Some Fun Cricket XIs

[Aislabie]

In tests though I suspect there is some merit in that argument.

It's the same thing in Tests: the hardest point in any innings is the bit where you're starting from 0. A not out means that you have to do that, rather than continuing from wherever you've got to.

Lara for instance has an average merely 1.5 more than Chanderpaul and yet anyone who’s watched them both would know that they’re nowhere in the same class of batters (harsh comparison admittedly as few are in the class of Lara). Their RPI also differs by ten demonstrating said difference.

Lara and Chanderpaul were completely different players. Lara was someone who took the game to opposition bowlers, and who had all the shots in the book in order to do so. Chanderpaul was a comparatively limited player, who found that the most reliable way for him to get runs was through a more extreme technique built around mitigating risk at the expense of power.

Lara too was a selfish cricketer: as captain, he was prepared to keep batting well into Day Three rather than push for a win because he felt personally slighted that Matthew Hayden had recently taken his record away. This doesn't make him a less great batter - indeed, most truly great batters have to be selfish in order to succeed.

his reluctance to bat higher up the order especially when the side could have used his talents in the top order a lot more than at five. Faf for instance pushed himself higher up the order despite being a middle order batter for most of his prior test career and despite being in terminal decline because he was still one of their best batsmen on paper. Shiv would have averaged lesser by perhaps five runs (which still is an extremely good number for a batter in that WI lineup) but he’d have likely led his side to more victories with more impactful knocks at important moments and dare I say, be remembered better rather than as an enigma?

Chanderpaul did bat higher up the order in his career 73 times. In that sample, he averaged 34.25 batting at three and four, compared to 58.45 batting at five and six. This wasn't simply a case of him being selfish - the team would have gained nothing from near-halving the output of its most reliable batter.

The man was capable of batting quickly if needed too as shown by his famous century against Australia with Jacobs alongside when the rest of the side collapsed.

He was, although this was much more the case earlier in his career. As he got older, his technique became more extreme in a way that was very effective at making sure he didn't get out, but which made it more difficult for him to score quickly. This is reflected in a T20 strike rate of around a run a ball. Chanderpaul sacrificed power and scoring speed for

 

[ddrap14]

Time for D - the letter, that is.

D
1. Shikhar Dhawan - This might be the weak spot in the top six. That said, Shikhar Dhawan's still a very solid cricketer - averaging 40 is something nobody here can do.
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan - Dilshan's known best perhaps for his inventiveness in limited-overs cricket, but he also averages over 40 in Test cricket, and is a handy fifth bowler in a team stacked with options behind the stumps.
3. Rahul Dravid - The perfect #3 foil to Dilshan's aggressiveness, Dravid was known as the Wall for his defensive (dour?) playstyle. It was effective, regardless of how you label it.
4. AB de Villiers - And then arguably the perfect foil to Dravid. AB can keep if necessary (which it isn't in this team), and more importantly was one of the best bats of his generation across all three formats.
5. Aravinda de Silva - This guy would have been Sri Lanka's finest ever player if not for the golden generation. A natural choice for #5, and also vice captain.
6. Faf du Plessis - One of the great middle order bats had to be at 6. I picked Faf to be here because I remember him scoring a hundred against us from #6 to win the Proteas a game. The reasons he's in are obvious.
7. MS Dhoni (C) - For all the criticism I've seen Mahendra Singh cop, he has a brilliant track record in both batting and leadership. Neither has ever been personified as much as his innings to win the 2011 World Cup.
8. JWHT Douglas - The reason why this guy's here are his all-round skills, leadership, and also that the bowlers starting with B (one obvious exception aside) aren't that great. At least JWHT lengthens the batting order in both letters and runs.
9. Alan Davidson - Hugely underrated in the modern day, Davidson was the Mitch Starc of his time - hard-hitting batting and excellent left-arm fast. Will take the new ball with the obvious candidate.
10. Kumara Dharmasena - Now most famous as an umpire, Dharmasena was a solid rather than spectacular orthodox spinner in his playing career. He often had to share with Murali, which may have diluted his success.
11. Aaron Donald - The only obvious bowler to make it. Donald is an all-time great; blisteringly quick and devastating on his day, he leads the attack. Just don't ask him to run between the wickets.

