Best Uncapped XI (Tests)

[HeathDavisSpeed]

With the continual rejection of Sam Cook by England, despite averaging under 20 in FC cricket with the ball, I got to wondering what each country's best uncapped XI might be. For the sake of this exercise, I'm counting rebel tests as a Test cap (i.e. Vintcent van der Bijl isn't eligible as he'd have clearly played Tests if South Africa had been playing). Given the strength of Australia in the 90s, I suspect they'll have the best uncapped XI but as I recall there's some England players with pretty exceptional FC records back in the day... so maybe limiting it to post-WW2 might be sensible.

So, rules:

1. To be selected, a player cannot have played any Test (or rebel Test) matches
2. They can have played ODI/T20
3. They must be fully retired
4. They must have played in the post-WW2 era
5. Can only be selected if they retired after a country started playing Tests (e.g. Duncan Fletcher, Peter Rawson retired before Zimbabwe played Tests, even though they played ODIs so they're not eligible) - note Rawson was still playing in South Africa but had 'retired' from Zimbabwe. Tricky bugger this one.

What can you come up with?

 

[Line and Length]

We already have posts listing uncapped XIs (and suggested alternatives) for Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa. They would be a useful reference when compiling a team here.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

We already have posts listing uncapped XIs (and suggested alternatives) for Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa. They would be a useful reference when compiling a team here.

I did do a search for "Uncapped" and could only find threads from 10+ years ago or one for South Africa which did allow the selection of those greats from the 70s/80s. Can you post up the consensus on those 4 line-ups as a starter for 10 if you know where to find 'em?

 

[Line and Length]

Posted May 2020
An Uncapped England XI
Frank Watson 23,596 runs @ 37.0 - 50 centuries & 407 wickets @ 32.14
John Langridge 34,380 @ 37.4 - 76 centuries
James Hildreth 17,158 @ 42.57 - 46 centuries
Mal Loye 15,329 @ 39.9 - 42 centuries
Ali Brown 16,898 @ 42.7 - 47 centuries
Tom Shepherd 18,715 @ 39.8 - 42 centuries & 445 wickets @ 30.7
Geoff Humpage w/k18,108 @ 36.3 - 29 centuries & 743 dismissals
Tony Nicholson 879 w @ 19.8
George Dennett 2,154 w @ 19.8
Don Shepherd 2,218 w @ 21.3
Tom Wass 1,666 w @ 20.4
12th man Darren Stevens 15,633 runs @ 35.1 - 34 centuries & 517 wickets @ 25.1

Posted April 2020
An Uncapped Australia XI
M.Di Venuto 24,518 FC runs @ 46.4
J.Cox 18,614 @ 42.7
J.Siddons 11,587 @ 44.9
D.Hussey 14,280 @ 50.5
S.Trimble 10,282 @ 41.8
B.Alley 19,612 @ 31.9 & 768 w @ 22.6
C.Hartley 562 dismissals & 6,138 @ 34.5
A.Knoffke 3,508 @ 26.7 & 374 w @ 28.6
M.Innes 281 w @ 25.7
E.Gilbert 87w @ 28.9
D.Hourne 164 w @ 28.7
12th man M.Klinger 11,320 @ 39.3

Posted May 2020
An Uncapped New Zealand XI (post 1930 when NZ gained Test status)
Greg Hay, 5569 runs @ 43.17, 13 cent.
Peter Coman, 2635 runs @ 33.78, 2 cent.
Will Young, 4745 runs @ 42.36, 8 cent.
Barry Cooper, 2982 runs @ 28.13, 4 cent, 26 wickets @ 30.50
Cec Dacre, 12223 @ 29.17, 24 cent.
Andrew Ellis, 5221 runs @ 35.27, 9 cent, 249 wkts @ 29.78
Gren Alabaster, 3200 @ 23.88, 3 cent, 275 wkts @ 23.22
George Mills, 2056 runs @ 19.96, 2 cent, 88c 34s
Alex Tait, 888 runs @ 26.11, 134 wickets @ 20.14
Tom Pritchard, 818 wkts @ 23.30
Andrew Penn, 252 wkts @ 23.03
12th man Don Clarke, 117 wickets @ 21.14

As the South Africa XI included so many who played rebel tests, I have not included them.

Hope this is what you were after HDS.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Nice. The NZ one will have to replace Will Young but that Australian line-up is going to be tricky to top. Especially in the batting.

 

[Qlder]

Nice. The NZ one will have to replace Will Young but that Australian line-up is going to be tricky to top. Especially in the batting.

Eddie Gilbert played his last FC match in 1936 so doesn't meet your post ww2 criteria. Joel Paris would be a worthy replacement with 194 wkts @ 19.62 (and 1165 runs @ 21.57)

Edit: Oops, criteria says must be fully retired

Does Bill Alley fit more in an England XI rather than Aussie XI? He was born in Sydney and played 2 seasons for NSW but he moved to England and made 16,664 of his 19,612 FC runs for Somerset (from where he was also picked in 3 Commonwealth XI tours)

 

[Line and Length]

The lists I posted didn't have the Post WWII qualification.

@honestbharani noted the passing of Padmaker Shivalker in the "Obituary" thread. He would be one of the first selected in an Indian Uncapped XI.

 

[capt_Luffy]

As L&L already did the ones for Eng, Aus and NZ, and most others I have includes most players from pre Test days or Rebel tours for SA; so here's one for India:

Surendra Bhave, 7971@58.18
Gopal Bose, 3753@30.79, w 72@26.97
Amol Muzumdar, 11167@48.13
Manoj Tiwari*, 10195@47.86
Bhaskar Pillai, 5443@52.84
Pankaj Dharmani, 9312@50.06
BB Nimbalkar+, 4841@47.93
Pandurang Salgaonkar, 1039@17.03 w 214@26.7
Premangshu Chatterjee, 727@18.64 w 134@17.75
Rajendra Goel, w 750@18.58
Padmakar Shivalkar, w 589@19.69

 

[CricAddict]

As L&L already did the ones for Eng, Aus and NZ, and most others I have includes most players from pre Test days or Rebel tours for SA; so here's one for India:

Surendra Bhave, 7971@58.18
Gopal Bose, 3753@30.79, w 72@26.97
Amol Muzumdar, 11167@48.13
Manoj Tiwari*, 10195@47.86
Bhaskar Pillai, 5443@52.84
Pankaj Dharmani, 9312@50.06
BB Nimbalkar+, 4841@47.93
Pandurang Salgaonkar, 1039@17.03 w 214@26.7
Premangshu Chatterjee, 727@18.64 w 134@17.75
Rajendra Goel, w 750@18.58
Padmakar Shivalkar, w 589@19.69

Sharath, Kaypee, Kanwaljit Singh, Sitanshu Kotak and Shantanu Sugwekar are a few who come to my mind from my childhood domestic cricket following days.

The TN team at that time had a very strong batting line-up as below but rarely anyone could get into the Indian side. Only Ramesh sustained for a bit.

Sadagopan Ramesh
Sridharan Sriram
Sharath
Badani
Madanagopal
Robin Singh
Sadagopan Mahesh