Draft: Best to Never Play ODIs

[Aislabie]

Charlie Macartney

A small man with a free swing of the bat, Charlie Macartney was the man dubbed "Australia's greatest batsman" by the Sydney Mail and "The Governor General" by everyone else. Although The Don would be along later to claim that title for himsrlf, Macartney - whose 345 remains the most runs ever scored by a batter in one day's play - was another player decades ahead of his time. Add to that his excellent left-arm spin (he'll be my stock spinner if I need one, but was good enough to take 7 for 58 in a Test innings) and his swift fielding and you have a real three-dimensional player.

I shall be using Macartney to open the batting, essentially as a direct like-for-like Tendulkar substitute.

1. Charlie Macartney
2. Wally Hammond
3. Clem Hill
4.
5.
6. Gilbert Jessop
7. Aubrey Faulkner
8.
9.
10. SF Barnes
11.

@ahmedleo414

 

[ahmedleo414]

My pick will be "Little Master" Hanif Mohammad

1. Sid Barnes
2. W.G. Grace
3. Hanif Mohammad
4. ?
5. ?
6. Denis Lindsay
7. Richie Benaud
8. ?
9. Bill O'Reilly
10. Fred Trueman
11. ?

@Parth D you're next

 

[ahmedleo414]

@Parth D missed his time @ddrap14 you're next

 

[ddrap14]

Could have done with Richie but there's still room aplenty for spinners. I'll take Clarrie Grimmett who people seem to remember less than his counterpart O'Reilly, but was only slightly less impressive statistically (and also played for longer, which may have affected his average).

Provisional lineup:
1. Len Hutton
3. Don Bradman
4. George Headley
7. Billy Barnes
9. JJ Ferris
10. George Lohmann
11. Clarrie Grimmett

@Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Alan Davidson

One of cricket's great left-qrm seamers, in addition to being an excellent number eight batter. Such an automatic choice that I worry he may have already been chosen and I've missed it somehow.

1. Charlie Macartney
2. Wally Hammond
3. Clem Hill
4.
5.
6. Gilbert Jessop
7. Aubrey Faulkner
8. Alan Davidson
9.
10. SF Barnes
11.

@VC the slogger

 

[VC the slogger]

One of the greatest accumulators of runs and easily one of the best opening batters the game has ever seen, Herbert Sutcliffe though generally a technically correct player also had the ability to turn destroyer of bowling attacks when the mood struck him. For this, no further proof is needed than his remarkable innings of 113 against the Northants in 1933 where he struck an astonishing 10 sixes in an innings - at the the time the joint most by a batter in a first-class innings. That too on a wicket regarded as a 'sticky old dog' where every batter struggled for runs and the opposing team was bowled out for totals of 27 and 68, which put together was still 18 short of Sutcliffe's own score. Indeed he was regarded a master of batting on such pitches that were quite commonplace in county cricket back in the 1920s and 1930s where his presence often proved to be the difference between two sides. In Test cricket, his feats were if anything even more legendary with him aggregating 4555 runs at 60.73 with 16 centuries - still the 7th best batting average recorded by a player with a minimum of 20 innings under his belt as of 2021. And this is mostly down to the fact that father time kept chipping away at him towards the end, for his average at the zenith of his career just before the 1932/33 'Bodyline' series stood at almost 70 (69.80 to be precise) after 40 Tests - second easily only to Bradman. No less legendary were his associations with Percy Holmes at Yorkshire (the pair once put up 555 for the opening wicket with Sutcliffe recording a triple century in a truly masterful display.. Yeah seriously, FIVE FIFTY FIVE!!) and Jack Hobbs for the English Test side, the latter of which still remains statistically Test cricket's greatest opening partnership with the pair averaging 87.81 with 15 century stands. Needless to say, with his powers of accumulation and ability to clear the stands if and when he wanted to, he'd have made a pretty decent fit in ODI cricket.


VC's XI

1. Barry Richards
2. Herbert Sutcliffe
3.
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Clyde Walcott
6.
7.
8. Bart King
9. Ray Lindwall
10. Vince van der Bijl
11.


