Draft: The Pre-Twenty20 Draft

[blockerdave]

Wilfred Rhodes
A right handed batsman and a slow left arm orthodox bowler, this legendary cricketer has most number of First Class records to his name. 4204 wickets at an average of only 16.72 along with 39969 runs in his FC career.

Wilfred Rhodes: 15 startling statistics about the English legend

Villain's XI
Sir Jack Hobbs
Steve Waugh
Aravinda De Silva
Michael Bevan
Ian Healy
Sir Ian Botham
Wilfred Rhodes
Sir Curtly Ambrose



​

@Sinister One

Wilf Rhodes was an absolute legend. Not sure about a T20 player, but a great player.

 

[CerealKiller]

Allan Lamb
Originally South African, apartheid led Allan Lamb to play for England. He was a world-class limited overs batsman, never leaving the top 10 of the ODI batsmen's ranking, barring the first year of his career. He was a powerful striker and could easily clear the fence, but usually kept his firepower for the death overs. At the time of his retirement, only Ian Botham had hit more ODI sixes for England than him.
His role in this team will be to keep the scorecard ticking in the middle overs, and go big at the end.
As a batsman, MS Dhoni a few years ago is a very similar player.

CerealKiller's XI
1. Graeme Pollock
2. Victor Trumper
3. Stan McCabe
4. Allan Lamb
5. Imran Khan
6.
7. Alan Davidson
8. Malcolm Marshall
9.
10. Bill O'Reilly
11.

@Aislabie (also credits to him for the profile)

 

[Aislabie]

Overall Pick #56: Percy Fender

Seriously, this is in my opinion one of the best sporting photographs of all time.​

Profile
While everyone runs around picking guys like Jack Hobbs (great player, but Pujara-esque for a T20 side), they're missing one of the best Twenty20 players never to partake in the format: England's Percy Fender. Born in the late nineteenth century, Fender was far, far ahead of his time. Despite career averages that were relatively unremarkable, Fender was remembered for longer than most for the uniquely positively way in which he played cricket. As a captain, his exploits were legendary: his Surrey team became county champions despite having a weaker than average team on paper, and his eye for inventive tactics would bear fruit infamously when he explained to a certain Douglas Jardine that Australia's Don Bradman could be reduced to a merely exceptional player through the use of "leg-theory". Fender's batting and bowling were similarly positive: he was known for his unparalleled fast scoring with the bat, in addition to his medium-paced leg-spin augmented by innumerable variations. Honestly, I could write about Fender for days, but I'll just end up repeating myself.

Comparable T20 Player
A cavalier six-hitting batsman and bowler of flat leg-breaks? Sounds like a proto-Shahid Afridi.

Finest Performances
Against Northamptonshire in 1920, Fender made a century in only 35 minutes - a record which would not be broken for another 63 years albeit against "declaration bowling" where runs were being conceded deliberately. By contrast, Fender's innings was made against bowlers trying not to concede runs and instead to get him out. His bowling was similarly devastating on occasion: against Middlesex in 1927, he took six wickets in eleven balls to finish with figures of seven for ten. Of course this didn't happen every week, but at his best Fender was unmatchable.

Role in the Team
Percy Fender is my captain, my finisher and my second spinner.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1. Colin Milburn (Pick #35)
2. Don Bradman (Pick #3)
3. Zaheer Abbas (Pick #12)
4.
5. Leslie Ames (Pick #36)
6. Mike Procter (Pick #27)
7. Percy Fender (Pick #56)
8.
9.
10. Sydney Barnes (Pick #16)
11. Bob Appleyard (Pick #43)

Next pick:
@Sinister One

 

[Bevab]

That is a marvelous photograph indeed! Haven’t heard of Fender before, but he seems like a very interesting player.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I will be really dissapointed to see if the player who I am expecting doesn't get picked at the end of this draft with all the experience and knowledge of members on this thread.

 

[Aislabie]

I will be really dissapointed to see if the player who I am expecting doesn't get picked at the end of this draft with all the experience and knowledge of members on this thread.

Relax; we've all got our ideas of who we want to pick for our teams. So far I've managed to pick up every player I've wanted except for Macartney (who I wanted to bat four) and Stephenson (who I wanted to bat eight) so unless something goes wrong I won't be picking your player

 

[Master Bates]

I am torn between Michael Holding and Sir Curtly Ambrose but I gotta go with Holding.

@CerealKiller

 

[Bevab]

I am torn between Michael Holding and Sir Curtly Ambrose but I gotta go with Holding.

@CerealKiller

In that case, you would be happy to know that Ambrose has already been picked in the very first round itself.

 

[Master Bates]

In that case, you would be happy to know that Ambrose has already been picked in the very first round itself.

LOL! Pardon

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Relax; we've all got our ideas of who we want to pick for our teams. So far I've managed to pick up every player I've wanted except for Macartney (who I wanted to bat four) and Stephenson (who I wanted to bat eight) so unless something goes wrong I won't be picking your player

I still believe that the player would get picked. You won't be happy to know but as a person he would be the last guy I would like.

 

[blockerdave]

I still believe that the player would get picked. You won't be happy to know but as a person he would be the last guy I would like.

What is his profile, batter, bowler, all rounder? (Spinner or fast bowler?)

Don’t say nationality.

Then I can tell you if he might at least be on the list.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

What is his profile, batter, bowler, all rounder? (Spinner or fast bowler?)

Don’t say nationality.

Then I can tell you if he might at least be on the list.

A spin bowling all-rounder, an opener also batted in middle order. He is an Indian

 

[Aislabie]

A spin bowling all-rounder, an opener also batted in middle order. He is an Indian

Then it's exactly who I thought and I have no intention of picking him

 

[blockerdave]

A spin bowling all-rounder, an opener also batted in middle order. He is an Indian

Then it’s not either of the guys I thought it might be, but I think I know who it might be and I’m afraid he’s not on my list either.

Edit - though if it is who I think it his, his Sikh one-time opening partner was in my long list but I’m unlikely to pick him

 

[blockerdave]

Allan Lamb is a great pick and one of the players I was still considering.

Percy Fender is a really interesting pick. Stats-wise I wouldn’t have considered him, though I knew him to be a great tactician. But reading more about him he would indeed probably have been a fine t20 player.