Test XI of the year 2005

[Jono]

Amazing that Gilly has had probably the worst year of his career, yet still averaged 44. I guess that shows how much he annihilated New Zealand earlier in the year because his career average has actually fallen below 50 now.

Personally I think Vaas, Jones or Ntini (Vaas more likely) should be in that team but its hard to find a place for an extra seamer. I, like Brumby, couldn't see myself dropping Lara, Inzy, Kallis or Ponting and neither would I drop Murali since I think he's done enough this year quite clearly to make the XI. De Villiers opening and keeping hence putting a seamer in Gilly's place would work but a 2005 Test XI should have a keeper that kept, and how well keepers have actually done behind the stumps should have a say.

 

[Robertinho]

G.C. Smith
V. Sehwag
*R.T. Ponting
J.H. Kallis
Inzamam ul-Haq
A. Flintoff
+A.C. Gilchrist
C. Vaas
S.K. Warne
G.D. McGrath
M. Muralitharan

I don't think de Villiers should be included as a keeper, simply because he hasn't kept. If the keeper is going to be keeping to the likes of Warne and Murali, you'd need someone like Gilchrist/Sangakkara, Sangakarra has averaged 32 this year. Still... hmm...

 

[James90]

You can't exclude Inzamam. He's had a better year than any of the batsmen you named.

 

[Robertinho]

It was hard to squeeze him into the lineup

Nah look, completely forgot about the Big Bustling Inzamamulhaq

 

[James90]

You're a bit harsh on Lara now

 

[chaminda_00]

Also Ponting captaining with both Inzi and Smith in the side, it bit suprising considering how crap his captaincy has been this season, especially compared to Inzi's captaincy.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

1. Marcus Trescothick
2. Matthew Hayden (Yes, an Ashes toe-curler, but you can't ignore five tons in six games)
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Jacques Kallis
5. Inzamam-ul-haq*
6. Andrew Flintoff
7. Kamran Akmal+
8. Shane Warne
9. Shoaib Akhtar
10. Simon Jones
11. Glenn McGrath

 

[chaminda_00]

Also De Villers kept in one match this year, enough for me, when you add he averaged 50 with the bat.

 

[Ming]

I would have McCullum and Vettori in there definitely. And probably Lou Vincent along with Chris Martin to be fair. Mills is unlucky.

 

[Robertinho]

Also De Villers kept in one match this year, enough for me, when you add he averaged 50 with the bat.

I wouldn't want an inexperienced keeper behind the stumps when Warne's sending down his wrong'uns and Murali his doosras.

 

[chaminda_00]

I would have McCullum and Vettori in there definitely. And probably Lou Vincent along with Chris Martin to be fair. Mills is unlucky.

On that note can i change my World XI side to this:

M Atapattu (c)
S Jayasuriya
R Ponting
M Jayawardene
T Samaraweera
A Flintoff
K Sangakkara (wk)
C Vaas
S Warne
M Muralitharan
L Malinga

 

[Nate]

^^Comedy corner with Ming?

Mine:
1) Trescothick
2) Hayden
3) Ponting
4) Lara
5) Kallis
6) Ul-Haq (c)
7) Akmal (wk)
8) Flintoff
9) Warne
10) Ntini (2)
11) McGrath (1)

That team based on 2005 alone. Akmal has been very solid with the bat, with inspiring innings on occasions and his wicket-keeping has improved ten-fold. Again, the team is a bowler light, but with a line-up like that, who cares?

 

[chaminda_00]

I wouldn't want an inexperienced keeper behind the stumps when Warne's sending down his wrong'uns and Murali his doosras.

Boucher an experienced keeper and he still had no idea aganist Murali. I wouldn't be surprised if Gilly has the same problem considering Sangakkara still seems to have no idea against Murali, after 50 odd Test keeping to him. De Villers is a pretty good keeper his just also a very good out fielder. The balance of the side is more imporant then who is keeping as they would all likely struggle keeping to Murali.

 

[Robertinho]

Boucher an experienced keeper and he still had no idea aganist Murali. I wouldn't be surprised if Gilly has the same problem considering Sangakkara still seems to have no idea against Murali, after 50 odd Test keeping to him. De Villers is a pretty good keeper his just also a very good out fielder. The balance of the side is more imporant then who is keeping as they would all likely struggle keeping to Murali.

