DRAFT! Ashes history...

[Gaurav_7]

Adam Gilchrist
Round 1

Ashes Statistics:
Mts: 20 Inns: 28 NO: 4 Runs: 1083 HS: 152 Avg: 45.12 100s: 3 50s: 6​

I didn't imagine it will be so difficult to make my first pick of the draft! Not that there aren't many options available. It's because there are a bit too many of them. Initially I thought let me go for a legendary batsman or a legendary bowler as there are a plenty of them available. Shortlisted a few and while I came to the last 2 players, I said, wait! A wicket keeper! I need a wicket keeper and need him early, very early. Closed those tabs and was onto the search for a wicketkeeper.

There were a couple of them I wanted to pick apart from Gilchrist. It was difficult to pick one among the three I found. I tried and tried and tried and finally came down to 2 keepers. An Englishman and an Aussie. Who to pick? Both were extra ordinary in their own ways. While one could be said as the best wicket keeper of all time, the other is surely the best keeper batsman to have played the game. I go for Adam Gilchrist.

Many might argue and say the other one would have been a smarter choice but, I have reasons to pick Gilly. He was a revolution as far as keeper batsmen are concerned. He came in at #7 and scored runs. It wasn't just the runs he scored but, the manner in which he got those runs. They came at a quick pace. If ever there was a keeper who could turn the game around by his batting, it has to Gilchrist. His first ever Ashes innings was of 152 runs which came at better than run a ball and helped Australia put a huge first innings score as they managed to win by an innings.

2nd fastest century in Test Cricket (off 57 deliveries) also came off Gilly's bat in an Ashes test in Perth (2006). He missed the world record for the fastest test century set by Sir Viv by just one ball!

Gilly has 96 dismissals which include 89 catches and 7 stumpings in his 40 Ashes innings as a wicket keeper. He is 4th on the list for most dismissals in Ashes. His 2.4 dismissals per innings are the most for those who have played at least 15 Ashes tests as a wk. His keeping was pretty good as these numbers suggest. He kept wickets to bowlers like Shane Warne pretty easily. I'll have him at #7 in my Ashes XI as a keeper batsman. A match changer, a match winner on his day!

The Ashes XI (User2010) -

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. Adam Gilchrist [1083 runs @ 45.12, 96 (89 + 7) dismissals in 40 inns]
8.
9.
10.
11.

 

[sifter132]

I didn't imagine it will be so difficult to make my first pick of the draft! Not that there aren't many options available. It's because there are a bit too many of them.

It's oddly stressful isn't it? And then the 2nd guessing a few minutes after - did I make the right call??

 

[Gaurav_7]

It's oddly stressful isn't it? And then the 2nd guessing a few minutes after - did I make the right call??

It is! I literally wasn't able to decide between the two keepers. You know who the other one I am talking about is! Tbh, I am still unsure whether I made the right call or not. Time will tell maybe...

 

[Samuels]

It is! I literally wasn't able to decide between the two keepers. You know who the other one I am talking about is! Tbh, I am still unsure whether I made the right call or not. Time will tell maybe...

I think you went for him because of his batting numbers but this is not a cricsim league, Usy.

Anyway, this is how things have went so far:

Manager​	Player​	PWWII​ Sifter132​	Sir Donald Bradman​	​
War​	John Snow​	​
Fenil​	Herbert Sutcliffe​	​
cricket_icon​	Jack Hobbs​	​
Aalay​	Shane Warne​	​
KrishnamurthiN​	Arthur Mailey​	​
User2010​	Adam Gilchrist​	​
The_Author​	TBA​	TBA​
Umair2000​	TBA​	TBA​
Samuels​	TBA​	TBA​
Sulaiman7​	TBA​	TBA​

PWWII = Pre-world war II era player.[/table]

 

[Aislabie]

BILLY MURDOCH

Billy Murdoch is considered to be the first ever great keeper-batsman, and was by far and away the best Australian batsman of the nineteenth century. He played sixteen consecutive Tests in times when teams were rarely representative and at best transient, he secured his place first as a wicket-keeper, and then, when Jack Blackham emerged as an impeccable gloveman, as a batsman. His batting will be remembered for two great innings. Firstly, the unbeaten 153 which almost saved his side from defeat, and did save them from humiliation. Four years later, on the same ground, the 211 which stood as the Test record for nearly two decades.

He returned home and married, giving up first-class cricket at just 30 years of age. He was called out of retirement in 1890 to skipper the Australians in England, but could not recapture his earlier form. He then settled in England, played county cricket, and was called up to represent them against South Africa. His final average of 31.31 was spoiled somewhat by the Tests he played as an ad-hoc replacement long after he had retired; while still at his peak, he averaged 35.83, a fine figure on 1880s sticky dogs.

