Budget Draft: 10 Test Centuries

[Aislabie]

Curtly Ambrose

Test stats: 405 wickets @ 20.99 (22 5WI, best 8/45) in 98 matches
First-class stats: 941 wickets @ 20.24 (50 5WI, best 8/45) in 239 matches

I was going to pick my wicket-keeper next, but I decided that could wait while I picked a new ball bowler to partner Wasim Akram. And in my mind there was only one sensible choice, the irrepressible Curtly Ambrose. It seems that every team he played against has their own Curtly Ambrose story. For Australia, it was seven for one. For England, it was 46 all out. For South Africa it was losing eight for 25 in their first Test back. And so the list goes on, at the centre of it every time being the giant Barbadian fast man. There was also a second coming of Curtly; as the huge physical effort gradually wore down his once extreme pace, he became the very best line-and-length seamer in the world. A true legend.

@Aislabie's XI:
1. Barry Richards (2)
2. Archie Jackson (1)
3. Tip Foster (1)
4. Douglas Jardine (1)
5. Lee Irvine (1)
6. Ravindra Jadeja (1)
7.
8. Wasim Akram (3)
9.
10. Curtly Ambrose (0)
11.

Centuries: 10/10

@Na Maloom Afraad

 

[blockerdave]

Curtly Ambrose

Test stats: 405 wickets @ 20.99 (22 5WI, best 8/45) in 98 matches
First-class stats: 941 wickets @ 20.24 (50 5WI, best 8/45) in 239 matches

I was going to pick my wicket-keeper next, but I decided that could wait while I picked a new ball bowler to partner Wasim Akram. And in my mind there was only one sensible choice, the irrepressible Curtly Ambrose. It seems that every team he played against has their own Curtly Ambrose story. For Australia, it was seven for one. For England, it was 45 all out. For South Africa it was losing eight for 25 in their first Test back. And so the list goes on, at the centre of it every time being the giant Barbadian fast man. There was also a second coming of Curtly; as the huge physical effort gradually wore down his once extreme pace, he became the very best line-and-length seamer in the world. A true legend.

@Aislabie's XI:
1. Barry Richards (2)
2. Archie Jackson (1)
3. Tip Foster (1)
4. Douglas Jardine (1)
5. Lee Irvine (1)
6. Ravindra Jadeja (1)
7.
8. Wasim Akram (3)
9.
10. Curtly Ambrose (0)
11.

Centuries: 10/10

@Na Maloom Afraad

useful batsman too, Curtly

 

[Aislabie]

Honestly, I'm amazed that out of my first choice XI I've so far only missed out on Monty Noble - and even he's been replaced by Foster, who balances my team better

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

NMA's 10-TEST CENTURY XI

WG Grace (2)
Pieter van der Bijl† (1)
KS Duleepsinhji (3)
Lala Amarnath (1)
Rashid Khan (0)
Courtney Walsh (0)
Dennis Lillee (0)
Glenn McGrath (0)

Rashid Khan. Need a spinner that can also bat a bit, so perfect choice. Zero tons as well.

@Yash.

 

[Yash.]

My next pick would be the South African wicket keeper, Jock Cameron

Statistics

Tests:- 1239 Runs @ 30.21 (10 50s, Best 90) and 39 C/12 S in 26 matches
First Class:- 5396 Runs @ 37.47 (11 100s, Best 182) and 155 C/69 S in 107 Matches

I wanted a keeper with no centuries, and Jock Cameron might be one of the finest. He was a hard hitting, and corageous batsman who was widely known for his hitting abilities. Some of his incidents include, hitting 90 out of 126 runs of the team, within 1.5 hours and hitting the great Hedley Verity for 30 runs in an over in a first class match.

As Wisden says it...

Cameron, for all his fearless hitting, will be chiefly remembered for his high place among wicket-keepers not only of South Africa but in his generation. His stumping of a batsman has been likened to the nonchalant gesture of a smoker flicking the ash from a cigarette--an apt simile of the speed and art of his deeds.

[DOUBLEPOST=1589228576][/DOUBLEPOST]@blockerdave

 

[blockerdave]

As I don't think I'm in danger of losing my last chosen batsmen, due to obscurity and number of centuries, I'm going ahead and picking Mike Procter's new-ball partner.

