Your World Elevens

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Demonstrating how I think AAD is god, yet am not biased.. If that makes sense...

So basically god's not good enough at cricket for your liking?

 

[steds]

I can't believe Matthew Hayden would get into a world XI ODI team ahead of Chris Gayle.

CH Gayle (last 25 matches):
946 runs @ 45.04 with 3 hundreds and 4 fifties (1 duck)

ML Hayden (last 25 matches):
962 runs @ 38.48 with 2 hundreds and 6 fifties (3 ducks)

Chris Gayle has also taken 26 wickets at just over 25 in that time.

More current?

CH Gayle (last 10 matches)
415 runs @ 51.87 with 1 hundred and 2 fifties (0 ducks)

ML Hayden (last 10 matches)
332 runs @ 33.20 with 0 hundreds and 3 fifties (1 duck)

11 wickets @ 22.54 for Gayle too.

Some people just don't get the respect they deserve.

what about whole career stats?

 

[steds]

BANGLADESH

Rajin Saleh
Javed Omar
Habibul Bashar*
Aminul Islam
Mohammad Ashraful
Al Sahariar
Khaled Mashud+
Mohammad Rafique
Tapash Baisya
Mashrafe Mortaza
Manjural Islam

12th Man: Hannan Sarkar

all that time they've been playing test cricket has given you so much choice...

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

what about whole career stats?

Hayden is ahead by a couple of runs, but Gayle has outcenturied him 9-4 whilst Hayden has outfiftied Gayle 24-22. Gayle has a slightly higher SR and has outbowled Hayden 95 wickets to zip.

All irrelevant though, as a current World XI is picked on form, not career stats.

 

[The Baconator]

Tests

Gavaskar
Hobbs
Bradman
Richards*
Hammond
Sobers
Gilchrist+
Hadlee
Warne
Lillee
Barnes

ODIS

Tendulkar
Gilchrist+
Richards*
Miandad
Jones
Bevan
Botham
Hadlee
Akram
Ambrose
Murali

England

Hobbs
Hutton*
Hammond
Compton
Cowdrey
Botham
Knott+
Laker
Trueman
Bedser
Barnes

West Indies

Headley
Greenidge
Richards*
Lara
Worrell
Sobers
Dujon+
Marshall
Ambrose
Gibbs
Holding

Australia

Hayden
Trumper
Bradman
G Chapple
S Waugh*
Border
Gilchrist+
Lindwall
Warne
Lillee
McGrath

 

[masterblaster]

It's funny how nobody is listing Sachin Tendulkar in their 'current test match XI'.
I agree on current form he's nowhere near the class of what he was a few years ago, but to be averaging 57 still is pretty handy. Hopefully the Mumbai innings brings Sachin back to his aggressive, ruthless best.

But I'm amazed at how short memories can be.....

 

[Mingster]

Mark Richardson.

Stephen Fleming and Justin Langer should be ahead of Richardson.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

I'll add to the mix my Bearded Eleven.

Don't ask me why.

1. Graham Gooch
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Viv Richards
4. Allan Border (skipper)
5. The new Inzamam-ul-haq
6. WG Grace
7. Jack Blackham (keeper)
8. Ian Botham (when he was younger)
9. Jason Gillespie
10. Bishen Bedi
11. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar

And my Moustachioed Eleven......

1. CB Fry
2. David Boon
3. Ian Chappell (skipper)
4. Brian Lara
5. Kumar Ranjitsinhji
6. Vic Richardson
7. Rod Marsh (keeper)
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Bruce Yardley
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Merv Hughes

 

[SJS]

I agree.

Not much thought went into this

 

[SJS]

And my Moustachioed Eleven......

1. CB Fry
2. David Boon
3. Ian Chappell (skipper)
4. Brian Lara
5. Kumar Ranjitsinhji
6. Vic Richardson
7. Rod Marsh (keeper)
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Bruce Yardley
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Merv Hughes

How could you forget Tom Richardson with the most celeberated cricket moustache of all time ??

