• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Create an all time best Test XI using only one player from each country...

howitzer

State Captain
wow this is incredibly hard

Jack Hobbs (England)
Tendukar (India)
Donald Bradman (Australia)
Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
Gary Sobers (West Indies)
Imran Khan (c) (Pakistan)
Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
Andy Flower (wk) (Zimbabwe)
shakub al hasan (bangladesh)
Rashid (Afghanistan)
Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
Sachin opening in Tests? Fella wouldn't even bat three lol.
 

reyrey

U19 Captain
wow this is incredibly hard

Jack Hobbs (England)
Tendukar (India)
Donald Bradman (Australia)
Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
Gary Sobers (West Indies)
Imran Khan (c) (Pakistan)
Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
Andy Flower (wk) (Zimbabwe)
shakub al hasan (bangladesh)
Rashid (Afghanistan)
Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
This just looks like you picked the best cricketer in each country and called that your XI
 

Kenneth Viljoen

International Regular
He's only played five Tests, and failed in his one against high quality opposition. I know that compromises need to be made wrt to the 11th player but I'd like those compromises to be made in an area where there's at least one proven practitioner, or else behind the stumps. Rashid would make my ODI XI though.

Johnson (Zim)
Tendulkar (Ind)
Richards (WI)
Taylor (NZ)
Shakib (Ban)
Buttler (Eng)
Pollock (SA)
Wasim (Pak)
Rashid (Afg)
McGrath (Aus)
Murali (SL)
My ODI side would be :

1.Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
2.Sanath Jayasuriya (SL)
3.Andy Flower (ZIM) (WK)
4.Viv Richards (WI) (C)
5.AB De Villiers (SA)
6.Ryan Ten Doeschate (NED)
7.Andrew Flintoff (ENG)
8.Rashid Khan (AFG)
9.Wasim Akram (PAK)
10.Shane Bond (NZ)
11.Glenn McGrath (AUS)
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Players that are fairly obvious for me because they're so obviously the best player from their side:

Bradman
Imran
Hobbs
Flower
Hadlee
Shakib
Rashid

50/50 calls afterwards based on balance etc:

Murali vs Sanga
Kallis vs Steyn
Tendulkar vs Gavaskar
Sobers vs Marshall

So looking at balance considerations with Sri Lanka - there are already two spinners in the side, and I also don't rate Flower's keeping so Sanga probably has to do it because there are no other keeper options. So that one kind of solves itself.

Tendulkar is clearly better than Gavaskar but we do need two openers. Batting one player our of position is an option but I think totally unnecessary while Gavaskar exists. So that just leaves those final two decisions.

I think we either get Kallis + Marshall or Sobers + Steyn. Really tough but I'm going for the former, even though I think most may disagree with me.

1. Hobbs
2. Gavaskar
3. Bradman
4. Kallis
5. Flower
6. Sanga
7. Shakib
8. Imran
9. Hadlee
10. Marshall
11. Rashid
 

capt_Luffy

Cricketer Of The Year
AT ODI team (much more interesting with many more options):

Sachin Tendulkar
Andy Flower+
Viv Richards*
Ross Taylor
A B de Villiers
Shakib Al Hasan
Andrew Flintoff
Wasim Akram
Rashid Khan
Glenn McGrath
Mutthiah Muralitharan

12th Man: Ryan ten Doescharte



AT T20 team:

Brendon McCullum*+
Shane Watson
Babar Azam
A B de Villiers
Jos Buttler
Andre Russell
Sikander Raza
Rashid Khan
Mustafizur Rahman
Lasith Malinga
Jasprit Bumrah

12th Man: Corey Anderson
 

Coronis

International Coach
Players that are fairly obvious for me because they're so obviously the best player from their side:

Bradman
Imran
Hobbs
Flower
Hadlee
Shakib
Rashid

50/50 calls afterwards based on balance etc:

Murali vs Sanga
Kallis vs Steyn
Tendulkar vs Gavaskar
Sobers vs Marshall

So looking at balance considerations with Sri Lanka - there are already two spinners in the side, and I also don't rate Flower's keeping so Sanga probably has to do it because there are no other keeper options. So that one kind of solves itself.

Tendulkar is clearly better than Gavaskar but we do need two openers. Batting one player our of position is an option but I think totally unnecessary while Gavaskar exists. So that just leaves those final two decisions.

I think we either get Kallis + Marshall or Sobers + Steyn. Really tough but I'm going for the former, even though I think most may disagree with me.

1. Hobbs
2. Gavaskar
3. Bradman
4. Kallis
5. Flower
6. Sanga
7. Shakib
8. Imran
9. Hadlee
10. Marshall
11. Rashid
@kyear2 whats bigger, the gap between Marshall and Steyn or the gap between Sobers and Kallis?
 

