Test team of the year 2006

[FaaipDeOiad]

Now that the year is actually finished, I'll give the test XI for 2006 a go.

Alastair Cook (1013 runs @ 46.05)
Matthew Hayden (789 runs @ 43.83)
Ricky Ponting (c) (1333 runs @ 88.87)
Mohammad Yousuf (1788 runs @ 99.33)
Kumar Sangakkara (1242 runs @ 69.00)
Michael Hussey (965 runs @ 80.42)
Adam Gilchrist (k) (459 runs @ 38.25)
Shane Warne (218 runs @ 21.80 & 49 wickets @ 30.20)
Stuart Clark (42 wickets @ 17.76)
Makhaya Ntini (58 wickets @ 21.60)
Muttiah Muralitharan (90 wickets @ 16.90)

There's really two tricky spots IMO. Six of the top seven are obvious, with the keeper spot a bit tougher. I didn't want to pick Sangakkara as a keeper as he didn't actually keep the whole year, so Gilchrist is in at 7, who had a fairly good year for a keeper, if a poor year by his standards with the bat. If Sangakkara keeps, Pietersen comes in at 5. With the bowlers, three of them are straightforward, but Warne in the other spot could be switched for Asif (drug ban aside) or perhaps even Sreesanth or Hoggard. Warne gets in for his batting and volume of wickets for me. I'd like an all-rounder at 6, but there's nobody deserving ahead of any of the batsmen.

 

[open365]

^That's the best side IMO, no one i wouldn't pick there.

 

[aussie]

Now that the year is actually finished, I'll give the test XI for 2006 a go.

Alastair Cook (1013 runs @ 46.05)
Matthew Hayden (789 runs @ 43.83)
Ricky Ponting (c) (1333 runs @ 88.87)
Mohammad Yousuf (1788 runs @ 99.33)
Kumar Sangakkara (1242 runs @ 69.00)
Michael Hussey (965 runs @ 80.42)
Adam Gilchrist (k) (459 runs @ 38.25)
Shane Warne (218 runs @ 21.80 & 49 wickets @ 30.20)
Stuart Clark (42 wickets @ 17.76)
Makhaya Ntini (58 wickets @ 21.60)
Muttiah Muralitharan (90 wickets @ 16.90)

There's really two tricky spots IMO. Six of the top seven are obvious, with the keeper spot a bit tougher. I didn't want to pick Sangakkara as a keeper as he didn't actually keep the whole year, so Gilchrist is in at 7, who had a fairly good year for a keeper, if a poor year by his standards with the bat. If Sangakkara keeps, Pietersen comes in at 5. With the bowlers, three of them are straightforward, but Warne in the other spot could be switched for Asif (drug ban aside) or perhaps even Sreesanth or Hoggard. Warne gets in for his batting and volume of wickets for me. I'd like an all-rounder at 6, but there's nobody deserving ahead of any of the batsmen.

Solid stuff, but as you said with the keeper debate, even though Sangakkara didn't play all year as keeper out of the 11 test SRI played in 8 so for me i'd have him over Gilly, since i reckon his keeping would have been pretty good (saw him in England earlier and looked very good)

 

[PhoenixFire]

Now that the year is actually finished, I'll give the test XI for 2006 a go.

Alastair Cook (1013 runs @ 46.05)
Matthew Hayden (789 runs @ 43.83)
Ricky Ponting (c) (1333 runs @ 88.87)
Mohammad Yousuf (1788 runs @ 99.33)
Kumar Sangakkara (1242 runs @ 69.00)
Michael Hussey (965 runs @ 80.42)
Adam Gilchrist (k) (459 runs @ 38.25)
Shane Warne (218 runs @ 21.80 & 49 wickets @ 30.20)
Stuart Clark (42 wickets @ 17.76)
Makhaya Ntini (58 wickets @ 21.60)
Muttiah Muralitharan (90 wickets @ 16.90)

There's really two tricky spots IMO. Six of the top seven are obvious, with the keeper spot a bit tougher. I didn't want to pick Sangakkara as a keeper as he didn't actually keep the whole year, so Gilchrist is in at 7, who had a fairly good year for a keeper, if a poor year by his standards with the bat. If Sangakkara keeps, Pietersen comes in at 5. With the bowlers, three of them are straightforward, but Warne in the other spot could be switched for Asif (drug ban aside) or perhaps even Sreesanth or Hoggard. Warne gets in for his batting and volume of wickets for me. I'd like an all-rounder at 6, but there's nobody deserving ahead of any of the batsmen.

