Create an all time best Test XI using only one player from each country...

[Qlder]

Rashid Khan getting in so many teams yet he's only played 5 tests lol

Edit: holy crap he's taken 34 wkts in those 5 tests

 

[capt_Luffy]

Possibly a batsman short, and a spinner too many. Also I would bat Sobers at 4, I believe his best position.

I believe Sobers best position was 5; that's why I put him there. I have Shakib at 6, Imran at 7 and Hadlee at 8; I thought it was a sufficient batting depth. As for an extra spinner; I feel that too but I am not sure if Ed Joyce or Asgar Afghan would make much of a difference in the batting....

 

[reyrey]

I believe Sobers best position was 5; that's why I put him there. I have Shakib at 6, Imran at 7 and Hadlee at 8; I thought it was a sufficient batting depth. As for an extra spinner; I feel that too but I am not sure if Ed Joyce or Asgar Afghan would make much of a difference in the batting....

They'll make fine short legs though

 

[Coronis]

Rashid Khan getting in so many teams yet he's only played 5 tests lol

Edit: holy crap he's taken 34 wkts in those 5 tests

Well Afghanistan and Ireland have both only played 7 tests so they’re pretty slim pickings.

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

Well Afghanistan and Ireland have both only played 7 tests so they’re pretty slim pickings.

Hence, No mention of Bart King so far occurs as a surprise to me.

 

[Coronis]

Hence, No mention of Bart King so far occurs as a surprise to me.

He didn’t play tests… this is making a test XI with a player from different test nations.

Test.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

1.Jack Hobbs
2.Tamim Iqbal
3.Don Bradman
4.Garry Sobers
5.Jacques Kallis
6.Andy Flower (WK)
7.Imran Khan
8.Richard Hadlee
9.Rashid Khan
10.Jasprit Bumrah
11.Muttiah Muralitharan

 

[howitzer]

1.Jack Hobbs
2.Tamim Iqbal
3.Don Bradman
4.Garry Sobers
5.Jacques Kallis
6.Andy Flower (WK)
7.Imran Khan
8.Richard Hadlee
9.Rashid Khan
10.Jasprit Bumrah
11.Muttiah Muralitharan

I like the thinking wrt Tamim over Shakib with the latter seeming a bit of a square peg in a round hole. I think Kallis' bowling is somewhat irrelevent with Sobers in the team though and would select Tendulkar and Steyn over him and Bumrah

 

[Jumno]

Jack Hobbs
Sunil Gavaskar
Donald Bradman
Martin Crowe
Andy Flower
Shakib al Hasan
Imran Khan
Rashid Khan
Allan Donald
Malcolm Marshall
Muttiah Muralitharan

 

[howitzer]

Jack Hobbs
Sunil Gavaskar
Donald Bradman
Martin Crowe
Andy Flower
Shakib al Hasan
Imran Khan
Rashid Khan
Allan Donald
Malcolm Marshall
Muttiah Muralitharan

Here switching Crowe and Donald with Kallis and Hadlee would be an improvement solely on primary disciplines imo.

Edit: Marshall over Sobers feels like a good way to accommodate Shakib though

 

[Jumno]

Here switching Crowe and Donald with Kallis and Hadlee would be an improvement solely on primary disciplines imo.

Edit: Marshall over Sobers feels like a good way to accommodate Shakib though

A good swap since hadlee was a very good test bowler too

 

[reyrey]

Have either Afghanistan or Ireland produced a genuine quality specialist keeper? If one existed I'd pick him and then bat him at 8 or 9 and then pick the rest of the team from there.

Otherwise I'll take an opener that can average high 20s at a strike rate of 30. Basically do a job for the team and try see off the new ball. I think Joyce would be more than capable of doing that.

 

[howitzer]

Have either Afghanistan or Ireland produced a genuine quality specialist keeper? If one existed I'd pick him and then bat him at 8 or 9 and then pick the rest of the team from there.

Otherwise I'll take an opener that can average high 20s at a strike rate of 30. Basically do a job for the team and try see off the new ball. I think Joyce would be more than capable of doing that.

