Voting Thread- Quick ATG XI Draft- No Bradman (with a poll!)

[Red]

Jager
Miller and some lesser mortals XI
1. Herbert Sutcliffe
2. Sid Barnes
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Brian Lara
5. Everton Weekes
6. Denis Lindsay (wk)
7. Keith Miller
8. Hugh Tayfield
9. Andy Roberts
10. Clarrie Grimmett
11. Waqar Younis

smalishah
The Cornered Tigers
1. Matthew Hayden
2. Hanif Mohammed
3. Inzimam Ul Haq
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Aubrey Faulkner
6. Doug Walters
7. Allan Knott (wk)
8. Imran Khan (c)
9. John Snow
10.Ajmal
11.Joel Garner
12th- David Boon

kyear2
Kyear XI
1. Arthur Morris
2. Justin Langer
3. Viv Richards
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Frank Worrell (c)
6. AB DeVilliers
7. Jack Russell (wk)
8. Dennis Lilllee
9. Michael Holding
10. Ian Bishop
11. Jim Laker
12th- Bruce Mitchell


rvd619323
Dan's XI
1. Sir Jack Hobbs
2. Barry Richards
3. Charlie Macartney
4. Javed Miandad
5. Douglas Jardine (c)
6. Frank Woolley
7. Clive Rice
8. Godfrey Evans (wk)
9. Ray Lindwall
10. Harold Larwood
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
12th- Hedley Verity

zaremba
The Fists of Zaremba XI
1. Graham Gooch
2. Len Hutton
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Jacques Kallis
5. Archie Jackson
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Matt Prior (wk)
8. Mike Procter
9. Wilfred Rhodes
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Bruce Reid / Anil Kumble

Monk
Abbot's XI- The Brewers
1. Bill Ponsford
2. Bill Lawry
3. Ian Chappell (c)
4. Wally Hammond
5. Kumar Sangakarra
6. Neil Harvey
7. Les Ames (wk)
8. RichardHadlee
9. AllanDonald
10. Bill O'Reilly
11. Fred Spofforth

kingkallis
CricZo XI
1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Gordon Greenidge
3. Hashim Amla
4. Denis Compton
5. Allan Border (c)
6. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
7. Ian Botham
8. Shane Warne
9. Alec Bedser
10. Fred Trueman
11. Courtney Walsh

watson
The Mean Muthers
1. Bob Simpson
2. Roy Fredericks
3. Clyde Walcott
4. Greg Chappell
5. Steve Waugh
6. Clive Lloyd
7. John Waite (wk)
8. Richie Benaud (c)
9. Wasim Akram
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Glen McGrath
12th- Eddie Barlow

Himmanv
Himmanv XI
1. Victor Trumper
2. WG Grace
3. George Headley
4. Ken Barrington
5. Dudley Nourse
6. Garry Sobers
7. Andy Flower
8. Alan Davidson
9. Shaun Pollock
10. Dale Steyn
11. Syd Barnes

 

[watson]

THANKS MONK! Very much appreciated.

 

[kingkallis]

Links to the write ups?

 

[Red]

Links to the write ups?

Maybe you could post them in here? I just don't have the time in the next few days, sorry mate.

 

[watson]

Been trying to figure out how to create a LINK. Nothing in FAQ as far as I can see.

How do you use 'LinkBack' or 'permalink'?

 

[watson]

'THE MEAN MUTHERS'

1.Bob Simpson (6)
2.Roy Fredericks
3.Clyde Walcott
4.Greg Chappell (7)
5.Steve Waugh (5) (vice captain)
6.Clive Lloyd
7.John Waite (keeper)
8.Richie Benaud (4) (captain)
9.Wasim Akram (3)
10.Curtly Ambrose (1)
11.Glen McGrath (2)

12.Eddie Barlow

1.Bob Simpson (Batting Average: 46.81, Bowling Strike Rate: 96.9)
Reliable and orthodox opening batsman capable of batting through an innings. Possibly the best slip fieldsman of all time. Was an allrounder who bowled leg spin and googlies before he began to focus on his batting. Useful spinning partner to Richie Benaud on a wearing pitch.

