You've ended up with a pretty decent side Dare. Good opening pair and the best spin tandem IMO, although I'm sure Gazza will argue for Lock and Verity. Middle order players apart from Lloyd are a bit average and the pacemen won't scare anyone, but every team is gonna be weaker somewhere. I guess Lloyd is the 5th bowler if needed? He wasn't too potent, but was good at keeping it quiet.
A Leftie's draft
- Thread starter sifter132
- Start date
Dare
Chairman of Selectors
The team rests on 5 players. Lloyd, Anwar, Kirsten, Underwood and Peel.
I made up my mind with Gomes but I looked really hard for about and hour to decide who I will take with my other pick. I was thinking about a all rounder but then that would make my batting even weaker but my pace bowling a bit stronger.
The pace bowling is below average but at least they can wear the ball out for Peel and Underwood.
And yea Lloyd would bowl a bit if needed.
I made up my mind with Gomes but I looked really hard for about and hour to decide who I will take with my other pick. I was thinking about a all rounder but then that would make my batting even weaker but my pace bowling a bit stronger.
The pace bowling is below average but at least they can wear the ball out for Peel and Underwood.
And yea Lloyd would bowl a bit if needed.
Cricketman
ICC Chairman
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
- Location
- USA
Bedi and Rhodes, all da timee! :boxing
drainpipe32
Chairman of Selectors
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
- Online Cricket Games Owned
Matthew Hayden
Justin Langer
Gary Sobers(c)^
Alvin Kallicharan
Simon Katich^
Darren Lehmann^
Parthiv Patel(+)
Frank Foster^
Hedley Verity^
Bill Voce^
Tony Lock^
I'm loving my own team, with the weak link being Parthiv Patel at 7. Although having maybe the best possible top 3 should counter that, and two established test players in Kallicharan and Katich to follow. Plus Lehmann with a FC average of 57 rounds out a very good top 6.
The fast bowling attack is potent with some low strike-rates, and the two very economical spinners to build pressure, plus they took a lot of wickets. Very able support from Sobers, Lehmann and Katich too.
Justin Langer
Gary Sobers(c)^
Alvin Kallicharan
Simon Katich^
Darren Lehmann^
Parthiv Patel(+)
Frank Foster^
Hedley Verity^
Bill Voce^
Tony Lock^
I'm loving my own team, with the weak link being Parthiv Patel at 7. Although having maybe the best possible top 3 should counter that, and two established test players in Kallicharan and Katich to follow. Plus Lehmann with a FC average of 57 rounds out a very good top 6.
The fast bowling attack is potent with some low strike-rates, and the two very economical spinners to build pressure, plus they took a lot of wickets. Very able support from Sobers, Lehmann and Katich too.
Cricketman
ICC Chairman
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
- Location
- USA
James Franklin
As a tall left arm quick bowler, James Franklin has the distinct ability to move the ball both ways - both in the air and off the deck. He can get the ball to reverse, too, as the Australian's would remember his wonderful spell of 6/119 in 2005 wrecked the batting lineup. He is one of only two New Zealanders to have taken a hat trick in Test match cricket.
He is no mug with the bat, either. He has a healthy average of 21.46 in test match cricket, with an international century (122*) to his name - which was part of a huge 256 run stand with Stephen Fleming. In FC cricket he averages close to 35, with ten centuries and a high score of 219.
1. Roy Fredericks
2. John Edrich
3. Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
4. Graeme Pollock*
5. Michael Hussey
6. Ashwell Prince
7. Wilfred Rhodes
8. James Franklin
9. Zaheer Khan
10. BS Bedi
11. Bill Whitty
I really like that team. I have the aggressive Fredericks at the top of the order to give the team a blistering start, and a batsman as calm and consistent as Edrich to provide perfect foil for him.
I am especially proud of my middle order - Sangakkara is one of the finest wicket keepers the game has ever seen and his batting is of the highest level as well. Graeme Pollock is arguably the greatest left hand batsman to play the game. Hussey has been the cog in the Australian batting order for the better part of the last decade. All three batsman average well over 50 in test match cricket. At number 6 I have the free flowing Ashwell Prince, who is sure to give my team the added push in the lower middle order.