Bench:
Ted Dexter - A captain with unconventional ideas on and off the field, Dexter is a great utility bat to have on the bench.
Stewie Dempster - This was a tough one. If he had more of a track record, I wouldn't have hesitated to include him in the starting lineup, but at the same time, such a chance wasn't available in 1930s NZ.
K. S. Duleepshinji - A premier bat at the turn of the last century. Can play all through the middle order too
Quinton de Kock - QDK's a slightly unnecessary backup keeper, but he probably comes in to the limited overs frame more than in Tests. Could play in the field if necessary
Geoff Dymock - Was originally in my starting XI, but I realised they had no spinner. So instead he's first reserve.
Phil deFreitas - Ordinary seamer 1
Stephen Doull - Ordinary seamer 2

 

[Fenil]

Time for D - the letter, that is.

D
1. Shikhar Dhawan - This might be the weak spot in the top six. That said, Shikhar Dhawan's still a very solid cricketer - averaging 40 is something nobody here can do.
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan - Dilshan's known best perhaps for his inventiveness in limited-overs cricket, but he also averages over 40 in Test cricket, and is a handy fifth bowler in a team stacked with options behind the stumps.
3. Rahul Dravid - The perfect #3 foil to Dilshan's aggressiveness, Dravid was known as the Wall for his defensive (dour?) playstyle. It was effective, regardless of how you label it.
4. AB de Villiers - And then arguably the perfect foil to Dravid. AB can keep if necessary (which it isn't in this team), and more importantly was one of the best bats of his generation across all three formats.
5. Aravinda de Silva - This guy would have been Sri Lanka's finest ever player if not for the golden generation. A natural choice for #5, and also vice captain.
6. Faf du Plessis - One of the great middle order bats had to be at 6. I picked Faf to be here because I remember him scoring a hundred against us from #6 to win the Proteas a game. The reasons he's in are obvious.
7. MS Dhoni (C) - For all the criticism I've seen Mahendra Singh cop, he has a brilliant track record in both batting and leadership. Neither has ever been personified as much as his innings to win the 2011 World Cup.
8. JWHT Douglas - The reason why this guy's here are his all-round skills, leadership, and also that the bowlers starting with B (one obvious exception aside) aren't that great. At least JWHT lengthens the batting order in both letters and runs.
9. Alan Davidson - Hugely underrated in the modern day, Davidson was the Mitch Starc of his time - hard-hitting batting and excellent left-arm fast. Will take the new ball with the obvious candidate.
10. Kumara Dharmasena - Now most famous as an umpire, Dharmasena was a solid rather than spectacular orthodox spinner in his playing career. He often had to share with Murali, which may have diluted his success.
11. Aaron Donald - The only obvious bowler to make it. Donald is an all-time great; blisteringly quick and devastating on his day, he leads the attack. Just don't ask him to run between the wickets.

Bench:
Ted Dexter - A captain with unconventional ideas on and off the field, Dexter is a great utility bat to have on the bench.
Stewie Dempster - This was a tough one. If he had more of a track record, I wouldn't have hesitated to include him in the starting lineup, but at the same time, such a chance wasn't available in 1930s NZ.
K. S. Duleepshinji - A premier bat at the turn of the last century. Can play all through the middle order too
Quinton de Kock - QDK's a slightly unnecessary backup keeper, but he probably comes in to the limited overs frame more than in Tests. Could play in the field if necessary
Geoff Dymock - Was originally in my starting XI, but I realised they had no spinner. So instead he's first reserve.
Phil deFreitas - Ordinary seamer 1
Stephen Doull - Ordinary seamer 2

Good side. Pretty sure you meant Alan Donald. Also, Dilip Doshi and Fannie de Villiers would have made great inclusions in my opinion.

 

[Verified Enigma]

Still very confused about Islamic last names.