He shall be none other than "Whispering Death", MICHAEL HOLDING.

One of the best, classiest, and most lethal bowlers of all time, Holding was a crucial part of the pace quartet that established the West Indies as the dominant force in test cricket. He was also no mug with the bat, despite being 11 in my line-up. He averaged 13.78 with the bat, with 6 test match 50s and a highest of 73. He also took 249 wickets at 23.68, Lightning fast, he and Procter will form a fearsome opening partnership.

I think it's @ahmedleo414 now

 

[ahmedleo414]

I am going with Chetan Chauhan

Stats|Matches|Runs|HS|Ave|100s/50s
First-Class |179|11,143|207|40.22|21/59|
Test |40|2,084|97|31.57|0/16

here is his bio from cricinfo:

"One of the most courageous opening batsmen in Indian cricket, Chetan Chauhan will be chiefly remembered as Sunil Gavaskar's partner in numerous Tests in the 70s and early 80s. The pair is the most successful Indian opening pair with ten century partnerships. Chauhan had technical limitations and his strokeplay was not exactly fluent. But no one could question his courage, his defence and his ability to get behind the line of the ball. He was always a difficult batsman to dislodge and his patience and dogged qualities stood India in very good stead in 40 Tests in the period 1969 to 1981. He made his debut as a 22-year-old against New Zealand at Mumbai and also played against Australia the same season. He was recalled for two Tests against England in 1972-73 but his most prolific period began when he was chosen for the tour of Australia in 1977-78.

The crowning glory of the Gavaskar-Chauhan partnership came at The Oval in 1979 when they put on 213, breaking the famous long-standing record of Merchant and Mushtaq Ali who put on 203 runs at Old Trafford in 1936. Chauhan's share was 80. He was unlucky not to get a Test hundred, though his aggregate in Tests exceeded 2000 runs (he was the first player in Test history to score more than 2000 runs without a hundred). He was a heavy run-getter in domestic cricket, and represented Maharashtra and Delhi in the Ranji Trophy competition."

I am still toying with who will open between Wilfred or Ed Joyce... Chetan is good at 2 because he is there to provide support for my opening batsman.

My Team:

1. Wilfred Rhodes (2 centuries)
2. Chetan Chauhan (0 centuries)
3. Ed Joyce (0 centuries)
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?
7. Deryck Murray (0 centuries)
8. Shane Warne (0 centuries)
9. Dale Steyn (0 centuries)
10. Waqar Younis (0 centuries)
11. Jimmy Anderson (0 centuries)

Centuries used: 2/10

@VC the slogger is next

 

[Aislabie]

I am still toying with who will open between Wilfred or Ed Joyce

You have them in the right order at the moment in my opinion

 

[Aislabie]

Hedley Verity

Test stats: 669 runs @ 20.90 (best 90) and 144 wickets @ 24.37 (5 5WI, best 8/43) in 40 matches
First-class stats: 5,603 runs @ 18.07 (1 century, best 101) and 1,956 wickets @ 14.90 (164 5WI, best 10/10) in 378 matches

Well this is my last pick for a while and I need to make it count, so I've gone big by picking the best spinner of all time. Don't believe me? Well I ran the numbers, and he was 105% better than a replacement spinner across his entire Test career. He is one of only three players to have been over 100% better: at number two is Muttiah Muralitharan (+100.87%) and in third place is Ravindra Jadeja (+100.18%), and he also happens to be in my team. I cannot emphasise enough just how happy I am with my spin attack. For an added bonus, despite his cost of zero centuries, Hedley Verity was a good enough batsman to on one occasion be selected to open the batting in a Test match. I can't believe he was still available, but I'll thank my lucky stars that he was. The other remarkable thing about his career is that it was entirely contained within the decade of the 1930s: he made his Yorkshire debut in 1930, and cricket was suspended for the War in 1939. Tragically, Verity would not return from it alive.

@Aislabie's XI:
1. Barry Richards (2)
2. Archie Jackson (1)
3. Tip Foster (1)
4. Douglas Jardine (1)
5. Lee Irvine (1)
6. Ravindra Jadeja (1)
7.
8. Wasim Akram (3)
9. Hedley Verity (0)
10. Curtly Ambrose (0)
11.

