Aussie_Ben91's Modern-Day Fantasy Test Draft

[Jaztheman]

Pretty much witnessed this draft from the beginning and must say it's been interesting to watch. I'm really looking forward on seeing mrtwisties next two selections as he said in his last pick he was unsure on what he was going to do.

Good stuff here, lads.

 

[King Pietersen]

Bloody hell, that's another of my possible selections gone. My plan was to bring Hussey in to open with Langer. Ah well, have to think of someone else now.

 

[Dare]

Bloody hell, that's another of my possible selections gone. My plan was to bring Hussey in to open with Langer. Ah well, have to think of someone else now.

Hey I wouldnt be complaining if I was you, you took 3 guys I wanted in no time :crying

 

[mrtwisties]

Pick: Ian Bishop (young version)
Explanation: At the start of his career, Bishop looked like he was going to become one of history's best-ever strike bowlers. His tremendous pace, bounce and movement were reflected in an average for that period of 19.82 and a strike rate of 46.1. Who knows what this big West Indian could have achieved if his team had had better physicians and sports scientists to keep him at peak fitness? As it was, injury sidelined him for two years in the mid 90s and he was never the same again - think of a more intimidating Shane Bond (without the minnow-bashing) and you've got your man.

The selection of Bishop gives me a fearsome new-ball attack. Not only do I have two economical bowlers who had mid 40s strike rates when in form, but I also have a variegated attack that combines two different fast bowling traditions. Opposition batsmen will need 100% concentration and real brilliance against both spin and pace.

Pick: Virender Sehwag
Explanation: "I do feel sorry for the bowlers when I play like that.
You can't do anything in such cases." - Virender Sehwag (2009)

Is it still arrogance if you're just telling it like it is? When Sehwag is on song he is virtually unstoppable and his rapid-fire triple century against South Africa is the best evidence of that. As an opener, Sehwag has scored 5000+ runs at an average of 51.21 and is one of only five batsmen to average 50+ in an opening position.

Sehwag will either win me the match or hole out early, but with Gambhir and Dravid lending stability to the upper order I can afford to include an erratic match winner in my lineup. An oft neglected benefit of playing Sehwag is that his hard hitting rapidly ages the ball, so even if he falls for a sub-par score he'll still have contributed to setting up the middle order to succeed.

1. Gautam Gambhir (54.07 as opener, higher since reinventing technique)
2. Virender Sehwag (51.21 as opener)
3. Rahul Dravid (53.98 as #3, was 60+ until 2008 form slump)
4. Mahela Jayawardene (53.61 in middle order)
5.
6.
7.
8. Wasim Akram (315 wickets at 21.67 between 1990 and 2000)
9. Shane Warne (708 wickets at 25.41)
10. Muttiah Muralitharan (770 wickets at 22.18)
11. Ian Bishop (67 wickets at 19.82 between 1990 and 1993)

Still no South Africans or Englishmen! I'd like to field a team that has experience in all conditions, so fingers crossed I'll find a place for those nationalities in my 5-7 slots.

 

[aussie_ben91]

Jason Gillespie - Capable of hitting the 90mph mark, Jason Gillespie was one of the most fearsome and intimidating bowlers in his prime and matched Glenn McGrath for statistics in the earlier parts of their careers. He was an integrel part of the great Australian side and complimented Glenn McGrath & Shane Warne so well. He bowled line and length and offered a little bit of extra bounce due to his height. He wasn't also afraid to give the batsmen a little stare on the finish of his delievery stride. He adds another dimension to my team and completes my 5 match attack.

1.
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Inzamam-ul-Haq
5. Steve Waugh (c)
6.
7.
8. Anil Kumble
9. Jason Gillespie
10. Shane Bond
11. Allan Donald

 

[mrtwisties]

I'm really looking forward on seeing mrtwisties next two selections as he said in his last pick he was unsure on what he was going to do.

The question in my mind is whether I should pick a specialist batsman or fifth bowling all-rounder. With Akram and Warne at #8 and #9, I'll always have enough depth to post a good score - but with Murali and Warne cleaning up after the first 20 overs I'm not entirely convinced I'll need the fifth bowler.

