Draft: The Pre-Twenty20 Draft

[Bevab]

KAPIL DEV

​

Reasons for selection:

• Kapil Dev wasn't the most skilled among the four golden all-rounders of the 80s, but he is without any doubt the most natural choice for a t20 match due to his playing style.
  
• Dev's numbers in ODIs are ruined partly by him playing past his peak, particularly with the bat. At his peak throughout the 80s however, Dev had an average of nearly 27 with the bat and a mind-boggling strike rate of almost 102. These numbers are good enough for a handy all-rounder who could bowl a bit to merit selection in the modern ODI lineup of most teams. When you consider that he was also the best bowler in his side for a large portion of his career, the decision becomes a no-brainer.
  
• One of the fittest and most disciplined players to have ever graced the game, Dev never missed out on a game due to injury. Gavaskar also remarked that he had never seen Dev bowl a single no-ball in practice sessions either in addition to official games, a sign of how disciplined he was with the ball. In addition, he was an excellent outfielder. Who could forget his outstanding catch running backwards to dismiss Viv himself in the '83 finals?
  
• He was once dropped by Gavaskar for a test due to his reckless batting in the previous game. While frowned upon the longer format, this style of play will be warmly embraced in the t20s of today where dot balls are a sin. 10% of his runs in ODIs came via sixes, another sign of how destructive he was.
  
• The greatest pace bowler in Indian test history without any doubt, Kapil was also once the highest wicket taker in test history. His outswingers were some of the most deadly in his times and his record is even more outstanding for a player who bowled mostly on Indian pitches. He also had a handy yorker which he used to maximum effect in ODIs.
• Kapil Dev's bowling career can be split into two phases. In phase one, he was one of the best strike bowlers in the world, picking 250 test wickets in just five years up until his knee surgery in 1984. After that however, he lost some of his pace and instead opted to become more accurate, leading to him exchanging strike rate for economy. This also coincided with his shift from purely relying on outswinging deliveries to developing more varieties such as the inswinger too. All of these are things that hold in him good stead to bowl in a t20, where accuracy and variety are essential to thrive.
  
• Most importantly, he was the man who led India to one of the biggest sporting upsets in history, winning the World Cup in '83 and the World Series in '85. He was also a man for the big occasions, proven by his outstanding numbers with the ball versus one of the strongest sides in history. His 175* also stands as one of the greatest ODI innings ever particularly with context and who can forget him smashing four sixes in a row to avoid the follow-on with a number 11 at the other end who was dismissed the very next over? As an Indian, Kapil is one of the sporting heroes who you've always seen as a larger than life person and you're almost obliged to pick him if he's available.

Comparable modern T20 player:

The natural and obvious comparison would be with Hardik Pandya, another quick all-rounder who hits hard from India and it makes sense when you consider batting alone. However, Kapil Dev was more of a swing bowler who bowled with the new ball in comparison with Pandya who relies a lot more on cutters and bouncers along with raw pace. Bhuvi is a lot more similar to him with the ball, as he has a good yorker and a bag of tricks up his sleeve too.

Role in the team:

His ability to swing the ball naturally means he should bowl as many overs with the new ball as possible. In addition, he is a very economical bowler and can keep things tight during the powerplay. 3 overs during the powerplay would be the ideal way to use him, with the final one for the death or middle overs depending on the game situation. With the bat, he will be the primary finisher and should be promoted quite often in most games to provide a late flourish. The ideal time to send him in would be around the 13-14 over mark if the run rate needs a boost.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. K. Dev
8.
9.
10.
11. J. Garner

 

[Gaurav_7]

Gordon Greenidge
​

One of the most fierce strikers of the cricket ball. Greenidge was someone who made best bowlers look ordinary with his range of strokes and his amazing ability to hit the ball at will. There was hardly any opener in cricket then who could match Greenidge in terms of strokeplay and the ease with which he played his shots. He wilfully pulled and hooked the ball and also drove with equal elegance on both sides of the ground.

Greenidge put on a show, an absolute treat to the eyes when he scored a double hundred on last day of the test match against England to win the game for the West Indies. That knock was testimony to his fantastic hitting ability and skill. They say he became more threatening if he started to limp while running between the wickets. The pain made him tougher and it was near impossible to get him out. It was stand and deliver then for him and most times he succeeded and got out only after the damage was done.

