"Best ever" teams selected by former players or experts- whose is best?

[harsh.ag]

I've never understood how Gavaskar makes it into several people's teams ahead of Hutton

In the Cricinfo exercise, Hutton was comfortably and unanimously the first opener selected, while Hobbs beat out Sunny by 5-6 votes, I think.

 

[subshakerz]

Don't understand selecting Akram over Imran. Imran is his superior in every respect. If you need left arm variety, that's what Sobers is for.

Barnes should be there, I feel, since the ability to bowl a medium pacer from leg to off will get cheap wickets in any era.

The closest to the best side is Benaud's, though I would like Marshall over Lillee.

 

[harsh.ag]

The best possible side needs a "Bats-like-Sobers-Bowls-Like-Akram" at number 6 before Gilly. Then Barnes can come in. And Barnes was a very useful batsman, which is overlooked a lot. Better than Warne, I think.

 

[Daemon]

The best possible side needs a "Bats-like-Sobers-Bowls-Like-Akram" at number 6 before Gilly. Then Barnes can come in. And Barnes was a very useful batsman, which is overlooked a lot. Better than Warne, I think.

If only there was someone that good.

 

[watson]

I've never understood how Gavaskar makes it into several people's teams ahead of Hutton

Because his record against the West Indies at their peak wasn't too bad;

Gavaskar V Holding + Roberts
1976-1983
Tests = 9
Runs = 690
Ave = 53.07
100s = 3
HS = 236

Gavaskar V Marshall + Holding
1983
Tests = 11
Runs = 745
Ave = 41.38
100s =3
HS = 236

Gavaskar in the West Indies 1976 -1983[/U]
Tests = 9
Runs = 630
Ave = 42.00
100s = 3
HS = 156

Incidently, Geoff Boycott rarely gets a mention against the West Indies at their peak, but he should. Especially as Boycott was an older batsman in the twilight of his career;

Boycott V West Indies 1980-1981
Home
Tests = 5
Runs = 368
Ave = 40.88
100s = 0
HS = 86

Away
Tests = 4
Runs = 295
Ave = 42.14
100s = 1
HS = 104*

 

[smash84]

Only 1 single hundred in 9 tests doesn't sound that awesome for Boycott

 

[smash84]

and WI being clubbed in Africa in your sig

 

[Prince EWS]

and WI being clubbed in Africa in your sig

 

[kyear2]

I've never understood how Gavaskar makes it into several people's teams ahead of Hutton

Hutton actually makes my team as the first opener (and captain).
Hobbs was the greatest opener in tests, but Hutton was for me the best facing better attacks in more varied conditions and equally dodgy pitches.

 

[kyear2]

and WI being clubbed in Africa in your sig

Yea, I normally use Ashes, Sub Continent and Rest of the World.

 

[kyear2]

Ashes XI
Jack Hobbs
Len Hutton
Don Bradman
Greg Chappell
Ricky Ponting/ Allan Border
Wally Hammond
Adam Gilchrist
Shane Warne
Fred Trueman
Dennis Lillee
Glenn McGrath

Sub Continent XI
Sunny Gavaskar
Vijay Merchant/ Saeed Anwar
Kumar Sangakkara
Sachin Tendulkar
Javed Miandad
Mushtaq Mohammad
Imran Khan
Farokh Engineer
Wasim Akram
Waqar Younis
Muttiah Muralitharan

R.O.W
Barry Richards
George Headley/ Gordon Greenidge
Viv Richards
Graeme Pollock
Brian Lara
Garry Sobers
John Waite
Richard Hadlee
Malcolm Marshall
Curtly Ambrose/ Dale Steyn
Hugh Tayfield

 

[smash84]

Are you sure that ROW is not an Africa XI?