Centuries: 10/10

For real, I'm still two players from being done and this might already be the best team I've ever assembled in a draft on this forum.

@VC the slogger now has two picks to make

 

[blockerdave]

Hedley Verity

Test stats: 669 runs @ 20.90 (best 90) and 144 wickets @ 24.37 (5 5WI, best 8/43) in 40 matches
First-class stats: 5,603 runs @ 18.07 (1 century, best 101) and 1,956 wickets @ 14.90 (164 5WI, best 10/10) in 378 matches

Well this is my last pick for a while and I need to make it count, so I've gone big by picking the best spinner of all time. Don't believe me? Well I ran the numbers, and he was 105% better than a replacement spinner across his entire Test career. He is one of only three players to have been over 100% better: at number two is Muttiah Muralitharan (+100.87%) and in third place is Ravindra Jadeja (+100.18%), and he also happens to be in my team. I cannot emphasise enough just how happy I am with my spin attack. For an added bonus, despite his cost of zero centuries, Hedley Verity was a good enough batsman to on one occasion be selected to open the batting in a Test match. I can't believe he was still available, but I'll thank my lucky stars that he was. The other remarkable thing about his career is that it was entirely contained within the decade of the 1930s: he made his Yorkshire debut in 1930, and cricket was suspended for the War in 1939. Tragically, Verity would not return from it alive.

@Aislabie's XI:
1. Barry Richards (2)
2. Archie Jackson (1)
3. Tip Foster (1)
4. Douglas Jardine (1)
5. Lee Irvine (1)
6. Ravindra Jadeja (1)
7.
8. Wasim Akram (3)
9. Hedley Verity (0)
10. Curtly Ambrose (0)
11.

Centuries: 10/10

For real, I'm still two players from being done and this might already be the best team I've ever assembled in a draft on this forum.

@VC the slogger now has two picks to make

Aaaaah. He was to be my next pick!!

 

[VC the slogger]

Sydney Barnes and Alan Davidson to bolster my bowling attack.

VC’s XI (10/10)

1) Vijay Merchant (3)
2) Taslim Arif (1)
3) David Steele (1)
4) Brad Hodge (1)
5) KS Ranjitsinhji (2)
6) Martin Donnelly (1)
7) Monty Noble (1)
8) Alan Davidson (0)
9)
10)
11) Sydney Barnes (0)


@ahmedleo414

 

[ahmedleo414]

My next pick is Shaun Pollock

Stats|Matches|Runs|HS|Ave|100s/50s|Wkts| Ave|BBI|5w/10w
First-Class |186|7,023|150*|33.12|6/35|667|23.25|7/33|22/2
Test |108|3,781|111|32.31|2/16|421|23.11|7/87|16/1

here is his bio from cricinfo:

"Considering the type of stuff floating around in his gene pool, it would have been surprising if Shaun Pollock had not been an international cricketer - and a very good one at that. Dad Peter led the South African attack through the 1960s; uncle Graeme was one of the finest, if not the finest, left-hander to play the game. Shaun has bits of both in his makeup, but it is as an immaculate, Hadlee-esque, line and length seamer that he has established himself. At the start of his first-class career, though, he was both slippery and aggressive and his Natal team-mates delighted in totting up the number of batsmen he pinned match after match. He was brought into the South African Test side against Michael Atherton's England tourists in 1995/96 and although his father was the convener of selectors, there was never a hint of nepotism and the younger Pollock took quickly to the higher level.

In 1996 he had a spell with Warwickshire cut short because of an ankle injury and missed the tour to India at the end of that year. But he soon returned to resume his new-ball partnership with Allan Donald and this pairing was the springboard of much of South Africa's success during the latter half of the 1990s. Indeed, it is possible to argue that the emergence of Pollock inspired Donald to greater heights as the latter found himself with a partner who both complemented and challenged him. Perhaps the straightest bowler in world cricket, Pollock is able to move the ball both ways at a lively pace. He also possesses stamina and courage in abundance as in proved in Adelaide in 1998 when he toiled on hour after hour in blazing heat to take 7 for 87 in 41 overs on a perfect batting pitch.

