SJS
Hall of Fame Member
Bedser's selections (1945-1981)
The Team : NZL
Bert Sutcliffe
On dropping Geoff Howarth : Howarth's inconsistency puzzles me. One day he will look the complete batsman with authority and technique. The next he will sacrifice his wicket too cheaply.
On choice of openers : . . . wanted Dowling as captain but could not split the openers Sutcliffe and Turner - a classic blend of exciting attack and sober technique - I compromised by dropping Dowling in the order (he batted occasionally at no. three.
Keeper : . . . by making the versatile John Reid the wicket-keeper an extra bowler could be included
The attack : Cowie has to be included even though his salad days were pre-war. . .Hadlee, by no means an inconsiderable batsman, Motz and Bruce Taylor, both aggressive batsmen and bowlers, complete an impressive array of speed . Spin bowling is a bit thin but the slow left arm of Hedley Howarth, judged on his form of the late sixties, provides the alternative to pace.
The Team : Pakistan
The attack - pace : The essential difference between the two sides from the sub-continent is that Pakistan inherited the area where the fast bowlers came from. With Fazal Mehmood, supported by Sarfaraz Nawaz and Imran Khan, Pakistan would have formidable quick bowling with Asif Iqbal and Majid Khan as back ups and doing the in-between spells.
The attack - spin : For spin there is no need to look further than Intikhab Alam - though the left armed Iqbal Qasim presses strongly - and Mushtaq Mohammad. Intikhab is a robust hitter and very valuable in the lower order
Batting main strength : "As I see the batting, which hinges around the tiny but resolute frame of Hanif Mohammad, the delicate touch play of Zaheer Abbas and Mushtaq Mohammad is essential
On Asif Iqbal : The number six position could go to Asif Iqbal, Javed Miandad and the technically sound Javed Burki without any loss of strength. On balance. Asif Iqbal with his bowling and quick silver fielding edges ahead.
On Saeed Ahmed : A place has to be found for Saeed Ahmed, possibly at no. 5. His record . . . withstands the most critical eye.
It is interesting to note that he considers Fazal as the main bowler and talks of Sarfaraz and Imran to support him. By the time Pakistan wleft for Australia in November 1981, Imran had taken 128 Test wickets at 29.5 in 36 Tests. It was in the next year, 1982, that with 62 wickets at 13.3 each. In the 7 seasons from 1981-82 to 1986-87 he took 150 wickets ar under 15 each. This was the peak of Imran the bowler. Surely, if Bedser had made the team 5-6 years later he would have written differently :o)
The Team : S Africa
On the choice of captain : After writing down the side I pondered long and hard on the man to get the best out of such a good side -
On the selection of two off-spinners : Athol Rowan is the off spinner, despite the presence of Hugh Tayfield. They were, in fact, different type of off spinners.
On the pace attack : Peter Pollock, the fast bowler, is a must. Peter's presence means the regretted absence of Peter Heine. The choice between Heine and Adcock, who made a fine pair, was hard but Adcock has the better Test record and was a more controlled attacker.
On the dropping of Trevor Goddard : " . . . the left handed all-rounder, though he was a leading player . . . his bowling was too negative."
Keeper : Johnny Waite is my keeper and he substantially adds to the batting strength. If Roy McLean had been more consistent, he couldn't have been overlooked.
The Team : Windies
On openers : To find the most representative and balanced team from such resources is immensely difficult. The job is not . . . who to put in as who to leave out. In the cause of balance and versatility I take two minor liberties. First as it is unthinkable to separate the three W's or leave out Viv Richards or Clive Lloyd, I promote Lloyd to open the batting. Surely he would play fast bowling as well at number 2 as he does at number 5 where he often has to counter the (second) new ball.
On keeper : Second, I make Walcott the keeper, a position he occupied more than ably in England in 1950 when he had to take Alff Valentine and Sonny Ramadhin. West Indies have had many dependable keepers, without one screaming for inclusion. Walcott seems a sensible compromise.
The attack : Hall, Roberts and Holding . . . my out and out strike bowlers. . . backed by Sir Frankie's medium pace left arm. . . Ramadhin ahead of Gibbs because of his unusual form of attack. . . Sobers offered three types of bowling . . . in this attack I see him using his chinamen and googlies, if only to complete the variety
It is fascinating to see how Bedser's mind works, how he gives the choice of captain equal importance, how he does not mind choosing a keeper batsman to balance the side and also because the alternatives were not "screaming for selection"/ The choice of Eric Rowan for skipper and the reasoning given is fascinating and very interesting coming from one of the games longest serving selectors.
The Team : NZL
Bert Sutcliffe
- Glen Turner
- Graham Dowling (captain)
- Martin Donnelly
- Bevan Congdon
- John Reid
- Bruce Taylor
- Richard Hadlee
- Dick Motz
- Hedley Howarth
- Jack Cowie
On dropping Geoff Howarth : Howarth's inconsistency puzzles me. One day he will look the complete batsman with authority and technique. The next he will sacrifice his wicket too cheaply.
On choice of openers : . . . wanted Dowling as captain but could not split the openers Sutcliffe and Turner - a classic blend of exciting attack and sober technique - I compromised by dropping Dowling in the order (he batted occasionally at no. three.
Keeper : . . . by making the versatile John Reid the wicket-keeper an extra bowler could be included
The attack : Cowie has to be included even though his salad days were pre-war. . .Hadlee, by no means an inconsiderable batsman, Motz and Bruce Taylor, both aggressive batsmen and bowlers, complete an impressive array of speed . Spin bowling is a bit thin but the slow left arm of Hedley Howarth, judged on his form of the late sixties, provides the alternative to pace.
