The Question is Simple...

[Turbinator]

So let's pretend the cricketing world was to reduce the top 8 teams to 4. This involved the merger of two national teams into one and taking the best players from each of the two nations to form one team, without politics and regional bias.

Now which team would you choose your team to merge with. Now this could be purely strategic in that you can combine the different strengths of each of the two teams to eliminate any weaknesses in your current team.

For example, I personally would choose South Africa to merge with my team (India) as they seem to have a plethora of bowling talent, which combined with India's batting will form the best combination. South Africa will continue to provide us the fast bowlers, while India takes care of the batting and spin bowling departments.

Of course, South African batting is also very strong, so it will provide some good assistance on that front as well.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Oi, we've beaten you to South Africa, sunshine. Hoppit!

 

[Howe_zat]

India

Pros: Immene batting lineup to fill in all the gaps. Zaheer Khan adds variety as well as class.

Cons: May not last long.

South Africa

Pros: Dale Steyn.

Cons: Graeme Smith.

Australia

Pros: Excellent first class system and plenty of talent.

Cons: May have to involve the Three Stooges as selectors.

Sri Lanka

Pros: Dashing and skilled batsmen. Would improve the one-day side.

Cons: Dilshan's ego requires its own island.

Pakistan

Pros: Never-ending source of entertainment.

Cons: Lack of schadenfreude when it's your own team.

New Zealand

Pros: Heef.

Cons: Country is around 1/10 as populous as my kitchen.

West Indies

Pros: Much improved Friends Life T20 tournament

Cons: Very few inclusions in Test team. Lord's long room acquires curious stale grassy smell.

 

[Jono]

Yeah easily South Africa. Would gladly take Devilliers, Kallis, Amla, Steyn and Morkel.

 

[Howe_zat]

How would you fit in all of Amla, Kallis and de Villiers?

 

[GIMH]

South Africa.

Stick Steyn in for Broad/Finn. Kallis for Morgan.

Job done.

 

[BoyBrumby]

How would you fit in all of Amla, Kallis and de Villiers?

Amla to open, Kallis for Dravid, de Villiers for AN Other IMHO.

Sehwag
Amla
Kallis
Sachin
Laxman
de Villiers

 

[Jono]

Either make the tough call and drop Gambhir and have Amla open, or make de Vviliers keep.

Sehwag
Amla
Kallis
Tendulkar
de Villiers
Laxman
Dhoni

or

Sehwag
Gambhir
Kallis
Tendulkar
Amla
de Villiers+
Laxman

 

[Jono]

South Africa.

Stick Steyn in for Broad/Finn. Kallis for Morgan.

Job done.

The idea that you'd play Bell ahead of AB de Villiers is very odd.

 

[Howe_zat]

The idea that you'd play Bell ahead of AB de Villiers is very odd.

Ahead of KP is wierder.

 

[Shri]

My team is India and I would merge it with Pakistan.

Our team would be

Sehwag
Gambhir
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Dhoni
Afridi
Singh
Aamir
Zak
Asif

 

[kiwiviktor81]

I'd have to go with the Saffers but it's hard to think how many of the Black Caps would be left. Vettori for sure, but who else? Ryder maybe. Taylor at a stretch.

 

[BoyBrumby]

The idea that you'd play Bell ahead of AB de Villiers is very odd.

I don't necessarily agree with Coz, but Bell's averaging 79.50 since the start of last year, fully 10 more per innings than ABdeV.

 

[Howe_zat]

South Africa are almost bound to be the choice in this for everyone because they have immense talent in every area, but also holes in the side that your team can already cover.

Would like to see what the South Africans think.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Anyone taking England?

Must admit, whilst I rate our depth against anyone's, we do perhaps lack the nailed-on guns like Kallis, Steyn, Sachin and Sehwag, although Swann would play for anyone just now, I'm sure.

 

[weldone]

South Africa will definitely be the first choice.

...We can do only with the banned Pakistani players as well...

 

[flibbertyjibber]

The idea that you'd play Bell ahead of AB de Villiers is very odd.

I would but AB would be ahead of KP.

 

[Jono]

Ahead of KP is wierder.

Yeah true. Amla and AB would make the England team imo.

I don't necessarily agree with Coz, but Bell's averaging 79.50 since the start of last year, fully 10 more per innings than ABdeV.

On record as stating I rate Bell as a batsman, and those stats are impressive, but they don't even go close to convincing me that Bell is potentially a better batsman than AB.

Especially since Bell piled them on vs. Bangladesh in that period.

 

[weldone]

How good a team is this?

India+banned Pakistanis:

G. Gambhir
V. Sehwag
R. Dravid
S. Tendulkar
V.V.S. Laxman
C. Pujara
M. Dhoni*+
H. Singh
Z. Khan
M. Aamer
M. Asif

 

[flibbertyjibber]

SA have more top players in their team than anyone else but also have too many weaknesses to be the top side. No spinner (may be sorted with their Pakistani import) and lack of back up pace bowling to a wonderful opening pair are obvious faults.