Garry Sobers v Imran Khan,Test Cricket:Poll

[hang on]

If a cross section of cricket fans were asked to name their All Time Test XI - yeah I know, it's an absolutely impossible task unless one happens to work for cricinfo (or post with alarming frequency on Cricket Web); so let's just assume that some one put a gun to their head and forced them to do it - I think Sobers would figure in the majority of those, and Imran would be there in quite a few. Can't see Botham, Hadlee or Kapil getting much of a mention.

if it had to be one all rounder only (bowling or batting), then it would be sobers over all others. if there was another spot available, then i could see the others get a mention.

and, since i enjoy picking and arguing about all time test teams and suchlike fruitless but massively entertaining exercises, here goes:

hobbs (or richards)
gavaskar (or sehwag. know it would sound like anathema to some but hey, it would be good to see barry and viru open and put the fear of god into the bowlers. and then bradman to come! oh lord!)
bradman
tendulkar
lara or richards (depends on the day)
sobers
gilchrist
khan
warne (toss of the coin. gets it over murali purely for flair)
marshall
ambrose

12th: murali

seems like a copout and so here is the team with no 'depends' or 'flair' and suchlike cobblers:

hobbs
gavaskar
bradman
tendulkar
lara
sobers
gilchrist
khan
marshall
murali
ambrose

 

[Howe_zat]

The important thing to remember with an All-time XI is that you're picking at a higher level than Tests. So lower-order batting is always, always a plus. Think about it, just about any Test cricketer is an all-rounder at club level. So an allrounder at Test level might have to make do with one discipline at this higher level.

So if Monty Panesar's batting can keep him out of England's Test lineup, who's to say that McGrath's batting couldn't keep him out of an all-time XI?

A lot of folks here put Hadlee in their team I think, as a specialist bowler whose batting is an added bonus.

*raises hand*

6-9 of Sobers, Gilchrist, Imran, Hadlee (Y)

 

[smash84]

I do think that the difference between Imran and Hadlee's batting is greater than the difference between their bowling. Hence Imran would be preferable over Hadlee.

Hadlee's batting was a bit like Wasim Akram. Potential but never really materializing as often as it should have.

 

[smash84]

]

*raises hand*

6-9 of Sobers, Gilchrist, Imran, Hadlee (Y)

I wouldn't mind that batting order

 

[Spark]

So if Monty Panesar's batting can keep him out of England's Test lineup, who's to say that McGrath's batting couldn't keep him out of an all-time XI?

Clearly someone didn't watch Rob's video before it was pulled.

 

[vcs]

The important thing to remember with an All-time XI is that you're picking at a higher level than Tests. So lower-order batting is always, always a plus. Think about it, just about any Test cricketer is an all-rounder at club level. So an allrounder at Test level might have to make do with one discipline at this higher level.

So if Monty Panesar's batting can keep him out of England's Test lineup, who's to say that McGrath's batting couldn't keep him out of an all-time XI?



*raises hand*

6-9 of Sobers, Gilchrist, Imran, Hadlee (Y)

Throw in Warne and Marshall and it's a team that can bat all the way down to 11.

 

[Teja.]

Know my AT XI will probably look most peculiar to anyone else but here goes:-

Post 1920 AT XI:-

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Bradman
Tendulkar
Sobers
Gilchrist
Miller
Khan
Hadlee
Pollock (S)
Murali

Don't intend to bowl Sobers, makes the cut as a batsman/fielder alone. Sutcliffe easily replaceable by Hutton/Gavaskar, Tendulkar/Sobers easily replaceable by many, prime candidates being Hammond and Headley. Gilchirst not replaceable. The four all-rounders not replaceable. Murali easily repleacable by Laker, O'Reilly, Grimmet or Warne.

 

[smash84]

Know my AT XI will probably look most peculiar to anyone else but here goes:-

Post 1920 AT XI:-

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Bradman
Tendulkar
Sobers
Gilchrist
Miller
Khan
Hadlee
Pollock (S)
Murali

Don't intend to bowl Sobers, makes the cut as a batsman/fielder alone. Sutcliffe easily replaceable by Hutton/Gavaskar, Tendulkar/Sobers easily replaceable by many, prime candidates being Hammond and Headley. Gilchirst not replaceable. The four all-rounders not replaceable. Murali easily repleacable by Laker, O'Reilly, Grimmet or Warne.

lol.......it is a very different ATXI

 

[archie mac]

Know my AT XI will probably look most peculiar to anyone else but here goes:-

Post 1920 AT XI:-

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Bradman
Tendulkar
Sobers
Gilchrist
Miller
Khan
Hadlee
Pollock (S)
Murali

Don't intend to bowl Sobers, makes the cut as a batsman/fielder alone. Sutcliffe easily replaceable by Hutton/Gavaskar, Tendulkar/Sobers easily replaceable by many, prime candidates being Hammond and Headley. Gilchirst not replaceable. The four all-rounders not replaceable. Murali easily repleacable by Laker, O'Reilly, Grimmet or Warne.

