Real time draft- voting poll

[ankitj]

As for my own team, I made a couple of mistakes under time pressure. I picked Walsh only to complete the West Indian quota when I was tempted to pick Steyn. This was a mistake considering that there is no dearth of greats from WI. I ended up with 3 West Indians at the end! Other mistake was just completely forgetting about Nourse. I had him in my mind till the end but when time came I picked Kanhai.Cabinet grabbed him in very next turn. Other than I could have picked Walcott add wicket keeper instead of Flower when both were available.

At the end expected to be in top 3 and glad that I am there.

 

[watson]

As for my own team, I made a couple of mistakes under time pressure. I picked Walsh only to complete the West Indian quota when I was tempted to pick Steyn. This was a mistake considering that there is no dearth of greats from WI. I ended up with 3 West Indians at the end! Other mistake was just completely forgetting about Nourse. I had him in my mind till the end but when time came I picked Kanhai.Cabinet grabbed him in very next turn. Other than I could have picked Walcott add wicket keeper instead of Flower when both were available.

At the end expected to be on top 3 and glad that I am there.

Kanhai is a great batsman and on a par with Nourse at the very least. In fact having Kanhai in your batting line-up was one of the reasons I voted for your team Antitj. And this is despite the fact that you had him at No.5 rather than at No.3. In the No.3 position Kanhai is in the same league as Viv Richards or Ricky Ponting.

 

[Himannv]

Went with Cabinet, AZH and Watson. Cabinet is easily the best as I alluded to earlier.

 

[morgieb]

Rather than? That's your team BTW

Cut myself off..that was "depth". I deffo wouldn't have picked a couple of players you did when you did.

 

[Coronis]

Coronis - arguably the best batting of the lot, but the bowling isn't really good at this level.

Yep, focused too much on the batsmen in the early rounds.

 

[ankitj]

Cut myself off..that was "depth". I deffo wouldn't have picked a couple of players you did when you did.

Flower at 7 and Imran at 8 provide good batting depth, and Kallis as 5th bowler provides good bowling depth. Or are you referring to something else?

Have to say your first 3 picks (Imran, Murali, Kallis) were brilliant. Quite surprising that you were allowed to pick both Imran (who is generally in first 5 picks of a draft) and Murali (who was one of only 2 really great cricketers from SL-NZ combination).

 

[SJS]

Yep, focused too much on the batsmen in the early rounds.

Yes it IS the best batting side. The bowling is not bad. I think Bond suffers from the fewer Tests he has played but remember there are not many bowlers in the history of the game who took more wickets in the first 18 Tests of their careers. Of the new ball bowlers (minimum 100 career wickets), I could find only 5 (Barnes, Roberts, Garber, Tate and Wes Hall) above him. I think only Garner from those 5 is in any of these teams. All others are below Bond at the 18 over level.

For me one of the greatest tragedies of the last 20 years of watchin Test cricket is losing Bond at the highest level. It would have been such a delight to see the flowering of this awesome bowler if he had enjoyed a normal career.

He has to be judged by the amount he played and he comes out very well indeed. I do not remember enjoying the bowling of any fast bowler since Waqar as much as I enjoyed Bond's during his short career.

Who can predict what would have happened further along his career but if we can consider Philander at such a short career as the equal, if not the better, of Steyn, I think in Bond you have a great partner to Lindwall.

Underwood too is a deadly bowler on tracks with just a whiff of help to the bowler. A leggie would have been better of course.