Topic: RAWK All Time Test Cricket Draft [MATCH DAY 2 - Group A & B]

[Geppvindh's]

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Match 9: Gerry Attrick vs Ivan the Overcompensating
Venue: Kingsmean, Durban
Highlights in the history of Kingsmead include South Africa's innings and 129-run demolition of Australia, in February 1970, when Graeme Pollock and Barry Richards, thrashed the Australian bowling to all parts of the ground as they scored 274 and 140 respectively.
The ground certainly has had its highs and lows. South Africa amassed 658 for 9 against West Indies in 2003, but India were skittled for just 66 in 1996. In 2003 Kingsmead staged the World Cup semi-final between India and Kenya.





Gerry Attrick




VS


Ivan the Over Compensating
Matthew Hayden
Gary Kirsten
Mark Waugh
Clive Lloyd(C)
Alvin Kallicharran
Imran Khan
Kapil Dev
Brad Haddin(WK)
Shaun Pollock
Graeme Swann
Merv Hughes






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Match 10: NICHOLLS1986 vs Samie
Venue: Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad.
It hosted the first England touring side (1895), the first combined West Indies side (against MCC in 1910-11) and was the scene of West Indies' first Test in 1930. The reason for this is mainly geographical - Barbados is the easternmost island in the West Indies and so the first port of call for travellers from Europe. That first Test produced records aplenty, with Andrew Sandham's 325 the first Test triple hundred (in 1920 Tim Tarilton had hit the first triple century in West Indies on the ground). The pitches are fast and bouncy, and the ends are aptly named the Malcolm Marshall End, and the Joel Garner End.







NICHOLLS1986



VS



Samie
Saeed Anwar
Hanif Mohammad
Virat Kohli
Greg Chappell (C)
Ramnaresh Sarwan
VVS Laxman
Jeffrey Dujon (WK)
Malcolm Marshall
Dennis Lillee
Shoaib Akhtar
Saqlain Mushtaq

Saeed Anwar


Matches- 55
Runs scored- 4,052
Batting average- 45.53
100s/50s    -  11/25
Top score -188*


Saeed Anwar is an opening batsman and occasional slow left arm orthodox bowler,.He played 55 Test matches, scoring 4052 runs with eleven centuries, average 45.52. An opening batsman capable of annihilating any bowling attack on his day, Anwar was an attacking batsman in ODI matches and once settled in Test matches, scored quickly and all over the field. His success came from good timing. Anwar became famous for his trademark flick. He was able to lift a ball that had pitched outside off stump for six over midwicket. Anwar's timing and ability to score quick runs made him a crowd favourite.


Hanif Mohammad


Matches-  55
Runs scored-  3,915
Batting average- 43.98
100s/50s    -  12/15
Top score - 337


Hanif Mohammad and averaged 43.98 scoring twelve centuries. At his peak, he was considered one of the best batsmen in the world despite playing at a time when Pakistan played very little Test cricket; In his obituary by ESPNcricinfo, he was honoured as the original Little Master. He was the first Pakistani to score a triple hundred in a test match.


Virat Kohli


Matches- 50
Runs scored-  3,891
Batting average- 48.03
100s/50s    - 14/13
Top score -  211


Kohli is a naturally aggressive batsman with strong technical skills.[ He usually bats in the middle-order, but, on many occasions, has opened the innings as well. He is known for his wide range of shots, ability to pace an innings and batting under pressure. Kohli is often compared to Tendulkar, due to their similar styles of batting, and is referred to as Tendulkar's "successor". Many former cricketers expect Kohli to break Tendulkar's batting records.


Greg Chappell (C)


Matches- 87
Runs scored-  7110
Batting average- 53.86
100s/50s    - 24/31
Top score -  247*
Wickets- 47
Bowling average -40.70
Best bowling -5/61


The second of three brothers to play Test cricket, Chappell was the pre-eminent Australian batsman of his time who allied elegant stroke making to fierce concentration. An exceptional all round player who bowled medium pace and, at his retirement, held the world record for the most catches in Test cricket.


Ramnaresh Sarwan


Matches- 87
Runs scored-  5,842
Batting average- 40.01
100s/50s    - 15/31
Top score - 291
Wickets- 23
Bowling average - 50.46
Best bowling - 4/37


A nimble, Chaplinesque right-hander, Ramnaresh Sarwan was brought up in the South American rainforest around the Essequibo River. His footwork, which seemed to require no early trigger movements, was strikingly confident and precise.


