The Professional XI

[fredfertang]

Douglas Jardine.

I suspect the "well bowled Harold" moment rather militates against Scotland's finest's inclusion

 

[salman85]

Nasser Hussain.

 

[Furball]

I suspect the "well bowled Harold" moment rather militates against Scotland's finest's inclusion

He did what he had to do to lift his own men to win the series.

 

[Spikey]

TT Boy throwing down some truth bombs

 

[fredfertang]

He did what he had to do to lift his own men to win the series.

For which he will always be my favourite Scotsman, by the longest of country miles

 

[Debris]

Professional is deliberating bowling beamers?

Mike Selvey - "Apart from the one which came my way I had witnessed but a few previously. The worst by far were the brace delivered successively by Curtly Ambrose to Dermot Reeve, during a county match at Northampton in 1990. Reeve was on his way to a double century, irksome enough for those who have played against him, but the moment Ambrose crossed the line came when the batsman went down on one knee and swept him over square leg for six . The indignity. Both beamers scorched past Reeve, who scarcely flinched until the ball had gone, roaring past the flailing wicketkeeper David Ripley and coming to earth halfway the boundary."

Cricket: A deliberate beamer is just throwing a punch by proxy | Sport | The Guardian

Might be confusing professional with sporting here. You can be a total bastard on the field and still be professional.

But didn't Ambrose have a couple of tours where he just did not care and bowled badly? That would rule him out.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

The most professional cricketers I have seen are Tendi, Strauss and Gilly.

 

[Pothas]

I suspect the "well bowled Harold" moment rather militates against Scotland's finest's inclusion

Treatment of Larwood in the last test leaves a bit to be desired as well I feel.

 

[fredfertang]

Treatment of Larwood in the last test leaves a bit to be desired as well I feel.

Why is that? Lol himself didn't have a problem with it, well not once he understood why he'd been sent in as nightwatchman - and if you mean not letting him leave the field straight after his injury he did for once explain to Larwood what his reasoning was.

 

[kingkallis]

Gary Kirsten
Graham Gooch
Rahul Dravid
Jacques Kallis
Sachin Tendulkar
Allan Border ( c )
Mark Boucher ( wk )
Anil Kumble / Stuart MacGill
Chaminda Vaas
Heath Streak
Courtney Walsh


2nd set of Professionals XI

Chris Gayle
Micheal Atherton
Ricky Ponting
Javed Miandad
Arjuna Ranatunga ( c )
Andrew Symonds
Moin Khan ( wk )
Dominic Cork
Glenn McGrath
Slueiman Benn
Andre Nel

 

[Spikey]

nah Stuart MacGill really not suited to the team. Been known to strongly abuse umpires. Streak and Vass good shouts though. As far as I know anyway

 

[Arachnodouche]

Clarke, given the amount of care and attention he has to give his back condition in everyday life outside of cricket, would not be a bad shout either.

yeah..at least when he isn't waiting at the crease after nicking the ball to first slip

A team of thoroughbred professionals would make for some boring viewing though. All true mensch and all that, but it would be like a double whopper between two buns without any sort of dressing (doesn't sound too bad actually..)

I'll name Younis Khan from Pakistan. Seems very fit, never see him fooling around..plays the peacemaker at times even.

 

[Jono]

Ponting is without doubt the most professional member of this side in terms of working on his game, keeping his fielding standards high despite his age etc etc.

There's heaps of players that are professional at keeping their own game high. SS' type of player is one who would not bring controversy upon his own side.

Ponting does not fit that bill at all. He is obviously an extremely professional cricketer, but there are heaps of them.

Edit: Just saw your other post where you meant Ponting "now", rather than Ponting circa 2004-2008.

 

[Howe_zat]

I much prefer my Curiously Unprofessional XI

Sehwag
Randall
Gower
Miandad
Pietersen
Ryder
Miller
Flintoff
Akhtar
MacGill
Fleetwood-Smith

 

[vic_orthdox]

Botham not get a gig?

 

[Spark]

There's heaps of players that are professional at keeping their own game high. SS' type of player is one who would not bring controversy upon his own side.

Ponting does not fit that bill at all. He is obviously an extremely professional cricketer, but there are heaps of them.

Edit: Just saw your other post where you meant Ponting "now", rather than Ponting circa 2004-2008.

Also a case of me using a slightly different definition of professional, as it turned out.

 

[Furball]

There's heaps of players that are professional at keeping their own game high. SS' type of player is one who would not bring controversy upon his own side.

Which suprises me given SS' views on winning at all costs. Hence my nomination of Jardine earlier in this thread; his methods might not have been to everyone's tastes, but he had a job to do and did it brilliantly.

 

[MCC111]

Geoffrey Boycott & Colin Cowdrey - played one match with a broken arm (albeit to make up the numbers)

 

[silentstriker]

Which suprises me given SS' views on winning at all costs. Hence my nomination of Jardine earlier in this thread; his methods might not have been to everyone's tastes, but he had a job to do and did it brilliantly.

I never said this is the team I would choose to play for me, or the team that would win the most, let alone the best team ever!

McGrath may not make my Professional XI, but he still would be the first name down on any XI that I would want to play for me.

This is the closest definition of what I would be going for in my 'professional XI':

The gentleman for me. Dravid is the epitome of everything that's good about sport; never gives an inch but goes about it with a manly, decorous class.

People who don't throw a fit, don't act like idiots, abuse umpires, etc. Now abusing umpires (or, 'putting pressure') as a tactic might really be a good idea in terms of winning matches, and personally if it works, I'd support it - but then you might be in my all time XI rather than a 'professional XI'. Not really talking about talent.

Of course, your definition is different and Jardine may very well fit that definition, which is perfectly fine!

 

[Furball]

I never said this is the team I would choose to play for me, or the team that would win the most, let alone the best team ever!

I just didn't expect such a goody-goody definition of professional from you is all