Who Named These Squads?

[Line and Length]

Cricketers, and other involved in the game at the highest level, will often publish their memoirs in which they will name their "Best Ever" sides.

Here are three squads of 13 from autobiographies. In each case the author had to have seen or played against those named.

G.Greenidge
G.Gooch
G.Chappell
V.Richards
J.Miandad
A.Border (c)
I.Botham
R.Hadlee
M.Marshall
B.Taylor
D.Lillee
A.Qadir
W.Akram

S.Gavaskar
G.Greenidge
V.Richards
G.Chappell
J.Miandad
A.Border
C.Lloyd (c)
R.Marsh
R.Hadlee
C.Ambrose
J.Garner
D.Lillee
A.Qadir

B.Richards
S.Gavaskar
V.Richards
G.Chappell
G.Pollock
G.Sobers
A.Knott
R.Hadlee
M.Holding
D.Lillee
L.Gibbs
A.Roberts
A.Qadir

Who named these squads?

As a hint, one of those named above nominated his Greatest World XI (that he had played with or against). It is:

B.Richards
S.Gavaskar
V.Richards
A.Border
J.Miandad
I.Botham
A.Knott
W.Akram
M.Marshall
S.Warne
C.Ambrose

 

[trundler]

Hmm we're looking at someone who played from the early 80s to the early 90s

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Gooch?

 

[Line and Length]

Gooch?

He named the XI, not a squad of 13. Well done sir!

 

[honestbharani]

Lol.. Gooch played against both Sachin and Lara, right? Big call to leave them out.

 

[Line and Length]

Lol.. Gooch played against both Sachin and Lara, right? Big call to leave them out.

Gooch did mention Lara when discussing his Best World XI. He was talking about those who had attained 'legend' status and wrote, "Brian Lara doubtless will be one day." His book was published in 1995 and both Lara and Tendulkar were not at their peak then.

 

[honestbharani]

Ah.. makes much more sense now. Thanks for that.

 

[AndrewB]

Here's another player's World XI (from players he played with/against at Test level):

Sunil Gavaskar
Geoff Boycott
Rohan Kanhai
Viv Richards
Ian Chappell
Gary Sobers
Alan Knott
Andy Roberts
Wes Hall
Dennis Lillee
Lance Gibbs

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Has to be a West Indian.

 

[ataraxia]

Here's another player's World XI (from players he played with/against at Test level):

Sunil Gavaskar
Geoff Boycott
Rohan Kanhai
Viv Richards
Ian Chappell
Gary Sobers
Alan Knott
Andy Roberts
Wes Hall
Dennis Lillee
Lance Gibbs

Clive Lloyd?

 

[AndrewB]

Clive Lloyd?

Yup.

 

[Line and Length]

I had guessed Clive - but with no great certainty.

 

[Red]

Here's another player's World XI (from players he played with/against at Test level):

Sunil Gavaskar
Geoff Boycott
Rohan Kanhai
Viv Richards
Ian Chappell
Gary Sobers
Alan Knott
Andy Roberts
Wes Hall
Dennis Lillee
Lance Gibbs

Clive Lloyd?

Be interesting to know when this was published because Lloyd played with all the WI great quicks, apart from Ambrose. Picking Hall and Roberts over all of Marshall, Garner and Holding (and a few others) is interesting tstl.

Lloyd had an long career. Started in 1966 in a team with Sobers, Hall, Kanhai, and finished in 1985 with Viv, Marshall, Garner, Holding, Walsh, Greenidge and Haynes.

 

[steve132]

Be interesting to know when this was published because Lloyd played with all the WI great quicks, apart from Ambrose. Picking Hall and Roberts over all of Marshall, Garner and Holding (and a few others) is interesting tstl.

Lloyd had an long career. Started in 1966 in a team with Sobers, Hall, Kanhai, and finished in 1985 with Viv, Marshall, Garner, Holding, Walsh, Greenidge and Haynes.

Lloyd's team was selected for his 1980 autobiography, Living For Cricket. That is why it features players from the 1960's and 70's. Holding and Garner were not yet at their peak, while Marshall had barely started to make his mark in international cricket.

 

[Red]

Lloyd's team was selected for his 1980 autobiography, Living For Cricket. That is why it features players from the 1960's and 70's. Holding and Garner were not yet at their peak, while Marshall had barely started to make his mark in international cricket.

Thanks. It'd be interesting to know what he would have changed (if anything) if this was 5 years later.

 

[Line and Length]

Two of the original 13 man squads I named were team mates (and one named the other). The one who named the third squad wasn't a Test player (though he participated in Tests).

 

[Line and Length]

The 13 man squads were (in order) those of Alan Lamb, Ian Botham and Dickie Bird.

Botham returned Lamb's compliment when he named his greatest England squad of 13 of those he played with:

G.Boycott
G.Gooch
M,Brearley (c)
D.Gower
A.Lamb
R.Smith
I.Botham (how modest Beefy!)
A.Knott
J.Emburey
D.Underwood
A.Fraser
G.Dilley
B.Willis

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Love me some Angus Fraser.

 

[AndrewB]

Thanks. It'd be interesting to know what he would have changed (if anything) if this was 5 years later.

My copy's dated 1983, and has been updated (has references to matches from 1982), but the relevant chapter on his best XI may well not have been.