 

[watson]

and WI being clubbed in Africa in your sig

OK, so I went back several generations to the 16th century

(So I guess, to be consistent I should change the team name from AFRICA to: FORMERLY AFRO/ANGLO/CELTIC/GALLIC/DUTCH)

 

[kyear2]

Geoff Armstrong
Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Pollock, Sobers, Gilchrist, Imran, Marshall, Warne, Barnes

Cricinfo
Hutton, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards, Sobers, Gilchrist, Marshall, Akram, Warne, Lillee

Geoffrey Boycott
Hobbs, Hutton, Bradman, Headley, Richards, Sobers, Knott, Marshall, Warne, Lillee, Barnes

Bleacher
Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Bradman, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Miller, Imran, Warne, Marshall, Barnes

Benaud
Hobbs, Gavaskar, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Imran, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Barnes

CricketWeb
Hobbs, Hutton, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Imran, Marshall, Warne, McGrath

Christopher Martin-Jenkins
Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Richards, Hammond, Sobers, Gilchrist, Marshall, Warne, Barnes, McGrath

Harsh Thakor
Hobbs, Gavaskar, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Warne, Akram, Marshall, Lillee

The Roar
Hobbs, Hutton, Bradman, Richards, Hammond, Sobers, Gilchrist, Warne, Marshall, Lillee, McGrath

Wisden
Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards, Sobers, Knott, Akram, Warne, Marshall, Barnes

Third Man Cricket
Gavaskar, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards, Sobers, Gilchrist, Akram, Warne, Marshall, McGrath

Kim Hughes
Hobbs, Trumper, Bradman, Richards, Hammond, Sobers, Gilchrist, Akram, Marshall, Warne, Lillee

Martin Crowe
Hobbs, Gavaskar, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Warne, Marshall, Lillee, Barnes

 

[kyear2]

01. Sir Jack Hobbs (13)
02. Sir Leonard Hutton (04)
03. Sir Donald Bradman* (13)
04. Sir I.V.A. Richards^ (11)
05. Sachin Tendulkar (09)
06. Sir Garfield Sobers^ (13)
07. Adam Gilchrist+ (11)
08. Malcolm Marshall (12)
09. Shane Warne^ (13)
10. Dennis Lillee (07)
11. Sydney Barnes (06)

Opener and third bowler spot only ones that are even close. Gavaskar and Hutton actually tied.

 

[watson]

See if we can't find a few more teams to add that list......good work.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Seems like Wasim is really popular among experts and ex-cricketers.

 

[smash84]

wasim, the sultan of swing

 

[kyear2]

Geoff Armstrong
Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Pollock, Sobers, Gilchrist, Imran, Marshall, Warne, Barnes

Cricinfo
Hutton, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards, Sobers, Gilchrist, Marshall, Akram, Warne, Lillee

Geoffrey Boycott
Hobbs, Hutton, Bradman, Headley, Richards, Sobers, Knott, Marshall, Warne, Lillee, Barnes

Bleacher
Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Bradman, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Miller, Imran, Warne, Marshall, Barnes

Benaud
Hobbs, Gavaskar, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Imran, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Barnes

CricketWeb
Hobbs, Hutton, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Imran, Marshall, Warne, McGrath

Christopher Martin-Jenkins
Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Richards, Hammond, Sobers, Gilchrist, Marshall, Warne, Barnes, McGrath

Harsh Thakor
Hobbs, Gavaskar, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Warne, Akram, Marshall, Lillee

The Roar
Hobbs, Hutton, Bradman, Richards, Hammond, Sobers, Gilchrist, Warne, Marshall, Lillee, McGrath

Wisden
Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards, Sobers, Knott, Akram, Warne, Marshall, Barnes

Third Man Cricket
Gavaskar, Hobbs, Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards, Sobers, Gilchrist, Akram, Warne, Marshall, McGrath

Kim Hughes
Hobbs, Trumper, Bradman, Richards, Hammond, Sobers, Gilchrist, Akram, Marshall, Warne, Lillee

Martin Crowe
Hobbs, Gavaskar, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Gilchrist, Warne, Marshall, Lillee, Barnes

Reuters
Hobbs, Gavaskar, Bradman, Headley, Grace, Sobers, Imran, Knott, Warne, Lillee, Barnes

On Drive Update
Gavaskar, Hutton, Bradman, Richards, Tendulkar, Sobers, Knott, Marshall, Warne, Lillee, Muralitharan

 

[centurymaker]

People who've picked not even a single player from the sub-continent are crazy to say the least. How does their XI really constitute a world XI?

Whats much worse is that Imran Khan only makes about 6 out of the 15 lineups, when he is arguably the best cricketer ever.