Pick An All Time XI Comp.

[SJS]

Revised picks, assuming that I've understood Archie's hints correctly and that the Jungle Jumbo is throwing in red herrings:

Hobbs (Era 2)
Hutton (Era 3)
Bradman (auto)
Lara (Era 5)
Hammond (Era 2)
Sobers (Era 3)
Blackham (Era 1)
Marshall (Era 4)
Lillee (Era 4)
Muralitharan (Era 5)
SF Barnes (Era 1)

I don't think this is right, and I think I've confused myself horribly trying to incorporate Archie's hints, but I had Lara as the middle order bat not mentioned and Hutton as the opener not mentioned. I decided Archie would have insisted on one of Lillee or Warne, and thus included Lillee, at the expense of Knott. With Murali and Lara precluding Gilly, I went back to Blackham filling the era 1 quota, wicket keeping role and Archie's sense of romance.

Thats a VERY good side almostas good as one can get. I might have taken Imran in place of Marshall since with Blackham as keeper the batting is not much to talk of after Sobers. Imran would bring a better batting option for number seven.

Otherwise very good.

Not many people seemed to be taking the fielding into account. I think Archie mentioned something about it, no ?

 

[neville cardus]

Not many people seemed to be taking the fielding into account. I think Archie mentioned something about it, no ?

I've got Hobbs, Bradman, Richards, Woolley, Sobers and Warne -- all brilliant specialists in their respective positions.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

Trumper (1)
Hobbs (2)
Bradman (A)
Hammond (2)
Sobers (3)
Imran (4)
Gilchrist (5)
Marshall (4)
Laker (3)
McGrath (5)
Barnes (1)

Pretty good team I thinks.

Edit: Swapped in Imran and McGrath for Lara and Hadlee. Sobers can bat at 5
Another Edit: Swapped out Grace for Trumper, if we're only going on Test Match performances (I still think Grace is in the top 5 all time cricketers).

 

[SJS]

Trumper (1)
Hobbs (2)
Bradman (A)
Hammond (2)
Sobers (3)
Imran (4)
Gilchrist (5)
Marshall (4)
Laker (3)
McGrath (5)
Barnes (1)

Pretty good team I thinks.

Edit: Swapped in Imran and McGrath for Lara and Hadlee. Sobers can bat at 5
Another Edit: Swapped out Grace for Trumper, if we're only going on Test Match performances (I still think Grace is in the top 5 all time cricketers).

Very good side but remember Archie_Mac's hints. At number four and as one of the openers, someone who had not been named till then (when he posted the hint.

A bit heavy in bowling with six bowlers and a bit not that strong in batting with Imran at six.

With such great bowlers why do we need six of them.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

Very good side but remember Archie_Mac's hints. At number four and as one of the openers, someone who had not been named till then (when he posted the hint.

I picked what I thought was the best team I could come up with. I wouldn't choose players merely because Archie recommended them.

A bit heavy in bowling with six bowlers and a bit not that strong in batting with Imran at six.

With such great bowlers why do we need six of them.

Sobers I felt was good enough to bat at 5. Imran also averaged 50+ with the bat after 1986. My bowling attack is the real strength of the team, but I think that the batting lineup isn't bad either.

 

[neville cardus]

I picked what I thought was the best team I could come up with. I wouldn't choose players merely because Archie recommended them.

In that case, you're missing the point.

 

[archie mac]

Okay, I will post it up today, so you have around an hour left

 

[archie mac]

Okay it is up now

Link on the first page of this thread

 

[Fusion]

Okay it is up now

Link on the first page of this thread

So our side in batting order is:

Jack Hobbs
Len Hutton
Don Bradman (c)
Viv Richards
Victor Trumper
Garry Sobers
Adam Gilchrist WK
Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
SF Barnes
Bill O'Reilly

Not a bad side, though it wouldn't be close to my all-time XI. It was fun reading this thread and people's attempt to guess the side!

