Draft: The Role-Reversal Draft

[ahmedleo414]

@Na Maloom Afraad missed his deadline.

@Asham & @Na Maloom Afraad have one outstanding picks
@Life Warrior has two picks

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

NMA's ROLE-REVERSAL XI

Irfan Pathan
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashton Agar
Andre Russell
Steven Smith
Colin Munro

My apologies for the delay. I pick Ashton Agar. He's never played at number higher than 8. Granted he's only played for Australia 7 times, but one of those did result in him becoming the highest run-scorer at the No.11 position with 98 against England. So there's that.

@Life Warrior

 

[ahmedleo414]

@Life Warrior missed his deadline, @Asham has the next pick. Both have two picks

 

[ahmedleo414]

@Aislabie you have the next pick

 

[Aislabie]

Syed Kirmani

Test stats: 2,759 runs @ 27.04 (3 centuries, best 102) in 88 matches
First-class stats: 9,620 runs @ 30.15 (13 centuries, best 161) in 275 matches

Batted in top seven: 48 times (27.3%)

Holy mother of loopholes, I didn't think of this at all when I was writing the rules. It doesn't specify anywhere that a non-batsman has to be a bowler - just that they were selected to bat outside the top seven. The result is that Syed Kirmani and other usually specialist wicket-keepers can be selected as specialist batsmen. Although Kirmani never opened in Test cricket, I think he'll be more or less good enough to do the job here.

@Aislabie 's XI so far:
1. Syed Kirmani
2.
3.
4. Shaun Pollock
5. Jason Holder
6.
7. Clyde Walcott
8. Sanath Jayasuriya
9. Shane Watson
10.
11.

@Asham is meant to have the next pick, but I think we should skip him to keep the draft moving.

@ahmedleo414 - your go.

 

[ahmedleo414]

I am going with Paul Reiffel

For the 36 innings he batted, Reiffel batted in the tail order in 34 innings: 94.44%

His bio:

"Paul Reiffel was a nagging right-arm seam bowler and a very capable lower order batsman. Throughout a career which saw him appear in many Tests and one-day internationals for his country, he was a player who distinguished himself with his ability to bowl an awkward line and length and to complement it with a capacity to cut the ball both ways off the pitch. His unstinting accuracy and control was also a key to his success. Reiffel experienced occasional problems with no-balling and was afflicted by a number of injuries that threatened to end his career at different times. But he remained an outstanding player and a highly valued member of Victorian and Australian teams for more than a decade. The laid-back Reiffel retired from international cricket after forming a part of Australia's victorious 1999 World Cup side, and from his state at the end of the 2001-02 season.
"

1. ?
2. ?
3. Paul Reiffel
4. Sir Richard Hadlee
5. Vernon Philander
6. Ravindra Jadeja
7. Hanif Mohammad
8. Allan Border
9. Kane Williamson
10. ?
11. ?

@Yash. you are next

 

[Yash.]

1. ?
2. Eric Dalton
   
3. Daniel Vettori
   
4. Adil Rashid
   
5. ?
6. ?
7. A.B de Villiers
8. Carl Hooper
   
9. Frank Wooley
   
10. George Brown
    
11. ?

My next pick would be my first pacer, George Brown.

Qualification
He never bowled in any of his test matches. Always played as a wicket keeper.

Statistics
First Class:- 626 Wickets @ 29.81 (23 5WI, 2 10WM, BBI 8/55) in 612 Matches

So I took @Aislabie 's strategy and started looking for keepers who could fulfill the batsman criteria, but I ended finding this Wicket-Keeping All Rounder. As his Cricinfo profile says,

In his twenties he was a genuinely fast right-arm bowler and, even into his forties, he continued to take good wickets. Figures show Brown as an erratic player but, unlike many to whom that description may be applied, his failures were usually against weak opposition. It was his nature to rise to an occasion. Thus, when Hampshire beat the Australians in 1912 - the last county side to do so until Surrey in 1956 - Brown took four "key" wickets.

He'll be a great addition to my team. Statistically, he could be the second best bowler in this draft, after Frank Wooley.

@Na Maloom Afraad

 

[ahmedleo414]

@Na Maloom Afraad missed his deadline, @CerealKiller is next

 

[CerealKiller]

I'll gladly make use of Aislabie's loophole to select Ian Smith, who will probably remembered for his commentary in the 2019 WC final, rather than his exploits for as keeper for New Zealand, averaging 25 in 86 innings, only 13 of them above number 8.

CerealKiller's XI
1.
2. Ian Smith
3. Chris Woakes
4. Chaminda Vaas
5.
6.
7. Javed Miandad
8. Steve Waugh
9. Shahid Afridi
10. Hansie Cronje
11.

@Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Bapu Nadkarni

Test stats: 1,414 runs @ 25.70 (1 century, best 122*) and 88 wickets @ 29.07 (4 5WI, best 6/43) in 41 matches
First-class stats: 8,880 runs @ 40.36 (14 centuries, best 283*) and 500 wickets @ 21.37 (19 5WI, best 6/17) in 191 matches

Batted in top seven: 29 times (35.4%)
Bowled in first four: 24 times (29.3%)

Bapu Nadkarni was someone I initially planned to select as a batsman: after breaking into the side as a top-seven batsman, he shuffled steadily down the batting order to settle between numbers eight and ten. That batting ability never really left him though: at the zenith of what has come to be regarded as the most boring Test series of all time, Nadkarni scored a fine unbeaten 52 from number nine in the batting order in the first innings. For the second, with nothing much else worth trying, the Indians promoted him to number three, where he batted for well over a day to make it all the way to a maiden Test century and beyond. However, that game also displays another interesting side to Nadkarni's Test career: he was the sixth-choice spinner and bowler of last resort. He didn't get to the popping crease until after Motganhalli Jaisimha (truly dreadful off-spin), Salim Durani (left-arm orthodox), Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (leg-spin), Baloo Gupte (leg-spin) and Chandu Borde (leg-spin, also crap) had all been tried and had failed. At that point - but only at that point - Nadkarni was left to just bowl for 50-odd overs from one end.



