Another draft!-Test players of the 90s and later - FINISHED!

[Aditya]

My pick is : Graeme Swann

I'll do the write up later.

 

[Gaurav_7]

Surprised some players haven't been picked yet...please don't let aditya do what I think he will and pick...

No surprise, I'd say. I mean it's not the best available players that count now. It's picking those players which you need the most. I'm sure I wouldn't have got a better keeper than Prior at the moment.

Also, Thorpe is a good pick and so is Swann.

 

[Aditya]

I was confused whether to select a batsman or a bowler. Seeing my team, I have two pace bowlers and one left arm spin bowler. I've got enough batsman and I reckon in the next few rounds, it will be hard to select a decent bowler so I went for Swann or else I would have went for KP. Getting Flintoff wouldn't have been too bad either but Sifter already picked him.

 

[Gaurav_7]

I'd recommend everyone to post their XIs as of now too. Just to have a look. I've enjoyed this draft more than any of the earlier ones. Even the WC one. Main reason is these are the players I've actually seen play. Most of them if not all.

 

[cricket_icon]

Yeah, really fun discussing guys we have actually seen play for once. Swann is a class choice. My XI so far:

1. W Hinds
2.
3. R Ponting (C)
4. J Ryder
5.
6.
7. T Taibu
8.
9. S Akhtar
10. S Mushtaq
11.

Still debating with myself who I should pick for England...an opener, a bowler or a middle order batsman???

 

[sifter132]

Still debating with myself who I should pick for England...an opener, a bowler or a middle order batsman???

Hmm, so do you want some real advice or some of that sneaky User advice Just looking at your spot in each round to come, you have early picks in the last 3 rounds, but are low in the India round. All depends what you think might still be available there. I think the remaining good Indian batsmen are going to run out fast - I'm probably going to pick one So I'd be looking at a bowler for India, which probably means you'll need a batsmen this round. Just depends whether you want a more reliable opener or a flashier middle order guy.

Some good picks thus far: I thought Graham Thorpe was a great player, that's a nice pick. Prior yeah, he's the real deal now that he's improved his keeping, Swann too that's pretty good value. And Yudi, really like that you picked Srinath ahead of a certain other Indian pace bowler Srinath never gets enough due IMHO. Although I noticed the other day he got a spot in the all-time Indian XI on cricinfo, a nice recognition for him.

So we've got cricket icon to choose, then shravi can make both his England and India pick and by then we'll be at the stage where cricket icon can start the South Africa round.

 

[Gaurav_7]

Hmm, so do you want some real advice or some of that sneaky User advice

Ha ha, you know I badly needed Prior. I mean I didn't want to let it go as all three of you above me had decent keepers already. Though, if Jacobs would have been available had Shravi not picked him, I'd have considered him.

 

[cricket_icon]

Just what I was thinking sifter...so...I am going to pick:

Kevin Pietersen:

This is a little risky and I'm hedging all my bets on the last few rounds. I could have gone for Athers as an option but I went for the most iconic batsman of my generation. As a pure batsman, I think KP is the best England has had in the last 20 years. His stroke play can be both classy and brutal, all done with a touch of arrogance.

From the moment he made his debut, through all his highs and lows and to the current day, KP has been a journalist's dream. He started off making headlines on both the front and back pages, sometimes for his diamond earrings, other times because of his "skunk" hair cut but most importantly for the several match winning innings he has played.

His first test series ended with a brutal 158 and from that match on he has sometimes plummeted and more often than not flown within touching distance of greatness.

Tests 76
Runs 6123
Average 49.37
100s 18

----------

1. W Hinds
2.
3. R Ponting (C)
4. K Pietersen
5. J Ryder
6.
7. T Taibu
8.
9. S Akhtar
10. S Mushtaq
11.

 

[shravi]

!!!!!!!!

 

[shravi]

I'm going for Ian Bell over England's current number 3 because Bell has far more experience and I'm not sure how the rest of the less experienced guy's career will pan out after this meteoric rise. Also, he hasn't been tested in as wide an array of conditions as Bell has. Bell's improvements have been steady. I remember seeing him the 2005 Ashes and Warne was all over him. He had all the talent in the world but he was worked out a little easily. This went on for a few years.

2005: 711 @ 44
2006: 738 @ 41
2007: 777 @ 41
2008: 676 @ 38
2009: 319 @ 32
2010: 786 @ 66
2011: 681 @ 114

Most importantly however, he is only 29 which means that he is on the verge of peaking into the player we all knew he could become. Overall, he has played 67 matches (114 innings) and has scored 4758 runs @ 48 with 15 centuries and 28 fifties.

