A different kind of Test XI

[qpeedore]

I am willing and eager to give this a shot but in your team the underlined players are of the same ilk as a Warne or Lara. Wasim Akram is perhaps the best left arm the game haS EVER SEEN and certainly there have been more bowlers from Pakistan to chose from. Same goes for Flower, Hayden and Cook.

Please clear up a bit. Thanks.

Well it's a best XI, I thought that the best guys in my opinion should be there. My opinion may not be yours. That's the great thing about things like this. We don't have to agree, and by all means you're free to opt for someone different.

That's why I was so happy to see someone pick Heath Streak for Zimbabwe. I myself almost went with Tatenda Taibu because I think he was one of the best pure keepers I've seen.

Pick who YOU want to pick. Just one from each team...

 

[Satan666]

Well it's a best XI, I thought that the best guys in my opinion should be there. My opinion may not be yours. That's the great thing about things like this. We don't have to agree, and by all means you're free to opt for someone different.

That's why I was so happy to see someone pick Heath Streak for Zimbabwe. I myself almost went with Tatenda Taibu because I think he was one of the best pure keepers I've seen.

Pick who YOU want to pick. Just one from each team...

Heath Streak possesed one of the best inswing yorkers of all time. You have me confused and may have confused yourself on the way. I'll just go on with my 12 which will include Lara and Warne, if youre asking for a second string side then I'll exclude those aforementioned players.

 

[Satan666]

Not a fan of T20 cricket but with the 'creative' feel of the thread decided to put a T20 team together

1. Barry Richards

Sidelined from International cricket but a legend none the less, renowned for his agressive strokeplay and scoring 9 first class centuries before lunch certainly makes him a must in a t20 team!


2. B McCullum

His record in international leagues throughout the world is unbelievable, will be vice captain.


3. K. Sangakarra

Stylish and elegant occupying the vital number 3 position to stabilize the inns. Standby gloveman.


4. BC Lara

Been a match winner so much times in his career can dissect any field against any bowler thwarting the opposing captain plans all the time


4. Sunil Gavaskar

Interchangeable for postion 4, easily the best batsman from India can deal with the best fastbowling attacks, fearlessly

5. Andy Blignauth

Attacking batsman and brilliant fast bowler, finisher.

6. James Foster

Best wicketkeeper Ive seen and can be a superb finisher in the T20 domestic scene and obviously the wicketkeeper.


7. Imran Khan

Cunning bowler, can mix it up, bat well and most of all a great leader of men, captain.

8. Rashid Khan

Great talent thus far and compliments well with Warne to slow things down and outsmart the opposing batsmen.

9. Shane Warne

Need I say more? With Rashid at the other end the opposing team aint stand a chance.

10. Rubel Hossain

A speedster gonna have the opposing batsmen running for cover!


12th man
Ed Joyce

 

[qpeedore]

I like your picks of Barry Richards and Andy Blignauth. Two very underrated cricketers who nonetheless have more than the talent and skill.

 

[qpeedore]

I liked the pick of Chaminda Vaas from aspirin as well. He was a top class bowler. I think Chris Gayle was his personal bunny...Gayle could never play him properly.

 

[sifter132]

I had a fun time imagining my 12 players here. I started with the absolute best team I could think of, then made a few tweaks to make it more watchable and balanced.

Here's the team (Test):
1. Sunil Gavaskar (India)
I tried to get Ravi Ashwin in there as India's representative, an underrated cricketer I think (in historical terms). He's been so dominant, but most non Asian fans write him off as an exploiter of Indian conditions. But I I knew most countries best players wouldn't be openers, so therefore Sunny over Ashwin or a middle order player like Sachin/Dravid.
2. Paul Stirling (Ireland)
The ying to Gavaskar's yang. Right and left handed, controlled technique versus bludgeoning axeman. I'm not sure how Paul Stirling will go as a Test cricketer, but his ODI record gives me hope he'll be one of Ireland's best.
3. Don Bradman (C) (Australia)
Yawn. But how can you not have Don? The greatest without question. Also an entertainer and that is worth a lot. He played bright attacking cricket without parallel. The captain.
4. AB de Villiers (wk) (South Africa)
Kallis was the obvious SA choice, but I found plenty of good all-rounders from other countries. De Villiers is one of my favourite cricketers to watch, and this got him the nod over Amla, or Graeme Pollock or Dudley Nourse etc. Helped that he can keep wicket, although he'll be arguing with the next guy about who gets the gloves.
5. Andy Flower (Zimbabwe)
There's a few guys who just HAVE to be the choice for their country and Flower is clearly the greatest Zimbabwe cricketer. Might have him keep wicket just to get AB's brilliance in the field. Maybe they can swap halfway haha Also, imagine de Villiers and Flower batting together with their delightful innovations. Pity the opposing captain as he tries to set a field...
6. Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
To avoid the usual Sobers/Richards/Lara picks, I was tossing up Clyde Walcott or Everton Weekes - two underrated WI batsmen. Ultimately I thought de Villiers + Sobers was more entertaining than Kallis + Walcott. And better of course. Sobers being the premier all-rounder of history.
7. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
Mohammad Yousuf was a guy I loved to watch bat, and I thought about him briefly, but Imran was such a great player. Couldn't not pick him. Again, he's another player the crowds will flock to see.
8. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
The only truly classy player the Bangladeshis have produced thus far. The team is thick with all-rounders from 6-9, but they all provide a good mix of variety and skill.
9. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
Had to be Hadlee, although Kane Williamson might be the choice for NZ if he continues to score so heavily. I needed quality pacemen though, and my middle order was always going to have Bradman, Flower and Sobers.
10. Sydney Barnes (England)
A ruthless bowler by all accounts - a legend. Wanted to get another old-timer in there, and he will be a great mystery bowler. Did he bowl swing? Curve? Cutters? Spin? Some combination of all perhaps, so he'll be a good first change after Imran and Hadlee.
11. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
It had to be Murali. Best Sri Lankan cricketer bar Sangakkara perhaps, and I already had a stacked middle order (with 2, and it could have been 3 part-time keepers already)
12. Rashid Khan (Afganistan)
He has time to become a useful Test cricketer because he's only 18. He's done well in ODIs thus far so he has ever chance.

