All Time Test XI

[Shaggy Alfresco]

I rate Lillee third or fourth. Marshall, Hadlee and possibly McGrath were better. Imran also a maybe. It's very hard to tell.

It's impossible to rate the great fast bowlers from 1 to whatever, since the margins are far too small. Marshall is usually (and rightly) regarded as the best, but then on it gets iffy.

 

[BhupinderSingh]

Very true, they were all complete bowlers in that that they had no apparent weaknesses or deficiencies. I would rate Marshall the first among equals simply for having a great record everywhere.

Lillee didn't have a good yorker.He was a great bowler but he was not good at bowling yorkers.

 

[UncleTheOne]

Sure he can't.

with all due respect those innings against england are odd choices to parade haydens talents. the first one on the 2002/03 was against an extremely average attack, and the second example was an innings where he was struck plumb in front on at least 2 occasions but given massive let offs, may even have been three times.

his innings at the oval in 2005 is light years ahead of these two.

 

[bagapath]

Lillee didn't have a good yorker.He was a great bowler but he was not good at bowling yorkers.

of course, he had. remember the one he bowled in fading light to viv richards in 1975 to reduce WI to 10 for 4? he was not a great swinger in the air, though. relied more on seam and cut to go with the scorching pace. i also disagree with your ranking him below all the other greats. dennis deserves to be in the top 5 at least.

 

[Flem274*]

It's impossible to rate the great fast bowlers from 1 to whatever, since the margins are far too small. Marshall is usually (and rightly) regarded as the best, but then on it gets iffy.

True. Mainly it all just comes down to personal opinion.

 

[Richard]

Could be Geoff Greenidge.

In which case, it'd be even worse.

Oh, yeah - (and it could easily be a Rolleyes) at anyone who, without jest, has picked Hayden.

 

[Engle]

J.Hobbs
S.Gavaskar
D.Bradman (c)
B.Lara
V.Richards
G.Sobers
A.Knott (wk)
M.Marshall
S.Warne
D.Lillee
M.Muralitharan

 

[honestbharani]

J.Hobbs
S.Gavaskar
D.Bradman (c)
B.Lara
V.Richards
G.Sobers
A.Knott (wk)
M.Marshall
S.Warne
D.Lillee
M.Muralitharan

gr8 side... little tempting to put Gilchrist or Sangakkara there, just making them more invincible as a batting line up, and also because we have Murali and Warne playing there...

 

[Beleg]

Hayden
Tendulkar
Ponting
Lara
Dravid
Kallis
Flower
Akram
Donald
Ambrose
Muralitharan

 

[silentstriker]

1. Sobers
2. Botham
3. Miller
4. Imran
5. Hadlee
6. Marshall
7. Ambrose
8. Barnes
9. Holding
10. Trueman
11. McGrath

Spin bowling sucks and batting is overrated.

 

[Beleg]

SS,

My team will whup your team's arse.

Murali with 10 will be at the forefront.

 

[silentstriker]

Every person in my team can beam your team. Six members of the team will be used solely to beam the other team, and their job will be to take out the other team's top six batsmen. It doesn't matter if they are banned from bowling, as there are five more bowlers who can finish off the tail.

 

[nightprowler10]

Would put Davidson in there somewhere to strengthen the batting.

 

[Olwe]

this would be my team

Jack Hobbs
John Edrich
Mark Ramprakash
Peter May
Ken Barrington
Alec Stewart + (c)
Tony Lock
Jim Laker
Sylvester Clarke
Alec Bedser
Tom Richardson

 

[Beleg]

OIwe,

Thingol?

 

[Perm]

OIwe,

Thingol?

Bloody legend

 

[Olwe]

no, sorry i am not Thingol

Thingol (in the book) is Olwe's brother and is also know as Elwe

 

[SJS]

1. 
   
   Spin bowling sucks and batting is overrated.

1. 
   
   Hah !!
   
   1. Mankad
   2. Rhodes
   3. Richards Viv
   4. Border
   5. CK Nayudu
   6. Ames
   7. Faulkner
   8. Grimmett
   9. Orielly
   10. Iverson
   11. Laker
   
   

 

[White Lightning]

My team:

1 - Jack Hobbs
2 - Herb Sutcliffe
3 - Don Bradman
4 -
5 - Gary Sobers
6 - Keith Miller
7 - Adam Gilchrist
8 - Malcolm Marshall
9 - Bill O'Reilly
10 -
11 - Jim Laker

number 4 and 10 change regularly, the other 9 i'm pretty set on now.

I always want to have one of Imran Khan or Keith Miller. Sometimes i lean towards Khan but i think the Australian partiotism comes back and i revert to Miller. Two reasons for having one of them - i'm batting with 6 batsman (i count Gilly), so i need to have a bowler who can bat at about the same level you would expect a standard keeper to bat at... really these are the only two the cut the mustard. Both could make the team as a bowler alone, especially Imran.

I regard Bill O'Reilly as the best exponent of leg spin, and Jim Laker the best at off spin. By picking one of Imran and Miller as a third quick it also allows me to play a second spinner.

Malcolm Marshall i regard the best bowler of all time.

the third quick spot is a toss up between Joel Garner (usually the one i go for), Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan/Keith Miller, Glen McGrath, Michael Holding, Curtley Ambrose, Fred Trueman, Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee or Allan Donald. Probably others - too many for one spot.

I'm pretty comfortable with either but i usually go for Garner because i think his extra bounce is great in a team with two shorter quick bowlers. I also like the fact he never failed to take a wicket in a test match. Conversely he never took a 10-wicket haul. BUT with the bowling around him his unlike to have to take a bag, but if teams ever got tough for the team against the Mars XI then you could go to Garner and be confident of a breakthrough....

I think 3,5 and 7 pick themselves. The opening spot is a toss up between those 2, Hutton, Gavaskar and maybe one or two others.

the 4 spot is harder - once again i'm comfortable with either of G Pollock, Headley, Richards, Weekes, Tendulkar, Lara, Barrington, Hammond or Maindad. Ponting is quickly about to join that list....