Playthrough Planning - Test Cricket

[Aislabie]

A Complete (Eventually, Maybe) Playthrough of Test Cricket

So this absolutely isn't going to be instead of my England playthrough, this is just a second idea that I want to have the option of playing with from time to time. It's a frankly enormous idea, and one that I know I'll never realistically finish, but that doesn't mean I can't at least start it. In order to make this work I'll have to set myself a few ground rules.

1. The Player Team
   1. Where possible, I will play as the team which lost the Test match or series in real life.
   2. If the match or series was drawn, I will play as the away team.
   3. If that drawn match or series was held at a neutral location, I will play as whoever I deem to be more fun.
2. Selection
   1. Where possible, I will aim to select the same team as was used in real life. Ian Salisbury fans rejoice!
   2. If a player who was uninjured in real life becomes injured in the game, I will replace them with a player of my choice from the playing squad.
   3. If more than 18 players are used during a Test series, I will be restricted to a playing squad of 18 and will make selections for my playing XI accordingly.
3. Fixtures
   1. Where possible, I will aim to replicate fixtures as they occurred in real life.
   2. If a real life Test series was scheduled for six or more Test matches, I will shorten it to a five-match series because that makes my life easier.
   3. I may add in real-life matches and series that were not awarded Test status in our timeline.
4. Stat Keeping
   1. I will try to keep stats and records in the same way that I have done in my England playthrough.
   2. This will almost certainly not include the honours board, because that would quickly become madness.
   3. I'm sure this won't get out of hand.

 

[Aislabie]

Series Itinerary

Eventually, this will be a complete list of all series I intend to play as part of this playthrough. This does include some fixtures which were not deemed Test matches in real life.

Work in progress (naturally)

Spoiler: 1870s

1873-74
Australia vs England - 1 Test - unsure

1874
England vs Scotland - 1 Test - unsure

1876-77
Australia vs England - 2 Tests

1878
England vs Australia - 1 Test
United States vs Australia - 1 Test

1878-79
Australia vs England - 1 Test

Spoiler: 1880s

1880
England vs Australia - 1 Test

1881-82
Australia vs England - 4 Tests

1882
England vs Australia - 1 Test

1882-83
Australia vs England - 4 Tests

1884
England vs Australia - 3 Tests

1884-85
Australia vs England - 5 Tests

1885
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1886
England vs Australia - 3 Tests
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1886-87
Australia vs England - 2 Tests

1887-88
Australia vs England - 1 Test

1888
England vs Australia - 3 Tests

1888-89
South Africa vs England - 2 Tests

Spoiler: 1890s

1891
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1892-93
India vs England - 1 Test

1893
United States vs Australia - 2 Tests

1894
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1895
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1895-96
New Zealand vs Fiji - 1Test - didn't happen in real life

1896
United States vs Australia - 3 Tests

1896-97
West Indies vs England - 1 Test

1897
England vs United States - 1 Test
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1898
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1899
United States vs England - 2 Tests

Spoiler: 1900s

1901
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1902
England vs Ireland - 1 Test

