Establishing the best decade for cricket: Finding the ATG XI from 12 decades of test cricket - then having a KO tourney to decide the best

[The Sean]

List of All rounders from this era so we can make a formidable team and keeping them in mind while sorting out the batting order

Aubrey Faulkner
Warwick Armstrong
Wilfred Rhodes
Monty Noble
Frank Woolley (plus point fielding)
Stanley Jackson (slightly batting heavy)
Frank Foster (bowling heavy)
George Hirst (both bat/bowl great records at FC)
Charles Mccartney (batting heavy)

An amazing collection of players, though purely as Test all-rounders it’s Faulkner and Noble a clear one and two for me. Rhodes was an extraordinary cricketer, but as I’ve gone on about incessantly in the past he was rarely, if ever, a genuine force with bat and ball at the same time in Test cricket. And though Hirst was an absolute colossus at FC level, he never quite dominated Tests in the same way (his all-round performance at the Oval in 1902 notwithstanding).

 

[srbhkshk]

If you limit one player to one decade you are skewing the results towards decades which will have their players picked first.

 

[mr_mister]

If you limit one player to one decade you are skewing the results towards decades which will have their players picked first.

yeah, i thought about it a bit longer and deleted the post.

 

[Teuton]

Hobbs
Trumper
Hill

Barnes
Foster (narrowly ahead of Cotter)

 

[ataraxia]

I want Fry in here, but I don't think there's a space for him. Only one of Hirst and Rhodes fit in this I think, and I'm going Hirst for a more balanced bowling lineup. Rhodes was only in his later role of bowling all-rounder for a few years in the decade between being a specialist bowler/bowler who bats to being an opening batsman, whereas Hirst was excellent for 10 years. On the basis of my preferred side being:

Hobbs
Trumper
Ranji
Hill
Armstrong/Macartney
Faulkner
Noble
Hirst
Foster
some keeper
Barnes

I vote for

Hobbs
Trumper
Ranji

Barnes
Foster

 

[smash84]

Trumper/Hobbs
Hill
Barnes/Foster

 

[Line and Length]

Hobbs/Trumper
Ranji

Barnes/Foster

 

[mr_mister]

Hobbs/Trumper
Hill

Barnes/Foster

 

[mr_mister]

This one looks to be a wrap:

Hobbs - 9 votes
Trumper - 9 votes

Hill - 7 votes
Ranji 2 votes

Barnes - 9 votes
Foster - 6 votes
Hirst - 2 votes
Cotter - 1 vote

 

[mr_mister]

Hobbs
Trumper
Hill
-
-
-
-
-
-
Foster
Barnes


Just guessing where Foster and Barnes will end up in the batting order at the moment.

Now we vote on:

1. The best spin bowling option
2. Numbers 4 and 5 in the batting order.

 

[mr_mister]

This part will be a little confusing I think

Most of Ranji's tests came in the 1890s so I won't vote for him here.. Macartney had far more success in the 1920s with the bat.

I'll go Wilfred Rhodes for the premier spinner
Aubrey Faulkner at 4(and backup spinner I guess)
and FS Jackson at 5

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Ranji played 3 matches in 1900 with total of making 19 runs in four innings. He was a beast prior to 1900 so I will nominate him in other decade.

Herbie Taylor was a master at sticky wicket and one of the best imo. At no.4 his average shoots up to 47 . Im selecting him for no4

Hugh Trumble’s record is better post 1900

4. Herbie Taylor
5. Aubrey Faulkner

Hugh Trumble as spinner

 

[Teuton]

Blythe

4. Faulkner
5. Armstrong

 

[The Sean]

Several people voting for Ranji in this line-up. I was tempted to vote him as well, but he unluckily just missed out when I decided that all my top-order batsmen needed to have averaged at least 4.80 for the period in question.

 

[The Sean]

Ranji played 3 matches in 1900 with total of making 19 runs in four innings. He was a beast prior to 1900 so I will nominate him in other decade.

Herbie Taylor was a master at sticky wicket and one of the best imo. At no.4 his average shoots up to 47 . Im selecting him for no4

Hugh Trumble’s record is better post 1900

4. Herbie Taylor
5. Aubrey Faulkner

Hugh Trumble as spinner

One thing to note is that while you're right about Taylor's record at no.4, he only started batting there after the war in the 1920s. During the time period in question here he was almost exclusively an opener.

 

[trundler]

Colin Blythe

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Blythe
Faulkner & FS Jackson

 

[bagapath]

used to run threads for best XIs from different decades....

the order would usually be

two openers
three middle order bats as combo
no 6/ allrounder or batsman
wk
two opening bowlers
one spinner
fourth bowler of any kind or second allrounder

 

[mr_mister]

used to run threads for best XIs from different decades....

the order would usually be

two openers
three middle order bats as combo
no 6/ allrounder or batsman
wk
two opening bowlers
one spinner
fourth bowler of any kind or second allrounder

vote!

 

[Coronis]

List of All rounders from this era so we can make a formidable team and keeping them in mind while sorting out the batting order

Aubrey Faulkner
Warwick Armstrong
Wilfred Rhodes
Monty Noble
Frank Woolley (plus point fielding)
Stanley Jackson (slightly batting heavy)
Frank Foster (bowling heavy)
George Hirst (both bat/bowl great records at FC)
Charles Mccartney (batting heavy)

Wasn’t McCartney a crap batsman in this era?