Wilfred Rhodes plays the allroudners role for me - a dogged batsman and a wily left arm spin bowler, he is the one single player that brings total balance to my team. I have a formidable pace attack in Zaheer, Whitty, and Franklin - all quality swing bowlers with low strike rates in test cricket. To partner Rhodes, I have Bishan Singh Bedi to do the spinners duties, one of the greatest spinners produced by India.
Ah Gazza and Cricketman - you've both selling your teams well 
I like the mix of old and new players you've both got, rather than overkilling the old or the new.
Cricketman's got a good spread of strength across his team: no obvious weakness but no obvious strengths either. I think you like your middle order more than me. Pollock and Sanga = good, Hussey = OK, Prince = not my cup of tea. Bowling is pretty decent too. Whitty's got question marks and I guess Franklin's reasonable for an 11th pick, but at least you've got Bedi and Rhodes.
Gazza, once again like the ODI draft - I like the lineup. One of the better ones I'd say. Best opening pair, couple of good spinners. Middle order is OK, but again you like Lehmann more than I - he's a bit of a flat track bully. From memory his average for SA at the Adelaide Oval was well into the 60s. And your keeper sucks
but then again you have got the greatest all-rounder to help cover that weakness. Old time pace bowlers? Hard to judge.
I'll have to open a thread where we can have a forum wide poll on who's team is the best and where we can bag each other's selections
I like the mix of old and new players you've both got, rather than overkilling the old or the new. Cricketman's got a good spread of strength across his team: no obvious weakness but no obvious strengths either. I think you like your middle order more than me. Pollock and Sanga = good, Hussey = OK, Prince = not my cup of tea. Bowling is pretty decent too. Whitty's got question marks and I guess Franklin's reasonable for an 11th pick, but at least you've got Bedi and Rhodes.
Gazza, once again like the ODI draft - I like the lineup. One of the better ones I'd say. Best opening pair, couple of good spinners. Middle order is OK, but again you like Lehmann more than I - he's a bit of a flat track bully. From memory his average for SA at the Adelaide Oval was well into the 60s. And your keeper sucks
but then again you have got the greatest all-rounder to help cover that weakness. Old time pace bowlers? Hard to judge.I'll have to open a thread where we can have a forum wide poll on who's team is the best and where we can bag each other's selections
Cricketman
ICC Chairman
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
- Location
- USA
I agree, I had originally planned of going with Ganguly at number 6, and I guess I was stupid to think he would go unpicked. But in my defense, he has never been popular on PC.
After Ganguly it was Kalicharran - got picked. Then I had planned to settle for Fleming. Dare broke that too. Ashwell Prince was one of the few remaining options left tbh. I wanted someone aggressive. There were plenty of stonewalling options, but those guys don't make good number 6s.
Hussey=ok?? He averages 70 at number 5!
Cricketman added 4 Minutes and 49 Seconds later...
Your strengths are in the top order. Hayden and Langer make an awesome combination, I think they were your best picks. Sobers too, easily one of the best cricketers ever.
But I think it gets a bit weird in the middle order. Katich seems out of place at number 5 - I know he may play there in FC cricket but he has rarely batted out of the top 3 at the international level. At that stage there were still plenty of quality middle order lefties around, I just think it was surprising to see you spring for an opener to fill the spot so soon. Lehmann too, I don't like that pick. Was never a test match player. Parthiv was the worst thing to happen to Indian cricket.
Bowling is good. Voce is quality as are your spinners. I think Verity might be slightly overrated, he bowled on minefield tracks.
My .02
After Ganguly it was Kalicharran - got picked. Then I had planned to settle for Fleming. Dare broke that too.
Ashwell Prince was one of the few remaining options left tbh. I wanted someone aggressive. There were plenty of stonewalling options, but those guys don't make good number 6s.Hussey=ok?? He averages 70 at number 5!
Cricketman added 4 Minutes and 49 Seconds later...
Your strengths are in the top order. Hayden and Langer make an awesome combination, I think they were your best picks. Sobers too, easily one of the best cricketers ever.
But I think it gets a bit weird in the middle order. Katich seems out of place at number 5 - I know he may play there in FC cricket but he has rarely batted out of the top 3 at the international level. At that stage there were still plenty of quality middle order lefties around, I just think it was surprising to see you spring for an opener to fill the spot so soon. Lehmann too, I don't like that pick. Was never a test match player. Parthiv was the worst thing to happen to Indian cricket
.Bowling is good. Voce is quality as are your spinners. I think Verity might be slightly overrated, he bowled on minefield tracks.
