Bagapath's Greatest XI

[bagapath]

Someone else should do one these.

Suggesting Bagapath so we can detest his side as well.

Thanks to Furball's excellent thread and Pothas' challenge, I am very tempted to share my Greatest XI with you.

I started following cricket in the early '80s. But we bought our first TV only in 1985. Those days we had a cow in our house and the man who was hired to milk her in the mornings would sometimes catch me watching an early morning Channel 9 broadcast from Australia. This milkman always stank of cheap tobacco and raw milk. And he believed Richie Benaud looked like his own father. I had seen his father but I could never figure out the connection.

I am going to use 1985 as the cut off point for my selection. Yes, I have read about Bradman, Sobers, Miller, Hobbs, Hammond and Hutton. Seen glimpses of Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Boycott. But all these guys had retired before we had TV!!! So they don't count in this exercise. I want to select a balanced team made up of players I have seen. They should be able to succeed in all conditions and be ready to take on the very best opposition thrown at them. I want this team to play aggressive and attractive cricket.

I intend to reveal the team members in reverse order of my personal preference finishing with my most favorite cricketer last.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Should be interesting and perhaps a bit less predictable than Furball's.

 

[bagapath]

I am going for a 4-man strong bowling attack with one spinner. So my attack has to be clearly defined unlike a 5-man attack that can have a bit more flexibility. I can’t simply select 4 of the best bowlers from the era and congratulate myself. I need to have a plan. One of the main elements of the plan is to have the best third pacer ever.

Now, this is a role you can expect a Pollock or Akhthar to fulfill with aplomb. The first one with his nagging accuracy and the second one with his scorching pace can unsettle the best of batsmen on any surface.

In Joel Garner, you get 110% of Pollock’s accuracy at 90% of Akhthar’s pace.

Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
58 111 13169 5433 259 6/56 9/108 20.97 2.47 50.8 18 7 0

Standing a massive 6’8”, the Big Bird had a right arm that famously went above the sightscreen at the point of delivery. After the batsman lost sight of the ball at that height, he could deliver a bouncer or a yorker with equal felicity keeping the batter in a permanent insecure zone. It was a very common sight to see batsman after batsman fending perfume balls to gully or hop away with crunched feet when Garner was in full flow. I have him in my team because once my opening bowlers are finished with their first spell, the opposition batsmen might relax a bit and expect a bit of respite. This is the time to test their footwork. This is the time to push them back into the crease with a short one and then break their toes. With his steep bounce, radar guided accuracy and dangerous pace, Big Bird is the right bowler to execute the job, a job he regularly did for his team for more than a decade; a job he did with style and always, ALWAYS, as a team man.


The team:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Joel Garner

 

[smash84]

Good going baga, The mid 80s is a pretty decent starting point. Almost 30 years now. Looking forward to your team

 

[smash84]

and Garner was so awesome. Quite under rated and doesn't command the top of mind attention that some of his other illustrious peers like Holding and Marshall do, but the guy was as good as they come

 

[bagapath]

Sir Richard Hadlee is my opening bowler

If Garner used his massive frame to terrorize batsmen with his scorching yorkers (and take some blinders at gully), Paddles used his deep knowledge of the game to analyze and outwit his opponents. Wait a minute! That sounds like a tribute to a management guru. Hadlee was a sportsman. And one of the best ever at that.

Richard Hadlee was a tearaway fast bowler when he started. And more often than not, he was the one getting torn. So he sat down and studied DK Lillee's bowling, and asked himself "What would Lillee do?". He controlled his pace, learnt to swing and cut, started to think like batsmen and planned to be one step ahead of them all the time. This Lillee question is something he asked himself at the top of his mark but once he started his run up and reached the bowling crease, he did whatever only Hadlee could do.

Sir Richard used the crease to vary his line, put his hips to proper use to get the ball to swing away, used his shoulder strength to bang the ball in short, relied on his sharp eye sight and well toned body to land the ball exactly where he wanted over after over, put his intelligent mind to best use and turned himself into a one man bowling machine. In many ways, he was a weird guy. For someone who hated to lose, he took the strange stance of not talking to his own captain for years - not worrying about the negative vibe that might create within the team. And, despite having achieved in cricket what 50 decent cricketers put together can only dream of, he was plagued by depression and self doubt. At the end of the day, he cared deeply about his game and about New Zealand cricket. And created records for future generations to gun for when retired as possibly the greatest bowler of all time. His late order batting is a bonus any team would grab with both hands.

Mat Runs HS Bat Av 100 Wkts BBI Bowl Av 5 Ct St
86 3124 151* 27.16 2 431 9/52 22.29 36 39 0

It will be a delight to see him take the new ball, and warn his teammates to not shine it on their own without consulting him, before running in to make the best opening batsmen in the world concentrate hard and fight for their lives.