Coronis

International Coach
Players that are fairly obvious for me because they're so obviously the best player from their side:

Bradman
Imran
Hobbs
Flower
Hadlee
Shakib
Rashid

50/50 calls afterwards based on balance etc:

Murali vs Sanga
Kallis vs Steyn
Tendulkar vs Gavaskar
Sobers vs Marshall

So looking at balance considerations with Sri Lanka - there are already two spinners in the side, and I also don't rate Flower's keeping so Sanga probably has to do it because there are no other keeper options. So that one kind of solves itself.

Tendulkar is clearly better than Gavaskar but we do need two openers. Batting one player our of position is an option but I think totally unnecessary while Gavaskar exists. So that just leaves those final two decisions.

I think we either get Kallis + Marshall or Sobers + Steyn. Really tough but I'm going for the former, even though I think most may disagree with me.

1. Hobbs
2. Gavaskar
3. Bradman
4. Kallis
5. Flower
6. Sanga
7. Shakib
8. Imran
9. Hadlee
10. Marshall
11. Rashid
Even when he was keeping Sanga was always a 3, I’d have him bat at least above Flower.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Even when he was keeping Sanga was always a 3, I’d have him bat at least above Flower.
He was always clearly one of the best couple of bats in the side (not true here) and always kind of under performed with the bat when doing the double role. I'm was trying to not to over burden him.

But yeah Flower preferred to bat a bit lower down generally and was a spin specialist of sorts so swapping 5 and 6 there makes sense.
 

kyear2

International Coach
@kyear2 whats bigger, the gap between Marshall and Steyn or the gap between Sobers and Kallis?
That's was the first thing I thought about when I saw the thread earlier this week.

No matter what I say it's going to be mocked, but...

In the comparison between Sobers and Kallis, Sobers is easily the better batsman. But as I've pointed out in the comp between Kallis and Sachin, Kallis was almost as productive.
Sobers was more prolific and offered more variety as a bolwer, but Kallis could get the job done, especially in this scenario.
While Sobers again offers the flexibility of being brilliant at multiple positions, Kallis was just as superb at 2nd slip, even if not possessing quite the same range.

On the other hand, no one else up for selection of this team (and possibly overall) combined Maco's skills, adaptability, the all round record, his express pace and the ability to be the enforcer that he was when required.

Personally when I'm looking at these scenarios, I just go with the 8 top teams and include the 4 players who for me are automatics, and the first 4 names on any ATG team. Bradman, Sobers, Marshall, Gilchrist. Some countries warrant two.

If compelled though, Marshall over Sobers.
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
Is there any consensus on whether Sobers was more effective bowling his seam ups or his spin?

Assuming you are picking Shakib as a 2nd spinner already then Kallis RMF adds more than Sobers SLA.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Is there any consensus on whether Sobers was more effective bowling his seam ups or his spin?

Assuming you are picking Shakib as a 2nd spinner already then Kallis RMF adds more than Sobers SLA.
Contemporary accounts seem to suggest:

Sobers pace > Sobers wrist spin >>>> Sobers finger spin

... but that he bowled the latter there the most and it hurt his record.
 

kyear2

International Coach
Contemporary accounts seem to suggest:

Sobers pace > Sobers wrist spin >>>> Sobers finger spin

... but that he bowled the latter there the most and it hurt his record.
This.

The wrist spin was seen, from what I've read, to be almost if not as good as the swing / pace bowling.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Players that are fairly obvious for me because they're so obviously the best player from their side:

Bradman
Imran
Hobbs
Flower
Hadlee
Shakib
Rashid

50/50 calls afterwards based on balance etc:

Murali vs Sanga
Kallis vs Steyn
Tendulkar vs Gavaskar
Sobers vs Marshall

So looking at balance considerations with Sri Lanka - there are already two spinners in the side, and I also don't rate Flower's keeping so Sanga probably has to do it because there are no other keeper options. So that one kind of solves itself.

Tendulkar is clearly better than Gavaskar but we do need two openers. Batting one player our of position is an option but I think totally unnecessary while Gavaskar exists. So that just leaves those final two decisions.

I think we either get Kallis + Marshall or Sobers + Steyn. Really tough but I'm going for the former, even though I think most may disagree with me.

1. Hobbs
2. Gavaskar
3. Bradman
4. Kallis
5. Flower
6. Sanga
7. Shakib
8. Imran
9. Hadlee
10. Marshall
11. Rashid
I thought a second XI might be fun to think about too.

1. Sutcliffe
2. Tamim
3. Williamson
4. Tendulkar
5. Sobers
6.... Asghar?
7. Gilchrist
8. Streak
9. Wasim
10. Steyn
11. Murali
 

Top