2.Roy Fredericks (Batting Average: 42.49)
The original Brian Lara but with a technique good enough to be an opener. Possibly the best exponent of the hook-shot in modern cricket as his masterpiece against Lillee and Thommo at Perth in 1975 suggests. His 169 runs came off only 145 balls. Knick-named “Kid Cement” by his team mates for good reason – he feared no fast bowler. Partly included in this team because I would like to see him open against Larwood and Lindwall.

3.Clyde Walcott (Batting Average: 56.58)
Batted 23 times at No.3 and averaged 51.86. The best of the ‘3 Ws’ at first drop, power-packed, and the 1950s answer to Vivian Richards. Does what a No.3 should do – dictate terms to the bowlers and set the tempo of the innings.

4.Greg Chappell (Batting Average: 53.86, Bowling Strike Rate: 113.3)
Australia’s premier batsman of the 1970s. Arguably the best player of fast bowling in the world during that decade. Averaged 117.00 against the West Indian quartet in 1975-76. A classic No.4 and the pivotal batsman of the team.

5.Steve Waugh (Batting Average: 51.06, Bowling Strike Rate: 84.8)
Puritanical batsman and the backbone of the middle-order. Sits comfortably between the stroke makers but also capable of counter-attacking when necessary. Wonderful gully fieldsman. Useful and competent medium pacer.

6.Clive Lloyd (Batting Average: 46.67)
A highly flexible batsman capable of punishing the bowling or batting with the tail. Clever against the spinners with a top score of 242 against Bedi , Chandra, and Prassana, but also able to average 46.9 runs against Lillee and Thommo in 1975-76.

7.John Waite (Caught: 124, Stumped: 24, Batting Average: 30.44)
Held all the South African wicket-keeping records before Mark Boucher came along. Good enough with the bat to score centuries against Tyson and Bedser, then Davidson and Meckiff. Stubborn and pugnacious.

8.Richie Benaud (Bowling Strike Rate: 77.0, Batting Average: 24.45)
One of the best classical leg-spinners in history, and possibly the best captain in history. Scored 3 centuries with the bat too.

9.Wasim Akram (Bowling Strike Rate: 54.6, Batting Average: 22.64)
Possibly the greatest left-handed fast bowler of all-time. Bowls everything bar the kitchen sink. Highest Test score of 257 runs.

10.Curtly Ambrose (Bowling Strike Rate: 54.5)
Definitely one of the top three West Indian fast bowlers of all-time and helped keep the West Indies ‘great’ for longer than they should have been. A mean and nasty miser with the ball who is the spear-head of the attack.

11.Glen McGrath (Bowling Strike Rate: 51.9)
Assessed by some experts to be the greatest quick bowler of all-time. Absolutely relentless.

12.Eddie Barlow (Batting Average: 45.74, Bowling Strike Rate: 75.5)
Gives the team added balance and motivation. Very good medium pacer and 5th bowler, superb slip fielder, and would rather die than give his wicket away. A classic case where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.


SUMMARY

This is a merciless team without a breaking point. It is superbly led by Benaud (c) and Waugh (vc), and expertly advised by Lloyd and Chappell. If the teams IQ could be measured then it would be a genius.

There is more than ample batting depth and 4 front-line bowlers who are capable of devastating any batting order. The fast bowlers strike often, but are also complete misers. They will be just as difficult to score off as they are to defend against. The part-time bowlers Waugh and Simpson are also capable of taking wickets. Chappell is very accurate.

Importantly, the bowlers will be backed up by some superb fieldsmen. Indeed it could be argued that there has never been a greater cordon than Waite, Simpson, Chappell, Waugh, Fredericks, and Benaud. They are really that good.

In short, if a Test Match happens to be bitter, bloody, and on a knife edge, then this team will be in its absolute element.