V. V. S. Laxman


Matches- 134
Runs scored-  8,781
Batting average- 45.98
100s/50s    - 17/56
Top score - 281


Laxman bats right-handed and occasionally bowls off-spin. He is noted for his superb timing and the ability to hit against the spin, reminiscent of his role model Mohammed Azharuddin. Laxman is particularly noted for the skilful use of his supple wrists, which allow him to flick the ball to various places, but usually through the leg side. This also helps in his catching, and he typically fields in the slips or in a bat pad position.VVS Laxman is one of the batsman in the "Great Indian Batting Quartet".  VVS Laxman's knock of 281 against Australia in Eden Gardens in 2001 has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years.


Jeffrey Dujon (WK)


Matches-  81
Runs scored- 3,322
Batting average- 31.95
100s/50s    - 5/16
Top score - 139
Catches/stumpings    267/5   


He was the wicketkeeper for the West Indian cricket team of the 1980s, an athletic presence behind the stumps as well as a competent lower-order batsman.
Dujon made his first-class debut in 1974, going on to play 200 first-class matches for Jamaica and the West Indies in a career that lasted nineteen years. He scored nearly 10,000 runs at an average approaching 40 runs per innings, an impressive statistic when compared to other specialist wicket-keepers over time, as well as completing 447 catches and 22 stumpings.
Dujon was one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1989.


Malcolm Marshall


100s/50s- 0/10
Top score -92
Matches- 81
Wickets- 376
Bowling average- 20.94
5 wickets in innings - 22
10 wickets in match -  5
Best bowling- 7/22


Malcolm Marshall is regarded as one of the finest and fastest pacemen ever to have played Test cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.94 is the best of anyone who has taken 200 or more wickets.[5He achieved his bowling success despite being, by the standards of other fast bowlers, a short man – he stood at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m), while most of the great quicks have been well above 6 feet (1.8 m) and many great West Indian fast bowlers. He generated fearsome pace from his bowling action, with a dangerous bouncer. Marshall was also a very dangerous lower middle-order batsman with ten Test fifties and seven first-class centuries.


Dennis Lillee


Matches- 70
Wickets- 355
Bowling average- 23.92
5 wickets in innings - 23
10 wickets in match -  7
Best bowling-  7/83


Dennis Keith Lillee is rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation". Lillee was known for his fiery temperament, 'never-say-die' attitude and popularity with the fans.Lillee was an extremely quick bowler, but a number of stress fractures in his back almost ended his career. Taking on a strict fitness regime, he fought his way back to full fitness, eventually returning to international cricket. By the time of his retirement from international cricket in 1984 he had become the then world record holder for most Test wickets (355), and had firmly established himself as one of the most recognisable and renowned Australian sportsmen of all time.


Shoaib Akhtar


Matches- 46
Wickets- 178
Bowling average-  25.59
5 wickets in innings -  12
10 wickets in match -  2
Best bowling-  6/11


Shoaib Akhtar is known as the fastest bowler ever in the history of cricket and has bowled the fastest delivery officially recorded at a top speed of 161.3km/h (101mph). Akhtar was nicknamed the "Rawalpindi Express", as a tribute to his hometown and fast bowling.  His effective use of slower deliveries proved to be unplayable by batsmen.


Saqlain Mushtaq


Matches- 49
Wickets- 208
Bowling average-  28.83
5 wickets in innings - 13
10 wickets in match -  3
Best bowling-  8/64


Saqlain Mushtaq is best known for pioneering the "doosra", a leg break delivery bowled with an off break action. A right-arm off break bowler. Saqlain is credited with the invention of the "doosra", an off-spinner's delivery which is bowled with an action very similar to that of an off-break.However, it spins in the opposite direction (i.e. from the leg side to the off side), easily confusing batsmen, making it a very effective weapon.


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Match 11: Vishwa Atma vs Crosby Nick
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Tests have been played at Eden Park since 1929-30 and the ground hosted New Zealand's first Test victory, against West Indies in 1955-56. But it is also the scene of a dark day in New Zealand Test cricket history when, on 28 March 1955, the hosts collapsed to their lowest Test score - 26 all out - against England. The humid and sub-tropical conditions combine to produce wickets that assist slow and spin bowlers. The ground resembles a baseball diamond, which can flummox visiting captains in their field placement.