His square cut was a candy to the eye and there wasn't anyone who could play it better those days. He averaged about 45 in both Test as well as ODI cricket. He could play pacers as well as spinner with utmost ease. His tally of 67 sixes in Test cricket was only bettered by Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd amongst the players who played with him. Gordon Greenidge is a fanatic of the T20 format and has himself said the innovation has led to unimaginable strokes. So if he would get to be a T20 opener, it has to be danger signs ahead for the opposition bowlers.

Gordon Greenidge
Viv Richards
Keith Miller

 

[blockerdave]

So I didn’t know whether to pick Greenidge before or after Jessop, knowing there was a higher chance of him going than Jessop.

His ODI strike rate was surprisingly low, but he is nevertheless a great choice.

 

[Aislabie]

So I didn’t know whether to pick Greenidge before or after Jessop, knowing there was a higher chance of him going than Jessop.

His ODI strike rate was surprisingly low, but he is nevertheless a great choice.

Yeah, I considered him as well but his stats speak of someone who was very good at hitting and clearing boundaries but really very average at rotating strike. By comparison, Jessop is like the Victorian Dre Russ, so absolutely the right choice

 

[CerealKiller]

@Bevab

 

[blockerdave]

Jessop is like the Victorian Dre Russ

Since I’m almost pathologically uninterested in T20 and franchise cricket it took me ages to figure out who you meant!

 

[Aislabie]

Since I’m almost pathologically uninterested in T20 and franchise cricket it took me ages to figure out who you meant!

Sorry; decided to be a bit more down with the kids! Also beginning to feel a little bit nervous about missing out on my next draft target. He's one of those players who I feel like should have been my first pick, but whom I thought I could bank on being forgotten by those same kids I attempted to be down with

 

[Bevab]

Torn between a player who @CerealKiller will most certainly have on his radar and another who fulfils a niche role. In the end though, I would rather risk the relatively more obscure player and go with the safer pick for now..

Saeed Anwar

​

Reasons for selection:

• Anwar was one of the most classiest openers Pakistan has ever produced and is a straightforward selection in the All-Time XIs for both their test and ODI lineups.
• Do not let his classy style fool you though, as Anwar was also equally capable of destructive shots as well, particularly on the legside. His flicks towards the midwicket region and sweeps towards the legside are the stuff of legends.
• Anwar also has a very good record versus other top teams barring Australia in ODIs and South Africa in tests. This man wasn’t a minnow basher and was Pakistan’s top scorer in the ‘03WC even if he was past his peak both physically and mentally.
• Anwar’s strength was his offside game. He loved to drive and cut on the offside without much footwork. Sometimes, it would just be the tiniest of touches to just help the ball towards the boundary. This was an opener who relied more on sheer placement and timing for quick starts even if he had the power to go big.
• Anwar’s fitness and injury record was questionable and he often used runners, which is something to keep in mind alongside his average fielding skill. I can only hope that it doesn’t affect him too much in the shorter format seeing how a heavily immobile Gayle still manages to star in most T20 leagues around the world.
• His score of 194 remained the highest in ODI cricket up until Sachin broke it in 2010. Any player who could score that much in an era of lesser scores will certainly be the right fit for T20s. His conversion rate of 31.75% (25th on the overall list) in ODIs is another sign of him being a match-winner.
• While he officially retired only in August 2003, his last game was way back in March and it was a matter of when, not if he would retire. I hope that he’s eligible to be selected in this draft.

Comparable modern T20 player:

An offside preferring left-handed aggressive opener with minimal footwork who tends to edge the ball to slip or gully region with a love for flicks and sweeps? Are we sure that we aren’t talking about Shikhar Dhawan here?

Role in the team:

Quite simple really, Anwar plays as the opener and tries to bat throughout the innings as much as possible while maintaining a decent strike rate, taking the spinners out of the game with sixes and going for the kill if he still remains not out during the death.

