Draft time: World Cup history - ALL FINISHED!!

[Papa_Smurf]

Yeah, defintley a good pick Atm, I would say your's, User, and rizzy's are the best XI atm.

 

[AngryPixel]

RN ten Doeschate

He's unarguably the best allrounder in minnows and is a cult figure for young fans there. Although he just played 3 WC matches but those were enough to show his talent with both bat and ball. He scored 70* vs Scotland and 57 vs south africa. Also managed to grab 2 wickets. In the field he's unbelievable. His overall OD stats are phenomenal. He announced himself to the world during intercontinental cup 2006.Where he broke David Hemp's record for the competition's highest score by hitting an unbeaten 259 and finished with the extraordinary average of 228.66 including four successive centuries. He was leading wicket taker for the Netherlands. In 2010 vs kenya he struck 212 and took 7/174.
So far he played 27 matches for Netherlands and scored 1234 runs at an avg of 69. He also took 48 wickets.

Sachin Tendulkar​

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Sachin Tendulkar is the best OD batsman in the history of the game. So its not a surprise that he's the best batsman in WC too. So far he's scored 1796 runs in 36 matches at an avg of 58. This would be his 6th WC. Lets take a look at his WC performances individually.

He was a young talented player in 1992. Even then people saw a glimpse of things to come in future. He managed to score 283 runs at an avg of 47 in 8 matches. Two notable performances from that campaign were 84 vs NZ and 54* vs Pakistan. Only 2 years later he was the best OD batsman in the world.

Tendulkar really announced himself in 96 WC. Here he racked up 523 runs in just 7 games at an avg of 88. He would have won the cup for India had Indian team had some balls. Once he got out chasing the small total against SL, India surrendered and last 8 wickets got out for next to nothing. This caused that shameful riot in the stadium which had to be evacuated. Here are the Tendulkar's scores in that WC are 90 vs Aus, 65 and 137 vs SL, 70 vs WI, 31 vs Pak and 3 vs Zim.

99 WC was avg for Sachin by his own standards. He avg in games scoring runs with a highest of 141 vs Kenya. Many critics would write of this performance as this came against minnows but those who follow the game closely know that this was something special. Sachin's father died couple of days before the match thus Sachin went back to India for his funeral. After that he didnt wanna come to wC as he was disturbed but his mom told him that his dad would have liked if he play in the WC. So he went back and smacked 141 against Kenya. When he reached hundred he took off his helmet, raised his arms and look up in the sky to acknowledge his dad. This is where Sachin started celebrating like this, before this he used to point his bat to pavalion.

2003 WC. Here Sachin was at his best once again. Gosh how many peaks this guy gonna touch in his career . Highlight of this WC was his inning of 98 where he demolished Pakistanis bowling attack which had Akram,Waqar and Akhtar. There were some shots which are etched in everyone's memory from that WC. Such as Hook shot against Andrew Caddick where ball landed outside the ground, The 6 over the point vs Akhtar etc. He amassed runs at an avg of . He just failed in final and as usual, Indian team surrendered. He score 673 runs in 11 matches at an avg of 61.

His 2007 Campaingn is not worth mentioning as it was just 3 matches where he was forced to bat down the order by Chappell

WC Record
Matches:36
Runs: 1796
Avg:58
HS:152
100/50:4/13

AngryPixel's WC XI

1.Sachin Tendulkar
2.Sanath Jayasuriya
3.Mark Waugh
4.Andy Flower
5.Scott Styris
6.
7.RN Ten doeschate
8.Wasim Akram
9.
10.
11.

My batting line up is almost complete. Now i gotta find bowlers to support Akram. Sachin and Sanath form a explosive opening partnership at the top. Then there is Mark Waugh to carry on the momentum. At number 4 is the Andy Flower to bat steadily. Scott Styris and Ten Doeschate are two handy all rounders who are pretty useful with the ball too. Both can hit big at the end of innings thus they are the finishers of my team. Wasim Akram is very handy with the bat too. So over all batting is good.

 

[shravi]

Sure, Ten Doescahte has a good reputation outside the World Cup but 3 matches? Not enough at all for me. Doesn't prove anything imo. Could have and should have gone for a lesser player with an actual World Cup record.

