Draft: The Alphabet Draft

8. Bill William Joseph 'Tiger' O'Reilly

052535.player.jpg


All hail Aislabie for this one,

VARP: +88.94% :up: for a spinner,
#5 in greatest spinner ever

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveSR4w5w10w
Test27481002432541447/5411/12922.5969.608113
FC13537064128507749/3816.6047.806317

  1. ?
  2. ?
  3. Norm O'Neill :bat:
  4. ?
  5. Sir Vivian Richards :bat:
  6. ?
  7. Polly Umrigar :ar:
  8. Shaun Pollock :ar:
  9. Bill O'Reilly :bwl:
  10. ?
  11. ?
@qpeedore next
 
Ian Bishop at 8.

When you have to be one of the successors to the awesome foursome and you're entering a team that already has Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, you have a lot of expectations ahead of you. Bishop had no problems stepping into the West Indian team and announcing himself to the world in just his second Test, picking up a 6-for against India that included the wickets of greats such as Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ravi Shastri, among others.

He was genuinely quick, express even, and had accuracy from an amazingly textbook bowling action. Bishop would deliver from side-on, get the ball to swing away in the air, and have batters fumbling to play. Just when you think you've got the outswing covered, he'll bring one back into you.

Injuries plagued him for his entire career, forcing him to have to remodel his action more than once. By the end of his playing days, he was more of a front-on bowler. But it still looked like it came straight out of a coaching manual. He ended up with an overall career average of something like 24 with the ball (not too shabby), and he keeps reminding us that he's good enough with the bat to have had a First Class century (he actually has two).

We currently know him as, in my opinion, one of THE voices of cricket throughout the world. His professional approach to the commentary booth all but ensures that he's there for those game-changing moments. Lara making 400? He was on commentary. Brathwaite hitting 4 sixes to win the T20 Cup? He was the one who told the world to remember the name.

There are a lot of cricketers named Ian who are around 8 in the order. I am extremely happy to put IR Bishop above all of them.

EDIT:


@mohsin7827

Just FYI, this draft is considering more the first class and test stats rather than od.. Eoin isn't someone I'd have on my first class team

I dunno, his average is only mid-30s I think. But I've seen him play some gems for Middlesex.
 
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I dunno, his average is only mid-30s I think. But I've seen him play some gems for Middlesex.

Since 2004 he's only played 102 FC matches, thats about an ave of 6 matches per year, including only 12 test matches. His last test was in 2012, i just meant he is more of a white ball specialist rather than a red ball...
 
6. Kevin Pietersen

The one-of-a-kind South-African born batsman made his debut in the memorable 2005 Ashes series, and by its end he had already carved out a place in English history, as his 158 on the last day at The Oval, an innings as audacious and unprecedented as his bleach blonde mohawk, saved the fifth Test and secured a 2-1 series win.
Pietersen’s phenomenal stroke play, pantheon of scoring shots, and his unmatched ability to turn a game in a session made him a household name

images (3).jpeg

@ddrap14
 
Since 2004 he's only played 102 FC matches, thats about an ave of 6 matches per year, including only 12 test matches. His last test was in 2012, i just meant he is more of a white ball specialist rather than a red ball...

Yeah, you're right, he's more known for his limited overs exploits. I only just realised that he has played some 240-odd ODIs. A few were for Ireland but mostly England.

6. Kevin Pietersen

The one-of-a-kind South-African born batsman made his debut in the memorable 2005 Ashes series, and by its end he had already carved out a place in English history, as his 158 on the last day at The Oval, an innings as audacious and unprecedented as his bleach blonde mohawk, saved the fifth Test and secured a 2-1 series win.
Pietersen’s phenomenal stroke play, pantheon of scoring shots, and his unmatched ability to turn a game in a session made him a household name

View attachment 247724

@ddrap14

Wasn't one of the base scenarios in Cricket 07 to score a century with Pietersen? Great pick, although we can debate the mohawk choice.
 
In at six for me:
1620074982626.png
Bill Edrich

I know he's batting slightly out of position, but what tipped this pick over the edge is the fact he offers a genuine fifth bowling option.

@ahmedleo414
 
My next pick, Ian Chappell

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StatsMatchesRunsHSBatting Ave100s/50s
First Class26219,68020948.3559/96
Test755,34519642.4214/26

Bio from cric info:

Ian Chappell fashioned an Australian team in his own image between 1971 and 1975: aggressive, resourceful and insouciant. A dauntless batsman partial to the hook and pull, he inherited the post of captain from Bill Lawry with the team at a low ebb, but others fed off his unhesitating self-belief and conviction that team goals were paramount, and he never lost a series. Some of his personal bests as a batsman, meanwhile, were in partnership with his brother Greg, notably at The Oval in August 1972, and at Wellington in March 1974. English commentator John Arlott described him as "a cricketer of effect rather than the graces", and his part in the World Series Cricket schism arose after years of disaffection with cricket officialdom. He later became a trenchant TV commentator.

My team so far:

  1. :aus: :bat: Bill Ponsford
  2. :saf: :bat: Barry Richards
  3. :aus: :bat: Ian Chappell
  4. C
  5. :pak: :ar: Imran Khan
  6. L
  7. E
  8. B
  9. :ind: :bwl: Anil Kumble
  10. :wi: :bwl: Courtney Walsh
  11. K
@AsadRM you are next
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In at six for me:
View attachment 247756
Bill Edrich

I know he's batting slightly out of position, but what tipped this pick over the edge is the fact he offers a genuine fifth bowling option.

@ahmedleo414
I had him in mind for my 7th.. guess I'l have to go with someone else
 
Rahul Dravid the wall.

1. Alastair Cook
2. Younis Khan
3. Brendon Mccullum
4. Eoin Morgan
5. Rahul Dravid
 
6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
No intro needed. :)

1620127893959.gif
  1. ?
  2. ?
  3. Norm O'Neill :bat:
  4. ?
  5. Sir Vivian Richards :bat:
  6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni :wkb:
  7. Polly Umrigar :ar:
  8. Shaun Pollock :ar:
  9. Bill O'Reilly :bwl:
  10. ?
  11. ?
@qpeedore
 
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