Quite like that, six of those would be in my team. Although I tend to change the make up from day to day. I like your team becasue you have at least included some players prior to 1970, most tend to pick ten from post 1970 and Bradman

 

[Mike5181]

1. Jack Hobbs
2. Leonard Hutton
3. Donald Bradman
4. Vivian Richards
5. Sachin Tendulkar
6. Garfield Sobers
7. Adam Gilchrist+
8. Shane Warne
9. Richard Hadlee
10. Wasim Akram
11. Malcolm Marshall

1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Barry Richards
3. George Headley
4. Brian Lara
5. Graeme Pollock
6. Wally Hammond
7. Imran Khan
8. Alan Knot+
9. Curtly Ambrose
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Mutiah Muralitharan

1. Matthew Hayden
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Javed Miandad
5. Greg Chappell
6. Andy Flower+
7. Jacques Kallis
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Michael Holding
10. Allan Donald
11. Glenn McGrath

 

[archie mac]

1. Jack Hobbs
2. Leonard Hutton
3. Donald Bradman
4. Vivian Richards
5. Sachin Tendulkar
6. Garfield Sobers
7. Adam Gilchrist+
8. Shane Warne
9. Richard Hadlee
10. Wasim Akram
11. Malcolm Marshall

1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Barry Richards
3. George Headley
4. Brian Lara
5. Graeme Pollock
6. Wally Hammond
7. Imran Khan
8. Alan Knot+
9. Curtly Ambrose
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Mutiah Muralitharan

1. Matthew Hayden
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Javed Miandad
5. Greg Chappell
6. Andy Flower+
7. Jacques Kallis
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Michael Holding
10. Allan Donald
11. Glenn McGrath

Ooh'ah at No.11 and in the 3rd team SS to hand you 10 infraction points

Good teams imho

 

[smash84]

1. Jack Hobbs
2. Leonard Hutton
3. Donald Bradman
4. Vivian Richards
5. Sachin Tendulkar
6. Garfield Sobers
7. Adam Gilchrist+
8. Shane Warne
9. Richard Hadlee
10. Wasim Akram
11. Malcolm Marshall

1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Barry Richards
3. George Headley
4. Brian Lara
5. Graeme Pollock
6. Wally Hammond
7. Imran Khan
8. Alan Knot+
9. Curtly Ambrose
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Mutiah Muralitharan

1. Matthew Hayden
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Javed Miandad
5. Greg Chappell
6. Andy Flower+
7. Jacques Kallis
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Michael Holding
10. Allan Donald
11. Glenn McGrath

Three very good teams.

 

[salman85]

Replace Headley with Kallis in the 2nd one though.

 

[Mike5181]

Replace Headley with Kallis in the 2nd one though.

Hmm i completely forgot about Kallis. Headley was the black Bradman?

 

[smash84]

Headley was the black Bradman?

No he was not the black Bradman.

He was only called the black Bradman

 

[weldone]

Hmm i completely forgot about Kallis. Headley was the black Bradman?

No he was not the black Bradman.

He was only called the black Bradman

Well, there were many who called Bradman 'the white Headley'. I'm not suggesting that they were very prudent, though

 

[Mike5181]

. Any other players we can think of that would be in one of those teams? That we have actually seen i guess.

 

[smash84]

The Black Bradmen Viv Richards and Brian Lara

 

[sehwag fan]

ICC all rounder ratings

Sobers peak rating =669(Greatest of all time) Imran peak rating =513

ICC all rounder rankings

From 1962-1974 Sobers=1

Imran khan, Hadlee, Botham and Kapil Dev had no.1 spot for some times between 1978-94.

Now Sobers vs Imran on ratings

At his peak(1962-1974) Sobers had all rounder ratings below 500 points for 2 years.

At his peak (1982-92) Imran had all rounder ratings above 500 points for only 7 months.

Sobers >>>>>Imran.


Reliance ICC Player Rankings

Garry sobers is without doubt the greatest all rounder of all time by very high margin. And kallis as well as Keith miller are better all rounder than Imran.

Reliance ICC Player Rankings

Reliance ICC Player Rankings

 

[Austerlitz]

Sobers head,imran heart.