Vishwa Atma


Openers


1. Virender Sehwag


Sehwag is along with Gavaskar the greatest opener India has ever produced. People started tuning into test matches just to watch Sehwag play. He has played 104 test matches with a staggering strike rate of 82.23!! The most remarkable aspect of Sehwag's career of course has been his ability to build massive scores at breathtaking speed. He holds the Indian record for highest number of Test double-hundreds, and came within seven runs of becoming the first batsman to score three triple-hundreds. Of India's 500 test history, he's the only Indian to score a triple hundred. Twice!! The man has 6 double hundreds. Quite impressive for a player. His uncomplicated approach - batting is all about scoring as many runs as quickly as possible - belies a sharp and street-smart cricket mind. He has a keen grasp of his own, and his opponents', strengths and weaknesses and exploits them in a forensic manner. What appears risky to many, is merely an opportunity for him, and his lack of footwork, which does get him in trouble against the moving ball, is mostly an advantage, for it creates space for his brilliant handwork. Few batsmen have hit the ball harder square on the off side, and fewer still have hit them as frequently. And the sight of a spinner brings the savage out in him: and for many spectacular assaults against the world's leading spinners, there have numerous outrageous dismissals against the not-so-reputed ones.Till Sehwag was at crease no task was difficult for India. A one of a kind.





2. Gordon Greenidge
Gordon Greenidge was Brooding and massively destructive, the power of Gordon Greenidge's strokeplay on any given day appeared to bear a direct relationship to the degree that he limped when running between the wickets. In such a mood he didn't run much anyway and his brutal unbeaten 214 at Lord's in 1984, to set up a nine-wicket win after England had had the temerity to declare, is considered one of the great innings. He was a superb technician, who learned solid defensive techniques on the pudding pitches of his childhood in England and then allied them to an uninhibited Caribbean heritage. Attacking was in his genes. Never in the game has there been a more withering and dismissive square-cut, nor a more willing and able hooker and puller, but he drove mightily too on both sides of the wicket.  half of the West Indies prolific opening partnership with Desmond Haynes. The pair made 6,482 runs while batting together in partnerships, the highest total for a batting partnership in Test cricket history. With Desmond Haynes he formed what was by a distance the most enduring and prolific opening partnership of them all, with 16 century stands, four of them in excess of 200.





Middle Order


3. Kane Williamson


At the crease, Williamson is comfortable against pace and spin, and he trusts the coaching manual explicitly despite the mutation of batting in the Twenty20 era. Among his best performances is his maiden Test double-century in January 2015, which helped New Zealand come from behind and beat Sri Lanka in Wellington. The innings was a testament to Williamson's hunger for runs and batting time - he was dissatisfied despite making 242 in over 10 hours. Williamson has a 100 in every country across the world except South Africa in his just 56 test old test career. He already has 14 hundreds in 56 matches. Scoring a hundred every 4 test matches. Quite impressive considering he plays his home matches on extremely bowler friendly New Zealand wickets, where he averages 54. Williamson is also an outstanding catcher and a part-time offspinner. Even Martin Crowe says by the time Williamson will retire he'll be the greatest batsman New Zealand has ever produced.




4. Martin Crowe


A batsman of elegance, poise and range,a technique burnished in both attack and defence, a fierce competitor alongside a devoted student of cricket with an innate game sense. In his prime, Crowe left the viewer with the impression of having a nanosecond more time to play his strokes, with balance in their execution and equanimity in his stance. He was a batsman of clean lines off the front foot, tall, elegant and classically sound, his signature strokes being down the ground, but capable of shots all around the wicket. His 77 Tests and 143 ODIs for New Zealand remain memorable for his prolific batting through the 80s against the world's best bowling line-ups, both home and away, against high pace and quality spin.