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WL Murdoch
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-​

 

[KrishnamurthiN]

This is how the things stand now

Manager​

|

Player​

|

PWWII​

Sifter132​

|

Sir Donald Bradman​

|

​

War​

|

John Snow​

|

​

Fenil​

|

Herbert Sutcliffe​

|

​

cricket_icon​

|

Jack Hobbs​

|

​

Aalay​

|

Shane Warne​

|

​

KrishnamurthiN​

|

Arthur Mailey​

|

​

User2010​

|

Adam Gilchrist​

|

​

The_Author​

|

Billy Murdoch​

|

​

Umair2000​

|

TBA​

|

TBA​

Samuels​

|

TBA​

|

TBA​

Sulaiman7​

|

TBA​

|

TBA​

PWWII = Pre-world war II era player.

 

[KrishnamurthiN]

So its Umair's turn to bring out his drawing board now ...

 

[Gaurav_7]

I think you went for him because of his batting numbers but this is not a cricsim league, Usy.

He was a solid solid wicket keeper as well! Apart from the other keeper whom I mentioned in that post, I didn't find anyone as good as Gilchrist. I made the right call, now I think.

 

[Aislabie]

He was a solid solid wicket keeper as well! Apart from the other keeper whom I mentioned in that post, I didn't find anyone as good as Gilchrist. I made the right call, now I think.

Well, if you're going for an out-and-out 'keeper, it basically has to be Knotty or Jack Blackham. If you're going for a 'keeper batsman, then it's Ames, Gilly or Murdoch.

 

[Umair7]

Will post my player very soon

 

[Umair7]

John James Ferris

Bowling average-

Overall- 12.70
When he played for England- 07
When he played for Australia- 14.25

Batting average-

Overall- 8.76
When he played for England- 16
When he played for Australia- 8.16

JJ Ferris was born on May 21,1867

Ferris wasn?t a man with the biggest of frames. Slightly short in build for a pace bowler, he made up for his lack of height by his strong shoulders and his ability to swing the ball. He usually came over the wicket , and swung the ball away from the batsman after pitching it on the leg-stump, but his shock delivery swung the other way, foxing most batsmen. He often used a hint of spin as well, adding to the woes of the batsman, and bowled with a great accuracy.

In his eight Tests for the Australia, Ferris wreaked havoc along with CT.

His first act as a Test player was to bowl England out for 45,at Sydney in 1886-87.He later decided to play for England,for whom he played one Test,at Cape Town in 1891-92.Ferris took 13 for 91 in the match and scored 16 runs.

He was only 33 when he died of enteric fever in Durban in 1900 during the Boer War where he was serving with the British army.
​

 

[sifter132]

And I was worried that the older players might not get as much love in this draft as they deserve...and I was thinking a few of these guys would slide under the radar and be able to be picked later. Not so!

Interesting that both Murdoch and Ferris started as Aussies, but decided to play for England...traitors!

 

[Sulaiman7]

traitors!

#Legends though .

 

[Samuels]

I will grab Glenn McGrath. The finest of the bowlers I have watched bowling. Writeup to come later tonight.

Manager​

|

Player​

|

PWWII​

Sifter132​

|

Sir Donald Bradman​

|

​

War​

|

John Snow​

|

​

Fenil​

|

Herbert Sutcliffe​

|

​

cricket_icon​

|

Jack Hobbs​

|

​

Aalay​

|

Shane Warne​

|

​

KrishnamurthiN​

|

Arthur Mailey​

|

​

User2010​

|

Adam Gilchrist​

|

​

The_Author​

|

Billy Murdoch​

|

​

Umair2000​

|

John James Ferris​

|

​

Samuels​

|

Glenn McGrath​

|

​

Sulaiman7​

|

TBA​

|

TBA​

PWWII = Pre-world war II era player.

 

[Samuels]

Glenn McGrath

Records

Overall




Test




The Ashes

Born in an era of broad carbon edged bats, batsmen friendly conditions and batsmen like Lara, Dravid and Tendulkar to name a few, McGrath was one bowler who stood out with his simplicity on the field. A bowler with unbeatable accuracy and impressive lines and lengths, no batsmen ever found playing against him easy making him the most threatening bowler of his time and all that without any serious pace. His accuracy was as good as a marksman and that is what made the life incredibly difficult for the batsmen. It will not be wrong to say that some part of the success of Adam Gilchrist behind the wicket and fellow bowlers bowling at the other end should be credited to McGrath for his great bowling was the reason that Gilchrist got too many catches behind the wicket and it was the same reason behind batsmen getting under pressure and giving away wickets to the bowler at the other end in the process of attacking them. Doesn't matter what are the conditions or the place or even the batsman at the crease, more often than not, pigeon would find its prey. He is the highest wicket-taking paceman for Australia in be it Test matches, ODIs or The Ashes series. He is probably the best pace bowler to play for Australia till date and certainly one of the best of the game.​

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