Budget Draft: Bargain Hunt

[mohsin7827]

@Neptune / @Aislabie to pick next

 

[Aislabie]

Two more caretaker picks on behalf of @CerealKiller:

Abdul Razzaq (22)

1,946 runs @ 28.61 (3 centuries, best 134) and 100 wickets @ 36.94 (1 5WI, best 5/35) in 46 Test matches
5,371 runs @ 32.55 (8 centuries, best 203*) and 355 wickets @ 31.42 (13 5WI, best 7/51) in 123 first-class matches

Now this is a hunch, but I'd be surprised if Abdul Razzaq wasn't one of @CerealKiller's favourite childhood players and it's easy to see why. In a team that had Shahid Afridi in it most of the time, Abdul Razzaq somehow embodied Pakistan cricket more: on his off-days he was often quite ineffective, but at his best he was a player who could blast the best bowling attacks in the world for dismissive centuries, then come back out and skittle them with bustling reverse swing. In a team with batting down to number eight and five bowlers that include two of the best ever to do it, I think you can afford to spend the resources on a player like Abdul Razzaq who will win you games when it really matters.


Archie MacLaren (13)

1,931 runs @ 33.87 (5 centuries, best 140) in 35 Test matches
22,236 runs @ 34.15 (47 centuries, best 424) in 424 first-class matches

Despite his modest-looking Test numbers, Archie MacLaren was a legend of his time. In a tough batting era, he was 27.4% better than his contemporary opening batters (without accounting for his speed of scoring, for which data does not survive), and while that still only translated to a career average of 33.87 the context is important: this was a time when to play 35 Test matches took a player 15 years, and MacLaren outperformed his peers throughout that time. Not only that, but MacLaren was a player of great innings, none greater than his 470-minute 424 for Lancashire against Somerset in 1895.

Although MacLaren was an opener by trade, he played at a time when batting orders were quite fluid and as a result he would often come in in the middle order instead. That is exactly what I plan for him to do in this team: its best batter will come in at number four.

CerealKiller's XI so far:
1. "Plum" Warner (3)
2. Nayan Mongia (4)
3. Ed Joyce (3)
4. Archie MacLaren (13)
5.
6.
7. Abdul Razzaq (22)
8. Shane Warne (25)
9. Nikita Miller (0)
10.
11. Glenn McGrath (29)

1 point remaining

(As always @CerealKiller you are free to change any of the picks I have made for you at any time you like.)

@Neptune is up and @Yash. has two late picks

 

[Neptune]

There were 3 star players I had my eye on from the start and I promised myself I'd pick one if they were still available later and I had the tariffs left. Only one out of those is still available, and I think its time to pull the trigger, so Imran Khan (45)

1. Mike Brearley
2.
3. Subramaniam Badrinath
4. Clem Hill
5. Johnny Tyldesley
6. Imran Khan
7.
8. Gareth Batty
9. Derek Shackleton
10. Prasidh Krishna
11.

(85/100)
@Till Valhalla

 

[Aislabie]

Imran Khan (45)

100% the right pick - I think your strategy of hoarding your budget to deploy later on was a good one as well

 

[Till Valhalla]

Ryan Mclaren
@Supreme General

 

[Supreme General]

Well I’ve got a fair bit of budget left so might as well use it. I’ll bring in the GOAT swing bowler (yes I said it, come at me) in Jimmy Anderson for 24 points leaving me with 46 remaining.

@pillowprocter

 

[pillowprocter]

another Bangladeshi pacer, Taskin Ahmed, for 11 points. His bowling average doesn't exactly represent how quick and skillful he has become recently

Zak Crawley (12)
Alec Stewart (20)
Meg Lanning (11)
Hrishikesh Kanitkar (0)
Jack Mason (0)
Ish Sodhi (8)
Mashrafe Mortaza (8)
Taskin Ahmed (11)

@icyman

 

[icyman]

Nathan Bracken (8 points, 37 remain)



1.
2.
3. Darling
4. Lamb
5. Ranatunga
6. Cheetham
7.
8. Richardson
9. Agarkar
10. L Sivaramakrishnan
11. Bracken

@Perfect Square

 

[Welwyn]

Well I’ve got a fair bit of budget left so might as well use it. I’ll bring in the GOAT swing bowler (yes I said it, come at me) in Jimmy Anderson for 24 points leaving me with 46 remaining.

@pillowprocter

Sorry. I have Jimmy

 

[Supreme General]

Sorry. I have Jimmy

Well I’m blind.

 

[Perfect Square]

Imran Butt is my pick. An opener and arguably the greatest slip fielder alive right now.

1. Grant Flower (9)
2. Imran Butt (0)
3.
4. Mohammad Ashraful (4)
5. Fawad Alam (18)
6. MS Dhoni (18)
7.
8. Pat Cummins (28)
9. Noman Ali (23)
10. Mohammad Akram (0)
11.

@ddrap14 next

 

[ddrap14]

I still don't know exactly what I want to do with my remaining batsman spot, but I have an idea that would allow for the selection of Dennis Lillee (27) here.

@Aravind. is up and @Yash. has two late picks

 

[Aravind.]

Mark Ramprakash for 7 points, was not a great success in test cricket, but a FC legend with 35659 runs at 53.14.

1.
2.
Ricky Ponting
Mark Ramprakash
Travis Head
Robin Singh
Ian Healy
Javed Akhtar
Zaheer Khan
Pankaj Singh
11.

@Welwyn

 

[Supreme General]

Well I’m blind.

Can I switch this to Michael Holding then from Jimmy for the 3 extra points?

 

[Aravind.]

24 hours up, @Aislabie can pick his player