All-Time XI

[Boy_Downunder]

IMO Sydney Barnes is one of the most underated players ever!

Just putting that out there :cool:

 

[manee]

Yeah against bowlers with not as good records. Let me ask you one thing, if the pitches were so bad to bat on back in the day then how come all of the great bowlers didn't have bowling averages of under 10? Because batsman still averaged 50+ back then so techniquely the bowling quality was much worse back then then it is now, isn't it?

You surely can't say players from 50 years ago are better then today's player because everything in quality evolves over time no matter what it is. Hell, in 50 years time the players playing then will be allot better then the current players. I just think the old guys who played 50+ years ago are to stubborn and proud to admit the REAL truth.

And for the record, I don't think their is much of a difference between quality over a 20 year period but when it's get to over a period of 50+ years then I think you're pushing things.

That's my theory anyway.

I'm talking more 10-20 years ago than 50. For example, Ambrose, Walsh, Waqar, Wasim, McGrath...etc, who you can agree are better than the bowlers we have now.

 

[Kev]

You can't compare averages of two players that are separated over a period of years anyway. Test cricket is played at a different pace now, its more aggressive and faster scoring for starters, so today's bowlers are going to look like they have better stats at first glance. If you go back a little further than 50 years there were timeless tests so tactics were completely different, who can say how a player from that time would face up to today's game, and who can say if a bowler from today could bowl for a match that went on for more than 10 days sometimes (Harmison gets homesick now, how would he feel if he spent a couple of months on a boat at the beginning and end of a tour too!). Almost certainly players are fitter today, they need to be as the game is more aggressive, but just because the game was more defensive batting wise, it doesn't mean they were any less or more skillful. All you can really do is compare players from the same era, like for like. If someone was head and shoulders above his peers, its a good bet he'd excel had he lived in another era too.

 

[Sureshot]

You surely can't say players from 50 years ago are better then today's player because everything in quality evolves over time no matter what it is. Hell, in 50 years time the players playing then will be allot better then the current players. I just think the old guys who played 50+ years ago are to stubborn and proud to admit the REAL truth.

Where's this idea that quality evolves come from? Does it work in all situations?

Are our scientists now better than Einstein?

Are our writers now better than Shakespeare?

Cricket has evolved of that there's no doubt, but I'm not so sure you can say that the players have improved significantly, from the sheer fact you didn't see them play.

 

[aussie_ben91]

It's got nothing to do with me not seeing them play, it's more of prediction that players in 50 years time will be better then the current lot based on quality so logically I think the current lot are allot better then players of 50 years ago.

 

[Boy_Downunder]

The topic is based around which players would be the best players if they all played together! You have to assume they all have the same gear, diet and phyiscality. For example all players would have modern bats and W.G.Grace wouldn't be playing with lumps of wood!
Natural skill is the most important aspect not whether or not players in the 50's are terrible compared to players in the 00's!

 

[aussie_ben91]

How anyone can comment on players that early here is beyond me, nobody has seen them play.

I suppose it's beyhond you how anyone can pick them in their best ever World XI aswell then?

 

[Kev]

If you are truthful, you can only pick players that you've seen play. Yes of course there were some great players in the past but all most of us have done is read about them or look at their stats on cricinfo. How can you say that one person is better than another when all you've seen is numbers? If you are going to pick a World XI, it should only consist of people you've seen play, be that in real life or on tv.

 

[gary0808]

If you are truthful, you can only pick players that you've seen play. Yes of course there were some great players in the past but all most of us have done is read about them or look at their stats on cricinfo. How can you say that one person is better than another when all you've seen is numbers? If you are going to pick a World XI, it should only consist of people you've seen play, be that in real life or on tv.

A part of me agrees with you but you have to make special cases for the likes of Hobbs, Richards and Khan etc. Even though statistics isn't everything the game at the end of the day is all about runs and wickets so surely stats is a very good measure of aplayers ability if you read them correctly

 

[Kev]

Well of those its only Hobbs I haven't seen

 

[aussie_ben91]

Honourable mentions from me in International Cricket since starting to watch in 1997 based purely on what I've watched.
Based on who I've been impressed by over a short period of time and not entirely on statistics...

