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

[Gaurav_7]

Well, Andy Flower is a real good pick Sifter.

Sangakkara is a nice pick as well as a batsman. Would like to see where he bats for you, Yudi.

Also, that pick of yours ensured I will have a super middle order. Great technique, very classical.

 

[cricket_icon]

Shoaib Akhtar

The fastest bowler the world has ever seen didn't quite live up to his potential, he really should have gone down as one of the all time greats, alongside the likes of Akram, Younis, Marshall and Lillee.
On his day he could be absolutely destructive, just ask Dravid and Tendulkar or any of the English batsmen to face his wrath in 2005 on the flat, sun baked pitches of Pakistan.
Akhtar could bowl with both the new and old balls, making use of that finest of Pakistani arts, reverse swing, yet his famous slower ball was almost as lethal.

Tests 46
Wickets 178
Average 25.69
BBI 6/11

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Damn you who picked Mohammed Yousuf and Muttiah Muralitharan

 

[Gaurav_7]

Damn you who picked Mohammed Yousuf and Muttiah Muralitharan

Tbh, Murali was never going to pass these two rounds and be available in the SL round. Yeah, Yousuf could easily have been but, he suits well for my team. A good number 5 player and I already have a nice number 4 in mind to make my middle order look too good.

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And yes, done with the writeup.

 

[sifter132]

Well, Andy Flower is a real good pick Sifter.

Well I thought so I think Flower is one of the best all-rounders in the draft really. In particular, he's a batting all-rounder. There seems to be quite a few all-rounders available that can bat #7 or #8, but not too many that I'd trust in the top 6. I think as a result most teams are only going to have 4 decent bowling options or they'll have a weaker top 6 if they want a 5th bowler. With Kallis though, you'll be right


Thanks for adding all those write ups guys, the thread is starting to look good

Now we start on phase 2: the country by country rounds, starting with Pakistan. I would prefer NOT to jump ahead at this stage, maybe one round at most ie. we shouldn't be picking anyone in the NZ round (or later ones) until the Pakistan round is finished. If send2yaari wants to start the West Indies round when he makes his Pakistan pick (or even before that I guess), that's fine, I just don't think we should go any further ahead than that right now.

So aditya you're up Still have a lot of good Pakistani's left on the board, with only MoYo and Shoaib being picked thus far.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

right, Chris Cairns was picked before murali?

what?

i like following these drafts, have I missed a rule?

 

[AbhishekS]

Round 2​

Kumar Sangakkara​

One of the best left handed batsmen you will probably find in this draft, Kumar Sangakkara brings a lot of flexibility to any side he plays for. He has a huge appetite for runs. His batting technique is commendable, and the ability to score runs on the off side is incredible. When in full flow, Sangakkara is an absolute beast and unstoppable. This batsman from the Emerald Island certainly strengthens the team's batting unit a lot.

Debut: On 20th July, 2000 against South Africa at Galle

Stats:

M: 97 | I: 162 | Runs: 8428 | HS: 287 | Ave: 56.18 | 100: 25 | 50: 34​

----

Round 1: Virender Sehwag
Round 2: Kumar Sangakkara

 

[Aoun13]

Matthew Hayden​

​

Strength was Matthew Hayden's strength - both mental and physical. It enabled him to shrug off years of carping that he was technically too limited for Test cricket because of the way he played around his front pad, and it enabled him to touch rarefied heights of batsmanship. Before his maiden first-class innings, he asked if anyone had made 200 on debut, then went out and hit 149. The runs rarely abated over the next 17 years. Tall, powerful and equipped with concentration befitting the fisherman and surfer that he is, he battered the ball at and through the off side for days at a time. He has also made himself a fine catcher in the slips and gully.

Debut: South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg, Mar 4-8, 1994
Stats:

Matches: 103
Runs: 8625
Highest: 380
Average: 50.73
Strike Rate: 60.10
100/50:30/29

courtesy cricinfo​

My Team

1. Mathew Hayden
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Allan Donald
11.

 

[Aoun13]

::West Indies Round Pick::​

Chris Gayle​

A thrusting Jamaican left-hander, Gayle earned himself a black mark on his first senior tour - to England in 2000 - where the new boys were felt to be insufficiently respectful of their elders. But a lack of respect, for opposition bowlers at least, has served Gayle well since then. Tall and imposing at the crease, he loves to carve through the covers off either foot, and has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers.

Debut: West Indies v Zimbabwe at Port of Spain, Mar 16-20, 2000
Stats:

Matches: 91
Runs: 6373
Highest: 333
Average: 41.65
Strike Rate: 59.10
100/50:13/33

courtesy cricinfo​

My Team

1. Mathew Hayden
2. Chris Gayle
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Allan Donald
11.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

A thrusting Jamaican left-hander, Gayle earned himself a black mark on his first senior tour - to England in 2000 - where the new boys were felt to be insufficiently respectful of their elders. But a lack of respect, for opposition bowlers at least, has served Gayle well since then. Tall and imposing at the crease, he loves to carve through the covers off either foot, and has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers.

You ripped that off Cricinfo!!

 

[Aoun13]

You ripped that off Cricinfo!!

offcourse

 

[cricket_icon]

Come on Round 3, I have a couple very good picks in mind

 

[Gaurav_7]

Aditya, where did Jayasuriya come in from? He played for Sri Lanka and not Pakistan.

 

[AbhishekS]

That's an invalid pick, Aditya. You need to pick a player from Pakistan.

 

[sifter132]

Aditya can make 2 picks here and then we can continue with both rounds.

right, Chris Cairns was picked before murali?

what?

i like following these drafts, have I missed a rule?

But while we're waiting, let's ask the audience hey? Guys, why no Murali love? I can understand Warne or Gilchrist ahead of him, but what about Hayden or Steyn or Akhtar or Ganguly? Murali gets thrown up for all-time XIs much more often than those guys. Is he overrated? Or is it strategic? eg. it might be easier to find a decent spinner in another round compared to a good fast bowler.

 

[Aoun13]

I personally feel that Murli was overrated a bit. He was not and exceptional bowler in overseas conditons. I support my argument with his overseas average of 27.8 compare to his home average of 19.6 and overall average of 22.7.