Draft: Over 30s Draft

[Willoughby63]

Please tag in the next pick. @Aalay is up

 

[Aalay]

I was tempted because I had a couple of people in mind but I thought I will build my team around probably my favourite Australian bowler of recent times. My first pick for the dad's army is Ryan Harris.

Even though Ryan Harris made his ODI debut at the age of 29, he played his first test against NZ in after he turned 30. He made an immediate impact as he ended up as the second highest wicket taker and bowled with the second best economy rate of that series. His stock delivery is the one which moves away from the right handers but he has the ability to bring it back in as well and that's what made him lethal. He always bowled with good pace hitting that 140 KM/H mark consistently and bowled that nagging line and length to trouble batsmen consistently.

Ryan has had fair share of injury problems throughout his career and that has led to him making his debut at such a late age. However, that didn't stop him from becoming one of the strike bowlers for Australia in that 2010-2015 period. Even though he made an impact in whichever series he played, his first breakthrough series came in 2013 when Australia toured England for his second Ashes series. Even though Australia ended up losing the series, Ryan picked up 24 wickets and was second highest wicket taker in the series despite not playing in the first test. He had his revenge however in 2013/14 Ashes series in Australia. Even though Mitchell Johnson will rightfully headline whenever there is a mention of that series in future, Ryan Harris played an equally important role and taking 22 wickets in that series.

Ryan Harris helped Australia win a series against South Africa in South Africa by bowling one knee. I am happy to announce that as a proud member of Dad's Army, he will be bowling without his knees.

In the end, I will leave you this beauty.

Let's see what you got: @Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Overall Pick #3: WG Grace

Profile
There were so many great players available, but in the end I had to go for the man without whom there probably wouldn't even be the modern game: The Doctor, William Gilbert Grace. His Test debut did not have to wait until his 30s because of any doubts about his abilities, but because his 20s predated Test cricket itself. He is a man whose stats do have to be viewed through the lens of cricket being an entirely different game when he played it compared to the game we're familiar with today. He was a reasonable bowler; delivering the ball at medium pace, he took thousands of wickets at an average of well under 20.

However, those bowling statistics aren't as impressive as they look, for the pitches he played his cricket on were always unhelpful and often unsafe for batting. An average of 18 was about par for the course: Grace's brother and opening partner on Test debut, Edward "EM" Grace, was one of the nation's more respected batsmen: he finished his career with five first-class hundreds and an average of eighteen. That was normal, but also did not bear comparison to the performances of his colossus of a brother. WG's numbers were nearly as far ahead of his nineteenth-century contemporaries as Bradman's were ahead of his: standing apart in particular was his 344 against Kent, the first ever triple-century scored in first-class cricket.

It should be noted, however, that he was a proper knobhead. The story of "they've paid to watch me bat, not to watch you bowl" may be apocryphal, but the general gist remains. Grace strode the land in the full belief that cricket was his game, but really - how could anyone argue otherwise?

Statistics
TESTS - 1,098 runs @ 32.29 (2 centuries, best 170) and 9 wickets @ 26.22 (best 2/12) in 22 matches
FIRST CLASS - 54,211 runs @ 39.45 (124 centuries, best 344) and 2,809 wickets @ 18.22 (240 5WI, best 10/49) in 870 matches

Role in the Team
Grace strides out, built like a bear brandishing a toothpick, to batter the opposition bowlers into submission. He will also be called upon as a third or fourth seamer, but by the time he reached the Test arena it was somewhat diminished, especially given his preference to stick with the old round-arm style in an overarm world - although in the present day, perhaps that might be an asset.

Fields on Wheels so far:
1. WG Grace (Pick #3)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Next pick:
@Villain

 

[Willoughby63]

Overall Pick #3: WG Grace

Profile
There were so many great players available, but in the end I had to go for the man without whom there probably wouldn't even be the modern game: The Doctor, William Gilbert Grace. His Test debut did not have to wait until his 30s because of any doubts about his abilities, but because his 20s predated Test cricket itself. He is a man whose stats do have to be viewed through the lens of cricket being an entirely different game when he played it compared to the game we're familiar with today. He was a reasonable bowler; delivering the ball at medium pace, he took thousands of wickets at an average of well under 20.

However, those bowling statistics aren't as impressive as they look, for the pitches he played his cricket on were always unhelpful and often unsafe for batting. An average of 18 was about par for the course: Grace's brother and opening partner on Test debut, Edward "EM" Grace, was one of the nation's more respected batsmen: he finished his career with five first-class hundreds and an average of eighteen. That was normal, but also did not bear comparison to the performances of his colossus of a brother. WG's numbers were nearly as far ahead of his nineteenth-century contemporaries as Bradman's were ahead of his: standing apart in particular was his 344 against Kent, the first ever triple-century scored in first-class cricket.

It should be noted, however, that he was a proper knobhead. The story of "they've paid to watch me bat, not to watch you bowl" may be apocryphal, but the general gist remains. Grace strode the land in the full belief that cricket was his game, but really - how could anyone argue otherwise?

Statistics
TESTS - 1,098 runs @ 32.29 (2 centuries, best 170) and 9 wickets @ 26.22 (best 2/12) in 22 matches
FIRST CLASS - 54,211 runs @ 39.45 (124 centuries, best 344) and 2,809 wickets @ 18.22 (240 5WI, best 10/49) in 870 matches

Role in the Team
Grace strides out, built like a bear brandishing a toothpick, to batter the opposition bowlers into submission. He will also be called upon as a third or fourth seamer, but by the time he reached the Test arena it was somewhat diminished, especially given his preference to stick with the old round-arm style in an overarm world - although in the present day, perhaps that might be an asset.

