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

[VC the slogger]

The player with the longest surname in cricketing history, Ilikena Bula or rather Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau (which roughly translates to "returned alive from Nankula hospital at Lakemba island in the Lau group".) missed out on selection for the New Zealand Test team more due to the fact that his name was too long to display on scoreboards than the fact that he was a Fijian. His aggressive batting and penchant for hitting sixes is legendary - he once hit 22 in an innings of 246 in a non first-class game in 1958, and finished with a respectable 702 runs at 41.29 with 2 centuries & 3 half-centuries at first-class level.

VC's XI

1. George Patterson
2. Sunny Jim Mackay
3. Bert Kortlang
4. Ken McEwan
5. Ilikena Bula
6.
7. Ryan Campbell
8. Bart King
9.
10.
11.

Double pick for @CerealKiller

 

[CerealKiller]

Rajinder Goel, who holds the record for most wickets in Ranji Trophy history, with 637. Overall he took 750 at an average of 18.58. He was unfortunate as he played in the same era as the famous Indian spin quartet. Bishan Singh Bedi was constantly preferred to him throughout his career.
Bhausaheb Nimbalkar
Known for his 443 not out, still the highest FC score by anyone who never played Tests. He could've surpassed Bradman's 452 if the opposing captain, fearing further embarassment, hadn't conceded the match. Overall, he had 4841 runs at almost 48.

CerealKiller's XI
1.
2. Bhausaheb Nimbalkar
3. Amol Muzumdar
4. Ryan ten Doeschate
5. David Hussey
6. Franklyn Stephenson
7.
8.
9. Rajinder Goel
10. Tom Pritchard
11. Don Shepherd

@VC the slogger

 

[VC the slogger]

The 1948 English cricketing season was dominated by two bowlers, one a New Zealander and the other an Australian - both of whom would never go on to represent their countries at Test level. The two players in question were fast bowler Tom Pritchard (172 wickets at 18.75) and left-arm wrist spinner Jack Walsh (174 wickets at 19.56), who were arguably the best bowlers Bradman's 1948 Invincibles faced all tour but were fortunate to not encounter during the Tests. Walsh, originally from New South Wales played nearly all of his cricket in England for Leicestershire and claimed 1190 wickets at an average of 24.55 with a staggering 98 five-fers and 26 ten-wicket match hauls during his career - easily the most by a chinaman bowler who never played Test cricket. A sharp turner of the ball, he had two different types of googlies in his arsenal - one lulling the batsman into a false sense of security and the other often proving fatal for most, which made him quite a difficult bowler to pick even for wicket-keepers who kept to his bowling. In addition to all that, he was also a very aggressive if somewhat inconsistent lower-order batsman with 7247 runs at 17.76 (2 centuries and 21 fifties) to his name, and managed to complete the all-rounders double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs at the age of 40 in 1952.

It is unclear as to why he was never considered for the Australian Test team. One reason could be that he played virtually no cricket in Australia post World War II, or aged in his late thirties after it was perhaps considered too old to take a punt on. Chuck Fleetwood-Smith's horror show in the 1938 Ashes also did no favors to bowlers of his type in the country, with Don Bradman often opting for defensive spinners like Ian Johnson whilst filling his bowling attack with pace bowlers like Ray Lindwall, Bill Johnston and Keith Miller thereafter. He nevertheless had the potential to become a match-winning bowler at Test level, perhaps more so than the likes of Fleetwood-Smith, George Tribe and Lindsay Kline who played Tests for Australia without much success.


VC's XI

1. George Patterson
2. Sunny Jim Mackay
3. Bert Kortlang
4. Ken McEwan
5. Ilikena Bula
6.
7. Ryan Campbell
8. Bart King
9. Jack Walsh
10.
11.


@Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Overall Pick #31: Ray Jennings

Profile
"Oooh Jennings! That would probably have gone straight to second slip, but with Jennings you don't need slip fielders - just look at this." Ray Jennings' agility behind the stumps was second only to his work ethic. He was another from the generation of cricketers unlucky enough to be denied international cricket due to the South African government's Apartheid policy, and another selection from the legendary Transvaal Mean Machine. Although he wasn't a front-line batsman, his value to the side was immeasurable due to the double effect of ensuring that every mistake an opposing batsman made resulted in a wicket, and in freeing up a slip fielder to create more pressure by cutting off another part of the field. That isn't to say that Jennings couldn't bat - he was a very able lower-order scrapper in the Alan Knott mould - but that even if he couldn't bat he would still have been one of the most valuable players on the field.

First-class statistics
4,160 runs @ 23.90 (3 centuries, best 168) and 621 dismissals (567 catches, 54 stumpings) in 159 matches

Finest Performances
In the video above, there's a leg-side catch at about 2:30 that's one of the best I've ever seen. Also a catch at 6:15 off Alan Kourie's bowling. And... ah, just watch the video.

Role in the Team
At number eight, Jennings is my last line of defence with the bat, but his wicket-keeping serves as an attacking weapon in this team.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1. Karl Schneider (Pick #17)
2. Michael Di Venuto (Pick #22)
3.
4. Shantanu Sugwekar (Pick #9)
5.
6. Frank Tarrant (Pick #6)
7. Bill Alley (Pick #26)
8. Ray Jennings (Pick #31)
9. Vince van der Bijl (Pick #3)
10. Jimmy Boucher (Pick #16)
11.

Next pick:
@blockerdave

 

[blockerdave]

Rajinder Goel, who holds the record for most wickets in Ranji Trophy history, with 637. Overall he took 750 at an average of 18.58. He was unfortunate as he played in the same era as the famous Indian spin quartet. Bishan Singh Bedi was constantly preferred to him throughout his career.
Bhausaheb Nimbalkar
Known for his 443 not out, still the highest FC score by anyone who never played Tests. He could've surpassed Bradman's 452 if the opposing captain, fearing further embarassment, hadn't conceded the match. Overall, he had 4841 runs at almost 48.

CerealKiller's XI
1.
2. Bhausaheb Nimbalkar
3. Amol Muzumdar
4. Ryan ten Doeschate
5. David Hussey
6. Franklyn Stephenson
7.
8.
9. Rajinder Goel
10. Tom Pritchard
11. Don Shepherd

@VC the slogger

I was certainly considering Rajinder Goel. Nimbalkar i'm not familiar with - will read some more about him!

 

[blockerdave]

Overall Pick #31: Ray Jennings

Profile
"Oooh Jennings! That would probably have gone straight to second slip, but with Jennings you don't need slip fielders - just look at this." Ray Jennings' agility behind the stumps was second only to his work ethic. He was another from the generation of cricketers unlucky enough to be denied international cricket due to the South African government's Apartheid policy, and another selection from the legendary Transvaal Mean Machine. Although he wasn't a front-line batsman, his value to the side was immeasurable due to the double effect of ensuring that every mistake an opposing batsman made resulted in a wicket, and in freeing up a slip fielder to create more pressure by cutting off another part of the field. That isn't to say that Jennings couldn't bat - he was a very able lower-order scrapper in the Alan Knott mould - but that even if he couldn't bat he would still have been one of the most valuable players on the field.

First-class statistics
4,160 runs @ 23.90 (3 centuries, best 168) and 621 dismissals (567 catches, 54 stumpings) in 159 matches

Finest Performances
In the video above, there's a leg-side catch at about 2:30 that's one of the best I've ever seen. Also a catch at 6:15 off Alan Kourie's bowling. And... ah, just watch the video.

Role in the Team
At number eight, Jennings is my last line of defence with the bat, but his wicket-keeping serves as an attacking weapon in this team.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1. Karl Schneider (Pick #17)
2. Michael Di Venuto (Pick #22)
3.
4. Shantanu Sugwekar (Pick #9)
5.
6. Frank Tarrant (Pick #6)
7. Bill Alley (Pick #26)
8. Ray Jennings (Pick #31)
9. Vince van der Bijl (Pick #3)
10. Jimmy Boucher (Pick #16)
11.