Gary Wilson generally looked reasonable, both for Ireland and Surrey

 

[Fuller Pilch]

What's Lorcan Tucker like with the gloves. He's done very well with the bat so far in his very short test career.

 

[howitzer]

What's Lorcan Tucker like with the gloves. He's done very well with the bat so far in his very short test career.

Not really seen enough of him. He's not textbook but that doesn't necessarily mean bad.

 

[Ashes81]

Are people picking Rashid Khan and Murturgh because they are the best players from their respective countries?

Having them as specialist bowlers just weakens the team as you can easily find several allrounders from another country who are better bowlers.

An allrounder from the top 10 Test teams plus a specialist batsmen or keeper from Ireland or Afghanistan is a stronger combination than a specialist bowler from Ireland or Afghanistan plus a specialist batsmen/keeper allrounder from a top 10 Test team.

Also you can make up for any batting weakness of a specialist batsmen from Ireland or Afghanistan by having more allrounders in the team, but if you try do that for a specialist bowler with allrounders you just end up having a specialist who probably won't even bowl.

I picked Murturgh - he's a decent enough bowler but obviously not in the class of my other bowlers.

But he's my 4th seamer so wouldn't weaken the bowling but is a handy enough option if required.

 

[JordanTheExplorer]

1. AN Cook
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Kevin O'Brien
4. SR Tendulkar
5. Andrew Flower
6. AB De Villiers (wk)
7. Shakib-Al-Hasan
8. Richard Hadlee
9. M Muralidharan
10. CEL Ambrose
11. G McGrath

2nd team -

1. AN Cook
2. Saeed Anwar
3. K Sangakkara (wk)
4. J Kallis
5. Andrew Flower
6. Kevin O'Brien
7. Shakib-Al-Hasan
8. Richard Hadlee
9. R Ashwin
10. CEL Ambrose
11. G McGrath

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Thought I'd try and make it more complicated by seeing if I could make a line-up with 11 countries featuring only players who've played tests for more than 1 country:

1.
2. Frank Hearne (Eng/RSA)
3. Nawab of Pataudi Snr. (Ind/Eng)
4. Kepler Wessels (RSA/Aus)
5. Gary Ballance (Eng/Zim)
6.
7. Abdul Hafeez Kardar (Ind/Pak)
8. Sammy Guillen (WI/NZ)
9. Albert Trott (Aus/Eng)
10. John Traicos (RSA/Zim)
11. Boyd Rankin (Eng/Ire)

Unfortunately, I can't find any Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan or Afghani candidates.

If I dropped down to ODI levels, I could fill the gaps with Eoin Morgan, Ed Joyce or Clayton Lambert - but that doesn't really add any more completion to the exercise. Lambert I guess adds the USA into the number of countries represented which would take it to 10 (Eng, RSA, Ind, Aus, Zim, Pak, WI, NZ, Ire, USA)

 

[h_hurricane]

@honestbharani (Trinidad)
@subshakerz (Pakistan)
@Flem274* (New Zealand)
@kyear2 (Barbados)
@Kenneth Viljoen (South Africa)
@Aritro (Bangladesh)
@ankitj (India)
@GIMH (England)
@cnerd123 (Hong Kong)
@TheJediBrah (Australia)
@Migara (Sri Lanka)

Looking forward to HB and Subshakerz opening the batting.

TJB and Migara to try and run each other out.

Ankit to Shardul down the order.

Kyear2 in the cordon.

 

[honestbharani]

@honestbharani (Trinidad)
@subshakerz (Pakistan)
@Flem274* (New Zealand)
@kyear2 (Barbados)
@Kenneth Viljoen (South Africa)
@Aritro (Bangladesh)
@ankitj (India)
@GIMH (England)
@cnerd123 (Hong Kong)
@TheJediBrah (Australia)
@Migara (Sri Lanka)

Looking forward to HB and Subshakerz opening the batting.

TJB and Migara to try and run each other out.

Ankit to Shardul down the order.

Kyear2 in the cordon.

Flem to KP the squad?

Also @Shri instead of @cnerd123 . Cnerd aint good enough.