6. Sourav Ganguly (c)


He was India's most successful Test captain prior to Dhoni - forging a winning unit from a bunch of talented, but directionless, individuals. When he took over the captaincy after the match-fixing exposes in 2000, he quickly proved to be a tough, intuitive and uncompromising leader. Under his stewardship India started winning Test matches away, and put together a splendid streak that took them all the way to the World Cup final in 2003. Later that year, in Australia, an unexpected and incandescent hundred at Brisbane set the tone for the series where India fought the world's best team to a standstill. Victory in Pakistan turned him into a cult figure. Called Dada, Maharaj or Prince of Kolkata. Though he was by no means a slouch batsman. Ganguly played off-side shots such as the square cut, square drive and cover drive with complete command. Rahul Dravid has called Ganguly next to God on the off-side. He used to hit powerful shots to the off-side on front and back foot with equal ease. Ganguly was notorious for attacking left-arm spin bowlers. Due to excellent eye–hand coordination, he was noted for picking the length of the ball early, coming down the pitch and hitting the ball aerially over mid-on or midwicket, often for a six. Ganguly was a right-arm medium pace bowler. He can swing and seam the ball both ways and often chips in with useful wickets to break partnerships. When India played with 3 or more spinners, He has also opened the bowling for India in Tests.
   


All - Rounders


5. Mushtaq Mohammad


A right-handed batsman and a leg-spinner, he is one of the most successful Pakistani all-rounders and went on to captain his country in nineteen Test matches. He was the first and to date only Pakistani to score a century and take five wickets in the same test match twice. At 15 years and 124 days, he was the then youngest Test debutant when he appeared for Pakistan against West Indies in 1959. At 17 years and 78 days, Mushtaq became the youngest Test centurion when he scored 101 against India at Delhi in 1961. Mushtaq was a more than handy leg-spinner. In fact, it won’t be an over-statement if he is called as a proper all-rounder. He picked up 936 First-Class wickets, out of which 79 were in Tests. A wrist-spinner, he had a leg-break, googly and a flipper in his repertoire.





7. Ian Botham


ominant and domineering, Ian Botham was not merely the top English cricketer of the 1980s but the leading sports personality. His career surged improbable heights and bottomless depths. Within a year of being elevated from Somerset to his England debut in 1977, he was undisputed as the country's leading allrounder; within three years he was captain; within four, he had resigned (a minute before being sacked), his form shot to pieces. Then began the most famous few weeks in English cricket history when Botham (under Mike Brearley's captaincy) led England to an astonishing Ashes victory with three performances - two with bat, one with ball - of mystical brilliance. Every one led to victory and among them they caused a boom in support for English cricket that reverberated through the decade. His batting was based on sound principles and phenomenal strength; His bowling natural away swing with the new ball and tremendous control of line and length. Botham’s bowling was versatile,  capable of flourishing in unhelpful conditions. He averages 26 in the sub-continent.





Wicket Keeper


8. B J Watling (WK)


Apart from being tidy behind the stumps, Watling's batting has also been impressive. Against India in February 2014, Watling and McCullum put together a record sixth-wicket partnership of 352 in Wellington. The record was surpassed on 5–6 January 2015 by Watling and Kane Williamson with an unbroken 365 run partnership before a declaration against Sri Lanka at Wellington's Basin Reserve. Both players posted their highest test scores, with Williamson not out on 242 and Watling not out on 142. Watling has also been involved in three of the six highest 200+ run 6th-wicket partnerships in the team's history.He isn't the biggest hitter, more an accumulator. He has 6 hundreds in 46 Matches at an average of 38.7 while mostly batting at no. 7 or 8, which is very impressive. He has already has 147 catches and 6 stumpings to his name with a NZ record of 9 catches in a match which he shares with McCullum.





Bowlers


9. Andy Roberts


Deadpan and deadly. Wicket or boundary, not a flicker of emotion would be evident save a gunslinger's narrowing of the eyes. Andy Roberts kept his emotions in check. But under the veneer was an intelligent cricketer with a fertile brain, plotting and planning the downfall of batsmen as if it were a military campaign. The modern West Indian game based on the heavy artillery of fast bowlers, that served so well for a quarter of a century, began with him. Here was a bowler whose pace came from timing, with power from a huge pair of shoulders. His bouncer was regarded as one of the most dangerous. He varied its pace, often setting batsmen up with a slower one and then poleaxing them when they were late on the quickie.It took Roberts less than two and a half years to reach 100 Test wickets, the quickest at that point.





10. Craig McDermott


McDermott was the spearhead of the Australian attack in the late 1980s and early 1990s. McDermott was not as fiery as his red hair suggested, nor did he capture the public imagination in the manner of Dennis Lillee or Shane Warne, but he was a textbook outswing bowler with a classic side-on action who could run through any batting order on his day.  Like all self-respecting Aussies, he saved his best for England, with 84 wickets in 17 Tests, including two eight-fors and eight of his 14 five-fors.





