Draft: Best to never play Test cricket | Draft Part 2 underway...

[blockerdave]

Apologies.

I'll go with LEWIS GREGORY an English all-rounder for Somerset, who has the very respectable figures of 2,491 FC runs at 21.85 with 2 centuries, and 264 wickets at 25.68.

A former England u-19 captain, injuries have perhaps stopped him making the step up, although he was an unused member of the squad in last year's Ireland test, and for some of the Ashes.

@VC the slogger

 

[ahmedleo414]

@VC the slogger missed his deadline @Yash. You're next

 

[Yash.]

My first opening batsman would be Henry Fotheringham

Stats:-
First Class - 8814 Runs @ 40.06 (21 100s, Best 184) in 147 Matches

Henry Fotheringham was one of the unlucky cricketers who never played official Test cricket for South Africa, although he was a vital part of Clive Rice’s South African team that took on Kim Hughess’ rebel Australians in the mid 1980s, opening the batting with Transvaal team-mate Jimmy Cook. With Jimmy Cook, he formed the formidable opening partnership that ensured the dominance of Transvaal in Domestic Cricket.

@Asham (Although he hasn't been active recently so I suggest @ahmedleo414 to go on. If @VC the slogger allows)

 

[ahmedleo414]

I'll wait 24 hours, unless @VC the slogger allows me to continue now

 

[VC the slogger]

I'll wait 24 hours, unless @VC the slogger allows me to continue now

Yeah, go ahead.


Apologies for the delay from my side. I mean, I did just get back from the worst cyclone to ever hit my city in nearly 300 years and all that.. My net connection is still a day or two from getting back (currently using my friend’s mobile data to post), so will make my own picks later.

 

[ahmedleo414]

oh shit, hope everything is okay... i'll make my pick a little later

 

[VC the slogger]

oh shit, hope everything is okay...

We were more fortunate than others because the wind was coming from a different direction. So a few broken windows, metal roofs outside, dead birds and frightened dogs were all we had to deal with.

 

[ahmedleo414]

My next pick will be Gerrie Snyman

Stats|Matches|Runs|HS| Ave|100s/50s|Wkts| Ave|BBI|5w/10w
First-Class |72|4,499|230|37.18|6/25|75|40.77|5/53|1/0

His bio from cricinfo:

"The 2003 World Cup in South Africa proved a valuable learning experience for allrounder Gerrie Snyman. He played in all-but-one of Namibia's matches, opening the bowling and batting between six and ten. His batting was nothing short of a disaster as he registered three golden ducks in four innings, but he did collect six wickets, including those of Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood.

A year on he hit 75 from 88 balls against an England XI who were touring South Africa, and although he is yet to hit a first-class century, he has two in South Africa's 45-over Provincial Cup, including 116 not out from 91 balls, which included eight sixes, against Easterns in January 2007.

He continues to open the bowling and, although not destructive, he picks up useful wickets at a good economy rate. He played for Walsall in the Birmingham League during 2006, starring with both bat and ball, and signed for Staffordshire for 2007."

My Team so far:

1. Alan Jones
2. ?
3. James Aitchison
4. Andre Botha
5. Gerrie Snyman
   
6. Nic Pothas
7. / Walter Wright
8. Basil Robinson
9. Iqbal Sikander
10. ?
11. ?

@Aislabie you have the next two picks

 

[VC the slogger]

My next pick will be Gerrie Snyman

Stats|Matches|Runs|HS| Ave|100s/50s|Wkts| Ave|BBI|5w/10w
First-Class |72|4,499|230|37.18|6/25|75|40.77|5/53|1/0

His bio from cricinfo:

"The 2003 World Cup in South Africa proved a valuable learning experience for allrounder Gerrie Snyman. He played in all-but-one of Namibia's matches, opening the bowling and batting between six and ten. His batting was nothing short of a disaster as he registered three golden ducks in four innings, but he did collect six wickets, including those of Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood.

A year on he hit 75 from 88 balls against an England XI who were touring South Africa, and although he is yet to hit a first-class century, he has two in South Africa's 45-over Provincial Cup, including 116 not out from 91 balls, which included eight sixes, against Easterns in January 2007.

He continues to open the bowling and, although not destructive, he picks up useful wickets at a good economy rate. He played for Walsall in the Birmingham League during 2006, starring with both bat and ball, and signed for Staffordshire for 2007."

My Team so far:

1. Alan Jones
2. ?
3. James Aitchison
4. Andre Botha
5. Gerrie Snyman
   
6. Nic Pothas
7. / Walter Wright
8. Basil Robinson
9. Iqbal Sikander
10. ?
11. ?

@Aislabie you have the next two picks

Oh man, he was one of my targets..

 

[Aislabie]

Both of Charles' brothers played for Australia, but Charles did not.

