All time Australian ODI team

[Second Spitter]

It bemuses me that Steve Waugh has not made this side. Surely he would have been a better finisher than Bevan if he was given that role. He 'finished' so many matches when he found himself in that position Perhaps an interesting selection twist would be, after the 11 are chosen, to have a final round where we vote on who to boot, to make room for Waugh - or anyone else.

....and that's exactly what Selfish Roger would want.

While he can still make the team at No.7, you can't convince me he deserves to be in the team over Watson or even O'Donnell (a fine bowler death bowler himself). All the batsmen picked ahead of Selfish Rog were better OD batsmen and have the numbers to back it up. If it's another "finisher" you're after (an overblown term, imo) then Hussey is far more deserving.

edit: "Better finisher than Bevan" is a hilarious statement considering Bevan averaged over 20 runs more than SR in ODIs,

 

[Red]

Waugh in his early ODI career was an outstanding bowler. Peerless as a death bowler. But then he stuffed his back.

 

[watson]

Steve Waugh also has a good World Cup record;

Tournaments = 4 (1987 to 1999)
Matches = 33
Runs = 978
Batting Average = 48.90
Batting SR = 81.0
50s = 6
100s = 1
HS = 120* V RSA
Wickets = 27
Bowling Average = 30.15
Bowling SR = 38.48
ER = 4.70
Best = 3/36
Captaincy = 7 won, 2 lost

HowSTAT! Player Profile (World Cup)

For comparison, Tendulkar's World Cup Average = 56.95, and SR = 88.98

http://www.howstat.com.au/cricket/Statistics/WorldCup/PlayerOverview.asp?PlayerId=1735

 

[Victor Ian]

Perhaps I'll be shot down for this but it is my opinion that Steve Waugh was a much better batsman than Bevan. Beven was brilliant, though I felt there were many matches that he lost for Australia because he would refuse to up the run rate and risk his average. So many times when Bevan came in he just plodded along. Particularly in first innings batting,he was often a liability. Bevan's masterpiece against the Windies, in whatever year that was, is unforgettable for me, however the rest of his career has been forgotten. Waugh had mental toughness. On the biggest of stages he would come through and rescue Australia. Seeing as we are not picking players when they were broken, I feel as though Waugh's skill with the ball makes him a worrying omission from the team so far. As for Watson....Come On! He is a twerp. Playing against the same dross with smaller boundaries and all the benefits Watson has had, Waugh would have trumped him. Would you really pick Watson to have him sit out injured when you need him most?

 

[Second Spitter]

Perhaps I'll be shot down for this but it is my opinion that Steve Waugh was a much better batsman than Bevan. Beven was brilliant, though I felt there were many matches that he lost for Australia because he would refuse to up the run rate and risk his average.

Considering the their strike rates are almost the same (slightly in favor of Waugh) i'm not sure how reach this conclusion. You are endeavouring to get Waugh into the team based on intangible qualities -- "grit" , "mental toughness" and "match winning" over anything measurable.

Personally I think Hussey should be in the team over Borevan, but yes people have selective memories,

 

[Victor Ian]

Statistics Shamistics! Waugh makes a team perform better. He would be captain, if he were in. Waugh played a lot of his cricket in the dire "200 was a bloody good score" era which might account for some of the 'their strike rates are similar' thinking. Numbers are often convincing for me, though if I had to choose between Bevan and Waugh, there is just something about Waugh that makes me pick him over Bevan. Bevan has a better average than Dean Jones and Ricky Ponting but he was not in the same universe of talent as them.

Anyways, regardless of who comes in - it doesn't have to be Waugh, I still like the idea of booting a player from the 11 at the last minute to be replaced with someone else. There is something more real worldly about it like when you pick the under 11's team only to, at the last minute, scratch someone and replace them with someone else for some unknown reason.

 

[Red]

I still like the idea of booting a player from the 11 at the last minute to be replaced with someone else.

Yeh, but we're not doing that, because there's really not much point, eh?

 

[Victor Ian]

True - Just a silly idea. However, should Watson make the team, I think we should, for realism, drop him last minute for an injury replacement.