1.
2. S. Anwar
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. K. Dev
8.
9.
10.
11. J. Garner

 

[Aislabie]

Saeed Anwar

*snip*​

Yeah, he was definitely on my list. Not a high priority so I never expected to get him, but still a very good pick and someone I thought might sneak through a bit longer because people would assume he'd played T20s​

 

[CerealKiller]

Torn between a player who @CerealKiller will most certainly have on his radar and another who fulfils a niche role. In the end though, I would rather risk the relatively more obscure player and go with the safer pick for now..

Saeed Anwar

​

Reasons for selection:

• Anwar was one of the most classiest openers Pakistan has ever produced and is a straightforward selection in the All-Time XIs for both their test and ODI lineups.
• Do not let his classy style fool you though, as Anwar was also equally capable of destructive shots as well, particularly on the legside. His flicks towards the midwicket region and sweeps towards the legside are the stuff of legends.
• Anwar also has a very good record versus other top teams barring Australia in ODIs and South Africa in tests. This man wasn’t a ****** basher and was Pakistan’s top scorer in the ‘03WC even if he was past his peak both physically and mentally.
• Anwar’s strength was his offside game. He loved to drive and cut on the offside without much footwork. Sometimes, it would just be the tiniest of touches to just help the ball towards the boundary. This was an opener who relied more on sheer placement and timing for quick starts even if he had the power to go big.
• Anwar’s fitness and injury record was questionable and he often used runners, which is something to keep in mind alongside his average fielding skill. I can only hope that it doesn’t affect him too much in the shorter format seeing how a heavily immobile Gayle still manages to star in most T20 leagues around the world.
• His score of 194 remained the highest in ODI cricket up until Sachin broke it in 2010. Any player who could score that much in an era of lesser scores will certainly be the right fit for T20s. His conversion rate of 31.75% (25th on the overall list) in ODIs is another sign of him being a match-winner.
• While he officially retired only in August 2003, his last game was way back in March and it was a matter of when, not if he would retire. I hope that he’s eligible to be selected in this draft.

Comparable modern T20 player:

An offside preferring left-handed aggressive opener with minimal footwork who tends to edge the ball to slip or gully region with a love for flicks and sweeps? Are we sure that we aren’t talking about Shikhar Dhawan here?

Role in the team:

Quite simple really, Anwar plays as the opener and tries to bat throughout the innings as much as possible while maintaining a decent strike rate, taking the spinners out of the game with sixes and going for the kill if he still remains not out during the death.

1.
2. S. Anwar
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. K. Dev
8.
9.
10.
11. J. Garner

Ah, dammit, one of my favourite players, would've been one of my two picks for sure

 

[Bevab]

Yeah, he was definitely on my list. Not a high priority so I never expected to get him, but still a very good pick and someone I thought might sneak through a bit longer because people would assume he'd played T20s​

Was very surprised that he wasn’t picked earlier myself, he’s one of the players most likely to have been very successful in T20s given the proximity of his career and playing style to the advent of T20s, which might have made most assume that he did play a handful of T20s indeed like Wasim and Waqar did.

All of my three primary picks from the earlier eras haven’t been my choices so far largely due to more modern choices being available up until now.

 

[Bevab]

Ah, dammit, one of my favourite players, would've been one of my two picks for sure

Sorry mate , he was just too good to pass up on. May I interest you in one Nayan Mongia instead?

 

[CerealKiller]

Sorry mate , he was just too good to pass up on. May I interest you in one Nayan Mongia instead?

Nah, think i'll go with MSK Prasad instead

 

[blockerdave]

Anwar! loved him, what a player and a great choice. Hadn't thought of him to be honest - such a huge range of people to pick from!

 

[CerealKiller]

Victor Trumper and Bill "Tiger" O'Reilly. Elaboration to come later, but Trumper was a genius batsman, and the fifth-quickest scorer among those eligible in this draft, second-quickest if only specialist batsmen are considered, and O'Reilly was simply unplayable in almost every match he played, thanks to his medium pacer-like speed, and varying his stock legreak with a lot of googlies and sliders.

CerealKiller's XI
1. Graeme Pollock
2. Victor Trumper
3.
4.
5. Imran Khan
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Bill O'Reilly
11.

@Bevab