Their first name is considered last name in the directory.

 

[ddrap14]

Still very confused about Islamic last names.

Their first name is considered last name in the directory.

Yes, which I have followed.

Post automatically merged: Jan 27, 2023

Good side. Pretty sure you meant Alan Donald. Also, Dilip Doshi and Fannie de Villiers would have made great inclusions in my opinion.

Probably, yeah. I didn't notice Doshi because I'm not exactly an expert on first class recprds of the 1980s India sides, but he'd be a good backup spinner. Not sure how I missed Fanie

 

[Fenil]

Yes, which I have followed.

Post automatically merged: Jan 27, 2023

Probably, yeah. I didn't notice Doshi because I'm not exactly an expert on first class recprds of the 1980s India sides, but he'd be a good backup spinner. Not sure how I missed Fanie

TBH, by how highly Doshi has been spoken of by the likes of Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and his record, it seems that he was definitely better than Dharmasena.

Fannie would start any day over Douglas, Doull and DeF. for me. The guy was pivotal in RSA's triumph post apartheid.

BTW, thanks to Cricinfo, the D team loses Kapil Dev to the N team.

 

[Fenil]

Quinton de Kock - QDK's a slightly unnecessary backup keeper, but he probably comes in to the limited overs frame more than in Tests. Could play in the field if necessary

I'm surprised because QDK is a better keeper batsman than Dhoni in Tests and certainly in T20Is. I think Dhoni can play on turning tracks while QDK can seaming ones since Dhoni is absolute gun when keeping wickets for spinners and the latter is more agile as far as taking diving catches is concerned that are more likely against seamers.

 

[ddrap14]

E
1. Matthew Elliott - if sports psychologists were regularly used in the 1990s, maybe Elliott would have been a world-beater for the Aussies. As it were though, Elliott was just decent - that said, just decent in a great Australian team is still very, very good.
2. John Edrich - Edrich on the other hand had absolutely no mental issues. He was an unflappable opener for England back in the day, but maybe now he's mainly known as a quiz answer - he top scored in the first ever ODI.
3. Farokh Engineer - Engineer was noticed after catching a duster thrown at him by a furious teacher (according to Rishi Kumar), and ended up keeping in 50 international games for India. He won't be taking the gloves in this XI, but his cat-like reflexes will be key in close, as well as his solid batting.
4. Russell Endean - a second wicketkeeper who won't take the gloves, Endean was most notable for being the only cricketer involved in both an obstructing the field dismissal and a handled the ball dismissal at Test level.
5. Ross Edwards - A middle-order strokemaker, Edwards was seen as an important member of Australia's first World Cup team, including making 80 (his ODI top score) in the key win over Pakistan. That said, he never played for Australia again after that tour.
6. Craig Ervine - This spot realistically could be either Ervine brother - Sean can bowl, but given this isn't the strongest lineup with the bat, I've elected to keep it strong with Craig. He's by far one of Zimbabwe's best batsmen not named Flower.
7. Godfrey Evans - The only real slam dunk selection. Next
8. John Emburey - Emburey was controversial for his participation in rebel tours to South Africa, but it was a move of desperation for financial reasons rather than support of Apartheid. On the field, he was an outstanding spinner, a solid lower order batsman, and a great fielder. Also the default spinner in the generation of Stick Cricket games I played
9. Ehsan Adil - Is it immediately obvious how thin the 'E' pace ranks are?
10. Fidel Edwards - At his best, Edwards could destroy a lineup - he has the second best ever figures on ODI debut, and is one of just two players to take a five-for on debut in both Test and ODI. The issue is his consistency and injury-proneness.
11. Richard Ellison - Often overshadowed by his contemporaries, Ellison is probably the best quick in this team (at least in Test format). Similarly to Emburey, he played on a rebel tour later in his career. Now a headmaster.