If there is a criticism of Pollock, it is that he has underperformed with the bat, but most Test teams would be perfectly happy to have him in their side if he never scored a run. Pollock was thrust into the captaincy in April 2000 when Hansie Cronje was drummed out of the game, and he faced the biggest challenge of his career - to lift a shocked and demoralised South African side. However, after a solid start to his captaincy, he lost some credibility after a 3-0 drubbing in Australia in 2001-02, and was later blamed for South Africa's disastrous World Cup in which they failed to qualify for the Super Sixes. As a result, Pollock immediately lost the captaincy and was replaced by Graeme Smith. Though his nagging brilliance around offstump remains, his pace and ability to take wickets at the top of the order has dipped.

Pollock missed the first Test against Australia at home in early 2006 with a back injury and was relegated from opener to first-change by the third. Four wickets in two Tests, with a new run-up and on pitches tailormade for his style, showed that he has slowed. But with 100 Tests under his belt, Pollock remains an integral part of the side. He missed the first Test against Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second daughter, returned for the second and was a pale shade of his former self. He managed just one wicket, and it was a telling sign of what appeared to be Pollock's decline to see him resort to offspin after being tonked over his head for six by Sanath Jayasuriya. All that was reversed in the Champions Trophy in India, where he showed great form, and against India and Pakistan at home at the end of 2006 and in the new year. Man of the Series in both the ODIs and Tests against India, Pollock was highly impressive with the new ball and chipped in with useful scores down the order. It was fitting that he became the first South African to take 400 Test wickets. Pollock continued his fine form against the touring Pakistanis next, despite being surprisingly rested for the final Test. Thrifty with the ball and useful with bat he offered precious control and breathing space for his captain. In the ODI series, he was the highest wicket-taker on either side and his 5 for 23 in the final game crushed a weary Pakistan. For the second consecutive one-day series in a row, Pollock was adjudged Man of the Series. It was decent form to carry into his fourth World Cup, but his lack of pace was exposed on the small Caribbean grounds, especially by Matthew Hayden, although his miserly spell against England was key in South Africa securing a semi-final berth. He lost his place in the Test line-up late in 2007 but returned against West Indies, on his home ground in Durban, for what turned out to be his final Test. He announced his retirement midway through the match, the following one-day series being his last international commitments."

So far he is my leading candidate to be the captain of the side, i could change it depending on my final two picks

My Team:

1. Wilfred Rhodes (2 centuries)
2. Chetan Chauhan (0 centuries)
3. Ed Joyce (0 centuries)
4. ?
5. ?
6. Deryck Murray (0 centuries)
7. Shaun Pollock (2 centuries)
8. Shane Warne (0 centuries)
9. Dale Steyn (0 centuries)
10. Waqar Younis (0 centuries)
11. Jimmy Anderson (0 centuries)

Centuries used: 4/10[DOUBLEPOST=1589434495][/DOUBLEPOST]@blockerdave you have the next pick

 

[blockerdave]

So after Verity was taken my next plan was to take Barnes and insist he was a spinner... some more thought needed on that role now.

In the meantime I’ll complete my batting line up with MURRAY GOODWIN a fine Zimbabwean/Aussie who played 19 tests for Zimbabwe averaging over 43 and in a first class career spent in Sheffield Shield and county cricket when both were at a very high standard, averaged over 46. He costs 3 centuries leaving one to play with.

@Yash.

 

[Yash.]

1. Sid Barnes (3)
   
2. Peter Kirsten (1)
   
3. ?
4. Stewie Dempster (2)
5. Michael Bevan (0)
   
6. Jock Cameron (0)
   
7. ?
8. Fred Trueman (0)
   
9. Malcolm Marshall (0)
   
10. Joel Garner (0)
    
11. Muttiah Muralidaran (0)

Centuries Left: 4
And my third pacer would be the first person to cross the 300 wicket mark in Test Cricket... Fred Trueman

Statistics
Tests: 307 Wickets @ 21.57 (17 5WI, BBI 8/31) in 67 matches
First Class: 2304 Wickets @ 18.29 (126 5WI, BBI 8/28) in 603 Matches

From his Cricinfo profile,

A classical easy action, a mop of unruly jet-black hair and a menacing scowl were the trademarks of Freddie Trueman, the Yorkshire fast bowler who was the first man from any country to take 300 Test wickets, a landmark he reached at The Oval in 1964. Since then many have gone past his overall figure of 307, but few have matched his average (21.57) and strike rate (a wicket every 49 balls).