 

[kyear2]

When Wisden named the top 5 Cricketers of the 20th Century Sir I.V.A. Richards was voted to the 5th and final position, but tied for 6th and just missing out was Dennis Lillee and Sir Frank Worrell the leading strike bolwer and Captain respectively of the KYEAR XI.

KYEAR XI
Arthur Morris:
Named by no less than Donald Bradman to his All Time XI, Morris was the attacking first choice opener for the Invincibles, one of the greatest teams of All Time, and so great was his contribution that during the teats of 1948 he even outscored the Don himself. A career average of 46.48 confirms his ability.

Justin Langer:
He was one half of one of one of the top three (3) opening partnerships of All Time and one of the key anchors of one of the greatest teams ever, he went out on a high and most importantly on his own terms after the succesful 2006-2007 Ashes campaign. He managed to maintain an average of 45.27 and a s/r over 54 over a career spanning 105 Test matches. Langer also will stand capably at 3rd slip for my team.

Vivian Richards:
One of Wisdens Five Cricketers of the Century, he is probably behind only Bradman as the sports Greatest Batsman, he was the Master Blaster, capable of instilling fear into the greatest fast bolwers of his era. He never wore a helmet, but stared down and dominated Lillee and Thompson, Imran, Hadlee, Snow and all others who he faced, he could take on and decimate any pace or spin attack in any conditions, and as inpressive as his test record is he performed even better in the pressure pot that was WSC. He had that swagger, that confidence and was part of perhaps the greatest extended dynasty in cricket history. Viv was also the best fielder of his era, but was especially great in the slips, and will be joing Langer as our First Slip specialist.

Graeme Pollock:
Robbed of his prime by an oppressive regime, he still finished his career with the second highes test average after Bradman, 60.97 after 23 Tests. Even with so short a career, he impressed his peers to the extent that Bradman, not only named him to his All Time team, but also stated that along with Sobers, he was the Greatest left handed batsman in the history of the game. He was a powerful and skillful driver of the cricket ball, but really excelled and could play every shot in the book, he was named South Africa's player of the century and holds a place among the truely Elite in the history of the game.

Sir Frank Worrell:
The first appointed Black Captain of the West Indies team, he was also one of the famous 3w's, and stylistically probably the best. He was a champion for players rights and an absolute genius at the crease. He was equally comfortable at home and away and had an amazing tactical mind. He was part of that emerging West Indies team that won our first Test Series in England in 1950 and also played one of the great test innings of All Time. Sir Frank was also a useful and under rated bolwer, who at times opened the bowling for the West Indies before reverting to left arm spin when it was of a greater service to his team, he was Sobers before Sobers (though admittedly not as effective), and he brings the flexibility of either his Left arm fast medium or spin as required. He was one of the Great Captains and leaders of men in history and along with Benaud helped to save cricket in the 60's with an entertaining and sporting brand of cricket. For his contributions he was tied for 6th in Wisdens crickets of the Century and is the Leader of this team.

A.B de Villiers:
An attacking and skilful batsman, the fact that he plys his trade mainly on the pace and seam friendly tracks of South Africa, speaks volumes to his ability, especially to maintain anverage just shy of Fifty. He is one of the greatest fielders of the modern era and especially excells in the slips where he will be situated between Richards and Langer.

Jack Russell:
Truely on of the Greatest Wicketkeepers in the history of the game, and was an under rated batsman who averaged just under 30 in Tests despite the pressures and perceptions of the British selectors. He was flawless with the gloves, especially standing up and that coupled with his stubborn batting (two Hundreds and 6 fifties) surely deserved more than his 54 Test appearences. He was one of the last Golden Glovemen equally confident to pace and spin.