My .02
Gosh I really wanted Franklin. Back up time yet again...
Gary Gilmour
Left-arm swing bowler who played only 15 Tests for Australia. Picked up 54 wickets @ 26.03 with an impressive strike-rate of 49.2. He could also hold a bat and has scored a Test century, his 101 coming against New Zealand in 1977, that innings containing 20 fours and a six.
Arthur Morris
Andrew Strauss
Trevor Goddard
Shiv Chanderpaul
Sourav Ganguly (c)
Jacob Oram
+Adam Gilchrist
Irfan Pathan
Daniel Vettori
Gary Gilmour
Ryan Sidebottom
Overall I'm pretty pleased. Bowling probably one of the weaker ones around, although looking at it now, it's a lot better than I thought. Batting is the strong point of this team, which can bat all the way down to 10. A very modern team IMO, maybe should have included a few more older players but eh. Happy with how my first draft went. Hopefully there's still room in Gazza's draft....
Gary Gilmour
Left-arm swing bowler who played only 15 Tests for Australia. Picked up 54 wickets @ 26.03 with an impressive strike-rate of 49.2. He could also hold a bat and has scored a Test century, his 101 coming against New Zealand in 1977, that innings containing 20 fours and a six.
Arthur Morris
Andrew Strauss
Trevor Goddard
Shiv Chanderpaul
Sourav Ganguly (c)
Jacob Oram
+Adam Gilchrist
Irfan Pathan
Daniel Vettori
Gary Gilmour
Ryan Sidebottom
Overall I'm pretty pleased. Bowling probably one of the weaker ones around, although looking at it now, it's a lot better than I thought. Batting is the strong point of this team, which can bat all the way down to 10. A very modern team IMO, maybe should have included a few more older players but eh. Happy with how my first draft went. Hopefully there's still room in Gazza's draft....
drainpipe32
Chairman of Selectors
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
- Online Cricket Games Owned
Katich used to bat 6 for Australia, prior to his most recent call-up for the WIndies tour in 2008. Lehmann, yeah maybe not the best pick I suppose, but his capable bowling, ODI record and leadership turned it for me.
Gazza added 0 Minutes and 38 Seconds later...
Nice pick Iridium, he was in my calculations but I took Lehmann as my last Aussie.
Gazza added 0 Minutes and 38 Seconds later...
Nice pick Iridium, he was in my calculations but I took Lehmann as my last Aussie.
Yea Lehmann was a good pick as well. For some reason I always thought he had a batting average of under 40 but turns out I was looking at the ODI stats for him on Cricinfo. If not for that little oversight, I would have considered him a lot more than I did.
shravi
National Board President
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2005
- Profile Flag
- India
Happy to get this man as it means that I have a highly reputed middle order even though I concentrated on my batting last. Warren Bardsley was one of the greatest Australian left handers. In fact, the great Sir Jack Hobbs said of him- "one of the best left-handers of the upright, classical school that I have ever seen". Only Sir Donald Bradman and AL Hassett, surpassed his record of 53 centuries. What makes his record even more impressive is that 29 of these centuries came in England. He had a wide range of shots and was blessed with great footwork. It's unfortunate that he didn't play as many tests as he could have because he was often overshadowed by Bill Ponsford, Bill Woodfull and Herbie Collins. This meant that he was never quite fully assured of his spot in the team. His first class record suggests that if more confidence had been put in him, he could have become an even greater batsman- In 250 (376 innings) he scored 17025 runs at an average of 50 with 53 centuries and 73 fifties. However, he did make enough of an impression on the international stage to warrant a place in an all time XI. In 41 tests (66 innings) he scored 2469 runs at an average of 41 with 6 centuries and 14 fifties.
Graeme Smith
Bill Lawry
Phil Mead
Eddie Paynter
Warren Bardsley
Frank Wooley
+ Rodney Marsh
Wasim Akram
Chaminda Vaas
Bill Johnston
Colin Blythe
Very pleased with the team. A very strong opening pair and a middle order that may need an introduction to those unfamiliar with the olden days but nonetheless a very, very highly reputed middle order. The bowling attack is as I have already mentioned, of supreme quality due to its flexibility, ensuring that this team could hypothetically give any team a run for its money on any pitch it is given. I have 4 potential seamers (Akram, Johnston, Vaas, Wooley) and 3 potential spinning options (Blythe, Wooley, Johntson). The batting order is also really long as Akram and Vaas could make strong cases for being bowling all rounders.