 

[Prince EWS]

How about this Victor - if Steve Waugh somehow takes that final spot, then we'll implement your idea, and sack him from the team last minute for no particular reason for a player of DingDong's choosing.

Otherwise we won't bother.

 

[Victor Ian]

That would sit well with me. We could blame it on thrombosis, yeah?

 

[Victor Ian]

I hope I didn't derail this thread with a half baked idea. As it is, I think it was due for the selection of an All Rounder.

I'd probably end up having to choose Watson because I ca't think of many others. (Symonds and Waugh have already made the team). I'd like Steve Waugh but I would be picking him on the bowling early in his career and the batting later on, which is not right. O'Donnell might be an option, though he never really seemed to do much when I watched. Some quick runs and then out. Some mediocre bowling, but nothing to rely on if things got tough. Maybe I missed his good matches. Alan Border used to impress me with his bowling, but I think he may be the reverse of the Steve Waugh case. Dunno. Hence

Watson

 

[Muloghonto]

McGrath Lillee Lee and Warne plus an all star fielding lineup will get every other team out inside 45 overs, so Symonds just needs to bowl around 5 overs

Although Adders is correct that Watson has played most of his matches as an opener, its because he isn't playing in an all time lineup. He showed in one of the World Cups that he has a good ability to bat down the order so if everyone is happy with him bowling 8-10 overs on a regular basis, he has to bat down the order, because I think Gilly needs an opening partner who can rotate the strike and bat for long periods, against good attacks.

Err not if they are to face an allstar batting lineup themselves.
Tough to see an alltime India or West Indies XI being dismissed inside 50 overs more often than not by an alltime Aussie attack and Symonds not going for something ridiculous like 10-0-80-0 territorry bowling to the likes of Viv, Lara, Greenidge, Gayle or Tendulkar, Sehwag, Azhar, dhoni etc.

 

[Muloghonto]

Mark Waugh
Adam Gillchrist
Ricky Ponting
Dean Jones
Bevan
Hussey
Watson
Lee
Warne
Fleming
McGrath

 

[Red]

K, voting has slowed a bit but Lillee took the last spot with 5 votes, Bracken and Fleming had one each...so the team as it stands is:

- Adam Gilchrist
- Mark Waugh
- Ricky Ponting
- Dean Jones
- Andrew Symonds
- Michael Bevan
-
- Shane Warne
- Brett Lee
- Dennis Lillee
- Glenn McGrath


One spot left. Voting is open. We have 40 overs worth of bowling already with McGrath, Lee, Lillee and Warne. We have a couple of capable bowlers in Symonds and Waugh. So could be a batsman, could be an all rounder...

Please select the final player:

Suggestions:

Steve Waugh
Shane Watson
Mike Hussey
Michael Clarke
Greg Chappell
Or anyone you want

 

[watson]

Actually want to select Keith Miller as he'd go great in that remaining spot. But apparently some people go and if you select someone who hasn't played a ODI.

So Steve Waugh because he has class.

 

[Red]

Actually want to select Keith Miller as he'd go great in that remaining spot. But apparently some people go and if you select someone who hasn't played a ODI.

Miller'd be great, but I guess the idea of these types of teams is rewarding guys who have been successful in that particular format.

Can't help but think that Miller would have been the greatest all rounder ever in the shorter formats if he'd had a chance to play them. They would've suited him perfectly.

 

[adub]

Huss

 

[Victor Ian]

Wonderful, I don't have to select Watto I'd probably choose between Hussey and Waugh. Hussey would fit the spot well as he could really up the run rate, which is balanced by the fact that Waugh could add those few overs should his brother or Symonds be off kilter. So throwing a coin, I find myself choosing S Waugh. edit - Waugh out Hussey in. I am forgetting that I can't have two halves of the Waugh at the same time -

It is a shame that we can't pick Miller, though I guess we'd then have to pick Bradman too. He would have killed it too - and probably without changing his game in the slightest.

 

[morgieb]

Picking pre-ODI players isn't something I support. Too unpredictable to say how well they'd have gone.

Anyway, I'll go Hussey.