Dennis Lillee:
Regarded by many, as the Greatest Fast Bolwer of All Time, he was the highest rated fast bolwer by Widen when thet named their Cricketer of the Century. At the start of his career he was a fast and terrifying teae away quick who put fear into many a batsman and team, he was indomidable. That was before his career threatening back injury that put him out of the game and when he came back he had to reinvent his game and actually bacame a better and craftier bowler who could still when required bend his back and bring back memories of old. His partnership with Thompson was lengendary and one of the best ever and he had the ability to cut or swing the ball away from the batsman at pace at will and of course had a deadly bouncer, he was one of The Greatest and he too site among the truely elite of his craft.

Michael Holding:
If there was a equal to Lillee in the late 70's it was Michael Holding. He of that long graceful run-up, he was nickmaned Wispering Death not only because of his silent approach to the crease but his frightening pace, he was probably consistently the fastest bolwer of them all and his over to Boycott must rank as the most famous, fastest and greatest over in the history of the game. He excelled everywhere, even on the flat beds in India, especially in '83 when he and Marshall were simply too good and too fast for the World Cup Champions. Additionally he was a useful lower order bat and a great fielder, even in close in the gully or slips.

Ian Bishop:
If not for injury we would be speaking of Bishop as probably one of the best if not the best West Indies fast bolwer ever. When he first emerged he was lethal fast, possessing the kind of speed that excites a crowd and strikes fear into batsmen, he could swing the ball in both directions and yes, could hurt people. Even in the protected era of the 90's Bishop was feared and along with Waqar the fastest in the world. Sadly the back injuries came along and after a couple of attempted come backs he finally retired. Even with that in mind he still managed 161 Test scalps at an average of 24, with an impressive S/R of 52. In his prime though he was truely one of the Greatest to even propel the cricket ball.

Jim Laker:
Englands greatest slow bolwer, he was a massive spinner and extremely accurate of the ball and owns the greatest test match bolwing performances, 19/90 vs Australia in 1956. His record of 193 wickets at 21 apiece speaks for itself as a match winner and as someone who can keep and end quiet while the fast men create havoc at the other end. He was also a useful lower order bat who has two test fifties to his credit.

12th Man:
Bruce Mitchell:
The perfect 12th man, an opening batsman by trade he can also bat in the middle order, as he has done with success, he was also an excellent slip fielder and a more that useful leg spinner. He was the bed rock for those early S.A teams who tempered his natural aggession for the sake of the team. His excellent test average of over 48, plus his supplemental skills speaks to the strength of the playing 11

 

[uvelocity]

went watson. toss up between that and kyear2

 

[kingkallis]

CricZo XI

Sunil Gavaskar / ( 125 | 10122 @ 51.12 | 34 / 45; 108 )
Gordon Greenidge / ( 108 | 7558 @ 44.72 | 19 / 34; 96 )
Hashim Amla / ( 59 / 4464 @ 46.98 | 14 / 23; 54 )
Denis Compton / ( 78 | 5807 @ 50.06 | 17 / 28; 49 )
Allan Border ( c ) / ( 156 | 11174 @ 50.56 | 27 / 63; 156 )
Adam Gilchrist ( + ) / ( 96 | 5570 @ 47.60 | 17 / 26; 379 / 37 )
Ian Botham o / ( 102 | 4200 runs @ 33.54 | 14 / 22; 383 wickets @ 28.40 | 4 / 27; 120 )
Shane Warne o ( 145 | 3154 runs @ 17.32 | 0 / 12; 708 wickets @ 25.41 | 10 / 37; 125 )
Alec Bedser o ( 51 | 236 @ 24.89 | 5 / 15; 26 )
Fred Trueman o ( 67 | 307 @ 21.57 | 3 / 17; 64 )
Courtney Walsh o ( 132 | 519 @ 24.44 | 3 / 22; 29 )

12 th man : Maurice Tate o / ( 39 | 1198 runs @ 25.48 | 1 / 5; 155 wickets @ 26.16 | 1/7; 11 )

Team Statistics

Total Tests : 1119
Total Runs ( Top 8 ) : 52,049 ( Players with 3000+ runs at least )
Batting Average ( Top 6 - avg or avgs ) : 48.50
100s & 50s : 142 & 255
Total Catches : 827
Total Wickets : 2153
Bowling Average ( All 5 ) : 24.94
10s & 5s : 25 & 118

