How great is your all time great Team ??

[SJS]

The wicket keeper? Well, W Sherwell of South Africa, Dick Lilley, England and HCarter of Australia take some leaving out! Aye, they were all three of them good 'uns.I have chose Oldfield because he is so good, at his best, at taking every-kind of bowling and important thing. he has such a straight bat. Cameron kept magnificently all last season and was a high class batsman but, judged by Test standards, he was not a safe batsman. He was almost too brilliant for Test cricket....in a sries, let us say, of ten Test matches, Cameron might be backed, and Oldfield certainly not, to hit a brilliant hundred and fidtyit is a sure thing that the last named would have had a higher average...played more utility innings... Both ar right up high in the first flight of wicket keepers...​

Then he explains the selection which, at this distyance is the most perplexing...

Mr. Jack Mason. He was a greater all round cricketer than the world ever knew, and was enormously popular. I know that the best leaders are not necessarily the most popular ones, but if we of Kent have a voice in cricket, I know I am speaking with it when I say that the Kent XI, who knew Mr Mason better than anyone, would have done anything for him. In my World XI he adds appreciably to the bowling strength, and helps to strengthen it in what I recognise as its only weak spot, the slips.

M.r Mason was a very fine slip fielder, though I must own that he and KS Ranjitsinhji and Mr Foster are not as strong a set of slips as would be Mr MacLaren, Hammond and Gregory of the opposing team.

My sticky wicket batting - Tyldesley, Ranji, Hobbs, Trumper, Macartney and Mr Mason is stronger.....In bowling which one would you rather bat against?.... I should not strap on my pads bursting with confidence against either set.​

Hmmm. still difficult to agree to Mason. Hammond is a great batsman, a good medium pacer and a great slip fielder. Gregory and Noble are both all rounders with much more impressive, by far, international records than Mason. One will need to read up more on Mr Mason to understand why Frank Woolley thinks his county captain was good enough to lead an Earth XI.

 

[steve132]

Then the elegant left hander goes on to explain his selections.

I gave Trumper and Macartney the preference over Macartney as I have not seen Bradman get scores after rain and he has not yet had the class of bowling to compete against that both the others had. I have also in mind the flawlessly straight bats of Trumper and Macartney and the occasionally very cross bat of the present idol of Australia. Bradman is not a better field than were the other two in their respective positions and, in fact, is not as good as Trumper was in the deep field. Trumper could throw well over a hundred yards and his return from the deep was always quicker than the more leisurely but otherwise perfect return of the Don. I am not suggesting that Bradman can not throw in fiecely from the outfield, as I have seen him do it, but well I have my preference and I have stated it.

Trumper is superior for certainty of scoring off the good length ball _ the supreme test, this of batsmanship- I have ever known. . .

Trumper was a beautiful player. He raised batting higher than anyone else I have seen. He, if any one ever did, made of it a physical fine art. What a pity he was born too soon and there is, therefore, no cinematographic record to show the world in slow motion how graceful a man can be when wielding a cricket bat.

In a much more sedate way, our own Willie Quaife was the nearest approach to Trumper in this matter of perfect execution. I did not see the late Lionel Palairet so can not give my own opinion where is his place among batsmen to watch whom was a sheer pleasure.

Trumper's movements to batting were what those of Barnes were to bowling. A more beautiful, though hostile, action than Barnes I never saw. I can npt see how it could have been improved upon. The more sinuous and limpid swing of Mr FR Foster, for all its smoothness, was almost clumsy by comparison to Sid's. A great and workman like pair these two, so opposite in style as well as angle of delivery, and such attackers both of them!

Friendly opponents of my World XI may pick and chose and sort and sift where they like. I defy them to name, as a pair, a better (one) than Mr Foster and Barnes anong bowlers of my time, 1906-1935.

Very interesting indeed. Great to hear of the comparison between Trumper and Bradman's fielding and even for those who violently disagree with Bradman not being in the XI, the description of the beauty of Trumper's game from one of the most beautiful looking left handed batsmen by all accounts must come as absolutely delightful.

I love the description of Barnes bowling, again against a stylish left armer like Foster.
Lovely.

- to be continued​

SJS - Great stuff.

Trumper is the most difficult of all batsmen to evaluate. Although his statistics are unspectacular, many of his contemporaries rated him a better batsman than Hobbs or even Bradman. He was perhaps the most brilliant strokeplayer ever, and he's certainly the batsman I would most like to have seen.

 

[SJS]

SJS - Great stuff.

Trumper is the most difficult of all batsmen to evaluate. Although his statistics are unspectacular, many of his contemporaries rated him a better batsman than Hobbs or even Bradman. He was perhaps the most brilliant strokeplayer ever, and he's certainly the batsman I would most like to have seen.

My sentiments exactly.

In fact I have an all time XI that I would love to see and Trumper is the opener and there is no Bradman, I am sorry to say although Bradman is the first player I'd pick in the greatest all time XI.

 

[SJS]

My sentiments exactly.

In fact I have an all time XI that I would love to see and Trumper is the opener and there is no Bradman, I am sorry to say although Bradman is the first player I'd pick in the greatest all time XI.

Oh I forgot. Here is my Dream Team

These are not all the players I consider the greatest of all time which is why Bradman, Hobbs etc are not there. They are also not here because of the towering personalities or iconic figures they were otherwise WG would be top of that list. These are all players whose skills with the bat or ball or the keeping gloves I would most like to see first hand.