Bench:
Bruce Edgar - This guy is the epitome of the Kiwi spirit and courage. His most notable knock was 102* against the Australians, in the underarm game.
Sarel Erwee - Amid a lack of options, I've also carried Erwee, who seems to have a solid technique but hasn't reliably implemented it against high quality bowling.
Kirk Edwards - A middle order batsman, Edwards is clearly backup quality to his namesake Ross and Craig Ervine, but again, there aren't many options.
Sean Ervine - Ervine must play limited over games to give this team a reliable fifth bowler - likely taking his brother's spot.
Phil Edmonds - The offspinner often combined with Emburey at county and national level, and on spinning decks they unite in this team too.
Lasith Embuldineya - Destructive in Cricket Captain, but he's the third spinner of three in this squad.
Shaminda Eranga - The backup quick, Eranga dismissed Shane Watson with his first ball in Tests, but has since struggled.

 

[ddrap14]

What the F?
1. Roy Fredericks - Don't be fooled by his one infamous hook (standing on his stumps off Dennis Lillee in the 1975 World Cup Final), Fredericks was among the best ever at the shot. That meant he averaged over 40 in his career, despite facing Lillee and Jeff Thomson for a decent amount of it.
2. Andy Flower - With a lack of convincing alternatives, Flower takes the gloves despite not being particularly noted for his work with them. However, what he is is Zimbabwe's best ever batsman by a long way.
3. Stephen Fleming - Fleming was a great batsman for New Zealand, but arguably an even better thinker of the game. He's their most successful captain of all time, has coached Chennai Super Kings for most of their history, and is a natural choice to lead the F team.
4. Keith Fletcher - Unlike Fredericks, Fletcher was humbled by the Aussie pace barrage, but it's hard to blame him. Extreme pace was a rare weakness in his game. He won't be captain though for hopefully obvious reasons.
5. Jack Fingleton - Fingleton was an outstanding (though dour) batsman for pre-war Australia. His career record is already good, but could have been exceptional if not for two things - he was blamed for leaking Bodyline's infamous conversation to the press (and dropped for the 1934 Ashes as retribution), then the War ended his Test career at 31.
6. Aubrey Faulkner - There's a serious argument that Faulkner came 100 years too soon. An outstanding batsman in the latter half of his career and an outstanding legspinner who could turn it both ways for the entirety of it, Faulkner would have fit in brilliantly in any modern T20 side.
7. Andrew Flintoff - While Freddie had a few off-field issues in his playing career, he turned himself into a person as thoroughly entertaining as his brand of cricket by the end of his career, paving the way for a post-playing career with Top Gear. On the field, he's a top-seven batsman and a great seam bowler, who carries immense value when paired with Faulkner.
8. James Franklin - Franklin's a capable batsman, but he gets squeezed down to 8 by Faulkner and Flintoff. However, he's mainly here for his bowling, where he's one of two Kiwis to take a Test* hat-trick (* - against Early 2000s Bangladesh).
9. Damien Fleming - Another in the Test hat-trick club (perhaps even its most prominent member), Fleming was an outstanding swing bowler who had trouble with his captain and his body. Since retirement, he's a bowling analyst - a job that maybe only he holds.
10. Fazal Mahmood - If Fleming was an outstanding swing bowler, Mahmood was generational. He and Khan Mohammad annihilated the Aussies in 1956, Pakistan's first ever win against them.
11. Leslie O'Brien "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith - What a tragic story. Despite his lack of skill with the bat and effort in the field, Fleetwood-Smith was a rare chinaman bowler who had the talent to win matches. But his Test career was limited by a combination of inconsistency, discipline issues, and Bill O'Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett. After his career, though, he struggled with alcohol addiction.

Bench:
Peter Fulton - Here's the F team's version of Bruce Edgar; a gutsy Kiwi backup opener.
C.B. Fry - Fry represented England in two sports, won a FA Cup, played rugby, stood in politics, was a journalist, and allegedly declined the throne of Albania. No wonder he was an all-rounder.
Alan Fairfax - Like the other Bodyline-era Aussie, Fairfax may have had a more prolific career if not for a choice he made; in his case though, it was playing professionally in England.
Ben Foakes - A backup keeper if one were to be needed, Foakes likely comes in for a bowler given the plethora of options available.
Dilhara Fernando - The backup seamers all lack a little bit of quality. Fernando was always in and out of the Sri Lankan side thanks to Malinga, Vaas, and Kulasekara.
Steven Finn - Similarly, after a promising start, injuries and high competition meant Finn never hit his potential.
Angus Fraser - In this team as effectively a West Indies specialist; no bowler in his heyday dominated just that particular opponent as much as him.