 

[aussie_ben91]

01.01 : King Pietersen		Sachin Tendulkar
01.02 : Manee			Glenn McGrath
01.03 : Dare			Brian Lara
01.04 : Mrtwisties		Shane Warne
01.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Matthew Hayden

02.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Jacques Kallis
02.02 : King Pietersen		Kumar Sangakkara
02.03 : Manee			Adam Gilchrist
02.04 : Dare			Curtly Ambrose
02.05 : Mrtwisties		Muttiah Muralitharan

03.01 : Mrtwisties		Wasim Akram
03.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Allan Donald
03.03 : King Pietersen		Shaun Pollock
03.04 : Manee			Ricky Ponting
03.05 : Dare			Graeme Smith

04.01 : Dare			Courtney Walsh
04.02 : Mrtwisties		Rahul Dravid
04.03 : Aussie_Ben91		Steve Waugh
04.04 : King Pietersen		Waqar Younis
04.05 : Manee			Dale Steyn

05.01 : Manee			Kevin Pietersen
05.02 : Dare			Andy Flower
05.03 : Mrtwisties		Gautam Gambhir
05.04 : Aussie_Ben91		Shane Bond
05.05 : King Pietersen		Justin Langer

06.01 : King Pietersen		Shoaib Akhtar
06.02 : Manee			Andrew Flintoff
06.03 : Dare			Mohammad Yousuf
06.04 : Mrtwisties		Mahela Jayawardene
06.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Anil Kumble

07.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Inzamam-ul-Haq
07.02 : King Pietersen		Shivnarine Chanderpaul
07.03 : Manee			VVS Laxman
07.04 : Dare			Michael Hussey
07.05 : Mrtwisties		Ian Bishop

08.01 : Mrtwisties		Virender Sehwag
08.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Jason Gillespie
08.03 : King Pietersen
08.04 : Manee
08.05 : Dare

09.01 : Dare
09.02 : Mrtwisties
09.03 : Aussie_Ben91
09.04 : King Pietersen
09.05 : Manee

King Pietersen, you are up next.

 

[King Pietersen]

Pick: Younis Khan
Explanation: Probably one of the most under-rated batsmen in the modern game, Younis Khan has been incredibly consistent in the Test arena. Against the top sides in World Cricket he averages 53 with the bat, with an average above 40 in every country bar West Indies and South Africa. He has 15 of his 16 Test hundreds against the top sides and he relishes in the big occassion, averaging over 80 against Pakistan's biggest rivals, India. He's also currently ranked the #1 Test batsman in the world according to the ICC Rankings.

1. Justin Langer
2.
3. Younis Khan
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Shiv Chanderpaul
6. Kumar Sangakkara +
7.
8. Shaun Pollock
9.
10. Waqar Younis
11. Shoaib Akhtar

 

[aussie_ben91]

01.01 : King Pietersen		Sachin Tendulkar
01.02 : Manee			Glenn McGrath
01.03 : Dare			Brian Lara
01.04 : Mrtwisties		Shane Warne
01.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Matthew Hayden

02.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Jacques Kallis
02.02 : King Pietersen		Kumar Sangakkara
02.03 : Manee			Adam Gilchrist
02.04 : Dare			Curtly Ambrose
02.05 : Mrtwisties		Muttiah Muralitharan

03.01 : Mrtwisties		Wasim Akram
03.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Allan Donald
03.03 : King Pietersen		Shaun Pollock
03.04 : Manee			Ricky Ponting
03.05 : Dare			Graeme Smith

04.01 : Dare			Courtney Walsh
04.02 : Mrtwisties		Rahul Dravid
04.03 : Aussie_Ben91		Steve Waugh
04.04 : King Pietersen		Waqar Younis
04.05 : Manee			Dale Steyn

05.01 : Manee			Kevin Pietersen
05.02 : Dare			Andy Flower
05.03 : Mrtwisties		Gautam Gambhir
05.04 : Aussie_Ben91		Shane Bond
05.05 : King Pietersen		Justin Langer

