Greatest XI for your County/State

[capt_Luffy]

Interesting. WB was always home to India's most prestigious stadium though. And cricket's popularity in the state never seemed to be any lower than in other states.

In all honesty, Mumbai has historically produced like 60% of all cricketers for India. Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab are the only other states with definitely much better players than Bengal, and they didn't had to fight with football for attention, which in many ways is still more popular, and definitely culturally plays a huge role. And again, we just relatively sucked. It happens to many regions really, I will say UP is an even bigger WTF case (considering Bihar self explanatory).

 

[ankitj]

In all honesty, Mumbai has historically produced like 60% of all cricketers for India. Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab are the only other states with definitely much better players than Bengal, and they didn't had to fight with football for attention, which in many ways is still more popular, and definitely culturally plays a huge role. And again, we just relatively sucked. It happens to many regions really, I will say UP is an even bigger WTF case (considering Bihar self explanatory).

UP has lagged behind in pretty much all fields since independence. WB has excelled in everything from arts to literature to science. So it's always felt like an oddity that they haven't produced that many world class cricketers. Competition with football is probably the best explanation.

 

[Coronis]

Gauteng/Transvaal

1.Barry Richards
2.Graeme Smith
3.Jimmy Cook
4.Graeme Pollock
5.Eddie Barlow
6.Aubrey Faulkner
7.Jock Cameron (WK)
8.Clive Rice (C)
9.Mike Procter
10.Vince Van Der Bijl
11.Kagiso Rabada

Pretty sure Richards and Procter didn’t play for Transvaal.

 

[Silver Silva]

Pretty sure Richards and Procter didn’t play for Transvaal.

Cricinfo says Barry Richards has though

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Barbados

Gordon Greenidge
Conrad Hunte
Frank Worrell
Everton Weekes
Garry Sobers
Clyde Walcott
Seymour Nurse
Malcolm Marshall
Joel Garner
Sylvester Clarke
Wes Hall

That’s a damn fine looking team.

 

[Red]

Victoria is an interesting exercise

If you go on international success and rep:


Woodfull *
Lawry
Harvey
Ponsford
Hassett
Miller
Armstrong
Blackham +
Warne
Hughes
Johnston

Would be interesting to select a side only based on Shield record though.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Cricinfo says they have though

Richards did play for Transvaal , Procter didn't think I made an error , I'll put Neil Adcock instead

 

[kyear2]

That’s a damn fine looking team.

Then when you factor in the size of the country....

 

[Coronis]

Cricinfo says Barry Richards has though

Played a single game for a “Transvaal XI” not in currie cup or anything like that.

 

[the big bambino]

Because they cheat and call Don Bradman, Allan Border, Adam Gilchrist and Usman Khawaja as NSW when they played the majority of shield cricket elsewhere

Note they “cheat” by picking people born in NSW and who played for NSW for NSW. Poacher states can suck it. It’s like Hampshire stealing Marshall from Barbados.

 

[Burgey]

Barbados imo is the only non-Test playing side which could compete with NSW's AT XI

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Barbados imo is the only non-Test playing side which could compete with NSW's AT XI

Yorkshire?

 

[Chubb]

Yorkshire?

Yorkshire has been cancelled. Len Hutton has questions to answer.

 

[Burgey]

Yorkshire?

Think their bowling probably doesn’t cut it against the other two sides tbh

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Think their bowling probably doesn’t cut it against the other two sides tbh

Probably fair. Would need big runs, a couple of early wickets for Trueman, and then hope Rhodes and Verity could spin some magic.

 

[kyear2]

Barbados imo is the only non-Test playing side which could compete with NSW's AT XI

Fully agree.

 

[Line and Length]

Western Australia didn't play Shield Cricket until 1947 but this line-up isn't too bad.

Bob Simpson
Justin Langer
Ross Edwards
Kim Hughes
Damien Martyn
John Inverarity
Adam Gilchrist
Bruce Yardley
Dennis Lillee
Graham McKenzie
Terry Alderman

Unlucky: Geoff Marsh, Rod Marsh, Tom Moody, Cam Green, Tony Lock, Bruce Reid

 

[Qlder]

Western Australia didn't play Shield Cricket until 1947 but this line-up isn't too bad.

Bob Simpson
Justin Langer
Ross Edwards
Kim Hughes
Damien Martyn
John Inverarity
Adam Gilchrist
Bruce Yardley
Dennis Lillee
Graham McKenzie
Terry Alderman

Unlucky: Geoff Marsh, Rod Marsh, Tom Moody, Cam Green, Tony Lock, Bruce Reid

Where's Mike Hussey and Adam Voges?

 

[Line and Length]

Where's Mike Hussey and Adam Voges?

Serious oversights. They could replace Edwards and Inverarity. I must confess, I relied heavily on my 50th Anniversary (1947-1997) album of collector cards. As a result, the obvious selection of Gilchrist was the only more recent pick.

 

[Northerner]

Derbyshire

John Wright
Lawrence Rowe
Ron Headley
Peter Kirsten
Eddie Barlow
Kim Barnett
Bob Taylor
Geoff Miller
Mike Hendrick
Les Jackson
Mike Holding

12th man Devon Malcolm or Dominic Cork,