The ATG Teams General arguing/discussing thread

[Nintendo]

I'm not a fan of playing imran at 6 in a Pak ATG side. Australia can get away with it because they have Bradman and Gilchrist in the top 7 which makes up for any batting deficiencies miller brings. PAK don't have that level of hax AFAIK.

 

[Prince EWS]

Mushtaq Mohammad solves all these issues IMO. Very good bat and arguably the best non-regular bowler in history - perfect to slot him in at 6, Imran at 7, whichever keeper you like at 8 (or 9 if it's Bari). Things might change if Rizwan gets back in the side and has the career he should but for now we should definitely roll with that.

 

[CricAddict]

Assuming Richards and Proctor are disqualified due to a lack of Tests, I reckon it's:

Graeme Smith
Bruce Mitchell
Jacques Kallis
Graeme Pollock
Dudley Nourse
AB De Villiers
John Waite
Shaun Pollock
Hugh Tayfield
Dale Steyn
Allan Donald

I hate omitting Faulkner, as I consider him to be one of South Africa's three greatest ever cricketers. But I don't need six bowlers and I'm not leaving Kallis out. Amla unlucky to miss out at 3 as he's probably the only truly outstanding first drop South Africa have had, but I wanted both Nourse and De Villiers and didn't want AB 'keeping.

How about Faulkner for Tayfield? Procter, Kirsten and Amla too unlucky not to find a place.

 

[CricAddict]

Graeme Smith
Bruce Mitchell
Jacques Kallis
Graeme Pollock
Dudley Nourse
AB De Villiers
Aubrey Faulkner
John Waite
Shaun Pollock
Dale Steyn
Allan Donald

 

[TheJediBrah]

ABdV is good enough to keep, frees up another spot

fun fact: ABdV averages 57.41 in Tests as keeper, and 48.89 not as keeper. Could just be that his keeping correlated with his best form/batting peak but either way can't argue that keeping hurt his batting

 

[ataraxia]

I don't think de Villiers is clearly a better batsman than him, even just on batting alone, so I'd probably leave him out.

Sometimes I think about not including Tayfield but Faulkner was much more of a batting allrounder than people tend to realise, and Pollock down at 9 is a bit unnecessary.

I've got both but tbf to Faulkner he's only a shy off the Vogler/Schwarz/Kourie/Maharaj tier for SA's second-best spinner. Definitely a very good bowler still.

 

[CricAddict]

ABdV is good enough to keep, frees up another spot

fun fact: ABdV averages 57.41 in Tests as keeper, and 48.89 not as keeper. Could just be that his keeping correlated with his best form/batting peak but either way can't argue that keeping hurt his batting

Easy. Faulkner for Waite then with Tayfield retaining his place. Gets a double pronged spin attack too in place for matches in SC.

 

[The Sean]

I don't disagree with those who say De Villiers can do the job as wicket-keeper if needed, and we know it didn't seem to obviously impact his batting. But he played 114 Tests in total, and kept wicket in only 24 of them. It just feels like a cheat to pick him as the 'keeper, and an insult to the blokes who did it long-term.

 

[Prince EWS]

He also wasn't that good at it.

He was... okay, mostly. But he clearly covered up cracks in his technique and experience with athleticism. He'd have probably been really good at it in a world where he really was being kept out a team by Faulkner, Pollock and Kallis and had to challenge Waite instead, but that's not the world we live in.

 

[Red]

The SA team is the funnest

Richards
Smith
Kallis
Pollock
ABDV
Nourse
Procter
Faulkner
Tayfield
Steyn
Donald

 

[kyear2]

I know it seems idiotic on first glance, but think about it.

I was looking into Walcott's innings when I realized that Sobers opened in a match that they played in (and submitted in the greatest batting line ups ever) and scored a hundred.

I've also said the one thing missing in most AT XI teams is an attacking opener who could either hold a place in the slips or bowl a bit.

Hutton
Sobers
Bradman
Tendulkar
Richards
Kallis / Hammond
Gilchrist
Marshall
Warne
Steyn / Imran
McGrath / Hadlee

Kallis / Hammond the primary 5th bowler with Sobers tossing in a few over of spin if required.

 

[Coronis]

I know it seems idiotic on first glance, but think about it.

I was looking into Walcott's innings when I realized that Sobers opened in a match that they played in (and submitted in the greatest batting line ups ever) and scored a hundred.

I've also said the one thing missing in most AT XI teams is an attacking opener who could either hold a place in the slips or bowl a bit.

Hutton
Sobers
Bradman
Tendulkar
Richards
Kallis / Hammond
Gilchrist
Marshall
Steyn / Imran
McGrath / Hadlee

Kallis / Hammond the primary 5th bowler with Sobers tossing in a few over of spin if required.

But I thought Sobers was a wayyyyyyyyyyy better bowler?!

 

[kyear2]

But I thought Sobers was a wayyyyyyyyyyy better bowler?!

I know you're trolling, but firstly show me where I've said that, I believe he was more versatile, additionally a better fast bowler than spinner and went quite a few years averaging 27 with the ball.
Secondly I've also said that he was over bowled, even to the point of to the detriment of his batting. I've also said that I value his slip fielding (especially in an at xi team) more than his bowling and in my team (all time or in general) he would bowl much less and spend most of, if not all of his time at second.

But I see you've been on your own little agenda of late, so continue merrily.

 

[kyear2]

 

[ankitj]

I know it seems idiotic on first glance, but think about it.

I was looking into Walcott's innings when I realized that Sobers opened in a match that they played in (and submitted in the greatest batting line ups ever) and scored a hundred.

I've also said the one thing missing in most AT XI teams is an attacking opener who could either hold a place in the slips or bowl a bit.

Hutton
Sobers
Bradman
Tendulkar
Richards
Kallis / Hammond
Gilchrist
Marshall
Steyn / Imran
McGrath / Hadlee

Kallis / Hammond the primary 5th bowler with Sobers tossing in a few over of spin if required.

That's only 10 players mate.

 

[shortpitched713]

That's only 10 players mate.

Players that good you don't need 11.

 

[kyear2]

That's only 10 players mate.

Thanks, edited.

 

[Coronis]

But I see you've been on your own little agenda of late, so continue merrily.

Ironic, huh?

 

[kyear2]

Ironic, huh?

It's not, just dickish.

 

[Coronis]

It's not, just dickish.

Woosh