ATG XI Positions

World XI : Adam Gilchrist & Shane Warne ( Hell, yeah!!! )
Team 2 : Sunil Gavaskar
Team 3 : Alan Border & Fred Trueman
Team 4 : Ian Botham
Team 5 : Gordon Greenidge & Denis Compton
Team 7 : Courtney Walsh
Team 8 : Alec Bedser
Team 9 : Maurice Tate
Team 21 : Hashim Amla ( Its a surprise, really )

NOTE : 8 out of my playing XI are in TOP 5 ALL -time Teams and 10 of playing XI are in TOP 9 ALL-time Teams

Team composition

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Tossed up between rvd and watson

 

[kingkallis]

I'd have gone for rvd but he has Rice who didnt play any test match hence went with Zaremba. A fine team with proper balance of bat and bowl.

 

[smash84]

went with Watson.

An outstanding bowling attack. The fast bowlers between them would give away nothing and attack relentlessly. The batting is very very strong too with G Chappell S Waugh and C Lloyd in the middle order. This is one hell of a side.

 

[watson]

There is something about Smali's bowling attack that would be really unsettling to any batting line-up. Imran's pace + swing, Snow's leg-cutter, and Garner's extra bounce would be so hard to counteract as they are each very different styles of fast bowling. It's a shame that Smali's batting strength is not as strong as it could be.

So, if my life depended on the outcome of the match then I would least like to face Monk's team.

Ian Chappell's captaincy, Hadlee and O'Reilly bowling in tandem, and the middle order strength of 4 excellent batsman are distinct problems to my team.

I also fear Chappell or Hammond batting together with Harvery during the last session of a day when the bowlers are tiring. Could be a turning point of a match.

Spofforth is an unknown quantity, but a great none-the-less. It would be foolish to take him too lightly.

However, for entertainment value I'd pay good money to watch the himmanv XI any day. Trumper batting with George Headley followed by Barnes in action is just too mouth watering.

(I am not an expert so I hope I haven't offended anyone. All teams deserve a 10 out of 10 and are probably of equal strength if you analysed them scientifically with a slide-rule or 3)

 

[Red]

Thanks Watson. I voted for yours, only partly because of what you said!

The real reason is your bowling combo. Ambrose and McGrath are ridiculously relentless, and would frustrate the hell out of batsmen, very similar bowlers. I'm a massive believer in pressure to score creating wickets, and these two from each end would do exactly that.

Then you have Akram, who is a real X-factor with the ball, and a left armer of the highest quality. Following the quicks you have Benaud, who was a great spinner, fine captain and very good batsman.

In Simpson, Chappell and Benaud, you have a brilliant slip cordon and gully, and Steve Waugh and Lloyd were as good as anyone in the point/cover/MW region.

I think the batting compares well with most other teams (Chappell is your clear standout), but the game would be won or lost with the bowling attacks, and to me yours seems most likely to take a lot of wickets for not many.

Quick mention of himmanv's team which would be very difficult to beat because it'd be nearly impossible to bowl them out twice in 5 days (partly because Grace would replace the bails if bowled, and that Barrington is a rock in the middle), and to kingkallis and rvd who have very nicely balanced combos. None of the teams are poor, that's for sure.

 

[watson]

Thanks again Monk for organising the gig.

 

[Dan]

Dan's XI

1. Sir Jack Hobbs
2. Barry Richards
3. Charlie Macartney
4. Javed Miandad
5. Douglas Jardine*
6. Frank Woolley
7. Clive Rice
8. Godfrey Evans+
9. Ray Lindwall
10. Harold Larwood
11. Muttiah Muralitharan

12th Man: Hedley Verity

Quick Overview:
We open up with the greatest of them all, the original 'master' - Jack Hobbs.Nobody has scored more first class runs, or matched his 197 (or 199) centuries at FC level. With him is Barry Richards, a man who would most likely have become one of the ATG opening batsmen - in fact, he's remembered as one now despite only playing 4 Test matches. They would complement each other's styles, and give no chance to opposing bowlers trying to make an early breakthrough.