06.01 : King Pietersen		Shoaib Akhtar
06.02 : Manee			Andrew Flintoff
06.03 : Dare			Mohammad Yousuf
06.04 : Mrtwisties		Mahela Jayawardene
06.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Anil Kumble

07.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Inzamam-ul-Haq
07.02 : King Pietersen		Shivnarine Chanderpaul
07.03 : Manee			VVS Laxman
07.04 : Dare			Michael Hussey
07.05 : Mrtwisties		Ian Bishop

08.01 : Mrtwisties		Virender Sehwag
08.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Jason Gillespie
08.03 : King Pietersen		Younis Khan
08.04 : Manee
08.05 : Dare

09.01 : Dare
09.02 : Mrtwisties
09.03 : Aussie_Ben91
09.04 : King Pietersen
09.05 : Manee

10.01 : Manee
10.02 : Dare
10.03 : Mrtwisties
10.04 : Aussie_Ben91
10.05 : King Pietersen

11.01 : King Pietersen
11.02 : Manee
11.03 : Dare
11.04 : Mrtwisties
11.05 : Aussie_Ben91

Manee, you are up next.

 

[manee]

Pick: Gary Kirsten
Explanation: It is commonly accepted that the 1990s were the toughest generation for batsmen to play in, both with the seamer quality nature of pitches and the fantastic plethora of pace bowlers available to all countries. Moreover, it is commonly accepted that South Africa harnessed some of the most batsmen unfriendly conditions, with bounce, seam movement and swing still rife, even today. And yet, amongst both these setbacks, Gary Kirsten excelled to become one of the most successful openers of his generation with a Test average of 45.27.

1. Gary Kirsten
2.
3. Ricky Ponting (capt)
4. Kevin Pietersen
5. VVS Laxman
6. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
7. Andrew Flintoff
8.
9.
10. Dale Steyn
11. Glenn Mcgrath

 

[aussie_ben91]

01.01 : King Pietersen		Sachin Tendulkar
01.02 : Manee			Glenn McGrath
01.03 : Dare			Brian Lara
01.04 : Mrtwisties		Shane Warne
01.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Matthew Hayden

02.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Jacques Kallis
02.02 : King Pietersen		Kumar Sangakkara
02.03 : Manee			Adam Gilchrist
02.04 : Dare			Curtly Ambrose
02.05 : Mrtwisties		Muttiah Muralitharan

03.01 : Mrtwisties		Wasim Akram
03.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Allan Donald
03.03 : King Pietersen		Shaun Pollock
03.04 : Manee			Ricky Ponting
03.05 : Dare			Graeme Smith

04.01 : Dare			Courtney Walsh
04.02 : Mrtwisties		Rahul Dravid
04.03 : Aussie_Ben91		Steve Waugh
04.04 : King Pietersen		Waqar Younis
04.05 : Manee			Dale Steyn

05.01 : Manee			Kevin Pietersen
05.02 : Dare			Andy Flower
05.03 : Mrtwisties		Gautam Gambhir
05.04 : Aussie_Ben91		Shane Bond
05.05 : King Pietersen		Justin Langer

06.01 : King Pietersen		Shoaib Akhtar
06.02 : Manee			Andrew Flintoff
06.03 : Dare			Mohammad Yousuf
06.04 : Mrtwisties		Mahela Jayawardene
06.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Anil Kumble

07.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Inzamam-ul-Haq
07.02 : King Pietersen		Shivnarine Chanderpaul
07.03 : Manee			VVS Laxman
07.04 : Dare			Michael Hussey
07.05 : Mrtwisties		Ian Bishop

08.01 : Mrtwisties		Virender Sehwag
08.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Jason Gillespie
08.03 : King Pietersen		Younis Khan
08.04 : Manee			Gary Kirsten
08.05 : Dare

09.01 : Dare
09.02 : Mrtwisties
09.03 : Aussie_Ben91
09.04 : King Pietersen
09.05 : Manee

10.01 : Manee
10.02 : Dare
10.03 : Mrtwisties
10.04 : Aussie_Ben91
10.05 : King Pietersen

11.01 : King Pietersen
11.02 : Manee
11.03 : Dare
11.04 : Mrtwisties
11.05 : Aussie_Ben91

Dare, you've got the next two selections.