Bernard Julien

Test stats: 866 runs @ 30.92 (2 centuries, best 121) in 24 matches
First-class stats: 5,790 runs @ 24.53 (3 centuries, best 127) in 195 matches

Batted in top seven: 16 times (33.3%)

Well I guess at number six I should really pick someone who's going to pick the scoring rate up: Bernard Julien's test-best 121 from 143 balls included 18 fours and two sixes; the fact that it came against a bowling attack of Willis, Arnold, Greig, Underwood and Illingworth just goes further still to show that on his day Julien could have been a top class batsman. But in real life, being a top class batsman requires concentration, and most of Julien's efforts were spent on mastering both fast and slow left-arm bowling in a style comparable to, and doubtless inspired by, Sir Garfield Sobers.

@Aislabie 's XI so far:
1. Syed Kirmani
2. Bapu Nadkarni
3.
4. Shaun Pollock
5. Jason Holder
6. Bernard Julien
7. Clyde Walcott
8. Sanath Jayasuriya
9. Shane Watson
10.
11.

@CerealKiller

 

[CerealKiller]

I'll go with Wasim Bari as my other opener.

CerealKiller's XI
1. Wasim Bari
2. Ian Smith
3. Chris Woakes
4. Chaminda Vaas
5.
6.
7. Javed Miandad
8. Steve Waugh
9. Shahid Afridi
10. Hansie Cronje
11.

@Na Maloom Afraad double pick

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

NMA's ROLE-REVERSAL XI

Irfan Pathan
Rashid Khan
Ravichandran Ashwin
Andre Russell
Ashton Agar
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Steven Smith
Colin Munro

Sorry, been a bit busy. Rashid Khan has batted at No. 8 on six occasions, and at No. 9 on one. That's 100%.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has kept wickets for Sri Lanka in 6 innings out of his 159, that's 9.54%. He will be my wicket keeper.

@Life Warrior is next? Or is it @Yash.?

 

[Yash.]

1. Kiran More
   
2. Eric Dalton
   
3. Daniel Vettori
   
4. Adil Rashid
   
5. ?
6. ?
7. A.B de Villiers
8. Carl Hooper
   
9. 
   
10. Frank Wooley
    
11. George Brown

Let's go on the loophole train.

My pick would be Kiran More

Statistics

Tests: 1285 Runs @ 25.70 in 49 Matches
First Class: 5223 Runs @ 31.08 (7 centuries, Best 181*) in 151 Matches

So Kiran More was a gutsy batsman whose keeping prowess always overshadowed his batting. He was good enough to make 7 centuries in first class cricket. Although he never really shone in Test Cricket, he would still be a force here as he would be batting against some non regular bowlers.[DOUBLEPOST=1590263513][/DOUBLEPOST]@ahmedleo414

 

[ahmedleo414]

I am going with Paul Strang

For the 31 innings he batted, Reiffel batted in the tail order in 27 innings: 87.09%

His bio:

"A fine allrounder, combining top-class legspin with useful lower order batting, and superb fielding. As a bowler he had a wide repertoire - regular legbreaks, googly, topspinner and flipper - and his control improved considerably as his career progressed . Paul was one of the best fielders in an outstanding fielding side, often seen in the covers or backward point area. He was at his best as a batsman when the pressure was on and runs were needed urgently, as he proved while scoring his only Test century , against Pakistan at Sheikhapura in 1996-97 . Paul's greatest qualities were his fighting spirit and his unselfish approach. His match double of a century and five wickets in a Test innings was a major career highlight, and he took great pleasure in his 87-run partnership with his brother Bryan - their father was a first-class umpire. Paul's figures of 8 for 109 against New Zealand at Bulawayo in 2000-01 were at the time the best ever recorded for Zimbabwe in Test cricket, but his international career was cut short by a chronic muscular injury in his bowling hand. He spent two seasons in England, playing for Kent and Nottinghamshire, gaining much valuable experience, and latterly moved to New Zealand where he coached with Auckland A."

1. ?
2. Paul Strang
3. Paul Reiffel
4. Sir Richard Hadlee
5. Vernon Philander
6. Ravindra Jadeja
7. Hanif Mohammad
8. Allan Border
9. Kane Williamson
10. ?
11. ?

@Aislabie you are next

 

[Aislabie]

Jason Gillespie

Test stats: 1,218 runs @ 18.73 (1 century, best 201*) in 71 matches
First-class stats: 3,742 runs @ 19.59 (3 centuries, best 201*) in 189 matches

Batted in top seven: 9 times (6.3%)

Despite leaving him until so near the very end, I still get my first choice number three. Public ambassador of the Test Double-Centurions Club, the Aboriginal Bradman himself Jason Gillespie is my man.

@Aislabie 's XI so far:
1. Syed Kirmani
2. Bapu Nadkarni
3. Jason Gillespie
4. Shaun Pollock
5. Jason Holder
6. Bernard Julien
7. Clyde Walcott
8. Sanath Jayasuriya
9. Shane Watson
10.
11.

@Yash.