@NILAYSHAH60

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Vijay Hazare ​

If we ever had to find a Virat Kohli in the 40's then Vijay Hazare is the person you must be looking at! He scored twin centuries in the Test match at Adelaide against Australia in 1947-48. His efforts went in vain as he failed to receive any support as India lost the match by an innings and 16 runs! Hazare managed to score almost close to 19,000 runs in First-class Cricket averaging just a touch under 59 with 60 centuries..... Yes 60 centuries to his name!!! If something that defined him was his consistency and his hunger for runs.

He was perhaps not much outspoken but his bat always did the talking. His perhaps weaker tactical side as Captain affected his performance as a batsman, otherwise he could've been the best ever batsman from India says the great man Vijay Merchant. Hazare was also a cunning bowler as his 595 first class wickets proves it. He also dismissed Don Bradman in one of the matches with this off-spin/medium bowling. An ideal no.3 for my liking!!!

Nilay's XI

1. Vijay Merchant
2. Michael Klinger
3. Vijay Hazare
4.
5.
6. Aditya Tare (why did I pick him? )
7. Franklyn Stepheson
8. Garth le Roux
9.
10.
11. Erapalli Prasanna

@Parth D ........ Take your own time buddy!

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

So since @Parth D have missed his pick I am going to go ahead with my pick

James Hildreth
Hildreth is a middle-order batsman who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club since ages. He has played over 200 List-A games scoring about 6,000 runs with 29 fifties and 8 centuries to his name. He made his List-A debut in 2003 and since then has been one of the most consistent batsman for them. He averages just about 36 but he clearly knows to pace his innings according to match situations and the requirement of his team. A skill that's so important to the success of any side in the era of fast paced limited overs Cricket where 300 have became a sort of a norm for the teams. He is arguably one of the most talented county batsman of his era and was praised by his then coach- Justin Langer who called him "an extra-ordinary talent". He is a busy player and tries to make the best use of every opportunity he gets to score his runs. He can play shots all around the ground and at times clear the boundary with ease. But his biggest enemy became is inconsistency which he himself agrees upon. His performances were never as good to the extent that it could impress the English selectors and he doesn't really have the age on his side to get into perhaps the greatest ever ODI team.
​

Nilay's XI

1. Vijay Merchant ​
2. Michael Klinger ​
3. Vijay Hazare ​
4. James Hildreth ​
5. ​
6. Aditya Tare ​
7. Franklyn Stephenson ​
8. Garth le Roux ​
9. ​
10. ​
11. Erapalli Prasanna ​

@VC the slogger

 

[VC the slogger]

I shall pick Frank Tyson aka "The Typhoon" to complete by 'four horsemen of the apocalypse' pace attack that already has in it Ray Lindwall, Vince van der Bijl and Bart King - my, my, what a mouth-watering prospect as a manager and an absolutely terrifying one for batters of all kinds. Tyson was regarded by most including the likes of Richie Benaud to be the fastest bowler in history; I mean you've got to be really fast to be able to send the ball flying all the way over the boundary for six byes as he is recorded having done on one occasion. Needless to say, batters all around the world found him an extremely difficult prospect because of his raw pace which was unlike anything ever seen to that point, enabling him to record some pretty amazing figures in Test cricket where he claimed 76 wickets at just 18.56 apiece - the best bowling average recorded by a fast bowler with a minimum of 50 wickets in the 1950s, and the best strike rate too with a wicket coming every 45 balls on average. Some of his spells during the 1954/55 Ashes where he helped bowled England to a sensational 3-1 victory are regarded among the greatest ever fast bowling spells - starting 10 for 130 in Sydney after a horror start in Brisbane where he was carted for 1 for 160, and by far his best 7 for 27 at the MCG where he literally had the Aussie batters quaking in their boots. The amount of strain all this put on his body however meant he wasn't able to sustain it long thereafter, and was basically nullified by the late 1950s much to the relief of batters everywhere. He also managed no fewer than 13 fifties at first-class level averaging above 17 and was on occasion deemed good enough to be sent up as high as No 7 in very strong English side, but he would be well worth a place in any XI even if he never scored a run with the bat.


