Greatest Team to never play a test

[Starfighter]

Are they really worse than Pakistan and WI?

 

[the big bambino]

Judging by his impressive stats in FC cricket I'm kind of perplexed as to why AG Ram Singh didn't play in all of India's seven tests leading up to the war. Could have been India's Vinoo Mankad before they invented Vinoo Mankad.

 

[Daemon]

Indian cricket is arguably the most affected by politics in the world. I'm sure some of the guys who know more about it than I do will correct me on this one, but the selectors in India seem to favour players which come from a privileged background.

Things have definitely changed but I believe this was the case up until not too long ago.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Sticking with Dutch players born elsewhere - Dirk Nannes perhaps?

Only played 23 first class games. Big part of that probably that he didn't really get good until he was older and T20s were where the money was.

 

[jimmy101]

Things have definitely changed but I believe this was the case up until not too long ago.

Do you think this was a change that took place in cricketing circles only? Or was it more of a change that swept through India as a whole (relatively speaking)?

 

[mr_mister]

Di Venuto another with a great FC record

 

[Daemon]

Do you think this was a change that took place in cricketing circles only? Or was it more of a change that swept through India as a whole (relatively speaking)?

WelI I haven't lived in India so I don't think it's right for me to comment on whether it was a general sort of change in mindset throughout the country, but certainly from my interactions with relatives and Indian friends it does seem like it's the case.

In cricketing terms there has clearly been very little regional and class bias at the international level since I started watching the game (perhaps some anti-South bias up till the early 2000s). Likely still exists at lower levels. Nepotism is a bigger issue and pretty rampant from what I understand.

I think someone like Arjun would be better placed to answer this.

 

[stephen]

If the Netherlands could have an entire team of Nannes and RtD they'd be a decent test side.

Nannes would have played tests if he was 10 years younger. He didn't pick up cricket until his 20s I think.

 

[jimmy101]

WelI I haven't lived in India so I don't think it's right for me to comment on whether it was a general sort of change in mindset throughout the country, but certainly from my interactions with relatives and Indian friends it does seem like it's the case.

In cricketing terms there has clearly been very little regional and class bias at the international level since I started watching the game (perhaps some anti-South bias up till the early 2000s). Likely still exists at lower levels. Nepotism is a bigger issue and pretty rampant from what I understand.

I think someone like Arjun would be better placed to answer this.

Yeah nepotism is a big issue. A lot of people have trouble finding jobs due to that (from what I've heard anyway). I used to live in Delhi for a while and am well aware of the anti-South bias. If anything, the rise of the IPL in the 2000's may have helped knock down those barriers, what with it being a league that spans across the entirety of the country and portrays all parts of India is being equal.

 

[Migara]

Mahadevan Sathasivam, probably the better version of Ryan ten Doschate of the day,

 

[TheJediBrah]

Mahadevan Sathasivam, probably the better version of Ryan ten Doschate of the day,

Never heard of him, but assuming he's Sri Lankan if you're bringing him up?

 

[morgieb]

Never heard of him, but assuming he's Sri Lankan if you're bringing him up?

Ceylonese, technically.

 

[Essexboi]

RE Kenny McEwan
My old man always said he was up there with Border, Waugh and Malik as the most talented overseas batsman we've had at the county ground. Bit before my time unfortunately but a joy to watch by all accounts.

 

[Agricultural]

Indian cricket is arguably the most affected by politics in the world. I'm sure some of the guys who know more about it than I do will correct me on this one, but the selectors in India seem to favour players which come from a privileged background.

I'm disgusted he didn't get a few tests (minimum) with that monster FC average. He got robbed.

 

[fredfertang]

RE Kenny McEwan
My old man always said he was up there with Border, Waugh and Malik as the most talented overseas batsman we've had at the county ground. Bit before my time unfortunately but a joy to watch by all accounts.

Your old man was right - guaranteed to make runs when the TV cameras were about - on that basis he'd have had an amazing test career

 

[marc71178]

I'm disgusted he didn't get a few tests (minimum) with that monster FC average. He got robbed.

You seem to get disgusted by a lot of things that really aren’t that bad in the grand scheme of things.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I once read somewhere that Dave Hussey has the largest average of a non-Indian who has never played a test - presumably there is a min of innings there also.

 

[randycricfreak]

The second innings was played against Commonwealth XI in 1950. The Ceylon team was all out for 153 runs, with Sathasivam scoring 96 of them. The innings of Sathasivam came against West Indians Frank Worrell, Geo Tribe, Fred Freer and GeoPope who were considered invincible then. Frank Worrell, the former West Indian captain, led the applause of his team as Satha walked to the pavilion. Not often would a batsman be given an ovation, while marching back to the pavilion. Worrell publicly proclaimed that if he was to pick a World XI, “Sathasivam from Ceylon” would be the first choice. Later, Warrell confided about Satha to Sir Garfield Sobers before Sobers came to Ceylon for a coaching spell. Later Garfield Sobers would call Sathasivam "the greatest batsman ever on earth".

https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/mahadevan-sathasivam-forgotten-prince-sri-lanka-cricket

 

[Flametree]

Well, if you're looking for the best "team" that might have actually played together :

A South African xi :
Brian Whitfield,
Henry Fotheringham
Hylton Ackerman
Ken McEwan
Kevin McKenzie
Clive Rice
Alan Kourie
Ray Jennings *
Stephen Jefferies
Garth le Roux
Vince van der Bijl


if you just mean the best players made into a team here's mine :

First xi :

Sam Trimble
Anura Tennekoon
M Sathasivam
Brian Davison
Steve Tikolo
Bill Alley
Clive Rice
Ray Jennings *
Garth le Roux
Vince van der Bijl
Padmakar Shivalkar


2nd xi :
Jamie Cox
Henry Fotheringham
Amol Muzumdar
Ken McEwan
Jock Livingston *
Kevin Curran
Cec Pepper
Franklyn Stephenson
George John
Bart King
Rajinder Goel

3rd xi
Brian Whitfield
Ravi Shah
Michael di Venuto
Jamie Siddons
David Hussey
Frank Tarrant
Gami Goonesene
Darren Berry *
Paddy Clift
Stephen Jefferies
Tom Pritchard

There are no doubt a few Indian batsman with very good first class records who should be in here somewhere, but I don't know much about them so feel free to add any.
Was looking for some West Indian quicks who missed out in the peak years, could only come up with Hartley Alleyne and George Ferris. Any others?
Alan Kourie is unlucky to miss out, but I have there are three other left-arm slow bowlers...

 

[stephen]

The Indian domestic first class competition is probably the lowest quality first class competition amongst the top 8 nations. There are far too many teams and guys with inflated averages. I mean didn't Ashwin score a triple century?