11. B S Chandrasekhar


For a nation starved of wins abroad, Chandra was a rare jewel: he was for long India's biggest match-winner overseas, with 42 wickets in five Tests. He has 9 6- fors in his career out of which 5 have come abroad. Batsmen didn't know quite what to expect from him and sometimes neither did Chandra himself, as he once admitted. An attack of polio in childhood left his right arm withered, but Chandra turned his handicap into an advantage. After a long, bouncing run-up, he delivered sharp googlies, spiteful topspinners and legbreaks at near medium-pace from the back of his hand with a whipping action. He could often be erratic, but no one among India's famed spin quartet was more likely to deliver an unplayable ball than Chandra. His 6 for 38 at The Oval in 1971 gave India their first series victory in England and he was instrumental in India's first win in Australia in 1978, taking 12 for 104 at Melbourne.


Summary
My Team has it all, with flamboyance of Sehwag and Greenidge to resilience of Williamson, who himself is no slouch. Martin Crowe and Ganguly are more natural stroke players while Mushtaq Mohammad is more of a accumulator as is Watling with Botham providing imputence down the order, my batting line up can blow team away on their days. Every player in my top 7 has scored a double hundred with Sehwag having 3 triple hundred and with Watling having 6 hundred I can safely say my batting line up runs pretty deep and ready for any conditions.


As for the bowling, With Andy Roberts and Botham steaming in and McDermott supporting, who was also pretty good with the ball mind, the pace battery on its own is pretty impressive. With Chandra spinning his web, who was pretty impressive in England and down under, the attack will stand test of any pitch. On green wickets, Ganguly would provide a support role with his swinging medium pacers while on turning pitches, Chandra and Mushtaq Mohammad will turn the screws on with their leg breaks. Ably supported by Williamson and Sehwag's off-breaks if required.




VS


Cock and Bollocks Nicolas





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Match 12: Fiasco vs Chalky52
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
The inaugural first-class match was played at NSK between Pakistan and India on April 21-24, 1955, and it became a fortress of Pakistan cricket. In 34 Tests between that first match and December 2000, Pakistan won 17 and were never beaten. Their only Test defeat on the ground came in the gloom against England in 2000-01.





Fiasco
Justin Langer
Marvan Atapattu
Ricky Ponting (C)
Misbah Ul Haq
Ross Taylor
Alec Stewart (WK)
Shakib Al Hasan
Ravichandran Ashwin
Morne Morkel
Matthew Hoggard
Courtney Walsh



Plenty of runs in the top order with Ponting being my main man. Misbah offers runs but also a steady hand and in Ross Taylor and Shakib I have two players capable of really upping the rate when needed. Langer is one of the best openers in history I think and while Atapattu might not have been picked had I not done so he was a good opener who shared good stands with Jayasuriya. He scored 16 hundreds so he could clearly play. Alec Stewart's average when he played as a specialist batsman was better than when he kept wicket but I'm very happy with him in my team.


Ashwin and Shakib are genuine all rounders but are my two spin options. Shakib is the best Bangladeshi cricketer of all time and Ravi Ashwin is the fastest Indian bowler to take 50, 100, 150 and 200 Test wickets. He's also got several hundreds to his name. My seam attack isn't the best but I do have Courtney Walsh so that counts for a lot and he needs no introduction. Hoggard took plenty of wickets for England at key moments and could really get the ball to swing. Morne Morkel has taken 227 Test wickets and isn't a complete dud with the bat.
Batting averages:


Marvan Atapattu: 39.2 with 16 centuries.
Justin Langer: 45.27 with 23 centuries.
Ricky Ponting: 51.85 with 41 centuries.
Misbah Ul Haq: 48.27 with 10 centuries.
Ross Taylor: 45.49 with 14 centuries.
Alec Stewart: 39.54 with 15 centuries.
Shakib Al Hasan: 39.76 with 3 centuries.
Ravi Ashwin: 34.22 with 4 centuries.