@Na Maloom Afraad

 

[Na Maloom Afraad]

NMA's 10-TEST CENTURY XI

WG Grace (2)
Pieter van der Bijl† (1)
KS Duleepsinhji (3)
Mayank Agarwal (3)
Ken Mackay (0)
Lala Amarnath (1)
Rashid Khan (0)
Courtney Walsh (0)
Dennis Lillee (0)
Glenn McGrath (0)

Centuries: 10/10

Since I have a double-pick, I'll go for Ken "Slasher" Mackay and Mayank Agarwal.

- - -

Ken "Slasher" Mackay:-

10,823 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 43.64 with 23 tons and 59 fifties. 1,507 runs in Tests at an average of 33.48 with 0 tons and 13 fifties.
251 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 33.31 with 7 five-wicket hauls. 50 wickets in Tests at an average of 34.42 with 2 five-wicket hauls.

"Kenneth Mackay was one of the best and most popular cricketers ever produced by Queensland. As a left-handed middle-order batsman, he possessed a highly distinctive style, this endearing him to crowds which otherwise might have found his rate of scoring unendurably slow. At the crease he stood impassively, cap at a rakish angle, knees slightly bent, chewing compulsively."

"As a right-arm medium-paced bowler, he became in the early sixties a useful member of the Australian attack, possessing the ability to contain batsmen for long periods and often taking good wickets. He had a stealthy, almost apologetic approach to the wicket, but the innocuous appearance of his deliveries masked subtle variations of pace and swing."

"MacKay's best Test performances were achieved on a tour of Pakistan and India in 1959-60. On a matting wicket at Dacca he helped Australia to gain their first Test win in Pakistan, recording in the second innings the remarkable bowling figures of 45-27-42-6. Against India at Madras he made his highest Test score, 89 - ended, somewhat surprisingly, when he was stumped."

"His best-remembered Test innings must have been against West Indies at Adelaide in 1961, the series of the tied Test. With 100 minutes of the game remaining Australia, trailing by many runs, lost their ninth wicket. As Lindsay Kline joined MacKay a West Indian victory seemed assured. However, dour defence by both batsmen frustrated all the efforts of Worrell's side and the game ended with Australia's last pair still together, MacKay undefeated with 62, made in almost four hours."

- - -

Mayank Agarwal:-

4,951 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 48.06 with 11 tons and 26 fifties. 974 runs in Tests at an average of 57.29 with 3 tons and 4 fifties.

"A prolific opening batsman since his Under-13 days with Bishop Cotton Boys' School, Bangalore, Mayank Agarwal modelled his style of batting on Virender Sehwag. Agarwal struck 432 runs at an average of 54 in five matches in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy in 2008-09 and hit a match-winning 160 for India Under-19s, in a one-dayer against Australia Under-19s in Hobart in 2009."

"Agarwal was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing Under-19 World Cup for India in 2010, top-scoring for his side in the tournament. Agarwal then graduated to the India A sides, but struggled for consistency. Initially pigeonholed as a limited-overs specialist, Agarwal made his Ranji Trophy debut for Karnataka in the 2013-14 season; he made his T20 debut in 2010-11 and List A debut in 2011-12."

"In the 2014-15 season, he was in the running to open for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy, but was benched halfway through the season. According to Rahul Dravid, who worked with Agarwal in the India A side, it was a "wake-up call" for the opener. Agarwal lost weight in the off season, worked hard on his fitness, and scored his maiden first-class century the following season."

"He spent three seasons in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore, from 2011 to 2013, scoring 492 runs in 35 matches, before moving to Delhi Daredevils in 2014. His stint with Daredevils was fairly muted in his first two seasons."[DOUBLEPOST=1589479326][/DOUBLEPOST]@Yash., back to you