The Cricinfo website has just undergone an extensive process to pick their all-time World Eleven. This is the team they arrived at.
ESPNcricinfo All-Time World XI- these blokes can play a bit.
1st XI |
Jack Hobbs |
Len Hutton |
Don Bradman |
Sachin Tendulkar |
Viv Richards |
Garry Sobers |
Adam Gilchrist |
Malcolm Marshall |
Shane Warne |
Wasim Akram |
Dennis Lillee |
The 2nd XI isn’t exactly shabby either.
Sunil Gavaskar |
Barry Richards |
George Headley |
Brian Lara |
Wally Hammond |
Imran Khan |
Alan Knott |
Bill O’Reilly |
Fred Trueman |
Muttiah Muralitharan |
SF Barnes |
As always with these exercises, debate will rage long and passionately. Cricinfo were concerned with the best. But we at the Almanac realise excellence isn’t compulsory, just a bonus. Sport isn’t always about the best, but may also be about the mediocre, or the hopeless.
We invite you to submit an XI of your choosing. They may be your best, they may just be your favourites. Perhaps they were the best Victorian country cricketers, or the best district cricketers to never represent the state. You might want to pick eleven whose names rhyme (Gigs, we’re thinking of you here). Or a side of the best lefties. A rock ‘n’ roll XI?
Anyway, you get the picture. Pick whatever side takes your fancy. No prizes are offered, just the admiration of your peers.
Let your imaginations run free folks.
You may also want to comment on Cricinfo’s efforts.
I was rather tickled by Peter Roebuck’s Stodgy XI:
Glenn Turner
Geoff Boycott
Herbert Sutcliffe
Bill Woodfull
Douglas Jardine
Ken Mackay
Jack Russell
Trevor Goddard
Bapu Nadkarni
Charlie “Terror” Turner
Glenn McGrath
Trevor Bailey (12th man)
Chris Tavare (coach)
Mike Brearley (manager)
The most famous stone-waller Alec Bannerman for Turner.
I love Roebuck’s team, but why even list below 3…on a flat track, they’d bat and that’s that!
Roebuck is being unkind to Sutcliffe who’d be my first pick to bat on a ‘sticky dog’.
How many times did Sutcliffe bat at three? I’ll say never.
He batted at six once in Adelaide. He opened the rest of the time.
PF, I agree re Bannerman.
Sutcliffe would qualify just on grounds of being a Yorkshireman.
1st XI
Clive Loyd
Len Hutton
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
Garry Sobers
Adam Gilchrist
Micheal Holding
Joel Garner
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillee/Richard Hadlee
12 man Ray Bright as he made it an art form for Australia
B: Nick Maxwell, Nathan Brown, Alan Toovey
HB: Harry O’Brien, Ben Reid, Heath Shaw
C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Ben Johnson
HF: Alan Didak, Travis Cloke, Luke Ball
F: Dayne Beams, Chris Dawes, Steele Sidebottom
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas
I/C: Tyson Goldsack, Leigh Brown, Brent Macaffer, Jarryd Blair
Andrew,
Fitting given how much time they spend going to the boundary. Swan and Beams wouldnt be able to bowl as the batsmen would have grounds for appeal based on not being able to see the ball out the hand because the tats. Shaw and Maxwell to deep leg and 3rd man so they dont have to defend an opponent and can play unaccountable cricket.
AF
Hopefully your team doesn’t become as one-dimensional as some of the supporters.
Sooooo 2010 that team.
Mike Selvey named a team of lefties.
M.Hayden
J.Langer
G.Pollock
B.Lara
C.Lloyd (c)
G.Sobers
A.Gilchrist (wk)
W.Akram
A.Davidson
B.Bedi
J.Wardle
VFL players to have played test cricket:
Warwick Armstrong (c)
Keith Miller
Jack Worrall
Graeme Watson
Sam Loxton
Simon O’Donnell
Ted McDonald
Gil Langley (wk)
Laurie Nash
Max Walker
George Tribe
Roy Park (12th man)
The theme of my XI may become apparent reading down the batting order…
Trevor Barker
Danny Frawley
Nathan Burke
Darrel Baldock
Ian Stewart
David Grant
Lenny Hayes
Max Hudghton
Fraser Gehrig
Steven Baker
Leigh Montagna
Nick Riewoldt (12th man)
Dr Roy Park was leading goalkicker for University after the home-and-away rounds of 1913. Pretty fair effort.
