Tie-Breaker: Vishwa Atma vs Kovai RedVenue: Sabina Park, Kingston, JamaicaSabina Park, the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, is situated in the driest part of Kingston and for many years the pitch was one of the hardest and fastest in the Caribbean. But in recent years the surface slowed, despite attempts to restore life by relaying it on more than one occasion.
In terms of size, Sabina Park was relatively small, but like other major grounds in the region it underwent a major renovation ahead of the 2007 World Cup, a process that was fraught with headaches and delays. The capacity was raised from 15,000 to 20,000, still 5,000 less than the Trelawny Stadium down the coast.
Locals were worried that the unique atmosphere of the old ground would be lost amid the mass of new concrete, and the acid test will come during the tournament.
The spectacular Blue Mountains, (home of the world famous Blue Mountain coffee) form a picturesque and spectacular backdrop to the north facing the George Headley Stand, with Kingston Harbour to the south.
Sabina Park's greatest moment in Test cricket was the 365 not out made by Garry Sobers against the Pakistanis that stood for many years as the highest individual test score. Conversely its worst moment was when the England - West Indies Test in 1998 was abandoned on the opening day due to an appalling pitch endangering the players.Vishwa Atma
VS
Kovai Red
My team has arguably the most depth in batting as well as bowling and with good variety as well. My top-5 batsmen all have averages over 57 bar one who is just 0.06 behind the mark. Arguably my top-2 are the best opening batsmen/partners of all time. And the fact that they both played together is another big plus for my team. Hobbs and Sutcliffe amassed 3249 runs in only 38 innings at a whopping average of 87.81. People may argue that they didn't played much outside of England and Australia, but the fact remains that they have excelled in their positions at the best challenges of that time, not to mention both have toured South Africa, India and Ceylon(now SL) and played well there too. Though the tour to sub continent is not classified as first class by Wisden(controversial or not), fact remains that they have fared better in sub continent conditions too.
At no3 comes one of the prolific run scorers Sir Everton Weekes who still holds the record for most consecutive centuries in test cricket. He would've had 6 on the trot, if not for a controversial run out when he was on 90. He has scored runs everywhere he went and him being at no.3, we can be very assured that top order of my batting is a notch above every team out there. After that comes the elegant Sangakkara who will keep the wickets and lead the team.
Then comes the current Australian captain Steven Smith. With an average of over 57 and a great appetite for runs, he makes into my team as no5. After him comes in Ravi Shastri at no6, who averages a modest 35.79 and have took 151 wickets at 40.96 which is not bad for my 6th choice bowler and a lower middle order batsman. He is a stonewaller if needed be and can be a good partner when the batsman at the other end keeps piling on the runs.
After that comes in my strike bowler, one of the greatest of all time Sir Richard Hadlee - the crown jewel of my team, who will open the bowling. Adept at batting with an average of 27.16, he can also pile on the runs when the team needs it. And then comes Alan Davidson, one of the greatest left arm seamers who will partner Hadlee in the opening spell. With a miserly economy rate under 2 and average below 21, he can be a nightmare to any batsman out there. As a hard hitter in the lower middle, he has also scored more than 1000 runs at an average of 24.59 which is not bad for no.8 in this team.
And then there is the rising star Starc who with his bouncers and swing, can terrorise batsmen of any calibre. He is not a mug with bat either with an average of 22.45, a much better option at no.9 among all the teams in here. On the spin department, the greatest off spinner India has ever produced adds the spin flavor to the side. With Doosra being his main weapon, he can really be the match winner in the turning tracks against any batting attack in the world. A fact that he has taken more than 400 wickets stands as a proof to his outstanding talent. Not only that, he has scored more than 2000 runs at 18.22 with 2 centuries and 9 fifties which makes him an excellent tail ender. And finally comes the ever reliable and relentless Mkhaya Ntini who has taken close to 400 wickets.
The balance this side has is the best in this league. With over 43000 runs and 1715 wickets in just 787 matches, this team has both runs and wickets spread all over the team. It doesn't end there, this team also possess great variety with 2 right arm seamers, 2 left arm seamers, an off spinner as well as a slow left arm which in some ways can be seen as leg spin to the right handers. And a part timer in the name of Smith is also there who can do a bit of leg spin if this team ever needs to use 7th bowler. With 1715 wickets, 21 10-wicket hauls and 102 5-wicket hauls, all my 6 bowlers are wicket takers. On the batting front, out of the 11, 6 right and 5 left hand batsmen makes my team more tricky for the opposition in field than any of them could hope to do to others. With 43023 runs, 114 centuries and 186 fifties in just 787 appearances, this team can score runs at will. Stats are so spread that no one in my team will be under pressure. To put it in simple words, this team is the battering ram of this league.
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