VC's XI

1. Barry Richards
2. Herbert Sutcliffe
3.
4. Graeme Pollock
5. Clyde Walcott
6.
7.
8. Bart King
9. Ray Lindwall
10. Vince van der Bijl
11. Frank Tyson


@ddrap14

 

[ahmedleo414]

Frank Tyson aka "The Typhoon"

 

[ddrap14]

FIRE SALE AT 1900'S AUSTRALIA!
QUICK, QUICK, QUICK, EVERYTHING MUST GO!
Do you want a batsman? We've got a batsman!

Do you want a fast bowler? We've got a fast bowler!

Do you want a spinner? We've got a spinner!

Do you want a captain? We've got a captain!

GET IN NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Provisional lineup:
1. Len Hutton
3. Don Bradman
4. George Headley
6. Monty Noble
7. Billy Barnes
9. JJ Ferris
10. George Lohmann
11. Clarrie Grimmett

@Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Denis Compton

Perhaps not so redoubted of a six-hitter as some other players in my team, Denis Compton is becoming something of an overlooked legend by modern fans. That said, a Test average of 50 and a first-class triple-century made in just three hours of crocket demonstrate both the quality and ferocity of his batting. Not only that, but his occasional left-arm wrist spin means I can feed my urge to hoover up all the different kinds of spinners and squeezing them into my teams.

1. Charlie Macartney
2. Wally Hammond
3. Clem Hill
4. Denis Compton
5.
6. Gilbert Jessop
7. Aubrey Faulkner
8. Alan Davidson
9.
10.
11. SF Barnes

@ahmedleo414

 

[ahmedleo414]

Wes Hall

A bit of his bio from cricinfo:

"For a decade Wes Hall terrified batsmen the world over. Muscular and tall (6ft 2ins) with a classical action, Hall presented a fearsome sight. A long, lithe approach ended with a fast and well-aimed delivery. He started his cricket career as a wicketkeeper-batsman but converted to a bowler when the regular opener for his club side failed to turn up. He took the new ball, six wickets, and never looked back. He toured England in 1957 with only one first-class game to his name, but he struggled for form and with his run-up and looked unimpressive. Called into the side to tour India and Pakistan in 1958-59, he took 46 wickets in eight Tests, and he was a regular thereafter. In the classic Tied Test on 1961 at Brisbane he took 9 for 203, and bowled the last over with six runs were needed for victory with three wickets left. "

1. Sid Barnes
2. W.G. Grace
3. Hanif Mohammad
4. ?
5. ?
6. Denis Lindsay
7. Richie Benaud
8. ?
9. Bill O'Reilly
10. Fred Trueman
11. Wes Hall

@Parth D you're next

 

[VC the slogger]

@NILAYSHAH60 Its your turn now.. @Parth D missed out yet again

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Mithun Manhas
Born in Jammu & Kashmir and played most of his Cricket for Delhi, Manhas was a handy lower middle order batsman. He was a deputy to Gautam Gambhir and since Gambhir was on national duty, Manhas took over the reigns and took Delhi Cricket Team towards a Ranji title in 2007/08 season. He played over 130 List-A games and scored about 4100 runs at an impressive average of 45.18 batting at 5/6. 26 half-centuries and 5 centuries with a best of 146 are pretty impressive stats! He could also bowl a bit of off-spin as he got 25 wickets to his name. He was also an occasional wicket-keeper. He scored 9714 runs in his First-class career. Talks a lot about the abilities he possessed as a lower-order batter.
​

Nilay's XI

1. Vijay Merchant
2. Michael Klinger
3. Vijay Hazare
4. James Hildreth
5. Mithun Manhas (part-time off-break)
6. Aditya Tare
7. Franklyn Stephenson
8. Garth le Roux
9. 
   
10. 
    
11. Erapalli Prasanna

@VC the slogger