ataraxia
International Coach
batting position stats are generally career phase stats. Weekes'll be a better five than Nourse.
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All time world test XI selection
- Thread starter Red
- Start date
morgieb
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Change Nourse to Weekes.
TheJediBrah
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surely you're not seriously suggesting based on this that he's better batting at no.4 than at no.5
HookShot
U19 Vice-Captain
Geoff Boycott averaged only 44 when he faced the first ball of the innings (No.1);
but 55 when he started the innings down the non-strikers end (No.2).
So basically Geoff Boycott improved his average by not facing the bowling.
*Stats*
Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com
Red_Ink_Squid
Global Moderator
I'm a bit surprised by the level of consensus on the #4. Not that Weekes isn't gun, but I had the impression that he wasn't even CW's clear pick amongst the 3 Ws (Walcott seems to get talked up more than him here).
The Sean
Cricketer Of The Year
Ha ha, to be fair to Ataraxia in my original comment I too often select players almost interchangeably at 4 and 5, and I have no issue with Nourse getting picked here as he was a great batsman. I just called out that not picking Weekes "because he's better suited to batting at 5" isn't borne out by his career.
The Sean
Cricketer Of The Year
I picked Walcott to bat at 3 in this team - he tended to bat at 3 or 5, either side of Weekes who usually batted at 4.
I've traditionally had Weekes fractionally ahead as the best of the Ws, but there's actually a fair argument for it to be Walcott, especially after he gave up the gloves and became a specialist bat. He has been called a bit of a home-track bully due to his huge home v away average discrepancy, but I've noted before that this could be said to have been as much a factor of the vagaries of Test scheduling at the time as anything else. It just so happens that Walcott's absolute peak years as a batsman coincided with the West Indies playing exclusively at home.
JordanTheExplorer
Cricket Spectator
Sunil Gavaskar
Viv Richards
Glenn McGrath
Curtly Ambrose
Viv Richards
Glenn McGrath
Curtly Ambrose
Thala_0710
State 12th Man
This thread died down pretty quickly. I think we could easily work through about 20 Xis atleast here, does anyone else want to give this a shot?
Coronis
International Coach
I still want Iguodala.
capt_Luffy
Cricketer Of The Year
I think this can be the ultimate XI compendium after all the Country XIs are done.
kyear2
International Coach
I think I see picking these teams way differently than many do.
Firstly, it's like the ultimate, how would you build a team. Over the history of the game there's been almost every type of player in almost every type of combination of skills. So from that perspective it's almost like building a player and team on Madden. So it's not only the best players, but also echoing your priorities.
And then like the article Cricinfo had when they released their XI, it's not always about the best players, but who would fit best together in such teams, mixture of aggression and defence, which bowlers would compliment each other the best, no use picking 3 new ball specialists if only two will get the new ball, who will field where. You give some depth to the batting, while maintaining the primacy of the bowling.
I think I've come up with the perfect combination, but I'm sure everyone does and the next time we do it would be interesting to see how the first couple teams change.
Sir Leonard Hutton
Barry Richards^
Sir Donald Bradman ©
Sir I. V. A. Richards^
Sachin Tendulkar
Sir Garfield Sobers^⁵
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
Wasim Akram ³
Malcolm Marshall ¹
Shane Warne ⁴
Glenn McGrath ²
The only differences between mine and the one we last chose are ..
Barry over Hobbs and Sunny, and that's simply because Barry handled (and in some instances man handled) some of the greatest fast bowlers ever, while pairing technique and aggressive scoring not seen prior nor since. We've looked at his numbers in ROW matches, WSC, and even first class while facing the best bowlers of his era, there's no doubt to his quality and his peer rating was the highest of his time and as high as any batsman not named Bradman. He was also a first rate slip, filling a hole at first.
He would pair especially well with Hutton, who would play the anchor role and allow Barry to play his shots.
And Wasim over Imran and Steyn. It was actually subz who helped me get here, but not what cemented him. His formative teenaged years and his later illness, combined with unquestionably the worst catching support ever, covers some of the concerns over his stats. His peer rating is as high as it gets and the esteemed gentleman made the only two ATG compilation teams that matters. He also brings versatility and a more than useful bat. But the clincher was a poll where and concurrent discussion where he was deemed the greatest ever old ball bowler.