Next pick:
@blockerdave

Great pick. Jennings was one of 2 keepers I was considering. A great keeper.

 

[CerealKiller]

Overall Pick #31: Ray Jennings

Profile
"Oooh Jennings! That would probably have gone straight to second slip, but with Jennings you don't need slip fielders - just look at this." Ray Jennings' agility behind the stumps was second only to his work ethic. He was another from the generation of cricketers unlucky enough to be denied international cricket due to the South African government's Apartheid policy, and another selection from the legendary Transvaal Mean Machine. Although he wasn't a front-line batsman, his value to the side was immeasurable due to the double effect of ensuring that every mistake an opposing batsman made resulted in a wicket, and in freeing up a slip fielder to create more pressure by cutting off another part of the field. That isn't to say that Jennings couldn't bat - he was a very able lower-order scrapper in the Alan Knott mould - but that even if he couldn't bat he would still have been one of the most valuable players on the field.

First-class statistics
4,160 runs @ 23.90 (3 centuries, best 168) and 621 dismissals (567 catches, 54 stumpings) in 159 matches

Finest Performances
In the video above, there's a leg-side catch at about 2:30 that's one of the best I've ever seen. Also a catch at 6:15 off Alan Kourie's bowling. And... ah, just watch the video.

Role in the Team
At number eight, Jennings is my last line of defence with the bat, but his wicket-keeping serves as an attacking weapon in this team.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1. Karl Schneider (Pick #17)
2. Michael Di Venuto (Pick #22)
3.
4. Shantanu Sugwekar (Pick #9)
5.
6. Frank Tarrant (Pick #6)
7. Bill Alley (Pick #26)
8. Ray Jennings (Pick #31)
9. Vince van der Bijl (Pick #3)
10. Jimmy Boucher (Pick #16)
11.

Next pick:
@blockerdave

He was my next pick

 

[blockerdave]

He was my next pick

So I’ll have to go with my other keeper pick so I don’t lose him...

 

[CerealKiller]

So I’ll have to go with my other keeper pick so I don’t lose him...

 

[Aislabie]

I can think of at least three worthy keepers, it shouldn't be an issue

 

[VC the slogger]

I'm thinking of simulating a short 'Test' tournament between our respective XIs after this is over. You guys interested?

 

[blockerdave]

it was obvious that a great wicket-keeper had been found

So said wisden after HENRY MARTYN made his first-class debut for Oxford University.

Martyn's specialty was to stand up to even the fastest bowlers, wearing 2 pairs of gloves to cushion the pace of the ball. In the 1906 Gentlemen v Players match he caused a sensation stating up to Walter Brearley, who was then considered one of the best and fastest bowlers in the world.

He averaged 24.60 certainly decent for a keeper of his era, though he only ever scored one century - this was because he was an aggressive batsman who was prone to blast a quick 50, rather than build an inns. His one ton was 130* vs the 1905 Australian tourists.

He never received a test call up, largely due to outside interests interfering: though he played as an amateur, he didn't have independent wealth but rather family business interests outside cricket from which he earned his living. But he was widely acknowledged as a truly great keeper and a "proper" bastman.

@VC the slogger - over to you[DOUBLEPOST=1565636714][/DOUBLEPOST]

I'm thinking of simulating a short 'Test' tournament between our respective XIs after this is over. You guys interested?

yes - sounds fun. i've not really got involved with the simulations before.

 

[Aislabie]

I'm thinking of simulating a short 'Test' tournament between our respective XIs after this is over. You guys interested?

Very!