Swap Pietersen for Gilchrist, and get Sangakkara keeping for mine.

 

[aussie]

ODI TEAM OF 2006:

1. Chris Gayle (1217 runs @ 41.96, 29 wickets @ 33.44)
2. Sachin Tendulkar (628 runs @ 44.85)
3. Mahela Jayawardene(1185 runs @ 40.86)
4. Kumar Sangakkara+ (1333 @ 44.43)
5. Yuvraj Singh (849 runs @ 53.06)
6. Mike Hussey (784 runs @ 56.00)
7. Andrew Symonds (761 runs @ 42.27, 20 wickets @ 36.80)
8. Shaun Pollock (379 runs @ 29.15, 32 wickets @ 17.34)
9. Nathan Bracken (46 wickets @ 18.82)
10. Makhaya Ntini (28 wickets @ 19.71)
11. Muttiah Muralitharan (36 wickets @ 31.63).

Just two change i'd make to the ODI team of the year is to have Jayasuriya (1157 runs @ 48.04, 16 wickets @ 40.06) instead of Tendulkar & Lee (44 wickets @ 24.88) instead of Murali (although you can argue that you might need a quality spinner)

 

[nightprowler10]

My updated line up:

Strauss
Hayden
Ponting*
Dravid
Yousuf
Sangakarra+
Flintoff
Warne
Murali
Clark
Ntini

Strauss, Clark, and Ntini in for Sehwag, Lee, and Asif (didn't play enough). Punter takes captaincy away from Dravid.

 

[Perm]

Test Team of 2006

Alistair Cook
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting (c)
Rahul Dravid
Mohammad Yousuf
Michael Hussey
Kumar Sangakkarra (wk)
Andrew Flintoff
Stuart Clark
Makhaya Ntini (Sreesanth)
Muttiah Muralitharan

Flintoff still has reasonably good stats if you would like an all-rounder, if you dont then Sreesanth will be in the lineup, making for a long tail.

 

[Perm]

ODI Team of 2006

Chris Gayle (Shahriar Nafees/Upal Tharanga)
Sanath Jayasuriya
Kumar Sangakarra (wk)
Yuvraj Singh
Andrew Symonds (Sachin Tendulkar/Nathan Astle)
Michael Hussey
Shaun Pollock
Mashrafe Mortaza
Brett Lee
Nathan Bracken
Abdur Razzaq

You could argue with the inclusion of Mortaza and Razzaq but they have taken a lot of wickets and even if it's against lesser opposition they have had good years. The batting was harder, with Tendulkar and Astle not really playing enough to make the side but still have good years. Equally hard were the opener selections, Jayasuriya gets in because of his better average while Gayle, Nafees and Tharanga could all slot in

 

[DCC_legend]

1.Gayle
2.Hayden
3.Ponting
4.Younis Kahn
5.Mohammed Yousuf
6.KP
7.Sangakkara
8.Pollock
9.Panesar
10.Clark
11.McGrath

 

[adharcric]

Cricinfo Test Team of the Year

Alastair Cook
Michael Hussey
Ricky Ponting *
Mohammad Yousuf
Kevin Pietersen
Kumar Sangakarra +
Andrew Flintoff
Shane Warne
Stuart Clark
Makhaya Ntini
Muttiah Muralitharan

Quite similar to a few of the teams chosen in this thread, but Warne really shouldn't be there. On performance, Asif should make the cut and Flintoff should miss out as well. Both Freddie and Warney have been below par over the span of the year. I suppose Dravid would open in that situation, with Hussey to fall down to 6.

 

[ripper868]

Hayden
Langer
Ponting (c)
Hussey
Clarke
Hodge
Gilchrist (wk) (vc)
Warne
Clark
McGrath
Ntini

 

[adharcric]

right ...

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Warne's reasonably deserving IMO. Averaged 30, which is neither particularly bad nor remarkable, but won quite a few matches with definitive spells. Mainly the 2nd Ashes test and the 2nd test in South Africa.

Anyway, if Warne doesn't make it, the pick is a bit tricky. Asif would make it on performance, but he has the drugs ban and thus didn't play all that many matches, and he also can't bat, and neither can Sreesanth. Flintoff can bat at 8, but he had an average year really. Depends on how balanced you want the team makeup to be.

I'm not big on picking players for roles they didn't really play either. Hussey hardly opened this year, and thus Cook should get the spot and Hussey should be in the middle order ahead of Pietersen or Flintoff.