My bowlers? Courtney Walsh, Matthew Hoggard and Morne Morkel have just shy of 1000 test wickets between them. It might not be the best seam attack in the draft but those guys take wickets. Ashwin and Shakib offer two different types of spin and they also take wickets, Ashwin especially. He's arguably the best spinner in the world at the moment. I know my side isn't going to go far but if you look at the numbers and the players I don't think it's a terrible side. Ponting and Misbah offer great leadership also.



VS





Chalky52
Openers:  Michael Vaughan & Bill Lawry
A complimentary partnership with Vaughan an elegant right handed stroke maker & Lawry a left handed deadpan accumulator.  Although Vaughan finished his career with an average of 41.44 this was severely reduced by a number of factors. Vaughan the opener (before captaincy, a move down the order and a series of knee injuries) was one of the finest opening batsmen England have ever produced. This was no more shown than during the 2003 Ashes where he dominated the great Australian attack (McGrath, Warne, Gillespie et al) in their own backyard like no other was able do. Bill Lawry was a tough technically correct with an amazing record averaging over 47 in a 10 year career  facing some of the greatest quick bowlers of all time. Lawry's courage was a byword, and he withstood fearsome bombardments from Trueman and Statham in the infamous Ridge Test at Lord's in June 1961, and from Hall and Griffith on an underprepared Sydney surface in February 1969. Also any test played in Australia it is against the rules for Lawry to given out LBW ?.


No 3 Sir Frank Worrell (Captain)
Though a fine, stylish batsman (averaging nearly 50 in over 50 tests), it is as a strong captain and as a uniting force that he will be remembered. West Indies' first appointed black captain was also their most charismatic and influential. He ended the cliques and rivalries between the players of various islands to weld together a team which in the space of five years became the champions of the world. As well as batting and leadership Worrell offered some useful bowling with left arm pace and spin including a best 7 for 70 against England.


No 4 Jacques Kallis
166 Matches 13,289 runs @ 55.37, 100s = 45 50s = 58. 292 wickets @ 32.65 & 200 catches. Those figures show why Kallis is considered by some as the greatest cricketer of all time, and you would need a ledger to list his accomplishments & records but here are a few; In 2003-04, Kallis scored centuries in five consecutive Test matches, a record bettered only by the great Don Bradman, with the Australian having managed the feat in six successive Tests. Kallis averages incredible 56.26 in the second innings of Test matches, with only that man Bradman again holding a better record than the South African (a minimum requirement of 2,000 runs). Between January 1999 and December 2012, Kallis scored 11,961 runs in 136 Tests at an eye-catching average of 61.33, including 42 centuries and 51 fifties. Based on a minimum requirement of 5,000 runs, no other batsman in the world during that time(Including Lara, Tendulkar, Ponting & Dravid) could boast either a better Test average or more hundreds than the him. No other non-Asian batsman has managed more than either his 2,058 runs or his eight centuries in Tests on the subcontinent.


No 5 Mike Hussey
An accumulator who is virtually impossible to distract at the crease Mike Hussey was a late comer to Test Cricket not making his debut until 30 years old however after two years in the Test side his average rose to 86.18. In just 166 days he become the fastest player to 1000 Test runs, Hussey was also the fastest player to reach the top 10 of the LG ICC cricket ratings.
Hussey can be considered among the most impactful players of International Cricket. He was consistent throughout his career, scoring all over the world at any position depending on situation


No 6 AB De Villiers (Wkt)
De Villiers is a 360-degree batsman who can hit any ball, anywhere, against any bowler. Indeed, his range of inventive shots has grown as his career has unfolded. He has been ranked among the top Test and ODI batsmen in the world. De Villiers’ average of over 50 is again a testament to the class of this South African genius. In all likelihood, he will end up scoring a Test ton against each and every Test-playing nation by the times he calls curtains to an illustrious Test career.
Known more for his outrageous stroke play, de Villiers had, contrastingly, never missed a Test match for his side, playing in 98 consecutive matches since debut before taking a break to be with his first born child. When Mark Boucher retired AB donned the gloves proving himself one of the best keepers in the world whilst recording the highest batting average by a wicket-keeper in Tests of 56.97


