Establishing the best decade for cricket: Finding the ATG XI from 12 decades of test cricket - then having a KO tourney to decide the best

[ataraxia]

AG Steel
Yes
Also move Blackham down to #8, and Peel up to #7.

 

[mr_mister]

AG Steel has the overwhelming vote, as does moving Shrewsbury and Abel around

after looking at Blackham and Peel's batting stats, it appears Peel does deserve to bat higher

WG Grace
Bobby Abel
Arthur Shrewsbury
KS Ranji
Billy Murdoch
AG Steel
Bobby Peel
Jack Blackham +
George Lohmann
Charlie Turner
Fred Spofforth

so this is our 19th century team


choose the captain for it

while also,

picking the opening 2 bats for the 1920s team
the number 3 bat for the 1920s team
and the 2 opening bowlers for the 1920s team

 

[mr_mister]

i'll just go Grace for captain


Hobbs and Sutcliffe
Hammond

(those were easy)


Gregory and Tate

 

[CricAddict]

i'll just go Grace for captain


Hobbs and Sutcliffe
Hammond

(those were easy)


Gregory and Tate

same

 

[ataraxia]

after looking at Blackham and Peel's batting stats, it appears Peel does deserve to bat higher

it's closer than that considering Blackham played in a harder era, may be useful soliciting others' opinions

 

[ataraxia]

Hobbs, Sutcliffe
Macartney (over Bradman and Hammond as Hammond's a #4 who debuted in '27 and Macartney more of a specialist #3 than Braddles)

Tate + Larwood

Someone please give records of Hammond, Bradman, Larwood in the 20s alone.

 

[The Sean]

Hobbs, Sutcliffe
Macartney (over Bradman and Hammond as Hammond's a #4 who debuted in '27 and Macartney more of a specialist #3 than Braddles)

Tate + Larwood

Someone please give records of Hammond, Bradman, Larwood in the 20s alone.

Bradman only played one series - 4 Tests, 468 runs at 66.85.

Hammond played 19 Tests for 1,689 runs at 67.56. For comparison, Macartney played 14 Tests and made 1,252 runs at 69.55.

Larwood played 13 Tests and took 41 wickets at 31.12.

 

[trundler]

English test spam at it again

 

[The Sean]

Tempting though it is to troll The Doctor by making someone else captain, it has to be Grace doesn't it?

For the 1920s team:

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Macartney (I'm going to pick Hammond at 4, though in the 1920s they were both no.3s).

Gregory
Tate

 

[Teuton]

Tempting though it is to troll The Doctor by making someone else captain, it has to be Grace doesn't it?

For the 1920s team:

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Macartney (I'm going to pick Hammond at 4, though in the 1920s they were both no.3s).

Gregory
Tate

This for my vote

 

[mr_mister]

Hammond hit 1132 runs @ 113 batting at 3 in the 20s, he was there during his 900+ run 28/29 ashes so he gets the nod for that for me

MaCartney certainly a worthy contender though and i'll vote for him at 4

 

[The Sean]

Hammond hit 1132 runs @ 113 batting at 3 in the 20s, he was there during his 900+ run 28/29 ashes so he gets the nod for that for me

MaCartney certainly a worthy contender though and i'll vote for him at 4

Yeah, perfectly fair call - it was another coin flip for me, the clincher in the end simply being that Hammond batted at 4 as well whereas Macartney never did. I'm sure he could have, though.

 

[a massive zebra]

AG Steel has the overwhelming vote, as does moving Shrewsbury and Abel around

after looking at Blackham and Peel's batting stats, it appears Peel does deserve to bat higher

WG Grace
Bobby Abel
Arthur Shrewsbury
KS Ranji
Billy Murdoch
AG Steel
Bobby Peel
Jack Blackham +
George Lohmann
Charlie Turner
Fred Spofforth

so this is our 19th century team


choose the captain for it

while also,

picking the opening 2 bats for the 1920s team
the number 3 bat for the 1920s team
and the 2 opening bowlers for the 1920s team

I think Blackham should bat higher. He generally batted higher in the order and his average is better relative to his era.

Grace for captain

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Hammond
Gregory
Tate

 

[a massive zebra]

Larwood played 13 Tests and took 41 wickets at 31.12.

But he benefitted from some cheap wickets against minnows. His average against Australia in the 1920s was 36.

 

[trundler]

I was going to slot in Gregory as she third seamer and AR but I'll change my vote to Gregory and Tate

 

[Pothas]

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Hammond
Gregory
Tate

 

[Michaelf7777777]

Grace
Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe
Charlie Macartney
Ted McDonald, Maurice Tate

 

[The Sean]

But he benefitted from some cheap wickets against minnows. His average against Australia in the 1920s was 36.

Larwood's record against Australia is really interesting because he started and finished really strongly but copped an almighty, largely Bradman-sized, hammering in the middle.

His first three Tests against Australia produced 17 wickets at 18, and his last five - the Bodyline series - 33 wickets at 19. However, the seven Tests in between yielded 14 wickets at 68(!!) and included analyses of 1/105, 1/92, 1/83, 0/81, 1/139 and 1/132.

 

[mr_mister]

Looks like Hobb will be the first of a few to make 2 teams.

Off the top of my head i can only think of one player with a strong chance at making 3 sides

 

[ataraxia]

Hobbs, Sutcliffe
Macartney (over Bradman and Hammond as Hammond's a #4 who debuted in '27 and Macartney more of a specialist #3 than Braddles)

Tate + Larwood

Someone please give records of Hammond, Bradman, Larwood in the 20s alone.

Grace for captain

Larwood out for Gregory

I remember reading that Hammond didn't like batting at 3, can't find that now though.