 

[mrtwisties]

Good pick, Manee. What a guy.

 

[Dare]

Pick: Andrew Strauss
Explanation: He seems to be underrated by many people but since he started his international career he has performed consistently. Strauss had a few issues a few yeas ago but now seems to be back on track after a great series in the Caribbean.

1. Greame Smith
2. Andrew Strauss
3. Mohammad Yousuf
4. Brian Lara
5. Michael Hussey
6. Andy Flower+
7.
8.
9.
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Courtney Walsh

Pick: Makhaya Ntini
Explanation: Again one of the most underrated guys playing cricket atm. One of my favorite bowlers of all time he brings a different dimensions to my pace bowling attack with his wide of the crease style. Like Walsh he is a workhorse who just goes out there and sends down deliveries and you rarely hear him complain. Also has the best ever figures by a South African bowler.

1. Greame Smith
2. Andrew Strauss
3. Mohammad Yousuf
4. Brian Lara
5. Michael Hussey
6. Andy Flower+
7.
8.
9. Makhaya Ntini
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Courtney Walsh

 

[aussie_ben91]

01.01 : King Pietersen		Sachin Tendulkar
01.02 : Manee			Glenn McGrath
01.03 : Dare			Brian Lara
01.04 : Mrtwisties		Shane Warne
01.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Matthew Hayden

02.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Jacques Kallis
02.02 : King Pietersen		Kumar Sangakkara
02.03 : Manee			Adam Gilchrist
02.04 : Dare			Curtly Ambrose
02.05 : Mrtwisties		Muttiah Muralitharan

03.01 : Mrtwisties		Wasim Akram
03.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Allan Donald
03.03 : King Pietersen		Shaun Pollock
03.04 : Manee			Ricky Ponting
03.05 : Dare			Graeme Smith

04.01 : Dare			Courtney Walsh
04.02 : Mrtwisties		Rahul Dravid
04.03 : Aussie_Ben91		Steve Waugh
04.04 : King Pietersen		Waqar Younis
04.05 : Manee			Dale Steyn

05.01 : Manee			Kevin Pietersen
05.02 : Dare			Andy Flower
05.03 : Mrtwisties		Gautam Gambhir
05.04 : Aussie_Ben91		Shane Bond
05.05 : King Pietersen		Justin Langer

06.01 : King Pietersen		Shoaib Akhtar
06.02 : Manee			Andrew Flintoff
06.03 : Dare			Mohammad Yousuf
06.04 : Mrtwisties		Mahela Jayawardene
06.05 : Aussie_Ben91		Anil Kumble

07.01 : Aussie_Ben91		Inzamam-ul-Haq
07.02 : King Pietersen		Shivnarine Chanderpaul
07.03 : Manee			VVS Laxman
07.04 : Dare			Michael Hussey
07.05 : Mrtwisties		Ian Bishop

08.01 : Mrtwisties		Virender Sehwag
08.02 : Aussie_Ben91		Jason Gillespie
08.03 : King Pietersen		Younis Khan
08.04 : Manee			Gary Kirsten
08.05 : Dare			Andrew Strauss

09.01 : Dare			Makhaya Ntini
09.02 : Mrtwisties
09.03 : Aussie_Ben91
09.04 : King Pietersen
09.05 : Manee

10.01 : Manee
10.02 : Dare
10.03 : Mrtwisties
10.04 : Aussie_Ben91
10.05 : King Pietersen

11.01 : King Pietersen
11.02 : Manee
11.03 : Dare
11.04 : Mrtwisties
11.05 : Aussie_Ben91

Mrtwisties, you are up next.

 

[mrtwisties]

Sorry guys - work's pretty full-on today, it'll be another few hours before I can make a pick.