And Watching from 82 onwards.

 

[zaremba]

I make fun of that, but I don't think that's true. I enjoy watching them if they are bowling real well, but I think people place too much importance in them for Test match cricket. They are more useful in a format like T20. The liability they add to the bowling in the majority of the Test match, and even at majority of venues does not make up for their usefulness late in the match and in a minority of venues. Obviously, if I had to pick a Warne/Murali vs. a simply good fast bowler, I'd pick the spinner. But the choice is between Warne/Murali and some of the greatest fast bowlers the world has ever seen, so I'd have to go with them. They tend to be useful in more places, at all times in a match, in a more consistant manner. They also tend to be harder to dominate - as shown by McGrath and Marshall against the best batsmen of the era, vs. Warne and Murali vs the best batsmen of their era.

I have a lot of respect for this theory. Can't quite bring myself to go down this route myself, but I definitely see where you're coming from.

 

[skully]

Wow, you saw Bradman and Sutcliffe play?

yea , lots of archive footage, fortunately we have 2-3 channels that telecasts 24*7 lots of old matches

lol... not a single Indian and yet a poster from India... The times are a' changin...

i live in India and i back south africa all the time, its about which country's cricket i like most and in this case which players i like most.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

yea , lots of archive footage, fortunately we have 2-3 channels that telecasts 24*7 lots of old matches

If watching archive footage qualifies as cricketers who played during your life time I'm off to claim my rightful place as the heir to the Dutch throne.

 

[hallmitchell]

Guys how about some respect for some older players

I would go.

Barry Richards.
Arthur Morris
Don Bradman
Victor Trumper
Garry Sobers
Ray Lindwall
Shane Warne (C)
Don Tallon
Dennis Lillee
Jeff Thomson
Joel Garner

 

[hallmitchell]

Or a good alternative 11

Gordon Greendige
A. Jackson
C.McCartney
V.Richards
I.Khan.
R.Hadlee
R.Marsh C
B.O'reilly.
W.Akram
J.Iverson
J.Laker

 

[hallmitchell]

One day all time team attacking theme

1983

Gordon Greendige
Adam Gilchrist
Viv Richards
David Hookes
Allan Lamb
J.Coney - Captain.
R. Marsh
I.Khan
R.Hadlee
S.Warne
D.Lillee

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I would go.

Barry Richards.
Arthur Morris
Don Bradman
Victor Trumper
Garry Sobers
Ray Lindwall
Shane Warne (C)
Don Tallon
Dennis Lillee
Jeff Thomson
Joel Garner

I wouldn't call anyone a liar who claims Victor Trumper played during their life time, but as he died about 94 years ago it's certainly a question worth asking.

 

[zaremba]

I would go.

Barry Richards.
Arthur Morris
Don Bradman
Victor Trumper
Garry Sobers
Ray Lindwall
Shane Warne (C)
Don Tallon
Dennis Lillee
Jeff Thomson
Joel Garner

You an Australia supporter by any chance?

 

[honestbharani]

yea , lots of archive footage, fortunately we have 2-3 channels that telecasts 24*7 lots of old matches



i live in India and i back south africa all the time, its about which country's cricket i like most and in this case which players i like most.

cool down mate.. we are so used to some people's nationalistic jingoism that it was a nice change to see an Indian pick an all time XI with no Indians.. That is what I meant. Welcome to the forums, btw..

 

[The Sean]

1977

Gavaskar
Hayden
Richards
Tendulkar
Lara
Imran
Gilchrist
Marshall
Warne
Lillee
McGrath

Hadlee, Murali, Botham, Akram, Ambrose and Chappell all particularly unluckly.

Taking it from when I started watching in earnest (1981) rather than when I was born there'd only be one change - Lillee out and Hadlee in. Which when you look at it might actually make the side stronger anyway...

 

[The Sean]

I would go.

Barry Richards.
Arthur Morris
Don Bradman
Victor Trumper
Garry Sobers
Ray Lindwall
Shane Warne (C)
Don Tallon
Dennis Lillee
Jeff Thomson
Joel Garner

A superb top 5 (though I would question whether you'd actually seen them!) but that's a long, long tail...

