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

[The Sean]

McCabe hit the counterattacking 187 in bodyline and nearly a run a ball 232 against Verity in '38

can't say either 'walks in' - Nourse was the better player overall but in the '30s didn't play all that much

He also even overshadowed Nourse in the match where the great South African made his double ton against Australia. McCabe's second-innings 189* represented nearly 70% (!!) of Australia's total, was described by Jack Fingleton as "borderline miraculous" and actually caused Herbie Wade, the South African captain, to appeal against the light to protect his own fielders.

 

[Coronis]

Yeah it was a tough choice like with the spinners but McCabe played more in the decade and Nourse has a chance for another side so that swayed me.

 

[a massive zebra]

Dudley Nourse and Hedley Verity

Stan McCabe did indeed play a handful of the greatest innings of all time, but he had nothing like the consistency of Dudley Nourse. Of course McCabe also offers some useful change bowling, but Hammond can fulfill this role just as well.

I've always ranked Hedley Verity well above Clarrie Grimmett for the following reasons:

• Don Bradman and Walter Hammond both ranked Bill O'Reilly and Hedley Verity as the best spinners of their generation.
• Verity got Bradman out more times in Tests than anyone else in the 1930s, and averaged less than 60 against him, a really commendable record.
• Grimmett's test bowing average is boosted by his dominance of the weaker teams. He had to work much harder for his wickets against England, averaging 32 against them. Verity was more successful against an Australian side including Bradman.
• Verity once took 15 wickets in a single day against Australia. Grimmett never got close to this against England.
• Verity's first class record is leagues ahead, averaging 14 against 22 by Grimmett. With only 6 Australian states as opposed to umpteen counties, perhaps the standard of batting in Australian first class cricket was higher. But these factors did not stop O'Reilly achieving a similar first class record to Verity on the same pitches as Grimmett. Also, if we consider English first class cricket only, Grimmett's first class record is still materially worse than Verity. Grimmett's best first class bowling average on any of his three tours of England was 17. Verity's entire career first class bowling average was less than 15.

 

[The Sean]

Stan McCabe
Hedley Verity

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Stan McCabe
Hedley Verity

 

[ataraxia]

Nourse
Grimmett

cos favourites more than anything else. And I rate that Saffa 30s middle-order highly, averaging 15.5 against them isn't something to scoff at.

 

[Pothas]

Leyland (He does not actually warrant a vote but I don't think he gets mentioned enough)
Verity

 

[mr_mister]

Verity leading 7-3

McCabe 6
Nourse 3
Leyland 1


Can't see these results changing considering I don't think we've had more than 11 voters in a poll yet, but I'll leave it open a few more hours

 

[The Sean]

Leyland (He does not actually warrant a vote but I don't think he gets mentioned enough)
Verity

Fair call - he was by all accounts a terrific player. Eddie Paynter too, particularly against Australia.

 

[mr_mister]

Teams so far:

1870s/80s/90s:

WG Grace* 6
Bobby Abel
Arthur Shrewsbury
KS Ranji
Billy Murdoch
AG Steel 5
Jack Blackham +
Bobby Peel 4
George Lohmann 2
Charlie Turner 3
Fred Spofforth 1

1900s/1910s:

Jack Hobbs
Victor Trumper
Clem Hill
Aubrey Faulkner 5
Stanley Jackson *
Monty Noble 6
Frank Foster 2
Dick Lilley +
Tibby Cotter 3
Sydney Barnes 1
Colin Blythe 4

1920s:

Jack Hobbs
Herb Sutcliffe
Charlie Macartney 7
Wally Hammond 5
Herbie Taylor *
Frank Woolley 6
Jack Gregory 2
Maurice Tate 1
Bert Oldfield +
Clarrie Grimmett 4
Ted Mcdonald 3

1930s:

Len Hutton
Bruce Mitchell
Don Bradman
George Headley
Wally Hammond 5
Stan McCabe 6
Les Ames +
Harold Larwood 1
Hedley Verity 4
Bill O'Reilly 3
Manny Martindale 2

 

[mr_mister]

now,

-
-
Bradman
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

pick the 30s captain
pick the opening batsmen for the 40s side
pick the number 4 for the 40s side
pick the opening bowlers for the 40s side

 

[trundler]

A tragedy but I'll live with it

 

[mr_mister]

Bradman
Morris and Hutton
Compton
Lindwall and Miller

 

[mr_mister]

Bedser took a bundle of wickets but had an obscenely better average in the 50s than the 40s - a decade he averaged sub 20 in but still might not make the cut for top 3 quicks

 

[a massive zebra]

Don Bradman
Len Hutton
Arthur Morris
Everton Weekes
Ray Lindwall
Jack Cowie

 

[The Sean]

Bradman to skipper the ‘30s team.

To the 1940s – this is actually the one I’m not going to pick Hutton for. He was top of the runscorers for openers, but as always England played many more matches. The 1940s was his weakest decade – and it says everything for what a champion he was that nearly two-and-a-half thousand runs at 52 was his “bad” stretch!

Arthur Morris is the first opener picked for me – his form in 1947 and 1948 was spectacular. Hutton and Mitchell are both again very strong contenders, but as we picked them for the 1930s (and I’ll be picking Hutton again for the 1950s), my second vote goes to Sid Barnes who averaged 71 as an opener from 1946-48 and partnered Morris superbly too.

The number four and the opening bowlers are actually linked, in a way. I want all of Compton, Weekes and Nourse in the middle order. But I also want Miller in the team. One way to do that is to pick Miller as the second opening bowler alongside Lindwall and bat him at 7. That means playing just four bowlers and relying on some overs from Compton to take up any slack, which I’m not particularly keen on doing.

Short answer – NFI what to do about this one!

 

[mr_mister]

it'l be interesting where Miller bats. I know it's considered criminal here to not have him in the top 5(as this is where he always batted in his test career) but when you've got candidates like we have for that number 5 spot in this team we might have to reassess. Would certainly look dumb having one of Weekes/Nourse/Compton batting below him

 

[mr_mister]

Also how insane was Compton in the 40s. 11 centuries!

 

[Michaelf7777777]

Don Bradman
Arthur Morris, Sid Barnes
Denis Compton
Ray Lindwall, Jack Cowie

 

[ataraxia]

Bradman
Hutton, Morris
Compton
Lindwall, Miller