All time world test XI selection

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah he was good, for sure - but I'd much rather have the Sanga who averaged 67 over 86 Tests when he wasn't keeping, rather than the Sanga who averaged 40 over 48 Tests when he was. Especially given how many outstanding 'keepers we have to choose from who were far better gloveman, did the job full time, and with whom you're not losing much with the bat. Watling, for example, averaged nearly 40 anyway, scored absolute clutch runs, and was a genuinely world class wicketkeeper.

I think it'd be a bit weird if sanga missed out on the team entirely because of wanting a specialist keeper tbh. At that point it's not a keeper sanga vs batsman sanga choice. Id rather have him in the team somehow than not.

 

[The Sean]

I think it'd be a bit weird if sanga missed out on the team entirely because of wanting a specialist keeper tbh. At that point it's not a keeper sanga vs batsman sanga choice. Id rather have him in the team somehow than not.

I completely agree - which is why I picked him to bat at 3 in this team.

 

[The Sean]

A vote update, and a couple of absolutely cracking battles here:

Opening batsmen:
7 Four-Test Baz
7 Greenidge
6 Boycott
5 Simpson
3 Sehwag
2 Hayden
2 Mitchell
2 Smith

Opening bowlers:
12 Lillee
6 Trueman
6 Wasim
3 Donald
2 Lindwall
2 Walsh
1 Davidson
1 Garner

Wicketkeepers:
8 Ames
3 Watling
1 Cameron
1 De Villiers
1 Flower
1 Healy
1 Sangakkara
1 Waite

First drop:
4 Headley
4 Ponting
3 Barrington
3 Sangakkara
2 Chappell
1 Dravid

 

[Coronis]

A vote update, and a couple of absolutely cracking battles here:

Opening batsmen:
7 Four-Test Baz
7 Greenidge
6 Boycott
5 Simpson
3 Sehwag
2 Hayden
2 Mitchell
2 Smith

Opening bowlers:
12 Lillee
6 Trueman
6 Wasim
3 Donald
2 Lindwall
2 Walsh
1 Davidson
1 Garner

Wicketkeepers:
8 Ames
3 Watling
1 Cameron
1 De Villiers
1 Flower
1 Healy
1 Sangakkara
1 Waite

First drop:
4 Headley
4 Ponting
3 Barrington
3 Sangakkara
2 Chappell
1 Dravid

Disgusting.

 

[Teuton]

I'm a bit late but will start throwing some votes in from now anyway.

Hayden
Boycott

Lillee
Trueman

Boucher

Headley

 

[harsh.ag]

Trueman being selected ahead of Garner is racist

 

[Nikhil99.99]

Some people going on about Ames doing minnow bashing.Well this isn’t true.Wi had good enough fast bowlers.Their bowling wasn’t anything close to being minnow.He averaged around 50 in 18 innings.Got only 2 innings against India which had some good fast bowlers.Scored a 50+.
His 1st series against Australia was in 1932,the same year O’Reilly made his debut.Had to face against some real great spin combination throughout his career.That is probably why his avg against aus isn’t that good.
His average considering against good side would be around 36.You could be selected as a wk even if your average was less than 20 those days.Ames was probably the first wk who got selected mainly cause of his batting ahead of keepers like duckworth.

 

[Jfry]

Richards, Boycott

Lillee, Trueman

Waite

Headley

 

[Prince EWS]

Sanga was a quality keeper imo. You're getting less out of sanga than you would by just picking him as a batsman but I think it's still a more valuable pick than Flower or Healy. Waite is arguably a better choice now I think about it.

Yeah I'm happy with my choice of Sanga to bat 3 and Waite to keep.

 

[kyear2]

Garner being severely undervalued here. He was better as an opening bowler than he was coming in at first change.

 

[trundler]

Well.. it's only the third XI and we're still picking fast bowlers who get mentioned as the greatest ever. The pace trios will be reasonably interchangeable until at least the 4th XI. Lindwall, Davidson and Garner would be cream worthy too. Much more of a steep drop off in quality for the openers.

 

[kyear2]

This is true. I've seen him take enough screamers that a guy like Kallis wouldn't even attempt to overlook a few drops. Even at his absolute worst Smith is far more valuable in the field than some others of (arguably) similar batting ability.

Shaun Pollock (believe it was him) just said that Kallis was hands down the best slip fielder he has ever seen.