 

[Fenil]

E
1. Matthew Elliott - if sports psychologists were regularly used in the 1990s, maybe Elliott would have been a world-beater for the Aussies. As it were though, Elliott was just decent - that said, just decent in a great Australian team is still very, very good.
2. John Edrich - Edrich on the other hand had absolutely no mental issues. He was an unflappable opener for England back in the day, but maybe now he's mainly known as a quiz answer - he top scored in the first ever ODI.
3. Farokh Engineer - Engineer was noticed after catching a duster thrown at him by a furious teacher (according to Rishi Kumar), and ended up keeping in 50 international games for India. He won't be taking the gloves in this XI, but his cat-like reflexes will be key in close, as well as his solid batting.
4. Russell Endean - a second wicketkeeper who won't take the gloves, Endean was most notable for being the only cricketer involved in both an obstructing the field dismissal and a handled the ball dismissal at Test level.
5. Ross Edwards - A middle-order strokemaker, Edwards was seen as an important member of Australia's first World Cup team, including making 80 (his ODI top score) in the key win over Pakistan. That said, he never played for Australia again after that tour.
6. Craig Ervine - This spot realistically could be either Ervine brother - Sean can bowl, but given this isn't the strongest lineup with the bat, I've elected to keep it strong with Craig. He's by far one of Zimbabwe's best batsmen not named Flower.
7. Godfrey Evans - The only real slam dunk selection. Next
8. John Emburey - Emburey was controversial for his participation in rebel tours to South Africa, but it was a move of desperation for financial reasons rather than support of Apartheid. On the field, he was an outstanding spinner, a solid lower order batsman, and a great fielder. Also the default spinner in the generation of Stick Cricket games I played
9. Ehsan Adil - Is it immediately obvious how thin the 'E' pace ranks are?
10. Fidel Edwards - At his best, Edwards could destroy a lineup - he has the second best ever figures on ODI debut, and is one of just two players to take a five-for on debut in both Test and ODI. The issue is his consistency and injury-proneness.
11. Richard Ellison - Often overshadowed by his contemporaries, Ellison is probably the best quick in this team (at least in Test format). Similarly to Emburey, he played on a rebel tour later in his career. Now a headmaster.

Bench:
Bruce Edgar - This guy is the epitome of the Kiwi spirit and courage. His most notable knock was 102* against the Australians, in the underarm game.
Sarel Erwee - Amid a lack of options, I've also carried Erwee, who seems to have a solid technique but hasn't reliably implemented it against high quality bowling.
Kirk Edwards - A middle order batsman, Edwards is clearly backup quality to his namesake Ross and Craig Ervine, but again, there aren't many options.
Sean Ervine - Ervine must play limited over games to give this team a reliable fifth bowler - likely taking his brother's spot.
Phil Edmonds - The offspinner often combined with Emburey at county and national level, and on spinning decks they unite in this team too.
Lasith Embuldineya - Destructive in Cricket Captain, but he's the third spinner of three in this squad.
Shaminda Eranga - The backup quick, Eranga dismissed Shane Watson with his first ball in Tests, but has since struggled.

Well drafted XI. What intrigues me is that you Erwee as a backup but not the senior pro - Dean Elgar.