Should an opening bowler get past that strong pairing, they get post-war Charlie Macartney. Once he returned from the war as a top-order batsman, he averaged ~70, and was renowned for his counterattacking play. Scoring a hundred before lunch, against a strong England side on a bad pitch is representative of his credentials. Plus, he was a great fieldsman and a sub-30 averaging slow left armer. On a turner, he would act as a third spin bowling option.

Then, we have a middle order of Javed Miandad and Douglas Jardine. Both are fantastic players, Miandad Pakistan's best, and Jardine a very good defensive batsman who would bail the team out of trouble should they somehow find themselves staring down the barrel.

Frank Woolley and Clive Rice are the experienced pair of all rounders at 6 and 7. Woolley was one of the all-time great county players, playing 978 FC matches, taking over 2000 wickets at a sub-20 average, with mediums and orthodox spin, and making more runs than anyone (bar Hobbs). He was also an ATG slip fieldsman, the only non-wicketkeeper to take 1000 catches. Rice was a fast bowler, averaging 22 in FC cricket, and a 40+ averaging batsman. They form a strong lower middle order, and can function as strong supporting seamers and, in the case of Woolley, a second spinner.

Godfrey Evans comes next, arguably England's best 'pure' wicketkeeper ever. He was electric behind the stumps, finding a way to get to anything thrown at him. He was willing to come up to the stumps to almost anyone, and would be required to do this with Macartney's occasional twirlers, Woolley's mediums and spinners, and he's be more than capable of reading and keeping to Murali.

Ray Lindwall and Harold Larwood open the bowling together, a cricketing purist's dream - very fast, very aggressive and capable of extracting movement. Larwood will forever be associated with Jardine, and as the only bowler to stop Bradman, whereas Lindwall is rated by Bradman as one of the best ever. It is worth noting Lindwall based himself off Larwood. An opening batsman would get no respite from the perfect fast bowlers. They also add lower order batting - Lindwall has 2 Test centuries, and Larwood a highest of 98.

Muttiah Muralitharan rounds out the XI, and with 800 Test wickets to his name, can lay claim to being the best spin bowler in history. He carried Sri Lanka on his back for almost his entire career, and spun them to victory countless times. He can turn the ball both ways, and knows how to out-think a batsman.

Hedley Verity can be summarised with one incredible achievement: 10/10. He averaged a scarcely believable 14 in First Class cricket, and was one bowler who could tame Bradman to an extent. He was a fantastic left arm orthodox spinner, and would complement Murali perfectly on a turning pitch. He was also a competent lower order batsman, who was good enough to open on occasion for England.

Fielding from this side is of an extremely high calibre, and Jardine's leadership credentials are unmatched. He knew his field placings, studied opposition batsmen mercilessly to find (and exploit) weaknesses, and was able to get the best out of his players. Regardless of the differing perceptions of his character, he can unite and lead a team with the best of them.

The team is flexible, with 4 seam bowling options (Larwood, Lindwall, Rice, Woolley), and 3 spinners (Muralitharan, Woolley, Macartney). Rotating bowlers would not be an issue - Murali could bowl all day, Larwood and Lindwall were tough as they come, and Woolley could hold up an end almost forever. Jardine was fantastic at rotating his bowlers as well. The line-up bats deep, and every player is proven at the highest level available to them.

I'm halfway through writing up comprehensive player bios in Word. CBF finishing them now that the voting thread's up

 

[Himannv]

Did a write up for my team. Heading off to gym and my mates birthday thingy so will put it up once I get home.

 

[kyear2]

Viv, Lillee, Worrell, Holding, Pollock and Laker and not a single vote?

 

[smash84]

 

[ankitj]

kyear2 - Bruce Mitchell will be my first choice opener in your team of 12.