1902-03
West Indies vs England - 3 Tests
New Zealand vs England - 2 Tests

1903
England vs United States - 1 Test

1904-05
New Zealand vs Australia - 2 Tests
West Indies vs England - 2 Tests

1905
United States vs England - 2 Tests

1906
England vs West Indies - 3 Tests - (WG Grace XI, MCC, England XI)
Scotland vs West Indies - 1 Test

1906-07
New Zealand vs England - 2 Tests

1907
United States vs England - 2 Tests
Ireland vs South Africa - 1 Test

1908
Ireland vs United States - 1 Test
England vs United States - 1 Test

1909
United States vs Ireland - 2 Tests

Spoiler: 1910s

1909-10
New Zealand vs Australia - 2 Tests

1910-11
West Indies vs England - 3 Tests

1911
England vs India - 1 Test
Scotland vs India - 1 Test

1911-12
Argentina vs England - 3 Tests

1912
United States vs Australia - 2 Tests
Ireland vs South Africa - 1 Test

1912-13
West Indies vs England - 3 Tests

1913
United States vs Australia - 3 Tests

1913-14
New Zealand vs Australia - 2 Tests

1915-16
India vs England - 1 Test

1918-19
India vs England - 1 Test

Spoiler: 1920s

1920-21
New Zealand vs Australia - 2 Tests

1922
England vs Scotland - 1 Test

1922-23
New Zealand vs England - 3 Tests

1923
Scotland vs Wales - 1 Test
England vs West Indies - 2 Tests - (MCC, L-Gower XI)

1925
England vs Wales - 1 Test

1925-26
West Indies vs England - 3 Tests

1926
England vs Wales - 1 Test

1926-27
India vs England - 3 Tests
Argentina vs England - 4 Tests
Ceylon vs England - 1 Test

1927
England vs New Zealand - 1 Test
Ireland vs Wales - 1 Test

1927-28
New Zealand vs Australia - 2 Tests

1928
Ireland vs West Indies - 1 Test
Ireland vs England - 1 Test
England vs Wales - 1 Test

1929
England vs Wales - 1 Test

Spoiler: 1930s

1929-30
Argentina vs England - 3 Tests

1930
England vs Wales - 1 Test

1932
India vs Ceylon - 2 Tests

1933-34
Sri Lanka vs England - 1 Test

1934
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1935-36
Ceylon vs Australia - 1 Test

1936
Ireland vs India - 1 Test
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1936-37
Ceylon vs England - 1 Test

1937
Ireland vs New Zealand - 1 Test

1937-38
Argentina vs England - 3 Tests

Spoiler: 1940s

1940-41
India vs Ceylon - 2 Tests

1944-45
Ceylon vs India - 1 Test

1947-48
New Zealand vs Fiji - 1Test - didn't happen in real life

1948
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1948-1949
Pakistan vs West Indies - 1 Test
Ceylon vs West Indies - 2 Tests

1949
Ceylon vs Pakistan - 2 Tests

Spoiler: 1950s

1949-1950
Pakistan vs Ceylon - 2 Tests

1950
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1951
Canada vs England - 1 Test

1951-1952
Pakistan vs England - 2 Tests
Ceylon vs England - 1 Test

1952
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1953-54
New Zealand vs Fiji - 1Test - didn't happen in real life

1954
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1956
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1956-57
Ceylon vs India - 2 Tests

1958
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

Spoiler: 1960s

1960
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1961
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1961-62
Ceylon vs England - 1 Test

1963-64
East Africa vs England - 1 Test

1964
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1964-65
India vs Ceylon - 3 Tests

1965
Ireland vs New Zealand - 1 Test

1966
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1966-67
Pakistan vs Ceylon - 3 Tests
Ceylon vs West Indies - 1 Test

1967
East Africa vs India - 1 Test

1968
Ireland vs England - 1 Test

1968-69
Ceylon vs England - 1 Test

1969-70
Ceylon vs Australia - 1 Test

Spoiler: 1970s

1969-70
Ceylon vs England eng: - 1 Test

1972-73
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan - 1 Test
Sri Lanka vs England - 1 Test

1973-74
:eaf: East Africa vs England - 1 Test
Sri Lanka vs India - 2 Tests
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka - 2 Tests

1974-75
Sri Lanka vs West Indies - 2 Tests

1975
:eaf: East Africa vs Sri Lanka - 1 Test (in England)

1975-76
India vs Sri Lanka - 3 Tests
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan - 2 Tests

1976-77
Sri Lanka vs England - 1 Test
ENGLAND STOP BEING THE MCC AFTER 1976-77

1978-79
Sri Lanka vs West Indies - 1 Test

1979
Ireland vs Sri Lanka - 1 Test
Scotland vs Sri Lanka - 1 Test

Spoiler: 1980s

1980-81
Sri Lanka vs Australia - 1 Test

1981
England vs Sri Lanka - 1 Test
Netherlands vs Sri Lanka - 1 Test - was two one-day games in real life

Spoiler: Ireland vs Scotland

Ireland and Scotland played 77 first-class games between 1909 and 2000 - those could also be included.