 

[Fenil]

What the F?
1. Roy Fredericks - Don't be fooled by his one infamous hook (standing on his stumps off Dennis Lillee in the 1975 World Cup Final), Fredericks was among the best ever at the shot. That meant he averaged over 40 in his career, despite facing Lillee and Jeff Thomson for a decent amount of it.
2. Andy Flower - With a lack of convincing alternatives, Flower takes the gloves despite not being particularly noted for his work with them. However, what he is is Zimbabwe's best ever batsman by a long way.
3. Stephen Fleming - Fleming was a great batsman for New Zealand, but arguably an even better thinker of the game. He's their most successful captain of all time, has coached Chennai Super Kings for most of their history, and is a natural choice to lead the F team.
4. Keith Fletcher - Unlike Fredericks, Fletcher was humbled by the Aussie pace barrage, but it's hard to blame him. Extreme pace was a rare weakness in his game. He won't be captain though for hopefully obvious reasons.
5. Jack Fingleton - Fingleton was an outstanding (though dour) batsman for pre-war Australia. His career record is already good, but could have been exceptional if not for two things - he was blamed for leaking Bodyline's infamous conversation to the press (and dropped for the 1934 Ashes as retribution), then the War ended his Test career at 31.
6. Aubrey Faulkner - There's a serious argument that Faulkner came 100 years too soon. An outstanding batsman in the latter half of his career and an outstanding legspinner who could turn it both ways for the entirety of it, Faulkner would have fit in brilliantly in any modern T20 side.
7. Andrew Flintoff - While Freddie had a few off-field issues in his playing career, he turned himself into a person as thoroughly entertaining as his brand of cricket by the end of his career, paving the way for a post-playing career with Top Gear. On the field, he's a top-seven batsman and a great seam bowler, who carries immense value when paired with Faulkner.
8. James Franklin - Franklin's a capable batsman, but he gets squeezed down to 8 by Faulkner and Flintoff. However, he's mainly here for his bowling, where he's one of two Kiwis to take a Test* hat-trick (* - against Early 2000s Bangladesh).
9. Damien Fleming - Another in the Test hat-trick club (perhaps even its most prominent member), Fleming was an outstanding swing bowler who had trouble with his captain and his body. Since retirement, he's a bowling analyst - a job that maybe only he holds.
10. Fazal Mahmood - If Fleming was an outstanding swing bowler, Mahmood was generational. He and Khan Mohammad annihilated the Aussies in 1956, Pakistan's first ever win against them.
11. Leslie O'Brien "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith - What a tragic story. Despite his lack of skill with the bat and effort in the field, Fleetwood-Smith was a rare chinaman bowler who had the talent to win matches. But his Test career was limited by a combination of inconsistency, discipline issues, and Bill O'Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett. After his career, though, he struggled with alcohol addiction.

Bench:
Peter Fulton - Here's the F team's version of Bruce Edgar; a gutsy Kiwi backup opener.
C.B. Fry - Fry represented England in two sports, won a FA Cup, played rugby, stood in politics, was a journalist, and allegedly declined the throne of Albania. No wonder he was an all-rounder.
Alan Fairfax - Like the other Bodyline-era Aussie, Fairfax may have had a more prolific career if not for a choice he made; in his case though, it was playing professionally in England.
Ben Foakes - A backup keeper if one were to be needed, Foakes likely comes in for a bowler given the plethora of options available.
Dilhara Fernando - The backup seamers all lack a little bit of quality. Fernando was always in and out of the Sri Lankan side thanks to Malinga, Vaas, and Kulasekara.
Steven Finn - Similarly, after a promising start, injuries and high competition meant Finn never hit his potential.
Angus Fraser - In this team as effectively a West Indies specialist; no bowler in his heyday dominated just that particular opponent as much as him.

Lovely squad. Fredericks and Flower would dismantle any bowling attack on their day. Also, what a sight it would have been to see Flintoff bowling his 92mph Yorkers in tandem with wily ol' fox Damien Fleming.

I would argue that James Faulkner could have taken Franklin's place as the Australian was an absolute gun in his prime. Also am wondering if there is a way to draft Tip Foster.

 

[ddrap14]

Well drafted XI. What intrigues me is that you Erwee as a backup but not the senior pro - Dean Elgar.

It is entirely possible I failed to notice him... oops

I would argue that James Faulkner could have taken Franklin's place as the Australian was an absolute gun in his prime. Also am wondering if there is a way to draft Tip Foster.