 

[VC the slogger]

Apart from being a world class sprinter who briefly held the amateur record by covering 100 yards in 9.8 seconds, Jack Marsh was also the fastest Australian bowler of his time. Over a four year period between 1900 to 1904, he terrorized batsmen at grade and Shield level with his extreme pace, knocking over some of the best Australian batsmen of his day in Victor Trumper, Clem Hill, Warwick Armstrong, Monty Noble, George Giffen and Syd Gregory among others. At Grade level, he was nothing short of a demon bowler with an astonishing 158 wickets at 10.94 between 1901/02 to 1903/04, and wasn't all that far behind at first-class level with 34 wickets at 21.47 from just 6 appearances between 1900/01 to 1902/03. Warren Bardsley, one of Australia's best openers before WW1 considered him to be on par with the likes of Fred Spofforth and Sydney Barnes, whilst the 1903/04 English tourists led by Plum Warner considered him to be the best bowler they faced all tour including the Test matches. There was only one thing that stood between him and Test selection - he was black.

Throughout his career, his bowling action was repeatedly brought under scrutiny by various umpires who would often call him for throwing, something which came to a head during a Shield match against Victoria at the SCG where he was no-balled for throwing a record 17 times by umpire Bob Crockett. While his bowling action was indeed considered to be suspicious by some including Warner, there was a belief that he had been made a scapegoat in the campaign against throwing because of his Aboriginal heritage. Soon he found himself removed from all levels of cricket in 1905, and one last attempt to return to his original sport i.e running the following year proved unsuccessful when he ran against Arthur Postle with the latter being declared winner despite some observers claiming it to be a dead heat. His life fell away afterwards as he resorted to drinking to drown his troubles in a society that refused to respect or even accept his achievements as a sportsman. He was murdered at the age of 42 in 1916, by two men who were charged with manslaughter but later acquitted.

He deserved better.



VC's XI

1. George Patterson
2. Sunny Jim Mackay
3. Bert Kortlang
4. Ken McEwan
5. Ilikena Bula
6.
7. Ryan Campbell
8. Bart King
9. Jack Walsh
10.
11. Jack Marsh

@Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Overall Pick #34: Jamie Siddons
​

Profile
Shane Warne's Century was the book in which Australia's legendary leg-spinner named the 100 greatest cricketers (in his opinion) ever to have played Test cricket. Or rather, the 99 greatest cricketers to have played Test cricket and one who had not. Jamie Siddons, the legendarily unlucky Victoria and South Australia stalwart made the list despite his only international appearance coming in a One-Day International in 1988 (he scored 32 against Pakistan). Scratch the surface of his stats and it is obvious to see why: his first-class average of 45 was earned entirely in the world's toughest first-class competition, the Sheffield Shield. So why didn't he play any Tests? Well, on that same 1988 tour, he sustained a stomach infection so severe that he lost 20 kilos in weight, nearly died and was sidelined for a year of recovery. Not long after his return, a Merv Hughes bouncer broke his face. And that was it. He was never again able to convince the selectors that he was tough enough for an Australian team that had been moulded in the image of Allan Border. The national team's loss was South Australia's gain, and Siddons scored more runs for them even than he had for Victoria. Unusually, he was never tempted by a county stint, and who knows what his figures might have looked like if he'd taken the chance to gorge on some mid-1990s county trundlers.

First-class statistics
11,587 runs @ 44.91 (35 centuries, best 245) and 2 wickets @ 173.50 (best 1/8) in 160 matches

Finest Performances
In the 1991 Sheffield Shield final, Siddons signed off on his career with Victoria with a masterful unbeaten 124 to win the title. During the off-season, he took the decision to relocate to South Australia and that unbeaten century became the final flourish to his career for the state of his origin.

Role in the Team
Siddons' role will be to bat in exactly the manner he sees fit. He's good enough that I trust him completely.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1. Karl Schneider (Pick #17)
2. Michael Di Venuto (Pick #22)
3. Jamie Siddons (Pick #34)
4. Shantanu Sugwekar (Pick #9)
5.
6. Frank Tarrant (Pick #6)
7. Bill Alley (Pick #26)
8. Ray Jennings (Pick #31)
9. Vince van der Bijl (Pick #3)
10. Jimmy Boucher (Pick #16)
11.

Next pick:
@CerealKiller