Legends At Battle XI | And the champions are...

[VC the slogger]

Oh, and please name your captains while you're at it.

 

[PCA]

Arthur Morris
Justin Langer
Matthew Hayden
Victor Trumper
Don Bradman (C)
Ricky Ponting
Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Steve Waugh
Neil Harvey
Adam Gilchirst
Keith Miller
Richie Benaud
Bill O Reilly
Shane Warne
Ray Lindwall
Dennis Lilee
Glen Mcgrath

 

[Aislabie]

​

Gordon Greenidge
Richie Richardson

George Headley
Brian Lara
Rohan Kanhai
Viv Richards
Clyde Walcott
Everton Weekes
Frank Worrell

Garry Sobers (SPIN)

Jeff Dujon

Curtly Ambrose
Ian Bishop
Joel Garner
Tony Gray
Michael Holding
Malcolm Marshall
Andy Roberts

I was almost spoilt for choice trying to select that team; for instance, I left out Courtney Walsh, largely because there just wasn't room for an eighth top-class fast man. Jeff Dujon, life and soul of West Indian cricket, likely won't make the eleven. Chris Gayle, Test triple-centurion, doesn't even get a look-in. Clive who?

The most difficult selection was the inclusion of neither of Sonny Ramadhin and Lance Gibbs. Their inferior stats to the fast men, even though both were world-class spinners in the era that went before, counted against them. In the end, I included neither as Sobers takes on the spinning duties.

Despite very limited captaincy experience, the Black Bradman gets the leadership job. He has many able lieutenants.

Spoiler: XI who missed out

Just to give some idea of the calibre of players I have to pick from here, this is an eleven made up entirely of players who weren't good enough to make the grade.

Chris Gayle
Desmond Haynes
Alvin Kallicharran
Clive Lloyd
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Jimmy Adams
Franklyn Stephenson
Wes Hall
Lance Gibbs
Sonny Ramadhin
Courtney Walsh

Spoiler: Possible First XI

Everton Weekes
Frank Worrell
George Headley
Brian Lara
Viv Richards
Garry Sobers
Clyde Walcott
Malcolm Marshall
Andy Roberts
Michael Holding
Curtly Ambrose

I may use Weekes and Worrell as makeshift openers, as they both did it in Test matches to good effect.

 

[SixerBoy11]

Barry Richards - Right-arm offbreak
Gary Kirsten
Graeme Smith - Right-arm offbreak
Hashim Amla
Graeme Pollock
Dudley Nourse
Trevor Goddard

AB de Villiers
Mark Boucher

Jacques Kallis
Aubrey Faulkner
Hansie Cronje - Right-arm medium
Lance Klusener

Vince van der Bijl
Dale Steyn
Allan Donald
Shaun Pollock
Hugh Tayfield

@VC the slogger any suggestion here?​

 

[Aislabie]

A complete team with all the bowling and batting power I need. Seems like this team is the best I can pick.​

You could use Mark Richardson as an opener. Quality player there; should likely come in for McMillan. Also possibly Chris Cairns for Martin Donnelly.

Any suggestion here?​

You're missing several entire eras of players.

Aubrey Faulkner, Graeme Pollock, Dudley Nourse, Barry Richards, Clive Rice, Vincent Barnes, Neil Adcock, Peter Pollock, Bert Vogler, Trevor Goddard, Hugh Tayfield and Garth Le Roux should all be in and around your squad. I'll leave it to you to choose who for.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

You could use Mark Richardson as an opener. Quality player there; should likely come in for McMillan. Also possibly Chris Cairns for Martin Donnelly.

Not sure about Richardson, but Chris Cairns was left out purposely. Huh....

Let's just change a few things.

 

[VC the slogger]

Cairns in for McMillan would be sensible, but leaving Donnelly out? I really don't think so.

Richardson was obviously a pretty good opener, but I hardly think one can compare him to someone like Donnelly who happened to be one of the finest batsmen NZ had ever produced. Pity he didn't play more often for them.

As far as openers go, NZ have already got Dempster and Turner in their squad. Both were legendary players. And then there's Bert Sutcliffe, also a more than capable back-up opener. I can't see the point of including Richardson with them around.

 

[VC the slogger]

Barry Richards - Right-arm offbreak
Gary Kirsten
Graeme Smith - Right-arm offbreak
Hashim Amla
Graeme Pollock
Dudley Nourse
Trevor Goddard

AB de Villiers
Mark Boucher

Jacques Kallis
Aubrey Faulkner
Hansie Cronje - Right-arm medium
Lance Klusener

Imran Tahir
Dale Steyn
Allan Donald
Makhaya Ntini
Hugh Tayfield

@VC the slogger any suggestion here?​

I'd say leave Tahir out. He can hardly cut it at Test level in the current era. I'd also be good for your team if you get one of those lethal fasties from the 70s such as Garth le Roux or Vince van der Bijl in for him.

 

[Aislabie]

A fair case well made; Richardson has always been one of my favourite players, and I always appreciated the way he quite literally taught himself to bat in his early twenties and did so well as to become one of the best openers in the world. I was a little wary of Donnelly as he had few opportunities to really prove himself. Granted, his double-hundred was a great innings, and he was supremely talented, but he played less than 10% of his first-class games in the country. Just a personal preference, really.

I genuinely forgot about VvdB (embarrassing, I know) because I always think of him as a Middlesex bowler first. But yes, definitely 110% include him.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Cairns in for McMillan would be sensible, but leaving Donnelly out? I really don't think so.

PS: Edited...

 

[themusketeer]

Leonard Hutton

Graham Gooch

Michael Vaughan

Herbert Sutcliffe

Joe Root

Jack Hobbs

Geoff Boycott

Wally Hammond

Alec Stewart

Les Ames

Ian Botham

WG Grace

Wilfred Rhodes

Bob Willis

Sydney Barnes

Hedley Verity

George Lohmann

Jim Laker

Anyone missing ? @VC the slogger

 

[VC the slogger]

Anyone missing ? @VC the slogger

Ummm... Kevin Pietersen?

 

[themusketeer]

Ummm... Kevin Pietersen?

Nah....Sorry . Dont want to spoil English dressing room .

 

[PCA]

@VC the slogger

I guess you are happy with the Australian squad.

 

[VC the slogger]

Leonard Hutton

Graham Gooch

Michael Vaughan

Herbert Sutcliffe

Joe Root

Jack Hobbs

Geoff Boycott

Wally Hammond

Alec Stewart

Les Ames

Ian Botham

WG Grace

Wilfred Rhodes

Bob Willis

Sydney Barnes

Hedley Verity

George Lohmann

Jim Laker

Also, there's way too many openers in your squad. Try getting a decent middle-order batsman like Ken Barrington, Frank Woolley or Graham Thorpe. Someone who bowls at a serious pace such as Fred Trueman might also come in handy.