The team:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Sir Richard Hadlee
9.
10.
11. Joel Garner

 

[fredfertang]

This will be interesting, particularly as its a brave man who puts the Big Bird at number eleven

 

[smash84]

Paddles was indeed a gun. Probably the only NZer who didn't punch above his weight

 

[harsh.ag]

The team:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Sir Richard Hadlee
9.
10.
11. Joel Garner

Nice start. I have a soft spot for Garner and Hadlee both Although I would place Ambrose slightly (the slightest of margins) ahead of Hadlee at their craft, his all round capabilities clinch his place in the XI for me every time. Also, I am guessing now that (if you are a fan of variation) either Imran or Wasim is going to be the third pacer, or maybe you will stick to Marshall. Either way, fantastic bowling attack it will be. If you take Imran, maybe even a five man attack with 2 spinners will be viable. Hope you go for that!

 

[Red]

I'd be keen to have a crack at one of these at some point. I'm a sucker of ATG teams. My watching experience would coincide with Bagapath's. Was born in '77, started following cricket in the mid 80s.

Great start with Garner and Hadlee.

 

[Pothas]

Good stuff. Will be interested to see who the final pace bowler is, certainly not short of options.

 

[harsh.ag]

Ah! I just remembered it was Botham who once said that Garner would be the first fast bowler in his team. Wonder if you were influenced by that gentleman....

 

[bagapath]

My third, and last, selection for the day is an opening batsman.

When you look for an aggressive opener from the last 30 years, you are definitely not short of options. Starting with the very best, Hayden and Sehwag, one can take his pick from Smith and Anwar, or Amla and Jayasuriya, or Haynes and Gayle.

I am choosing the man who averaged 50 in test cricket when I started following the game seriously. Though that number dropped by a little more than 5 points by the time he finished his career after 58 more tests, Gordon Greenidge remained the towering genius of West Indian batsmanship throughout the decade. His style of play came down from Weekes and Walcott via Sobers and Lloyd and got passed on to Richardson and Lara. All the highlights of Greenidge's batting - the cross batted cuts and hookes, nimble footed drives in both front and back foot, the 360 degree follow through of the bat's arc, the ballet dancer's grace in movement and the energy exploding from his body at the time of contact with the ball - all these highlights of his game represented West Indian batting at its very best. If one were to explain the term "calypso cricket" to aliens - even if it sounds patronizing to our 21st century years - all we have to do is play a tape of one of Greenidge's centuries and there wont be any need to define that term verbally.

Greenidge mastered the swing in England, where he spent his childhood, and the turning wickets of India. His late cuts and sweeps were as assured as his square cuts and on-drives. He would have wanted to match his home success against Australia down under. And his poor record in Pakistan is a black mark on his achievements. But he was successful against all opponents, including the Pakistanis and Aussies, on the bouncy West Indian tracks; and did very well in New Zealand where his even more accomplished peers failed badly.

Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 6s Ct
108 185 16 7558 226 44.7219 34 67 96

That famous unbeaten double century in England to win the test on the last day, and his other match winning double centuries - including one in his last series - clearly prove what a huge matchwinner he was. By setting the juggernaut rolling through his brilliant stroke making, Greenidge can be trusted to lead your team on the right path.

The team:

1.
2. Gordon Greenidge
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Sir Richard Hadlee
9.
10.
11. Joel Garner

 

[Hurricane]

Nice start. I have a soft spot for Garner and Hadlee both Also, I am guessing now that (if you are a fan of variation) either Imran or Wasim is going to be the third pacer, or maybe you will stick to Marshall.

In the test series in 80s where the Windies toured here iirc Paddles out bowled Marshall but it was in his own backyard. Wouldn't be keen to have faced MM in the west Indies itself though.

 

[harsh.ag]

In the test series in 80s where the Windies toured here iirc Paddles out bowled Marshall but it was in his own backyard. Wouldn't be keen to have faced MM in the west Indies itself though.

Agreed.

 

[smash84]

that pic of paddles is the worst I have seen

 

[benchmark00]

Tell me more about this cow, baggy.

 

[kyear2]

Tell me more about this cow, baggy.

Was wondering about that myself.

Looking forward to your list Bagapath, already surprised at the omission of either Ambrose, McGrath or Marshall though understand the reason behind Garners' inclusion.

Keep them coming.

 

[smash84]

I think Marshall will take his place along with Shane Warne

 

[ankitj]

McGrath is similar to Hadlee, and Ambrose to Garner. So I guess Marshall will be the natural choice for 3rd pacer. It's actually quite an unusual choice to pick Garner and overlook McGrath and Ambrose. But bagapath explains it well.