Besides his moustache, he was considered as one of the finest bowlers the game has ever seen.

Syd Barnes, who is widely acclaimed as the greatest bowler ever in the game, himself considered Richardson the best amongst all bowlers which included Barnes himself. There can not be a bigger compliment.

In just 14 test matches he had a five wicket haul as many as 11 times and 10 in a match 4 times !!

His 88 wickets cost him 25 runs each at a strike rate of 51.1.

In all first class cricket, he had five for hauls 200 times in 358 matches !!

10 in a match 72 times !!

His 2104 wickets cost him just over 18 runs each at a strike rate of 37.5 !!

He must have been some bowler

There is a better picture somewhere of his bowling action and great moustache but cant find it right now

 

[Sudeep]

I agree.

Not much thought went into this

Interesting though... If ODI cricket was played back then, do you think Bradman would have averaged the highest at that too?

 

[SJS]

Interesting though... If ODI cricket was played back then, do you think Bradman would have averaged the highest at that too?

I think so. I will tell you why.

You know there is a big debate not just on this forum but amongst many cricket enthusiasts whether Bevan (or someone like him) is a greater one day batsman than say Viv Richards or Tendulkar. The two sides are really arguing whether you need to be a great stroke player or a cricketer who makes the most (he can) of EACH AND EVERY delivery he plays and therefore score fast enough (without being rash at any time) and consistently.

I have never participated in such debates because for me it is as point less a debate as saying whether some one who can reverse swing when the ball is older(but cant swing when its new) is a better bowler than another who can swing it only when it is new. The answer is simple really. The best is one who can do both.

Reverse swing is a latter day phenomenon brought in by the great Pakistani bowlers of the 80's and 90's. But I am sure the great swing bowlers of the past would have learnt this new trick and ADDED it to their armooury and become even a bigger problem for the batsmen.

I feel, what Bevan showed to the cricketing world was that someone who could not score fast because he did not have the great and powerful strokes of a Richards, Lara, Tendulkar, could still do a good job by scoring off as many deliveries as possible and by perfecting the art of running between wickets. Now, Bevan did not have the strokes of Tendulkar and Lara, but Tendulkar and Lara do have enough dot balls to score more off that they do not utilise as well as Bevan did. I am astonished that they have not incorporated Bevan's philosophy into their play and further increased their strike rates which would surely have made them more effective one day players.

It is not a question of either this style or that. For those blessed with the big shots , it should be a combination.

Now what has this to do with Bradman in one day cricket ??

I think of all the cricketers in the history of the game, Bradman best synthesised the big shots of a Lara and a Richards (without lofting in the air) with the great running between the wickets and percentage cricket of a Bevan. I have no doubt that he would have scored at strike rates in three figures comfortably, without resorting to rash batting or hitting in the air as often as is done by batsmen today.

Bevan, if after he had become the star limited over player that he was, had suddenly woken up one day and found that he posessed the big shots of Richards, believe me his strike rate would have sored beyond 100 and his average beyond 70. He was just limited by his strokes but had the genius to show to the world how to perform INSPITE of it. Bradman had no such handicap !

 

[SJS]

Another great bowler with a moustache(though the moustache was not that famous) was Lohmann.

112 wickets in 18 tests at 10.75 each !!!

Strike rate of of 34.1, eco rate of 1.89 and 6.22 wickets per test !!!

1841 first class wickets in 293 matches at 13.7 runs each !!

To cap it all, 3 first class centuries and 29 fifties ! Must have been some cricketer !

 

[Sudeep]

I think so. I will tell you why.

You know there is a big debate not just on this forum but amongst many cricket enthusiasts whether Bevan (or someone like him) is a greater one day batsman than say Viv Richards or Tendulkar. The two sides are really arguing whether you need to be a great stroke player or a cricketer who makes the most (he can) of EACH AND EVERY delivery he plays and therefore score fast enough (without being rash at any time) and consistently.

