Draft: The Lasagne Draft

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 4: @blockerdave



Joel Garner

Rejected by: @Aislabie
Lucky Dip nomination by: @El Loco

ODI stats: 146 wickets @ 18.84 (3 5WI, best 5/31) in 98 matches
List A stats: 397 wickets @ 16.61 (10 5WI, best 6/29) in 256 matches

What an absolutely monstrous player to pick up. Statistically, he is absolutely the greatest one-day bowler in history and there's no contender. He stood head and shoulders above his peers. Literally. He's a massive bloke.

 

[ahmedleo414]

Protected Player 1: @ahmedleo414

Ricky Ponting

Rejected by: @Aislabie / @yash

ODI stats: 13,704 runs @ 42.03 (30 centuries, best 164) in 375 matches
List A stats: 16,363 runs @ 41.74 (34 centuries, best 164) in 456 matches

Well done @ahmedleo414 on a well-chosen protected pick. You've got yourself a legendary batsman and a captain all in one go.

Awesome!! I am very happy with that

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 5: @CerealKiller

Wasim Akram

Rejected by: @blockerdave / @Yash.
Lucky Dip nomination by: @Na Maloom Afraad

ODI stats: 3,717 runs @ 16.52 (best 86) and 502 wickets @ 23.52 (6 5WI, best 5/15) in 356 matches
List A stats: 6,993 runs @ 18.90 (best 89*) and 881 wickets @ 21.91 (12 5WI, best 5/10) in 594 matches

And from statistically the greatest one-day bowler, we move straight on to anecdotally the greatest one-day bowler. Honestly, to be a top-class pace bowler and play the amount of cricket Wasim did, at the intensity with which he played it, is absolutely freakish.

 

[blockerdave]

Protected Player 5: @CerealKiller

Wasim Akram

Rejected by: @blockerdave / @yash
Lucky Dip nomination by: @Na Maloom Afraad

ODI stats: 3,717 runs @ 16.52 (best 86) and 502 wickets @ 23.52 (6 5WI, best 5/15) in 356 matches
List A stats: 6,993 runs @ 18.90 (best 89*) and 881 wickets @ 21.91 (12 5WI, best 5/10) in 594 matches

And from statistically the greatest one-day bowler, we move straight on to anecdotally the greatest one-day bowler. Honestly, to be a top-class pace bowler and play the amount of cricket Wasim did, at the intensity with which he played it, is absolutely freakish.

Was very close to picking him as my protected player but thought nah, someone else will have picked him for sure

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 6: @DalePlaysCricket

Kevin Pietersen

Rejected by: @blockerdave

ODI stats: 4,440 runs @ 40.73 (9 centuries, best 130) in 136 matches
List A stats: 8,112 runs @ 40.76 (15 centuries, best 147) in 253 matches

What a knobhead. But also, what an incredibly gifted batsman. He never actually reached the heights in this format that his debut series suggested but good lord - has any player ever had a more remarkable and impactful debut series than Pietersen? Had he not debuted the way he did, England would not have won the 2005 Ashes.

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

Fingers crossed.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 7: @deleted member

Ajay Sharma

Rejected by: None

ODI stats: 424 runs @ 20.19 (best 59*) and 15 wickets @ 58.33 (best 3/41) in 31 matches
List A stats: 2,814 runs @ 36.07 (2 centuries, best 135*) and 108 wickets @ 28.37 (2 5WI, best 5/30) in 113 matches

So erm... this is a really weird pick. A domestic giant who never quite made it in international cricket, only to end up banned for life in a fixing scandal. Maybe this is the starting point for a redemption arc or something?

 

[blockerdave]

Protected Player 7: @deleted member

Ajay Sharma

Rejected by: None

ODI stats: 424 runs @ 20.19 (best 59*) and 15 wickets @ 58.33 (best 3/41) in 31 matches
List A stats: 2,814 runs @ 36.07 (2 centuries, best 135*) and 108 wickets @ 28.37 (2 5WI, best 5/30) in 113 matches

So erm... this is a really weird pick. A domestic giant who never quite made it in international cricket, only to end up banned for life in a fixing scandal. Maybe this is the starting point for a redemption arc or something?

Never heard of him, easily the biggest headscratcher of a draft pick I’ve seen! Can’t wait to see his lucky dips!!

 

[El Loco]

Why do I have a sneaky feeling I know what's coming next?

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 8: @El Loco

AB de Villiers

Rejected by: @deleted member / @yash

ODI stats: 9,577 runs @ 53.50 (SR: 101.09, 25 centuries, best 176) in 228 matches
List A stats: 11,123 runs @ 53.47 (SR: n/a, 29 centuries, best 176) in 263 matches

Okay so there's nobody - nobody - who has ever been able to bat like AB de Villiers could on a really good day. He is the most complete attacking batsman there has ever been, and it is a privilege to have watched him do his thing.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 9: @Na Maloom Afraad

Sachin Tendulkar

Rejected by: @ahmedleo414 / @blockerdave / @deleted member / @yash

ODI stats: 18,426 runs @ 44.83 (49 centuries, best 200*) and 154 wickets @ 44.48 (2 5WI, best 5/32) in 463 matches
List A stats: 21,999 runs @ 45.54 (60 centuries, best 200*) and 201 wickets @ 42.17 (2 5WI, best 5/32) in 551 matches

Well I for one would have been shocked if nobody had tried to protect the Little Master. Miles ahead of his time as a One-Day International batsman, and a non-terrible spin option with his right-arm-random whatever that seemed to confuse people.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 10: @Yash.

Zaheer Abbas

Rejected by: None
Lucky Dip nomination by: @El Loco

ODI stats: 2,572 runs @ 47.62 (7 centuries, best 123) in 62 matches
List A stats: 11,240 runs @ 40.72 (19 centuries, best 158*) in 323 matches

Everyone raves about how far ahead of his time Viv Richards was - and he was, make no mistake - but right there with him every step of the way was the irrepressible Zaheer Abbas, who was head and shoulders above any non-Richards batsman in one-day cricket in about the first three decades of its existence.

 

[Aislabie]

So just to confirm, the Layer 1 picks are...

@ahmedleo414 - Ricky Ponting
@Aislabie - Andrew Flintoff
@Bevab - Jonny Bairstow
@blokerdave - Joel Garner
@CerealKiller - Wasim Akram
@DalePlaysCricket - Kevin Pietersen
@deleted member - Ajay Sharma
@El Loco - AB de Villiers
@Na Maloom Afraad - Sachin Tendulkar
@Yash. - Zaheer Abbas

 

[ahmedleo414]

Wow, already this draft is looking amazing... with one weird exception... but it could be a curveball we'll have to wait and see

 

[Ed Smith]

Some decent picks there. Now for the good bit...