Who is the worst player of all time that would be selected in every XI in history?

[Athlai]

This is mostly a thought experiment, but who is the worst absolutely essential player?

Now we aren't looking at ATG XIs drafted from across history here but rather looking at teams that really played together, and then trying to find the worst bloke (and this one can be from anytime in history) that would improve every team he gets in.

Best way to think about this is probably narrowing it down to players that would make the great AU and West Indies XIs. But then you still need to consider random strengths of certain teams from history. Like you could say someone like Shakib would offer enough with the bat and ball that he could feasibly make it into the aforementioned XIs, but I doubt you'd pick him in an Indian team that already held Ashwin and Jadeja.

Chris Cairns is what made me think about this but I'm not really looking to argue he could make any XI just that he's sort of player that came to mind for me.

 

[Athlai]

I suspect that it can't possibly be a pace bowler, as they'd have to be better than one of Garner, Holding, Marshall and Walsh. Which is already fairly ridiculous, so I lean towards a second spinner, batsman or all-rounder.

Keeper also doesn't quite work due to Gilchrist.

 

[ankitj]

An opener would have been a good choice but Suttcliffe and Hobbs opened together.

 

[Athlai]

An opener would have been a good choice but Suttcliffe and Hobbs opened together.

According to CW picks openers, Sutcliffe was #4 and Hobbs #1. So the worst player to make every XI is Gavaskar on that front.

We can definitely do worse than that elsewhere imo.

 

[bagapath]

Read it thrice. And I give up. I am too old to understand this I guess.

 

[Starfighter]

I suspect that it can't possibly be a pace bowler, as they'd have to be better than one of Garner, Holding, Marshall and Walsh. Which is already fairly ridiculous, so I lean towards a second spinner, batsman or all-rounder.

Keeper also doesn't quite work due to Gilchrist.

Ambrose, not Walsh

 

[Pothas]

Yeah I just don't think there really is one.

Maybe just a really good middle order player? Is where there are the most spots.

 

[trundler]

It would have to be a #6. West Indies carried Bavuma-level players like Logie for a while. Martyn, whilst much better, is nowhere close to ATG level too. Pretty subjective to decide what's the worst batsman better than Martyn. I'd say someone like Mathews.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

What's the middle order with the best 'worst' batsman in history? Some combo of Sobers/Kanhai/The Ws maybe?

 

[mr_mister]

I'm so confused lol


I see Trevor Goddard being picked as an opener in a lot of SA ATG XIs, and despite being immensely useful to the actual teams he was in, I find that his second skill of solid bowling is kind of useless in an XI with Donald, Steyn and Pollock to go with Kallis as a relief pacer option and Tayfield/Faulkner the potential spin option. And his batting average of 34 not really enough to justify knocking off one of Mitchell/Smith/Barry(if you're into that thing)


I dunno if that's what the topic wants or actually the opposite of it

 

[trundler]

What's the middle order with the best 'worst' batsman in history? Some combo of Sobers/Kanhai/The Ws maybe?

Depends on whether you're rating them based on overall career or results. Sobers was in the initial no rounder phase when his career overlapped with the 3 Ws. 9 matches for an average of 33. Maybe Nurse/Kanhai/Sobers/Lloyd/?

 

[mr_mister]

Oh, maybe Jonty Rhodes or Andrew Symonds in ODIs? Since coachs picking teams do genuinely value fielders more than we do

 

[Lillian Thomson]

This is mostly a thought experiment.

I've thought about it, taken two Mogadons, and gone to bed.

 

[Jarquis]

What's the middle order with the best 'worst' batsman in history? Some combo of Sobers/Kanhai/The Ws maybe?

Ponting, Martyn, Hussey, Clarke?

 

[tony p]

My head hurts, don't understand the question.

 

[trundler]

Ponting, Martyn, Hussey, Clarke?

On a results basis, this is it I think. Sobers and Kanhai did exceptionally well together but you're looking at an ATVG + a meh player in there to round out the order. SA/India/Pakistan at their best carried a jobber too. Quick Statsguruing suggests Dexter and May were past it when they played alongside Barrington and Cowdrey.

 

[ankitj]

Half the folks posting in the thread are not clear what the question is lol

 

[ZK$]

Ambrose, not Walsh

Ambrose never played with Holding and Garner.

 

[weeman27bob]

It's a great question and I'm surprised by how many people are struggling to understand it. Maybe it's easiest through some examples?

Any XI that has played a test match would be stronger if they replaced one of their players (they get to choose which one) with Bradman. The same is true for Sobers and lots of other ATG.

The same is not true for Zak Crawley. Lots of teams wouldn't drop one of their players for Zak Crawley. Maybe some would, but not all of them.

Athlai is asking who is the worst player that every XI in history would drop one of their players to include in their team.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

It's a great question and I'm surprised by how many people are struggling to understand it. Maybe it's easiest through some examples?

Any XI that has played a test match would be stronger if they replaced one of their players (they get to choose which one) with Bradman. The same is true for Sobers and lots of other ATG.

The same is not true for Zak Crawley. Lots of teams wouldn't drop one of their players for Zak Crawley. Maybe some would, but not all of them.

Athlai is asking who is the worst player that every XI in history would drop one of their players to include in their team.

If Rob Key was selecting then "Zak Crawley" would actually be a really good answer for this.