 

[Samuels]

I had a fun time imagining my 12 players here. I started with the absolute best team I could think of, then made a few tweaks to make it more watchable and balanced.

Here's the team (Test):
1. Sunil Gavaskar (India)
I tried to get Ravi Ashwin in there as India's representative, an underrated cricketer I think (in historical terms). He's been so dominant, but most non Asian fans write him off as an exploiter of Indian conditions. But I I knew most countries best players wouldn't be openers, so therefore Sunny over Ashwin or a middle order player like Sachin/Dravid.
2. Paul Stirling (Ireland)
The ying to Gavaskar's yang. Right and left handed, controlled technique versus bludgeoning axeman. I'm not sure how Paul Stirling will go as a Test cricketer, but his ODI record gives me hope he'll be one of Ireland's best.
7. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
Mohammad Yousuf was a guy I loved to watch bat, and I thought about him briefly, but Imran was such a great player. Couldn't not pick him. Again, he's another player the crowds will flock to see.

I doubt Stirling is a liftie. So #7 is Imran or Yousuf? That is some team to be honest but I would personally prefer Flower over AB as keeper. AB is a brilliant fielder anyway.

 

[Aislabie]

1. Matthew Hayden
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Kumar Sangakkara
4. Brian Lara
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. AB de Villiers
7. Andrew Flintoff
8. Rashid Khan
9. Trent Johnston
10. Eddo Brandes
11. Shane Bond
12. Shakib Al Hasan

I've not even tried to select a best XI - I've selected an XI I'd like to watch. Hayden and Sehwag at the top of the order: two of the most savage openers the game has ever seen. Two players who felt that attack was the best form of defence and were good enough to pull it off.

At three, four and five we have the three most elegant batsmen I've ever watched: Sangakkara, Lara and Yousuf. One who makes batting look easy and effortless, one who was all about long flowing lines, and one who had more time than anyone else on the field.

At six and seven are two players who could turn a game on its head by sheer force of will and talent. De Villiers at his best could play any kind of innings on any given day, while Flintoff produced world-class moments without the slightest warning.

At eight and nine, the flair of Rashid Khan coupled with the fun and steely determination of Trent Johnston. While Johnston was well aware of his limitations but chicken-danced his way to excellence in spite of them, Rashid is too young and gifted to even realise he has any yet.

Finally, two very different opening bowlers: big, barrel-chested Eddo Brandes, who boasted a vicious yorker to go with astonishing banter, and Shane Bond, New Zealand's greatest ever cricketer (when fit). The pair would have batsmen hopping around and fearing for their feet.

Our twelfth man is perhaps not such an emtertainer, but he is also his country's most marketable cricketer ever. So still not a bad choice.

 

[qpeedore]

I really like the mention of Shane Bond. He was a very good bowler when fit. And Mohammed Yousuf is another really good choice too.

 

[Satan666]

1. Matthew Hayden
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Kumar Sangakkara
4. Brian Lara
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. AB de Villiers
7. Andrew Flintoff
8. Rashid Khan
9. Trent Johnston
10. Eddo Brandes
11. Shane Bond
12. Shakib Al Hasan

I've not even tried to select a best XI - I've selected an XI I'd like to watch. Hayden and Sehwag at the top of the order: two of the most savage openers the game has ever seen. Two players who felt that attack was the best form of defence and were good enough to pull it off.