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mattfb
Chairman of Selectors
I'm at school so can't do a write up or anything, but my pick is Lance Klusener
1. Mark Taylor
2. Marcus Trescothick
3. Bob Cowper
4. Brian Lara
5. Allan Border (c)
6. Lance Klusener
7. Shakib Al Hasan
8. Jack Russell+
9. Johnny Briggs
10. Iqbal Qasim
11. Bruce Reid
1. Mark Taylor
2. Marcus Trescothick
3. Bob Cowper
4. Brian Lara
5. Allan Border (c)
6. Lance Klusener
7. Shakib Al Hasan
8. Jack Russell+
9. Johnny Briggs
10. Iqbal Qasim
11. Bruce Reid
Shravi, I thought you'd go for an old time Aussie bat, but I thought it was gonna be Clem Hill for sure. Awesome player who averaged almost 40 pre-WWI, which was damn hard to do back then. I'm a little sad I went for Graham Thorpe kinda early to fill out my middle order - if I'd known Hill was going to go unpicked...
Well only half sad, I'm glad I got to pick the middle order players I wanted rather than hoping for some to be lying around towards the end.
Anyway, after much deliberation...
Chris Gayle
For this final opening spot, I could have gone for a better bowler, but worse batter (Vinoo Mankad) or a perhaps a better batsman that couldn't bowl at all (Bert Sutcliffe), but I went for somewhere in the middle and took the explosive Windies opener. I think everyone knows about Chris Gayle, but I'd like to add how impressed I was with the man last summer vs Australia. 2 centuries of vastly different styles, one full of pyrotechnics off only 70 balls and the other a great feat of concentration carrying his bat and scoring over half his teams runs with 165* in Adelaide. I wanted someone to act as more bowling depth and Gayle has taken 72 Test wickets with his innocuous looking offies.
1 Gautam Gambhir
2 Chris Gayle
3 Neil Harvey
4 David Gower
5 Andy Flower (wk)
6 Graham Thorpe
7 George Hirst
8 Alan Davidson
9 Mitchell Johnson
10 Johnny Wardle
11 Ernie Toshack
And just my luck: I pick Johnson and he has a crap series and I pick Gambhir and he got 2 runs the last match. Don't let very recent history cloud your thinking critics Of course, like everyone else I'm happy with my team. I deliberately picked openers and spinners last because I knew there was more depth in those areas and I think it paid off.
Now I'm gonna open another thread with a poll attached to see how the punters like our teams.
Well only half sad, I'm glad I got to pick the middle order players I wanted rather than hoping for some to be lying around towards the end.Anyway, after much deliberation...
Chris Gayle
For this final opening spot, I could have gone for a better bowler, but worse batter (Vinoo Mankad) or a perhaps a better batsman that couldn't bowl at all (Bert Sutcliffe), but I went for somewhere in the middle and took the explosive Windies opener. I think everyone knows about Chris Gayle, but I'd like to add how impressed I was with the man last summer vs Australia. 2 centuries of vastly different styles, one full of pyrotechnics off only 70 balls and the other a great feat of concentration carrying his bat and scoring over half his teams runs with 165* in Adelaide. I wanted someone to act as more bowling depth and Gayle has taken 72 Test wickets with his innocuous looking offies.
1 Gautam Gambhir
2 Chris Gayle
3 Neil Harvey
4 David Gower
5 Andy Flower (wk)
6 Graham Thorpe
7 George Hirst
8 Alan Davidson
9 Mitchell Johnson
10 Johnny Wardle
11 Ernie Toshack
And just my luck: I pick Johnson and he has a crap series and I pick Gambhir and he got 2 runs the last match. Don't let very recent history cloud your thinking critics
Of course, like everyone else I'm happy with my team. I deliberately picked openers and spinners last because I knew there was more depth in those areas and I think it paid off.Now I'm gonna open another thread with a poll attached to see how the punters like our teams.
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