Whilst Gilly's batting has gone down this year, his keeping has been great (apart from that missed stumping). He'd be able to handle Warne, and do better at handling Murali than de Villiers IMO.

I agree that de Villiers should be up there, though, but to maximise the effectiveness of the two spinners, I would put Gilchrist in.

 

[chaminda_00]

Whilst Gilly's batting has gone down this year, his keeping has been great (apart from that missed stumping). He'd be able to handle Warne, and do better at handling Murali than de Villiers IMO.

I agree that de Villiers should be up there, though, but to maximise the effectiveness of the two spinners, I would put Gilchrist in.

Gilly keeping has been good this season, but IMO its gone down this year, his been letting through a lot more byes against spinners then i've seen him let through since he first started his international career. I would still go with De Villers cus his average ten more with bat and he allows you to play a extra quick.

 

[andyc]

I posted this in the one day team thread because this one hadn't been made yet.
Says Peter Roebuck for a test team for 2005:


Matthew Hayden
Marcus Trescothick
Ricky Ponting
Brian Lara
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Jacques Kallis
Andrew Flintoff
Tatenda Taibu+
Shane Warne
Makhaya Ntini
Glenn McGrath

12th man: Irfan Pathan

I thought Taibu was an odd choice too, but it turns out he averaged 43.36 this year.

 

[chaminda_00]

I thought Taibu was an odd choice too, but it turns out he averaged 43.36 this year.

If you take out matches against Bangladesh he only averages 25...

 

[Nate]

He also took on the second hardest job in world cricket (to Bracken`s hairdresser) in leading Zimbabwe. And did a damn good job of it.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I'd also throw Kamran "I look like I'm twelve" Akmal's name into the hat ahead of Gilly.

Is it possible to turn Kamran's face off?

 

[SJS]

Here are the stats for the best performers in tests - circa 2005. Take your pick.

Some surprises for me there

Openers (min 500 runs-top 4 by average)
1. Sehwag - 702 runs at 63.8
2. Smith - 999 at 58.8
3. Trescothick - 1323 at 55.3
4. Hayden - 1381 at 53.1

Middle Order (min 500 runs-top 10 by average)
1. Inzemaam - 999 at 99.9
2. Hussey - 595 at 85.0
3. Kallis - 928 at 71.4....also 19 wkts at 39.4 !
4. Lara - 1069 at 71.3
5. Ponting - 1544 at 67.1
6. Dravid - 617 at 61.7
7. Younis - 899 at 59.9
8. Dilshan 681 at 56.8
9. Chanderpaul - 964 at 56.7
10. DeVilliers - 987 at 52.0

Spinners (min 18 wkts-top 6 by average) reduced from 20 to 18 to accomodate last two
1. Murali - 47 wkts at 17.2
2. MacGill - 25 at 19.4
3. Warne - 99 at 21.9
4. Harbhajan - 30 at 27.7
5. Vettori - 19 at 28.8....also 373 runs at 74.6 !
6. Afridi - 18 at 29.3

New Ball Bowlers (min 20 wkts - top 10 by average)
1. Vaas - 32 at 19.6
2. Nel - 36 at 20.7
3. McGrath - 60 at 22.3
4. Jones - 31 at 22.3
5. Colleymore - 23 at 22.9
6. Pathan - 34 at 24.4....also 350 runs at 31.8 !
7. Ntini - 47 at 24.9
8. Flintoff - 47 at 25.5.....also 660 runs at 31.4 !
9. Hoggard - 58 at 26.1
10. Franklin - 47 at 28.4

Keepers(min 5 tests-top 6 by batting average ha-ha-ha)

1. Gilchrist - 15 matches, 836 at 41.8 and 53 victims
2. Kamran Akmal - 9 - 550 at 34.4 - 41
3. Sangakarra - 9 - 422 at 32.5 and 21
4. McCullum - 7 - 322 at 32.2 - 20
5. Boucher - 11 - 345 at 26.5 - 44
6. Jones - 13 - 494 at 26 - 51