No 7 Keith Miller
The post war golden boy of Australian Cricket whilst his figures are impressive enough (57 matches 2958 runs at 36.98 and & 170 wickets at 22.98). When Miller was on centre stage, people took notice. On firm pitches, he could bat, right-handed, with power and panache, driving and cutting as well as any. He was capable of bowling fast, hostile spells, forming, with Ray Lindwall, a formidable new ball partnership that. At slip he could catch swallows. At its best, Miller's bowling could touch the heights of inspiration, capable if not of consistency then of devastating bursts, a byproduct of his unpredictability. Even today, he would be regarded as genuinely fast. This, combined with his height (he was more than 6ft, tall for a bowler in those days) and a high arm action, gave him lift from barely short of a length used the seam to great effect, gaining movement both ways.  Miller would trundle in off a shortish run, but could send down a thunderbolt himself if he felt like it. Or a legspinner. Or a yorker. Or a bouncer, an overdose of which led to his being booed during the 1948 Trent Bridge Test. Flamboyant, insouciant and hugely gifted, Keith Miller was Australia's finest allrounder - and among the world's best - able to turn a match with bat or ball.


No 8 Jim Laker
One of the grand masters, the game of cricket has ever produced; England's James Charles Laker was one of the most coveted off-spinners in the history of the game. Known for his unparalleled record of claiming nineteen wickets in a Test match against Australia in 1956, Jim Laker showcased paramount supremacy on a spinner friendly pitch. It wasn’t just on helpful  pitches that Laker succeeded  on England's disastrous tour of Australia in 1958-59, Laker was one of the few England players to enhance his reputation, bowling well on unhelpful pitches taking 15 wickets at 21.20.


No 9 Abdul Qadir
Described  as "a master of the leg-spin" who "mastered the googlies, the flippers, the leg-breaks and the topspins."[  He is widely regarded as a top spin bowler of his generation and was included in Richie Benaud's Greatest XI shortlist of an imaginary cricket team from the best players available from all countries and eras. Former English captain Graham Gooch said that "Qadir was even finer than Shane Warne". Natural talent combined with aggression and passion made Qadir one of the most successful spinners of his era. He had a distinct run-up, bounding in to the crease, and a great variety of deliveries: there was the orthodox leg-break, the topspinner, two googlies and the flipper. He was unique for bowling leg spin at a time when it was not only rare but considered obsolete, and he kept the torch alight for a generation of leg spinners.
The fact that Pakistan were able to compete with the era's most frighteningly dominant team (West Indies) without losing a series to them in the mid-80s was largely down to Qadir's successes against them.


No 10 Fred Trueman
Trueman is generally acknowledged to have been one of the greatest bowlers in cricket's history. Bowling at a genuinely fast pace and widely known as "Fiery Fred", he was the first bowler to take 300 wickets in a Test career. He was an outstanding fielder, especially at leg slip, and a useful late order batsman who made three first-class centuries. . As a bowler he was capable of a deadly late outswinger, of a varied pace approaching the highest, and of a terrifying, well-concealed bouncer which, when riled, he tended to bowl too often.
Many have gone past his overall figure of 307 test wickets, but few have matched his average (21.57) and strike rate (a wicket every 49 balls).


No 11 Colin Croft
Croft  established a reputation as one of the most chilling of fast men, with no compunction whatsoever about inflicting pain. There was little of the orthodox about him. The prancing run was straight but the batsman saw only his head bobbing behind the umpire until he veered out wide of the crease just prior to delivery, leaning back and slanting the ball awkwardly in to the right-hander. Often, as with Courtney Walsh later, it would hold up off the seam and move away.
In  27 matches Croft managed 125 wickets @ 23.30 during this period , the most in his team  (beating Holding Roberts & Garner among others)- a remarkable haul in a side laden with high-class pace where the spoils tended to be spread.  Croft took the highest proportion of top/middle-order wickets than any West Indian bowler in Test history in proportion to his matches

[Crosby Nick]

Hoping people voting are able to guess my team!

Just remember,  it's the best one in the Draft so please vote accordingly.

[Geppvindh's]

Hoping people voting are able to guess my team!

Just remember,  it's the best one in the Draft so please vote accordingly.

Going by how I've completely fucked the formatting up, I'm guessing your side does stand a chance of being (mis)judged the best side in the draft

[Geppvindh's]

Bump

[Samie]

I'm playing at a venue where one of the stands' is named after my player. I should win this comfortably.

[Crosby Nick]

Losing to a bunch of hobbits in the heart of middle earth. Shocking end to shocking day.