The Team : Pakistan
- Hanif Mohd
- Majid Jehangir (captain)
- Zaheer Abbas
- Mushtaq Mohd
- Saeed Ahmed
- Asif Iqbal
- Imtiaz Ahmed (keeper)
- Imran Khan
- Intikhab Alam
- Sarfaraz Nawaz
- Fazal Mehmood
The attack - pace : The essential difference between the two sides from the sub-continent is that Pakistan inherited the area where the fast bowlers came from. With Fazal Mehmood, supported by Sarfaraz Nawaz and Imran Khan, Pakistan would have formidable quick bowling with Asif Iqbal and Majid Khan as back ups and doing the in-between spells.
The attack - spin : For spin there is no need to look further than Intikhab Alam - though the left armed Iqbal Qasim presses strongly - and Mushtaq Mohammad. Intikhab is a robust hitter and very valuable in the lower order
Batting main strength : "As I see the batting, which hinges around the tiny but resolute frame of Hanif Mohammad, the delicate touch play of Zaheer Abbas and Mushtaq Mohammad is essential
On Asif Iqbal : The number six position could go to Asif Iqbal, Javed Miandad and the technically sound Javed Burki without any loss of strength. On balance. Asif Iqbal with his bowling and quick silver fielding edges ahead.
On Saeed Ahmed : A place has to be found for Saeed Ahmed, possibly at no. 5. His record . . . withstands the most critical eye.
It is interesting to note that he considers Fazal as the main bowler and talks of Sarfaraz and Imran to support him. By the time Pakistan wleft for Australia in November 1981, Imran had taken 128 Test wickets at 29.5 in 36 Tests. It was in the next year, 1982, that with 62 wickets at 13.3 each. In the 7 seasons from 1981-82 to 1986-87 he took 150 wickets ar under 15 each. This was the peak of Imran the bowler. Surely, if Bedser had made the team 5-6 years later he would have written differently :o)
The Team : S Africa
- Barry Richards
- Eric Rowan (captain)
- Jackie McGlew
- Dudley Nourse
- Graeme Pollock
- Mike Proctor
- Johnny Waite (keeper)
- Hugh Tayfield
- Athol Rowan
- Peter Pollock
- Neil Adcock
On the choice of captain : After writing down the side I pondered long and hard on the man to get the best out of such a good side -
- Eddie Barlow ? But with Mike Proctor as the undisputed all-rounder, I couldn't get him in.
- Dudley Nourse ? Much as I admired him, I always had reservations about his captaincy.
- Proctor ? Perhaps, but I do not see him fitting (as captain) the demanding standards of such a ceiling level.
- Then, having decided to have Eric Rowan was to be opener with Barry Richards, I asked = why not ? Eric was something of an independent character who ruffled a few administrative feathers. He did not tour England under Alan Melville though he was patently fit for selection and had toured England in 1935. As a player I preferred him to Bruce Mitchell who had probably lost something by the time I bowled against him. There was something about Eric which suggests to me that he would have made a formidable leader - a good tactician, a fighter, and, above all, he would not have been frightened to lose in the cause of victory. Eric was a successful captain at other levels.
On the selection of two off-spinners : Athol Rowan is the off spinner, despite the presence of Hugh Tayfield. They were, in fact, different type of off spinners.
On the pace attack : Peter Pollock, the fast bowler, is a must. Peter's presence means the regretted absence of Peter Heine. The choice between Heine and Adcock, who made a fine pair, was hard but Adcock has the better Test record and was a more controlled attacker.
On the dropping of Trevor Goddard : " . . . the left handed all-rounder, though he was a leading player . . . his bowling was too negative."
Keeper : Johnny Waite is my keeper and he substantially adds to the batting strength. If Roy McLean had been more consistent, he couldn't have been overlooked.
The Team : Windies
- Gordon Greenidge
- Clive Lloyd
- Everton Weekes
- Viv Richards
- Frank Worrell (captain)
- Gary Sobers
- Clyde Walcott (keeper)
- Mike Holding
- Wes Hall
- Andy Roberts
- Sonny Ramadhin
On openers : To find the most representative and balanced team from such resources is immensely difficult. The job is not . . . who to put in as who to leave out. In the cause of balance and versatility I take two minor liberties. First as it is unthinkable to separate the three W's or leave out Viv Richards or Clive Lloyd, I promote Lloyd to open the batting. Surely he would play fast bowling as well at number 2 as he does at number 5 where he often has to counter the (second) new ball.
On keeper : Second, I make Walcott the keeper, a position he occupied more than ably in England in 1950 when he had to take Alff Valentine and Sonny Ramadhin. West Indies have had many dependable keepers, without one screaming for inclusion. Walcott seems a sensible compromise.
The attack : Hall, Roberts and Holding . . . my out and out strike bowlers. . . backed by Sir Frankie's medium pace left arm. . . Ramadhin ahead of Gibbs because of his unusual form of attack. . . Sobers offered three types of bowling . . . in this attack I see him using his chinamen and googlies, if only to complete the variety
It is fascinating to see how Bedser's mind works, how he gives the choice of captain equal importance, how he does not mind choosing a keeper batsman to balance the side and also because the alternatives were not "screaming for selection"/ The choice of Eric Rowan for skipper and the reasoning given is fascinating and very interesting coming from one of the games longest serving selectors.