He played one Test under The Big Ship’s captaincy in 1920/21 and made a golden duck in his only venture to the crease.
The story goes that he was being a doctor all night prior to his innings.
His wife missed his entire Test career as a batsman.
She dropped her knitting and as she was picking up her knitting, 1-116 became 2-116.
In similar vein, my team of “Suspect Draft choices” in correct batting/draft pick order.
1.Richard Lounder
2.Andrew Walker
3.Aaron Fiora
4.Richard Tambling
5.Brock McLean
6.Murray Vance
7.Danny Roach
8.Jarrod Oakley-Nicholls
9.Caydn Beetham
10.Chris Egan
11.Richard Cole
12th man – Paul Koulouriotis
#13. I always said you could miss out on a lot of important things in life by just doing the knitting.
WTF??
Wood
Turner
Darling
Hilditch
Cosier
Colley
Francis
Gannon
Mann
Callen
Malone
Have I got a keeper?
Dips
What about John Maclean or Tim Zoehrer?
You could pick a political XI.
The problem would be today’s lot would all be stodgy openers or military medium pacers.
#12 What? No room for Harvey?
Far be it for me to even moderately tread on Crio’s ground, but anyone see the theme for this XII?
Sam Trimble
Matty Hayden
Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Ian Botham
Andrew Symonds
Ian Healy
Trevor Hohns
Jeff Thomson
Carl Rackemann
Geoff Dymock
12th man: Me!
All played for Queensland?
Dips,
Kevin Wright
Team name: Australia B
1. Charles Bannerman
2. Bill Brown
3. Don Bradman
4. David Boon
5. Allan Border (c)
6. Michael Bevan
7. Richie Benaud
8. Jack Blackham (wk)
9. Andy Bichel
10. Nathan Bracken
11. Doug Bollinger
Coach: John Buchanan
Correct JB. Excepting me. Did play in the Bali Geckos CC first ever Premiership tho. In one of the great debut performances of all time. Bowling figures: 0.1 overs, 0 runs, 1 wicket. Batting: 4 runs not out. Took the last wicket of their innings, was there with the Captain, who made it clear under no circumstances was I to score the winning runs…)
Also, on the tenuously connected line of cricket sledging.
I was fishing with my uncle and a couple of cousin one time in Northern NSW. One cousin said to Uncle:
“We should call you Andrew Symonds”.
“Why?”
“All you do is pass us the drinks, while we do all the work…”
Uncle wasn’t catching any fish, while we were and, at the time, Simmo was on a fair run of 12th mans in Test Matches, so it was perhaps funnier at the time…
As a traditionalist, it pains me to say it, but this team put Australian cricket back on the map. It was not long before the 89 Ashes; I will leave you to decipher the why/when/how:
Boon
Marsh
Jones
Border
Velleta
S Waugh
O’Donnell
Dyer
McDermott
May
Reid
Truly a win against all odds.
Here’s one to try and guess……
W.N.Phillips
C.Rogers
K.Eastwood
S.Law (C)
J.Moss
P.Emery (WK)
M.Malone
D.Cullen
M.Nicholson
P.Wilson
B.McGain
Superb #26 Stmookeyj
One test wonders.
Rock and Roll XI
Elvis Presley- the Memphis flash is used to being first out of the sheds. Not afraid of the spotlight.
Buddy Holly- another good ol’ country boy. Should have a good understanding with Elvis
James Brown- need versatility and the ability to carry the show? Look no further than Soul Brother Number 1
Mick Jagger- calculating, quick runner between wickets. Will always want to be captain.
Johnny Cash- a weighty middle order presence, needed to separate Jagger and Richards.
Keith Richards- swashbuckling batsman. Will argue frequently with Jagger about who’s captain
Keith Moon- will lay down a back beat no ball shall pass. Inclined to play up at after-match drinks.
Jerry Lee Lewis- tearaway quick. Bowls at furious pace. inclined to be erratic.
Chuck Berry- insistent, consistent fast medium. Knows all the tricks.
Little Richard- another tearaway. Occasional patches of divine inspiration.
Roy Orbison- the Big O flights his offies with loop and drama. Can’t bat.
Smokie88 #25
Isn’t that the team that won the World Cup in ’87?
#26
The second word gave it away.