[Klippity Klopp]

Another spin assisted pitch for Nick Crosby - did he do the draw? 

Samie has the perfect wicket for his bowlers.  But his batting is weak, with a long tail as well and Nicholls has very strong bowlers as well, so I have gone for him.

Still thinking about the other two matches as they are close to call for me.  I'm ashamed to say it but I'm learning towards Mitchel Johnson being the difference in that top match as he was a real handful in SA.  But I'll give it some more thought.

[nicholasanthony]

Chalky's team is so bloody good. His spreadsheet doesn't do it justice. The balance and batting depth is immense.

[Vishwa Atma]

Losing to a bunch of hobbits in the heart of middle earth. Shocking end to shocking day.

What codswallop!! There is no way my batting is inferior to you. Plus you dont have a second spinner on a NZ pitch which assist spinners also and Mathews your 5th bowler is just about useless for the purpose of wicket tacking. Murali has never bowled at Eden Park in the Tests, so that's a bit of unknown. On the other hand Chandra has his best figures in New Zealand,  a 6-for to boot at Eden Park!! Also, considering I have Martin Crowe and Williamson to help the captain out regarding the field placements on what is a difficult ground for the same, I think I have an edge here .

[chalky52]

Think Qadir averages 10 wickets a match at the National stadium think he could be the difference for me.

[Crosby Nick]

What codswallop!! There is no way my batting is inferior to you. Plus you dont have a second spinner on a NZ pitch which assist spinners also and Mathews your 5th bowler is just about useless for the purpose of wicket tacking. Murali has never bowled at Eden Park in the Tests, so that's a bit of unknown. On the other hand Chandra has his best figures in New Zealand,  a 6-for to boot at Eden Park!! Also, considering I have Martin Crowe and Williamson to help the captain out regarding the field placements on what is a difficult ground for the same, I think I have an edge here .

Gonna stick my neck out and say Murali will take wickets here.  If he gets a bowl with Steyn in full flow.

No second spinner with Michael '6/9 and a hypothetically perfect back' Clarke in  support?  Wash your mouth out!

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

What codswallop!! There is no way my batting is inferior to you. Plus you dont have a second spinner on a NZ pitch which assist spinners also and Mathews your 5th bowler is just about useless for the purpose of wicket tacking. Murali has never bowled at Eden Park in the Tests, so that's a bit of unknown. On the other hand Chandra has his best figures in New Zealand,  a 6-for to boot at Eden Park!! Also, considering I have Martin Crowe and Williamson to help the captain out regarding the field placements on what is a difficult ground for the same, I think I have an edge here .

Eden Park is a bizarre pick as a test venue. Hardly any games played there now. It would be a drop in pitch situation as well, good luck guessing if it as true as a tarmac road for 5 days or not.

I'm going for your team anyway, home-based players count for plenty here and you have three 

[Crosby Nick]

Eden Park is a bizarre pick as a test venue. Hardly any games played there now. It would be a drop in pitch situation as well, good luck guessing if it as true as a tarmac road for 5 days or not.

I'm going for your team anyway, home-based players count for plenty here and you have three 

I'd counted on losing your vote in this one anyway, so not even arsed.

Now, where's zero zero when you need him.

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

I'd counted on losing your vote in this one anyway, so not even arsed.

Now, where's zero zero when you need him.

I voted for you in the last round but this venue/opposition goes against you this time I reckon. The drop in pitches just don't spin, they do nothing usually.

I saw Greenidge's double ton in Auckland, brilliant innings.

[Geppvindh's]

Eden Park is a bizarre pick as a test venue. Hardly any games played there now. It would be a drop in pitch situation as well, good luck guessing if it as true as a tarmac road for 5 days or not.

I'm going for your team anyway, home-based players count for plenty here and you have three 

I picked venues that have hosted the most games. There are only 11 countries in the mix and I had to pick 30 venues from them tbf.

[Vishwa Atma]

Gonna stick my neck out and say Murali will take wickets here.  If he gets a bowl with Steyn in full flow.

No second spinner with Michael '6/9 and a hypothetically perfect back' Clarke in  support?  Wash your mouth out!

6/9 on a rank turner  Sehwag and Williamson would've run through your team on that pitch 

[Crosby Nick]

6/9 on a rank turner  Sehwag and Williamson would've run through your team on that pitch 

I operate a very strict no checkers policy in my team.