At three, four and five we have the three most elegant batsmen I've ever watched: Sangakkara, Lara and Yousuf. One who makes batting look easy and effortless, one who was all about long flowing lines, and one who had more time than anyone else on the field.

At six and seven are two players who could turn a game on its head by sheer force of will and talent. De Villiers at his best could play any kind of innings on any given day, while Flintoff produced world-class moments without the slightest warning.

At eight and nine, the flair of Rashid Khan coupled with the fun and steely determination of Trent Johnston. While Johnston was well aware of his limitations but chicken-danced his way to excellence in spite of them, Rashid is too young and gifted to even realise he has any yet.

Finally, two very different opening bowlers: big, barrel-chested Eddo Brandes, who boasted a vicious yorker to go with astonishing banter, and Shane Bond, New Zealand's greatest ever cricketer (when fit). The pair would have batsmen hopping around and fearing for their feet.

Our twelfth man is perhaps not such an emtertainer, but he is also his country's most marketable cricketer ever. So still not a bad choice.

Couldnt agree more with Shane Bond, would go so far as saying he is the best fast bowler bar none I have witnessed playing live. Really a loss to the game and fans his body couldnt hold up.

 

[qpeedore]

It's these kinds of choices that made me create this thread in the first place. To see and recognise some of the untold heroes of the game.

 

[DrewBi]

1. Alastair Cook (England)
2. Ed Joyce (Ireland)
3. Kumar Sangakkara (w/k) (Sri Lanka)
4. Sachin Tendulkar (India)
5. Brian Lara (West Indies)
6. Andy Flower (Zimbabwe)
7. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
8. Wasim Akram (C) (Pakistan)
9. Dale Steyn (South Africa)
10. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
11. Shane Warne (Australia)

12.
Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)

 

[Morphed]

1.Don Bradman(c)
2.Sachin Tendulkar
3.Vivian Richards(VC)
4.Ed Joyce
5.Andy Flower(wk)
6.Shakib Al Hasan
7.Richard Hadlee
8.Wasim Akram
9.Dale Steyn
10.Sydney Barnes
11.Muttiah Muralitharan
12.Rashid Khan

 

[qpeedore]

Almost all of the Afghan picks are either Nabi or Khan. What about a batsman?

 

[Believe]

1. Kraigg Braithwaite(Windies).
2. Dean Elgar(SA).

To win a Test Match, you need 20 wickets, right? Well good luck getting 1, with these two stump-guarders holding things up.

3. Kane Williamson(NZ) -
The single greatest exponent in the world currently, of picking gaps for 1's and 2's. You got one of the openers out? Sucks to be you.

4. Kevin Pietersen(Eng) -
Just amazing to watch. The flair, the style, the arrogance.. Not to mention he's more than capable of catching the run rate up after the opening partnership of 18 runs in 3 sessions.

5. Mahela Jarawardene(SL) -
Very similar to KP's explanation, except you can add the adjective "silky".

6. Hazratullah Zazai(Afg) -
Not seen an awful lot of him, and I know he hasn't played Test cricket, but when your no.6 can walk out and smack 100 of 7 balls... Who cares?

7. Adam Gilchrist(Aus) -
Have seen an awful lot of him, and as a Kiwi I wish I could forget it. Hence him being in my team. Now YOU have to deal with the mental trauma of bowling to him. (Wicket Keeper and Captain (Captain because I think he performed even better under pressure.))

8. Harbhajan Singh(Ind) -
The Turbanator. Tormented some of the best batsmen in the world on his day. (Who else can even come close to claiming Ricky Ponting as their bunny?) Handy with the bat every now and then too.

9. Mohammed Rafique(Bangla) -
Possibly the only thing giving Bangladesh hope until Shakib became a thing. In the team because I never once saw Rafique give up. "We are 900 behind and still have 7 wickets to take? Gimme the ball Cap'n!"

10. Boyd Rankin(Ire) -
Pace? Check. Bounce? Check. Fiery-almost-ginger? Probably. Quite capable of making a real nuisance of himself if there's any unpredictable bounce. Plus, I needed two seamers in the XI...

11. Mohammed Asif(Pak) -
Was (In my opinion) the single most difficult bowler in the world to score at more than 1/over off. Not to mention that if you started just trying to block everything, he was MORE likely to get you out. Subtle variations of pace, seam, swing, line, length... An absolute nightmare when you were trying to bat on anything other than a 22 yard concrete slab.

12th man. Henry Olonga(Zim) -
Perhaps not the most consistent of bowlers going around in the 90's - 00's, but on his day the man was definitely better than his stats showed. Also in the team hoping I can bring back the ol' super-sub rule and sneak him on to do some bowling. (Also, the haircut. He could be in the team purely for that.)