1. Victor Trumper
2. Archie Jackson
3. Ranjitsinhji
4. Reggie Spooner
5. George Gunn
6. Frank Woolley
7. Bart King
8. Bert Oldfield
9. Harold Larwood
10. SF Barnes
11. Lohmann

 

[The Sean]

Oh I forgot. Here is my Dream Team

These are not all the players I consider the greatest of all time which is why Bradman, Hobbs etc are not there. They are also not here because of the towering personalities or iconic figures they were otherwise WG would be top of that list. These are all players whose skills with the bat or ball or the keeping gloves I would most like to see first hand.

1. Victor Trumper
2. Archie Jackson
3. Ranjitsinhji
4. Reggie Spooner
5. George Gunn
6. Frank Woolley
7. Bart King
8. Bert Oldfield
9. Harold Larwood
10. SF Barnes
11. Lohmann

Would pay a lot to see that side in action SJS, though I'm surprised you've gone for Spooner or Gunn over Jessop.

 

[The Sean]

I gave Trumper and Macartney the preference over Macartney as I have not seen Bradman get scores after rain

This statement of course inspired Ray Robinson's wonderfully wry riposte, where he stated that given the choice he'd pick Bradman and take a chance on the weather.

 

[aussie]

Oh I forgot. Here is my Dream Team

These are not all the players I consider the greatest of all time which is why Bradman, Hobbs etc are not there. They are also not here because of the towering personalities or iconic figures they were otherwise WG would be top of that list. These are all players whose skills with the bat or ball or the keeping gloves I would most like to see first hand.

1. Victor Trumper
2. Archie Jackson
3. Ranjitsinhji
4. Reggie Spooner
5. George Gunn
6. Frank Woolley
7. Bart King
8. Bert Oldfield
9. Harold Larwood
10. SF Barnes
11. Lohmann

Never heard of Bart King before. But some other old players i would like to have seen played would have been fast-men like JJ Kotze, Kortwright, Tom Richardson & Tibby Cotter.

 

[The Sean]

Never heard of Bart King before.

Read up on him - had he hailed from England or Australia, rather than the United States, it is conceivable that we would today speak of him in the same breath as Barnes or Spofforth.

 

[jaideep]

my greatest test 11

jack hobbs
barry richards
don bradman
brian lara
gary sobers
adam gilchrist
imran khan
malcom marshall
bill o'reilly
sydney barnes
glenn mcgrath

 

[stephen]

My all time XI:

Hobbs
Gavaskar
Bradman
Tendulkar
IVA Richards
Sobers
Gilchrist+
Marshall
Warne
Ambrose
McGrath

 

[stephen]

My 2nd XI:

Hayden
Hutton
Ponting
Lara
G Pollock
Miller
Imran Khan
Healy
Lillee
Barnes
Murali

 

[stephen]

My Aus XI:

Trumper
Hayden
Bradman
Ponting
G Chappell
Border (c)
Gilchrist+
Lindwall
Warne
Lillee
McGrath

12th man - Miller (would love to have fitted him in, but for balance reasons I find it impossible)

 

[stephen]

My WIndies XI:

Greenidge
Haynes
IVA Richards (c)
Headley
Lara
Sobers
Dujon+
Marshall
Holding
Garner
Ambrose

 

[King Pietersen]

Stephen, you've got Sir Viv in both your teams

My Team:

Sir Jack Hobbs
Barry Richards
Sir Donald Bradman
Sir Vivian Richards
Graham Pollock
Sir Garfield Sobers
Adam Gilchrist +
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillee
Malcolm Marshall
Sydney Barnes

 

[aussie]

My ATXI:

Hobbs
Gavaskar
Bradman
Tendulkar
Richards
Sobers
Imran Khan (c)
Knott
Hadlee
Marshall
Muralitharan

12th man: Lillee

Only recent change for me has been Knott for Gilchrist. I have sort of come around to feel in a hypotetical team with such a great top 6, i can opt to go for the supreme glovesman instead of Gilly.

 

[stephen]

Stephen, you've got Sir Viv in both your teams

Fixed

 

[Ikki]

My Aus XI:

Trumper
Hayden
Bradman
Ponting
G Chappell
Border (c)
Gilchrist+
Lindwall
Warne
Lillee
McGrath

12th man - Miller (would love to have fitted him in, but for balance reasons I find it impossible)

For Lindwall? May give you slightly less with the ball but much more with the bat. Apart from Trumper I think that's still a very good side, but Lillee, McGrath, Warne and Miller are enough as a bowling attack - for balance - really.

 

[Ikki]

Also something I just realised, in Benaud's XI he doesn't even put Malcolm Marshall in the candidates, let alone getting picked for the XI.

 

[stephen]

For Lindwall? May give you slightly less with the ball but much more with the bat. Apart from Trumper I think that's still a very good side, but Lillee, McGrath, Warne and Miller are enough as a bowling attack - for balance - really.

Lindwall was superior with the ball and in a batting attack which contains Bradman and Gilchrist I really don't think you need the extra 15 runs that Miller might give you. Much more preferable to get the better bowler IMO.

 

[stephen]

Also something I just realised, in Benaud's XI he doesn't even put Malcolm Marshall in the candidates, let alone getting picked for the XI.

Yeah I don't know why. Perhaps it is due to Border's relative success against Marshall? You must not forget that Benaud has watched Australia more than any other team and Border was the most successful batsman against Marshall in the world.