Charles Gregory

First class stats: 1,546 runs @ 32.89 (2 centuries, best 383) in 31 matches

On a typically spicy 'Gabba track in 1906, Queensland had just been bowled out for 145. Conditions weren't ideal to be an opening batsman, but nobody told Charles Gregory - the least-known of three cricketing brothers, he flayed an Australian-record 383 in less than six hours of batting, dominating the scoring until he was the sixth man out with his team well on their way to 700. It would be a huge innings victory, and one of the more statistically dominant innings in cricket history.

Khurram Khan

First-class stats: 1,730 runs @ 43.25 (4 centuries, best 121*) and 34 wickets @ 32.88 (1 5WI, best 6/98) in 24 matches

One of the finest Associate players of his generation, Khurram Khan's representative cricket career didn't get going until his mid to late 30s. While he had two first-class cricketers as brothers back in Pakistan, Khurram didn't play hard ball cricket until into his 20s, shortly before moving to Dubai for work with Emirates Airlines. He would eventually go on to become the oldest ODI centurion of all time the UAE's 2014 win over Afghanistan, and would play in the 2015 World Cup even as his career wound to a close.

@Aislabie 's Second XI so far:
1. Charles Gregory (Pick #48)
2. John Barclay (Pick #20)
3.
4. David Sales (Pick #34)
5. Norman Callaway (Pick #7)
6. Khurram Khan (Pick #49)
7.
8. Hamid Hassan (Pick #39)
9. Vincent Barnes (Pick #25)
10. Duncan Spencer (Pick #17)
11. Albert Moss (Pick #6)

@ahmedleo414

 

[ahmedleo414]

My next pick will be Rajeev Nayyar

Stats|Matches|Runs|HS| Ave|100s/50s
First-Class |96|6,881|271|44.97|20/32

His bio from cricinfo:

"Nayyar was born on 28 March 1968 in the town of Chamba. He made his first-class debut at the age of 18 for his home state Himachal Pradesh during the 1986–87 Ranji Trophy, one year after the state was granted BCCI's accreditation. A right-handed middle-order batsman, Nayyar went on to represent Himachal Pradesh for 20 seasons and also served as its captain in several matches. He appeared in 96 first-class matches and scored 6,881 runs, at an average close to 45, with 20 hundreds. He scored the first hundred by a Himachal Pradesh batsman in 1988 and captained the team to its maiden win in a Ranji Trophy match in 1990. He also bowled part-time leg spin, picking 39 first-class wickets including two five-wicket hauls and was the first Himachal Pradesh bowler to take seven wickets in an innings.

During the 1995–96 Ranji Trophy, Nayyar scored three back-to-back hundreds and earned a place in the North Zone team. He then played for India A in 1996 in a match against the touring South African team. Playing for North Zone in the 1999–2000 Duleep Trophy, he had scores of 118 against South Zone, 88 against Central Zone in the semifinal and 105 not out in the final against West Zone.

Nayyar played his last first-class match in January 2006 and announced his retirement in December 2008.

Nayyar shot to fame in November 1999, when he broke the record for the longest innings in the history of first-class cricket. He batted for 1,015 minutes in his innings of 271 against Jammu and Kashmir during a match of the 1999–00 Ranji Trophy in his home ground Chamba, breaking the previous record of 970 minutes set by Pakistan's Hanif Mohammad in a Test against the West Indies in 1958. Nayyar, captain of Himachal Pradesh, began his innings at the fall of his team's first wicket in the 11th over on the second day of the match. He reached 89 at the close of the second day's play and was batting on 170 at stumps on day three. On the fourth and final day's play, he became the first batsman from Himachal Pradesh to score a first-class double hundred and was dismissed bowled for 271 from 728 balls in the 250th over of Himachal Pradesh's innings. As of December 2016, Nayyar's innings remains the only instance in which a batsman has batted for more than 1000 minutes in an innings in first-class cricket."

My Team so far:

1. Alan Jones
2. Rajeev Nayyar
3. James Aitchison
4. Andre Botha
5. Gerrie Snyman
   
6. Nic Pothas
7. / Walter Wright
8. Basil Robinson
9. Iqbal Sikander
10. ?
11. ?

@Asham was to be next, but since he is inactive @Yash. go ahead

 

[Yash.]

Priyank Panchal has been a stellar performer in the Ranji Trophy for a long time now. With over 100 FC matches under his belt, he has made runs for ease in the Ranji Trophy, and that too in the first two groups only, as he has only played for Gujarat. With about 7000 runs @ 45.63 with 24 100s, he'll be a great partner to Henry.

@VC the slogger

 

[ahmedleo414]

@VC the slogger missed his deadline, understandably... @blockerdave has the next pick

 

[blockerdave]

Apologies I've been rather late too as very busy.

My choice is STEPHEN JEFFERIES, another South African who played during the isolation years. A left-arm fast medium bowling all rounder, Jefferies was very accurate and had good swing, and was a dangerous late order player.

478 wickets at 27.62 and 3810 runs at 25.06 with 14 half centuries.

@Asham is up next

 

[Yash.]

So it would be my turn...

I’ll take Tom Cooper[DOUBLEPOST=1590766103][/DOUBLEPOST]@VC the slogger