 

[weldone]

Born in 1984, but started watching from 1991/92 (especially from 1992 WC).

Test:

Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting (if he doesn't wish to open, he can swap his batting position with Kallis')
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Steve Waugh (C)
Jacques Kallis
Adam Gilchrist (W)
Shane Warne
Curtly Ambrose
Muttiah Muralitharan
Glenn McGrath

Reserves: Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Allan Donald.

ODI:

Adam Gilchrist (W)
Sachin Tendulkar
Vivian Richards (C)
Javed Miandad
Brian Lara
Michael Bevan
Kapil Dev
Wasim Akram
Curtly Ambrose
Muttiah Muralitharan
Glenn McGarth

Reserves: Sanath Jayasuriya, Dean Jones, Lance Klusener, Mahendra Dhoni, Shaun Pollock, Saqlain Mushtaq

 

[inbox24]

Tests

Nick Knight
Justin Langer
Ricky Ponting*
Neil Fairbrother
Michael Bevan
Alec Stewart
Corey Richards
Andy Bichel
Darren Gough
Stuart MacGill
Alan Mullally

ODIs

Adam Gilchrist
Mark Waugh
Alec Stewart*
Neil Fairbrother
Adam Hollioake
Shane Lee
Ian Harvey
Damien Fleming
Adam Dale
Alan Mullally
Stuart MacGill

 

[brackenNY]

I was born in 1988 but didn't really watch cricket 'til the '96 WC.

ODIs

Tendulkar
Hayden
Ponting
Inzamam
Gilchrist
Kallis
Razzaq
Wasim
Warne
Waqar
McGrath

Most controversial is probably Razzaq but I don't care, the guy was a quality allrounder for quite a bit of time. And he can provide some fireworks.

 

[SJS]

Again ??

Okaaaay

Tests
1. Gavaskar
2. Richards B
3. Richards V
4. Tendulkar
5. Lara
6. Sobers
7. Benaud
8. Knott
9. Marshall
10. Lillee
11. Roberts
12. Murali

Yes. I thought thats the norm .As for following cricket,it will be like 76/77 listening to names like Holding.And Watching from 82 onwards.

In that case I would change my side for Tests slightly

1. Hutton
2. Gavaskar
3. Compton
4. Tendulkar
5. Weekes
6. Sobers
7. Miller
8. Tallon
9. Lindwall
10. Lillee
11. Warne
12. Murali

In case someone is wondering how Warne comes in after we take in players from an older era, its simple. By taking Miller, I am able to replace Benaud as the bowling all rounder. But this removes the leg spinner from the playing squad so I bring in Warne.

 

[bagapath]

In that case I would change my side for Tests slightly

1. Hutton
2. Gavaskar
3. Compton
4. Tendulkar
5. Weekes
6. Sobers
7. Miller
8. Tallon
9. Lindwall
10. Lillee
11. Warne
12. Murali

In case someone is wondering how Warne comes in after we take in players from an older era, its simple. By taking Miller, I am able to replace Benaud as the bowling all rounder. But this removes the leg spinner from the playing squad so I bring in Warne.

i would get lindwall to bat above tallon. what do you think, sjs?

 

[SJS]

i would get lindwall to bat above tallon. what do you think, sjs?

Well. Its a toss up. They were both pretty useful batsmen. They batted together in 21 Tests. Lindwall batted higher 15 times and Tallon 12 times. Not much to chose from. Tallon was one spot higher early in their careers and Lindwall a spot higher later although in the last two inings again Tallon batted higher

In innings in which both got to bat Tallon averages 15.2 and Lindwall 18.2. Tallon has top scores of 92, 53, 37, 35 and 31 while Lindwall has 100, 42,41, 35, 31, 31.

Amazingly there top scores shown here were in the same innings when they put on 154 runs together for the 8th wicket against Bedser, Voce, Doug Wright and Norman Yardley !

I suppose you have to put Lindwall ahead because he has two Test hundreds and five fifties. Tallon has a much better first class record though.

[B]Player        	Matches	Runs	Avg	100's	50plus	Highest[/B]

Tallon        	150	6034	29.1	9	36	193
Lindwall	228	5042	21.8	5	24	134 no