Oh he absolutely was; the main knock on Faulkner here was that he had a short peak and never really contributed in Tests, but either of those guys could be on the bench over Fernando.

 

[Fenil]

It is entirely possible I failed to notice him... oops


Oh he absolutely was; the main knock on Faulkner here was that he had a short peak and never really contributed in Tests, but either of those guys could be on the bench over Fernando.

Agreed that Faulkner's peak was short but Franklin on the other hand never really peaked right from when he debuted as a bowler to when he worked on his batting to break into the side that had Mills, Stuffy, Oram, Southee et al before finishing as a bits and pieces player who could never be relied upon either for his bowling or batting.

Sorry to say but you need to rethink about Faulkner's contribution in Tests because he only played a solitary Test much like Stuart Law and that doesn't do justice to him. Besides, this is supposed to be a all format team so yeah for me (and you don't have to agree with me), Faulkner would have made a substantial difference.

Also, Fernando had one of the most potent slower balls like Charl Like or Franklyn Stephenson so I would actually draft Finn into XI and drop Franklin out of the squad and draft Faulkner in the squad.

As I said, these are my personal thoughts and you don't have to agree. I appreciate your efforts to put this all together. Very well done.

 

[ddrap14]

G
1. Graham Gooch - Gooch missed three years due to leading a South African rebel tour and, after returning, only got even better. His 1990-91 season was among the best in cricket history, including a triple century at Lord's.
2. Sunil Gavaskar - On the strength of his 36 (128), Sunny shouldn't play any T20s. But he's an all-time great batsman who was probably the best Indian batsman before Tendulkar (lthough there are other strong candidates).
3. Saurav Ganguly - A top ODI player of all time and a great Test player (if overshadowed by a few others from the same India teams), Ganguly comes in at first drop in this XI.
4. David Gower - Something of a loose cannon off the field, Gower averaged 44 in Tests on it, although he was less stellar in limited overs cricket. The one asterisk for me is that he hated Graham Gooch by the end of his career.
5. WG Grace - The first truly great cricketer. Need I say more?
6. Tony Greig - Great batsman, good bowler, solid fielder, elite commentator. I can forgive the bad haircut.
7. Adam Gilchrist - A revolutionary; both a great keeper and an elite batsman across all three formats. He probably opens in the shorter ones, but bats at a customary #7 in Test cricket, from where he scored the fastest ever ton at the time.
8. Jack Gregory - Gregory was destructively quick and also averaged 36 with the bat. He would be a lot more well known had he not ruined his knee in 1928, still with several more years of cricket in him.
9. Jason Gillespie - The first ever Indigenous Test cricketer, Dizzy's arguably more famous for a double-century in his final Test than for his bowling. But he still had 259 wickets @ 26, which is kinda good.
10. Clarrie Grimmett - An obvious pick for spinner. Grimmett averaged almost six wickets a game at 24, without the benefit of spinning pitches like many modern spinners have access to.
11. Joel Garner - No mug with the bat (although there aren't any in this team), Garner's harsh at #11. His bowling, though, needs no introduction - according to the ICC, he's the greatest ever at ODIs.

Bench:
Tom Graveney - A utility player who could open or play in the middle order, he was the 1953 Cricketer Of The Year.
Chris Gayle - While his Test record is good, the Universe Boss is more likely to come in as an opener in both limited overs formats.
Gordon Greenidge - G is stacked at opener, and this World Cup winner is likely to spend a lot of time on the bench (or in the middle order).
Godfrey Evans - Not a great batsman, but Evans is among the finest glovemen in history.
Trevor Goddard - A backup really to Grace and Greig, but quite an effective one.
Charlie Griffith - One of the first express West Indians. Not as successful as the future ones, but given he taught Joel Garner, just as important.
Ashley Giles - Um

 

[pillowprocter]

Tom Graveney - A utility player who could open or play in the middle order, he was the 1953 Cricketer Of The Year.

Don't know much about this guy, but must be bloody good if he can keep out Herschelle Gibbs.