While on that topic, that catch by Kohli was superb. Hardest slip catch to complete, when you have to move forward and to the side. Absolutely brilliant.
He's having a great overall game, interesting to see which XI he falls into.

 

[kyear2]

Well.. it's only the third XI and we're still picking fast bowlers who get mentioned as the greatest ever. The pace trios will be reasonably interchangeable until at least the 4th XI. Lindwall, Davidson and Garner would be cream worthy too. Much more of a steep drop off in quality for the openers.

Disagree on the interchangeable part, but understand your point.

Yeah, openers and spinner will have the greatest drop off after the first 3 teams or so, keeper batsmen as well.

 

[trundler]

Disagree on the interchangeable part, but understand your point.

Yeah, openers and spinner will have the greatest drop off after the first 3 teams or so, keeper batsmen as well.

It would be highly unlikely for any first XI to not have either of McGrath or Marshall but you could swap a pacer between the first three sides without any drop off in quality is what I'm saying. You wouldn't get Trueman/Akram/Lillee in the first XI exactly but they still 'belong' there. Maybe it's subjective but I really rate the latter trio too. And I'm not even sure Trueman was better than Lindwall. So maybe it's just me but the great pacers are very, very close.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Shaun Pollock (believe it was him) just said that Kallis was hands down the best slip fielder he has ever seen.

While on that topic, that catch by Kohli was superb. Hardest slip catch to complete, when you have to move forward and to the side. Absolutely brilliant.
He's having a great overall game, interesting to see which XI he falls into.

Kallis definitely up there but I feel in a hypothetical ATG slip cordon I'd rather have someone like Dravid/Mahela/Waugh/Taylor for the spinners. Cannot overstate how good he was to Kumble and Harbhajan. Kumble especially was a challenging bowler to have to take catches in the slips because of the strange pace and trajectory. Kallis was one of the very best to the pacers for sure, but with no spinner throughout his career in his team to actually create consistent chances, not sure how he'd do in the slips off Warne or Murali.

Very few are capable of the kinds of catches Dravid used to take, like the one at 0:35 here. A full blooded cut at point blank range to the wrong hand. Him and Mahela are very overlooked in ATG slippers conversation imo.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1273470699684888577

 

[kyear2]

It would be highly unlikely for any first XI to not have either of McGrath or Marshall but you could swap a pacer between the first three sides without any drop off in quality is what I'm saying. You wouldn't get Trueman/Akram/Lillee in the first XI exactly but they still 'belong' there. Maybe it's subjective but I really rate the latter trio too. And I'm not even sure Trueman was better than Lindwall. So maybe it's just me but the great pacers are very, very close.

I would say the first two possibly, but after that there is somewhat of a drop off, even if not a precipitous one.

 

[Himannv]

Barry Richards
Bob Simpson

Fred Trueman
Wasim Akram

Les Ames

George Headley

 

[The Sean]

Some people going on about Ames doing minnow bashing.Well this isn’t true.Wi had good enough fast bowlers.Their bowling wasn’t anything close to being minnow.He averaged around 50 in 18 innings.Got only 2 innings against India which had some good fast bowlers.Scored a 50+.
His 1st series against Australia was in 1932,the same year O’Reilly made his debut.Had to face against some real great spin combination throughout his career.That is probably why his avg against aus isn’t that good.
His average considering against good side would be around 36.You could be selected as a wk even if your average was less than 20 those days.Ames was probably the first wk who got selected mainly cause of his batting ahead of keepers like duckworth.

Yeah, I didn't mean it to come across as major criticism of him so much as surprise at just how highly rated he is here. When it comes to players of this quality, we're always splitting hairs really. I would personally have Ames a couple of XIs below this one (I consider Watling, for example, both a better 'keeper and a better bat) but I appear to be in the minority, and it's a not a hill I'm going to die on - Ames was clearly a great player.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

After Fred I'm probably the biggest advocate of Barry Richards and would put him first in any All Time XI that doesn't specify Tests, but as this exercise does I think the 3rd XI is slightly premature unless it's just anyone who's played Tests irrespective of performance.

Anyway......

Geoff Boycott
Bob Simpson

Fred Trueman
Dennis Lillee

Ian Healy

Greg Chappell

 

[Nikhil99.99]

When it comes to players of this quality, we're always splitting hairs really.

This is correct.There isnt much between say a ames or oldfield imo.And oldfield mayn’t make even 5th xi.