 

[SJS]

Not a bad side, though it wouldn't be close to my all-time XI. It was fun reading this thread and people's attempt to guess the side!

Putting Trumper in the middle order almost assured that no one would get it right. Thats a low blow Archie_mac

 

[biased indian]

Jack Hobbs
Len Hutton
Don Bradman (c)
Viv Richards
Victor Trumper
Garry Sobers
Adam Gilchrist WK
Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
SF Barnes
Bill O'Reilly

hmmm not bad ..but far off from my all time X1

 

[archie mac]

Putting Trumper in the middle order almost assured that no one would get it right. Thats a low blow Archie_mac

Well he did play there in the later part of his career

It should be remembered that this is not my all time XI but it is the side I came up with with the era restrictions. I enjoyed putting it together though

 

[SJS]

Well he did play there in the later part of his career

It should be remembered that this is not my all time XI but it is the side I came up with with the era restrictions. I enjoyed putting it together though

I know but one tends to think of him as an opener primarily though he was pretty successful in the middle order or at one down.

I am very surprised to see Wasim Akran on that list. He stands out the most as not belonging there.

The other thing is the amount of aggression in that side after the openers. Richards, Trumper, Sobersand Gilchrist in succession after Bradman suggests a very aggressive approach. Was that deliberate ? IOr did you try to compensate for the staid openers?

One gets the feeling that both solidity in batting (for tests) and behind the stumps are slightly less than could be achieved from such a huge pool.

 

[archie mac]

I know but one tends to think of him as an opener primarily though he was pretty successful in the middle order or at one down.

I am very surprised to see Wasim Akran on that list. He stands out the most as not belonging there.

The other thing is the amount of aggression in that side after the openers. Richards, Trumper, Sobersand Gilchrist in succession after Bradman suggests a very aggressive approach. Was that deliberate ? IOr did you try to compensate for the staid openers?

One gets the feeling that both solidity in batting (for tests) and behind the stumps are slightly less than could be achieved from such a huge pool.

Hobbs could score fairly quickly, and Hutton was so good I am sure he could adapt

Yes I would like to watch this side bat, I enjoy free scoring batsman, that are easy on the eye

Wicket keeper was hard, how do you decide who was best behind the stumps? So I simply decided on the best batsman and gave it to Gilly

I thought with Akram bowling left arm quick (not many in the history of the game) would be a distinct difference, he could also reverse swing the ball and could bowl the unplayable delivery when in top form

 

[andruid]

Mathew Hayden
Sunil Gavaskar
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
+Adam Gilchrist
Gary Sobers
*Imran Khan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Joel Garner
Glenn Mcgrath

12th man
Roger Harper

Took some head scratching esp with the Wk and Opening pair but thats my final selection

 

[archie mac]

Mathew Hayden
Sunil Gavaskar
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
+Adam Gilchrist
Gary Sobers
*Imran Khan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Joel Garner
Glenn Mcgrath

12th man
Roger Harper

Took some head scratching esp with the Wk and Opening pair but thats my final selection

'Big Bird' was a surprise, but then again he averaged less than 22 with the ball (from memory)

 

[neville cardus]

Not a bad side, though it wouldn't be close to my all-time XI. It was fun reading this thread and people's attempt to guess the side!

At least it'd be an attractive one. I'd pay good money to see any these fellers in action.

 

[The Sean]

At least it'd be an attractive one. I'd pay good money to see any these fellers in action.

You DID see most of them in action, didn't you...?

 

[Ikki]

Mathew Hayden
Sunil Gavaskar
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
+Adam Gilchrist
Gary Sobers
*Imran Khan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Joel Garner
Glenn Mcgrath

12th man
Roger Harper

Took some head scratching esp with the Wk and Opening pair but thats my final selection

You have like 5 players from the same era.

 

[andruid]

You have like 5 players from the same era.

ooops