>> Opening Batsman

Matthew Hayden
Michael Vaughan
Graeme Smith
Virender Sehwag
Saeed Anwar
Andrew Strauss
Michael Slater

>> Middle Order Batsman

Ricky Ponting
Kevin Pietersen
Jacques Kallis
Sachin Tendulkar
Brian Lara
Rahul Dravid
Steve Waugh
VVS Laxman
Michael Hussey
Mohammad Yousuf
Younis Khan
Mahela Jayawardene
Shivnarine Chanderpaul

>> Allrounders

Jacques Kallis
Andrew Flintoff

>> Wicketkeeper Batsman

Kumur Sangakkara
Alex Stewart
Adam Gilchrist

>> Wicketkeepers

Ian Healy
Mark Boucher

>> Pace Bowlers

Wasim Akram
Curtly Ambrose
Shane Bond
Glenn McGrath
Mohammad Asif
Allan Donald
Andrew Flintoff
Shaun Pollock

>> Spinners

Shane Warne
Muttiah Muralitharan
Saqlain Mushtaq
Harbhajan Singh
Anil Kumble

 

[gary0808]

Honourable mentions from me in International Cricket since starting to watch in 1997 based purely on what I've watched.
Based on who I've been impressed by over a short period of time and not entirely on statistics...

>> Opening Batsman

Matthew Hayden
Michael Vaughan
Graeme Smith
Virender Sehwag
Saeed Anwar
Andrew Strauss
Michael Slater

>> Middle Order Batsman

Ricky Ponting
Kevin Pietersen
Jacques Kallis
Sachin Tendulkar
Brian Lara
Rahul Dravid
Steve Waugh
VVS Laxman
Michael Hussey
Mohammad Yousuf
Younis Khan
Mahela Jayawardene
Shivnarine Chanderpaul

>> Allrounders

Jacques Kallis
Andrew Flintoff

>> Wicketkeeper Batsman

Kumur Sangakkara
Alex Stewart
Adam Gilchrist

>> Wicketkeepers

Ian Healy
Mark Boucher

>> Pace Bowlers

Wasim Akram
Curtly Ambrose
Shane Bond
Glenn McGrath
Mohammad Asif
Allan Donald
Andrew Flintoff
Shaun Pollock

>> Spinners

Shane Warne
Muttiah Muralitharan
Saqlain Mushtaq
Harbhajan Singh
Anil Kumble

Thats a big list. Wheres Mike Atherton. If I were to pick one on people I have watched about 1996ish

My XI[/U]

Matthew Hayden
Marcus Trescothick
Ricky Ponting(c)
Brian Lara
Jaques Kallis
Andrew Flintoff
Adam Gilchrist(wk)
Wasim Akram (had to Lancashire background)
Shane Warne
Allan Donald
Glenn McGrath

2nd XI

Graeme Smith
Mike Atherton
Sachin Tendulkar
Michael Vaughan (c)
Rahul Dravid
Stuart Law
Mark Boucher (wk)
Shaun Pollock
Brett Lee
Curtly Ambrose
Muttiah Muralitharan

Its amazing how statistics differ from my actual opinion

 

[aussie_ben91]

Test XI - Since '97

Hayden
Vaughan
Ponting
Tendulkar
Pietersen
Kallis
Gilchrist (wk)
Akram
Warne (c)
Ambrose
McGrath

ODI XI - Since '97

Hayden
Tendulkar
Ponting
Pietersen
Symonds
Dhoni (wk)
Flintoff
Pollock (c)
Akram
Muralitharan
McGrath

 

[King Cricket]

All time XI?
Well, i will pick the players whom i have seen.

1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Adam Gilchrist (WK)
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Ricky Ponting (C)
5. Jack Kallis
6. Brian Lara
7. Shaun Pollock
8. Wasim Akram
9. Brett Lee
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Glen McGrath

Reserve Bench

1. Mahela Jaywardhane
2. Sourav Ganguly
3. Andrew Flintoff
4. Chaminda Vass

 

[zreh]

Now I know some of the batting positions will not suite certain players but this is excatally how i would want my all-time XI lineups to look in ODI's and tests, since the mid 90's

ODI's:

Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly
Ricky Ponting (Captain)
Brian Lara
Jacques Kallis
Inzamam Ul-Haq
Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper)
Wasim Akram
Shane Bond
Muttiah Muralitharan
Glenn McGrath

Tests:

Matthew Hayden
Rahul Dravid
Ricky Ponting
Sachin Tendulkar
Jacques Kallis
Brian Lara
Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper)
Wasim Akram
Shaun Pollock
Muttiah Muralitharan
Glenn McGrath

and now for my current best test and Odi XI...

ODI's:

Sachin Tendulkar
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting (Captain)
Kumar Sangakkara
Yuvraj Singh
Michael Hussey
M.S. Dhoni (Wicket Keeper)
Brett Lee
Shane Bond
Mohammed Asif
Muttiah Muralitharan

Tests:

I'm not even going to do one because its way to bloody hard to pick from all these batsmen, bowlers no problem, but way too many good batsmen to choose from

Ricky Ponting
Michael Hussey
Matthew Hayden
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly
Jacques kallis
Kumar Sangkkara
Mahela Jayawardene.....and so on and so on...too hard to chose