 

[ddrap14]

I'm sure this won't get out of hand.

65 year old Aislabie after playing 2500 Tests:

 

[Aislabie]

65 year old Aislabie after playing 2500 Tests:

When PlanetCricket and indeed forums generally are populated by like five old dudes, and I'm still there plugging in screengrabs of tests played in Cricket Captain 2044 (the last version of the game ever made)

 

[ddrap14]

Cricket Captain 2044 (the last version of the game ever made)

And it's still the same as 2015!

 

[wasteyouryouth]

And it's still the same as 2015!

Which is still the same as 2005

 

[ddrap14]

1963-64
East Africa vs England - 1 Test

Things That Will Not End Well:

Edit: Wait, does CC even have these guys?

 

[Aislabie]

Things That Will Not End Well:

Edit: Wait, does CC even have these guys?

There are some players who for various reasons aren't in the Cricket Captain database. One example of this would be David Fulton; when a player like this comes up in the storyline, I dig up the player with the closest stats and edit their name.

There are going to be a lot of players not in the database if I end up including all these extra Tests.

 

[ddrap14]

There are some players who for various reasons aren't in the Cricket Captain database. One example of this would be David Fulton; when a player like this comes up in the storyline, I dig up the player with the closest stats and edit their name.

There are going to be a lot of players not in the database if I end up including all these extra Tests.

Awesome. I've sorta ran into a similar problem in my save; while I wasn't gonna pick him for the WI series anyway, I don't have the option of calling up John Scholes at all. I'll do what you've done if it happens again (Jamie Cox feels likely to actually get a chance in this playthrough)

 

[Aislabie]

Australia vs England - Only Test at Albert Cricket Ground, 05 Feb 1874

Australian XI (player team)
1. Nat Thompson
2. Dave Gregory
3. George Gibson
4. Charles Bannerman
5. Charles Lawrence
6. Charles Oliver
7. Charles Carr
8. William Pocock
9. Joseph Coates
10. Samuel Cosstick
11. Edwin Tindall

English XI
1. WG Grace
2. Henry Jupp
3. Andrew Greenwood
4. Richard Humphrey
5. Fred Grace
6. Walter Gilbert
7. William Oscroft
8. Martin McIntyre
9. James Lillywhite
10. James Bush
11. James Southerton

-

England won the toss and chose to bat first

-

Two things are profoundly obvious from playing this match: the first is that Cricket Captain absolutely cannot recreate old-timey cricket on uncovered, unmaintained pitches; the second is that old-timey England were far far better than old-timey Australia.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, WG Grace set about filling his boots on the unrealistically flat Albert Cricket Ground wicket. He dominated the scoring in a 300-run opening partnership with Surrey's Henry Jupp. Once Grace finally lost his wicket, Jupp then took charge of another huge partnership with Andrew Greenwood. The Australian bowlers were simply powerless to stop the English batters, and their punishment ended only when WG Grace declared the innings closed.

The Australian batters couldn't play to the same standard. The very experienced Charles Lawrence was the only player to pass 50, while the wickets were shared mostly between William Oscroft and James Southerton. Lawrence top-scored again in the second innings, while the England captain gave bowling opportunities to his brother Fred Grace and to Martin McIntyre, and the medium-pace pair claimed three wickets each.

Not much to write really - this one was comprehensive.



- - -

I would however like to ask people generally if they are happy with the scores sometimes being a bit era-inappropriate like this. The first time a 600-plus score was made in real-life Test cricket was in 1925, which makes this a solid 50 years out of place. Do people mind that, or would you rather I took steps to try to avoid it happening?

 

[ddrap14]

Do people mind that, or would you rather I took steps to try to avoid it happening?

Honestly, I don't think it's avoidable (and practical to do so)