Next, I have the Very Very Special Laxman. Perhaps remembered only for his 281 only by many, Laxman has a lot more to his repertoire than just that. He has achieved so much and is India's go to man when India is truly down in the dumps. During the majority of his career, Australia was the best team, virtually unbeatable. Against Australia he has played 25 matches (46 innings) and scored 2279 runs @ 56 with 6 centuries and 11 fifties. Unlike many Indian batsman, he is also a good traveler. At home he averages 50 and away from home he averages 45. Overall, he has played 126 matches (209 innings) and scored 8300 runs @ 47 with 16 centuries and 54 fifties.

So...

Tamim Iqbal
2
Brian Lara
VVS Laxman
Ian Bell
6
+ Ridley Jacobs
8
Dale Steyn
Shane Bond
Mushtaq Ahmed

 

[sifter132]

!!!!!!!!

- If you had got KP that would have been an absolute bargain. I was going to choose him first if Flintoff had been picked in the 2nd round...and even then I was thinking about him. That's a great addition for cricket icon.

Gautam Gambhir

I was specifically looking for an opener to keep my options open for the last 3 rounds, and the underappreciated Gambhir is clearly India's 2nd best opener of the last 20 years. Gambhir hasn't had a lot of opportunities thus far to prove his quality outside the subcontinent, but in the short series' he has played away from home he has done well, averaging over 60 in SA and NZ. I was really impressed with him when India last toured Australia (that was in the ODIs) and you can see the quality in his play.

And just to prove that quality...Interesting fact: In the 37 Tests he has played and opened with Sehwag, Gambhir has actually marginally outscored him: 3259 runs to 3128. That's right, the number 1 pick in this draft and member of the cricinfo all-time fans XI has been outscored by his partner (not during their partnerships mind you, but Gambhir usually stays in longer). And Gambhir has already made 5 100s in the 3rd and 4th innings of Tests, Sehwag has made only 1 his entire career! Sorry to turn it into a anti-Sehwag thing, but I find it odd that Sehwag gets so much credit when his partner does just as much - just because scoring fast is sexy. Look at the current series in England, no one really made much fuss when Gambhir missed a Test, but when Sehwag is going to miss a couple?? OMG! what will India do?? So come on people, where's the Gambhir love??

Anyway, hopefully GG makes a big score in the 2nd innings of the current Test to show what a masterful choice this was

Debut: vs Australia, Mumbai, 2004
Tests: 39 (not including current one)
Runs: 3271
Average: 50.32
HS: 206 vs Australia, Delhi, 2008

1 Gautam Gambhir
2
3 Younis Khan
4
5 Andy Flower (wk)
6 Murray Goodwin
7 Andrew Flintoff
8 Daniel Vettori
9 Shane Warne (c)
10 Merv Dillon
11

When Yudi makes his England pick, then cricket icon can kick off the South Africa round.

 

[CG123]

Callum, now understand the tone?

Very tricky indeed.

Maybe bat Prior ahead of Bravo? Prior is a much more complete batsman than the latter, and their stats back that up.

 

[Aditya]

I'm picking last in this round. Be kind to me guys, be kind please.....

 

[Gaurav_7]

Maybe bat Prior ahead of Bravo? Prior is a much more complete batsman than the latter, and their stats back that up.

Yeah, I'm actually confused on this. But, Bravo has fared well playing at 6, while Prior also has been good at 7. He has 4 out of his 6 tons at number 7. All those things, hence I decided to bat him at 7 and Bravo at 6.

 

[Aoun13]

The pick I was waiting for...

:: India Round ::​

Anil Kumble​

India's best ever spinner and one of the world's best leg spinner "Anil Kumble". I totally agree with cricinfo that no one else in the history have won so many matches for india other then Kumble. He was a true leg spinner who can bowl googly but his faster one usually did more damage to players who know how to bat against normal legspin. He was a true performer for his country as I still remember that spell which how bowled with a fractured jaw. He also turned into a good tailend batsman specially his 100 against England at oval was great to watch.

Debut: England v India at Manchester, Aug 9-14, 1990

Stats:
Matches: 132
Wickets: 619
Bowling average: 29.65
BBI: 10/74
4w/5w: 31/35

My Team:
My team is now looking right on the track with excellent bowling unit plus some great openers and an excellent middle order player in the shape of Thorpe.

1. Mathew Hayden
2. Chris Gayle
3.
4. Graham Thorpe
5.
6. Brendon McCullum (wk)
7.
8.Heath Streak
9. Anil Kumble
10. Allan Donald
11. Mohammad Asif