I have never participated in such debates because for me it is as point less a debate as saying whether some one who can reverse swing when the ball is older(but cant swing when its new) is a better bowler than another who can swing it only when it is new. The answer is simple really. The best is one who can do both.

Reverse swing is a latter day phenomenon brought in by the great Pakistani bowlers of the 80's and 90's. But I am sure the great swing bowlers of the past would have learnt this new trick and ADDED it to their armooury and become even a bigger problem for the batsmen.

I feel, what Bevan showed to the cricketing world was that someone who could not score fast because he did not have the great and powerful strokes of a Richards, Lara, Tendulkar, could still do a good job by scoring off as many deliveries as possible and by perfecting the art of running between wickets. Now, Bevan did not have the strokes of Tendulkar and Lara, but Tendulkar and Lara do have enough dot balls to score more off that they do not utilise as well as Bevan did. I am astonished that they have not incorporated Bevan's philosophy into their play and further increased their strike rates which would surely have made them more effective one day players.

It is not a question of either this style or that. For those blessed with the big shots , it should be a combination.

Now what has this to do with Bradman in one day cricket ??

I think of all the cricketers in the history of the game, Bradman best synthesised the big shots of a Lara and a Richards (without lofting in the air) with the great running between the wickets and percentage cricket of a Bevan. I have no doubt that he would have scored at strike rates in three figures comfortably, without resorting to rash batting or hitting in the air as often as is done by batsmen today.

Bevan, if after he had become the star limited over player that he was, had suddenly woken up one day and found that he posessed the big shots of Richards, believe me his strike rate would have sored beyond 100 and his average beyond 70. He was just limited by his strokes but had the genius to show to the world how to perform INSPITE of it. Bradman had no such handicap !

Couldn't agree with you more.

I'd say this though - what Andrew Flintoff has displayed this year is pretty close to being the perfect ODI batsman. He's accumulated like Bevan, and clobbered like Richards.

It remains to be seen whether Flintoff can do it consistently enough to end up as an all-time great.

 

[SJS]

Another Mustachioed legend : FR 'Demon' Spofforth
94 wickets in 18 tests at 18.41

 

[SJS]

Some famous beards :

Bonnor the great australian hitter with a magnificient beard. My favourite beard of all time amongst cricketers

 

[SJS]

How about a Handsome XI :-

I had no problem with the first three. Imran Khan and Fazal Mehmood were both as good looking as the best loking film stars. Ted Dexter was handsome elegance personified. The others are a personal choice. Havent fixed them in a batting order yet. Will do so on discovering a god spinner or two and a keeper. At the moment Les Ames is the only keeper in mind.

Suggestions please ?

- Imran Khan
- Fazal Mehmood
- Ted Dexter
- Keith Miller
- Rick McCosker
- Norman Oniell
- Bob Cowper
- Colin Bland
- Graham Gooch (post beard)
- Greg Chappell (post beard)
- Dennis Lillee
- Viv Richards
PS How could I forget him ..India's Salim Durrani. in the same category as the top three.

 

[tooextracool]

wheres sajid mahmood?

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Chappell? CHAPPELL? That man's face would stop a clock, beard or not.

Sorry SJS, just personal taste.

My Handsome XI, in batting order:

1. Graham Gooch
2. Rick McCosker (pre-Centenary Test)
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Ted Dexter
5. Hansie Cronje (captain)
6. Keith Miller
7. Imran Khan
8. Alan Knott (keeper)
9. Wasim Akram
10. Jeff Thomson
11. Shoaib Akhtar

And to complement them, the Homely XI:

1. Marvan Atapattu
2. Mark Richardson (that face he makes when he's running)
3. Robert Key
4. Aravinda de Silva
5. Arjuna Ranatunga (skipper)
6. Andrew Flintoff
7. Adam Gilchrist (keeper)
8. Ray Illingworth
9. Merv Hughes
10. Pat Symcox
11. Alec Bedser

 

[marc71178]

Mark Richardson.

Stephen Fleming and Justin Langer should be ahead of Richardson.

As an opener, I'd take Richardson ahead of Fleming any day to be honest.