So yeah. An aggressive opener at the top to set the tempo, paired with the anchor of the batting line up. The GOAT at 3, the greatest player ever of fast blowing at 4 (imagine the carnage with Bradman), Sachin at 5 to separate the stroke players and better suited to spin, before Garry and Gilchrist comes in to complete up the lineup.
The e team bats to 10, while having the best possible bowlers in each respective role. Marshall the express pacer, who would be equal part enforcer and swing practitioner. McGrath the perfect compliment to bowl into the wind and his bounce compliments perfectly Marshalls pace and skid. Wasim we just covered and him and Warne with the older ball ensures no drop off in quality, and sustained aggression and genius. Sobers then slots in with the ability to fill in what ever role is required with the ball, swing, holding or attacking or two types of spin. Otherwise he's standing at the critical 2nd slip position, in what is also a brilliant cordon. Surrounded by Gilchrist who masterfully held Warne and McGrath and Lee was a more erratic Marshall, Barry at first and Vivian one of the greats at 3rd. Yes Simpson or Hammond would be an upgrade at 1st (as would Imran at 8), but the batting comes first.
It has everything. Aggression, defence, bat deep, pace, swing, bounce, reverse and versatility and an amazing cordon.
Sorry for the long post, but the race is over and not watching the cowboys get destroyed.
Firstly, it's like the ultimate, how would you build a team. Over the history of the game there's been almost every type of player in almost every type of combination of skills. So from that perspective it's almost like building a player and team on Madden. So it's not only the best players, but also echoing your priorities.
And then like the article Cricinfo had when they released their XI, it's not always about the best players, but who would fit best together in such teams, mixture of aggression and defence, which bowlers would compliment each other the best, no use picking 3 new ball specialists if only two will get the new ball, who will field where. You give some depth to the batting, while maintaining the primacy of the bowling.
I think I've come up with the perfect combination, but I'm sure everyone does and the next time we do it would be interesting to see how the first couple teams change.
Sir Leonard Hutton
Barry Richards^
Sir Donald Bradman ©
Sir I. V. A. Richards^
Sachin Tendulkar
Sir Garfield Sobers^⁵
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
Wasim Akram ³
Malcolm Marshall ¹
Shane Warne ⁴
Glenn McGrath ²
The only differences between mine and the one we last chose are ..
Barry over Hobbs and Sunny, and that's simply because Barry handled (and in some instances man handled) some of the greatest fast bowlers ever, while pairing technique and aggressive scoring not seen prior nor since. We've looked at his numbers in ROW matches, WSC, and even first class while facing the best bowlers of his era, there's no doubt to his quality and his peer rating was the highest of his time and as high as any batsman not named Bradman. He was also a first rate slip, filling a hole at first.
He would pair especially well with Hutton, who would play the anchor role and allow Barry to play his shots.
And Wasim over Imran and Steyn. It was actually subz who helped me get here, but not what cemented him. His formative teenaged years and his later illness, combined with unquestionably the worst catching support ever, covers some of the concerns over his stats. His peer rating is as high as it gets and the esteemed gentleman made the only two ATG compilation teams that matters. He also brings versatility and a more than useful bat. But the clincher was a poll where and concurrent discussion where he was deemed the greatest ever old ball bowler.
So yeah. An aggressive opener at the top to set the tempo, paired with the anchor of the batting line up. The GOAT at 3, the greatest player ever of fast blowing at 4 (imagine the carnage with Bradman), Sachin at 5 to separate the stroke players and better suited to spin, before Garry and Gilchrist comes in to complete up the lineup.
The e team bats to 10, while having the best possible bowlers in each respective role. Marshall the express pacer, who would be equal part enforcer and swing practitioner. McGrath the perfect compliment to bowl into the wind and his bounce compliments perfectly Marshalls pace and skid. Wasim we just covered and him and Warne with the older ball ensures no drop off in quality, and sustained aggression and genius. Sobers then slots in with the ability to fill in what ever role is required with the ball, swing, holding or attacking or two types of spin. Otherwise he's standing at the critical 2nd slip position, in what is also a brilliant cordon. Surrounded by Gilchrist who masterfully held Warne and McGrath and Lee was a more erratic Marshall, Barry at first and Vivian one of the greats at 3rd. Yes Simpson or Hammond would be an upgrade at 1st (as would Imran at 8), but the batting comes first.
It has everything. Aggression, defence, bat deep, pace, swing, bounce, reverse and versatility and an amazing cordon.
Sorry for the long post, but the race is over and not watching the cowboys get destroyed.