Fields on Wheels so far:
1. WG Grace (Pick #3)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Next pick:
@Villain

You still have Matt Poore in there.

 

[Willoughby63]

@Villain 1 late pick
@Dutch feel free to make your pick

 

[Dutch]

Ah Great! Hoping I would get this batsman in first and a great opener he is and proved to be. Gritty, dogged, real test cricket mentality! It is of course Chris Rogers.

Chris made his debut in test cricket aged 30 and scored a rather miserly 19 in his two innings against India as he came in for an injured Matthew Hayden. That might of been it but something caught the selectors eye and he was recalled surprisingly in 2013 and played a pivotal role in the Ashes series both in England and Australia, being the highest scorer across the ten matches of both teams! He was thus 35 when he actually became the backbone of the Aussie top-order with his only-over-my- dead-body attitude! His dogged style providing the perfect foil to David Warner's aggression and they proved time and again a worthy opening partnership.

At an average of 42 from 25 tests the man is a shoe-in to open for us. Chris has coped with a number of handicaps in his playing career being color blind, short-sighted (would make an excellent England Selector) and ginger!

Ladies and gentleman rumbling proudly to the crease:




The Creaking Lumbagos:
1. Chris Rogers
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.




@El Loco

 

[El Loco]

Dainty Ironmonger

Da Team:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Dainty Ironmonger

Would love to but unfortunately I can't spare the time for a write-up.

@Aalay is next

 

[Dutch]

With that name who need's a write-up!?

 

[Aalay]

Vijay Hazare is my next pick, I will do the write-up later.

Dad's Army

1. Vijay Hazare
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Ryan Harris
9.
10.
11.

 

[Aislabie]

Overall Pick #8: Stuart Clark

Profile
He may not be the obvious pick, but so few genuinely good seamers make their debut at so advanced an age that picking McGrath Mk.II seemed like the only logical thing to do. A tall and accurate opening bowler who took his wickets by hitting the seam and getting a bit of nibble, it was like McGrath had never left the side. Indeed, when the Australian legend came back into the side, it wasn't Clark who made way for him. Even though they were virtual cricketing clones of one another, there's nothing wrong with having two such similar players if they are both obscenely good at what they do.

He very nearly wasn't eligible for this draft - as far back as 2001, Cricket Australia had granted him a central contract - only for persistent ankle injuries to very nearly force him from the game. While he tried to put his body back together, he worked as an estate agent but we shouldn't hold that against him. All that matters is that by 2006, he was back to full form and fitness, bursting into the Australian team by absolutely demolishing the South Africans.

Statistics
TESTS - 248 runs @ 13.05 (best 39) and 94 wickets @ 23.86 (2 5WI, best 5/32) in 24 matches
FIRST CLASS - 1,434 runs @ 14.05 (best 62) and 393 wickets @ 27.52 (13 5WI, best 8/58) in 113 matches

Role in the Team
Shuffling in with the new ball in hand will be big Stuart Clark. The seam will be upright, and the opposition batsmen will be simply unable not to nick him off to slip.

Fields on Wheels so far:
1. WG Grace (Pick #3)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Stuart Clark (Pick #8)
11.

Next pick:
@Villain

 

[Dutch]

This thing needs some momentum!

 

[Willoughby63]

2 late picks for @Villain, @Dutch is up

 

[Dutch]

Rockley Wilson ( played one test at the good old age of 41!) They knew how to name people in them days!

He bowled so well in the 1920 season that he was asked to go on the 20/21 tour to Australia: a massive undertaking in those days of course!

Bowling right arm spin he took 3 wickets in his only match and was never called upon again. He scored 5 in each of his innings but the Rockster could bat a bit having scored first class centuries.

But his influence on history may be greater than we think as he was the schoolmaster of Douglas Jardine amongst others and inspired a generation of schoolboys to take up cricket.

The Rockstler rocks up to the crease at number 10 turning ‘em both ways! Give it to ‘em Rockley but mind yer hip!

The Creaking Lumbagos:
1. Chris Rogers
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Rockley Wilson
11.

@El Loco

 

[El Loco]

Patsy Hendren

Da Team:
1.
2.
3.
4. Patsy Hendren
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Dainty Ironmonger[DOUBLEPOST=1572526450][/DOUBLEPOST]@CerealKiller

 

[CerealKiller]

My next pick is Clarrie Grimmett, considered one of the finest spin bowlers of his era, and the developer of the flipper. A legspinner, he played 37 Tests for Australia between the ages of 33 and 44, yet was the first ever to reach 200 Test wickets, being also the fastest to the milestone until Yasir Shah broke his record in 2018. He is also one of the few bowlers to have taken 10 wickets in an innings in first-class cricket.
He was born on Christmas Day 1891 in New Zealand, leading his bowling partner in his latter years Bill O'Reilly to remark that he "must have been the best Christmas present Australia ever received from that country."

Undisputed Era
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Mike Hussey
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Clarrie Grimmett
11.

@Aislabie
@Willoughby63 you should consider removing Villain, since he was last online more than a week ago