We’d have to knock ’em over cheaply as there ain’t too much ability with the stick, but here goes
Eastwood
Joslin L
Dodemaide
Bright
Shepherd
Hastings
Tyson
Hughes
Miller
Gaunt
Hurst
MCR
#31…..
Great stuff, Mic.
And any game that team played would definitely be played at the Western Oval.
A good mate of mine played at Footscray for many years through the late 80’s and early 90’s.
I once asked him who were the best cricketers he had seen at that level. He named three:
Peter Young, an Essendon batsman who played some shield games; Simon Davis (who ended up
playing Test and one-day cricket for Australia: but towering above them all was A.I.C. Dodemaide. He reckoned “Dodders” was far and away Victoria’s best cricketer in that era.
#29…..
Correct again, JB.
That was back when one-day cricket had (a little more) meaning and interest.
Graeme WOOD
Bill WOODFULL
Frank WORRALL (c)
Mark WAUGH
Doug WALTERS
Steve WAUGH
Clyde WALCOTT (wk)
Shane WARNE
Max WALKER
Bob WILLIS
Courtney WALSH
12th man: Everton WEEKES
Ignore the first names and just read the side out loud as quickly as you can.
#32 – Smokie
Thanx
What’s was your mates name from the Dogs ?
Peter Young – Was he originaly from the Geelong area ? Very handy bat. Simon Davis & Andrew Scott formed a marvellous opening attack for Prahran in the early 80’s, at the same time we were able to call on the services of Dodemaide, Miller & Hughes. That attack would be quite a handful on the WO – New venue (Hughes Oval)is a bit more placid.
Have to keep it tight as I failed to nominate a keeper
MCR
Mic
as keeper, the one and only Rainer Reber would not be out of place in that line-up.
Mate’s name is Paul Burns, opened the batting for many years.
Gigs
Elmer Fudd would be in heaven.
F Martin
T Richardson
AE Hall
CV Grimmett
CS Marriott
K Farnes
AV Bedser
Mohammad Zahid
AL Valentine
JK Lever
ND Hirwani
4 or so others could have made this side. Who are they?
#35 – Smokie
Very handy bat Paul Burns. Would’ve opened the batting, at some stage, with Patrick Smith’s good mate Tony Paone.
Lindsay James ahead of RR for the gloveman position
MCR
Guess the theme here….
G.Gooch
M.Hayden
D.Bradman
R.Ponting (shhh, don’t tell anyone)
M.Crowe
N.Hussein
M.Greatbatch (wk – er, I think he kept once)
S.Warne
D.Lillee …eventually
C.Rackemann
D.Bollinger
M.Vaughan (12th)
Extended squad: Jayasuriya, Azharuddin, Sehwag
37. Flynn’s team: all took 10+ wickets in their first Test. (This side might require a bench of designated batsmen.)
39. Downer’s team: all were dropped at some time in their Test careers (mostly early) but came back. Dennis Amiss might also be worth considering… or is it something to do with hair replacement?
Cheers Tony,
Good get and appreciate the dearth in batting.
I deliberately omitted 2 Aussies.
PF
1. Mike Atherton
2. Justin Langer
3. Rod Marsh (wk)
4. Jimmy Adams
5. Mudassar Nazar
6. Mohammad Azharuddin
7. Chris Cairns
8. Anil Kumble
9. Fidel Edwards
10. Andy Roberts
11. Dale Steyn
Clue: Look at the surnames
40. Tony, nicely played – it was a “follicularly challenged” ensemble.
42. Tidy work Adam. A-L-M-A-N-A-C-K-E-R-S
Dips #16
May I respectfully nominate Roger Woolley ?
Actually, I can put Roger Wolley in hos own team
Roger Binny
Chris Rogers
Roger Harper
Roger Woolley (c)(wk)
Roger Federer
Roger Milla
Mat Rogers
Roger Merrett
Roger Dean
Roger Hayden
Roger Bannerman (to be used as a runner in the event of an earlier batsman being injured and requiring one)
12th man Roger Voudouris (OK he’s a muso, but I loved Get Used To It)
Coach/Trainer : Graeme Rogerson
Steve – It’s lucky they’re not a group of Air Force pilots otherwise communication would be very confusing!
#45 Whoops no.11 is Roger Bannister not Roger Bannerman (the early 60s rock star who liked a drop or two of acid)
I was hoping Roger Ramjet would get in as 12th man.