 

[sifter132]

Yah 3 isn't a heap of matches (the minimum for this draft in fact), but you aren't going to find minnow guys who have played a lot. Probably Steve Tikolo has the most and he's been around forever to get those.

I won't slag ten Doeschate as much as shravi did , but there are a couple of guys who I'm glad you didn't pick instead RTD was pretty decent though, it's hard to find really good players in this round. One thing I do like about the pick Angry, is his role in the team. I don't want my minnow guy having to bowl 10 overs or having to bat in the top 6 because suddenly that is a big weakness the team will have to overcome. I picked Neil Johnson specifically so I could pick my minnow man at #7 or #8 and he won't have to bowl or bat much


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Zorax you've got 2 picks to make here my friend.

And some really good picks made overnight. Ganguly's definitely a good selection to have. And Gavin Hamilton was a guy I was thinking very hard about, so nice one Akshay

 

[Papa_Smurf]

I don't want my minnow guy having to bowl 10 overs or having to bat in the top 6 because suddenly that is a big weakness the team will have to overcome.

Try saying that to Marvellous Marvan

 

[AngryPixel]

Sachin was a decent pick though He can bat a bit.

As far as Ryan's role in the team is concerned, well he wont be bowling 10 overs. I have 3 all rounder who can fill in for those ten overs between then. Styris,Ryan and Sanath. So whoever is bowling well would bowl more over.

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And he's not batting in top 6, he's a number 7 batsman.

 

[Papa_Smurf]

Sachin Tendulkar is the best OD batsman in the history of the game.

I disagree - numbers aren't everything.

 

[sifter132]

^I agree with you Papa - I think there's a certain gum chewing West Indian that would be on top for me in the best ODI batsmen ever standings. But let's be honest, there probably isn't a massive amount in it.

Sachin was a decent pick though He can bat a bit.

As far as Ryan's role in the team is concerned, well he wont be bowling 10 overs. I have 3 all rounder who can fill in for those ten overs between then. Styris,Ryan and Sanath. So whoever is bowling well would bowl more over.

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And he's not batting in top 6, he's a number 7 batsman.

Oh yeah, I agree. That's what I meant - you aren't relying on him for anything crucial, which I think is the best way to use the minnow guy.

 

[shravi]

Sachin was a decent pick though He can bat a bit.

Just a bit.

 

[AngryPixel]

Hahaha, He's a good spinner. So i'm using him at the top as a pinch hitter

I would be looking for 3 bowlers in my WI/SA/Eng round. I should be able to get some decent bowlers from these teams.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Steve Tikolo writeup done. India and Minnows pick coming up.

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Rahul Dravid

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Matches Played: 22
Runs Scored: 860
Average: 61.42
Strike Rate: 74.97
50s/100s: 6/2
Catches: 17
Stumpings: 1

The highest average for any Indian in WCs, with 860 runs, Dravid was the pillar around which India's 1999 and 2003 WC sides were built. He adapted his natural game to become a reliable middler-order finisher who could rescue the side after a poor start, and also took up the wicket-keeping gloves to allow India to play 7 batsmen, a balance which saw them reach the finals of the 2003 WC. He also kept wicket a couple of times in 1999, when India felt they needed the extra keeper.

His 2 centuries came in 1999, in back-to-back knocks against Kenya (104* as India set a target of 330) and Sri Lanka (145 as India piled on 373, against an attack consisting of Murali and Vaas). He racked up fifties against Eng, Pak and RSA to boot, and ended 1999 with 461 runs in 8 innings at 65.85

2003 was more about consistency, with a series of scores reading 17, 1, 43*, 62 (England), 44*, 32, 18*, 53* (New Zealand), 1* and a valiant 47 off 57 in the loss in the finals against Australia. 318 runs at an average of 63.60

2007 was disappointing as India crashed out early, Dravid making only 81 runs in 3 innings, including a 60 against Sri Lanka in India's last game of the campaign.

As a keeper, Dravid scored 463 runs and averaged 77.16, with a highest of 145. Batting at number 3, he had 461 runs @ 65.85, 2 centuries, and a SR of 85.52. At number 5, he had 355 runs @ 71 with 3 fifties and a SR of 66.72

Easily one of India's best performers in WCs, he shall be keeping wicket and batting at number 3 for me. Might move down to number 5 if need be.

Jan-Berrie Burger

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Matches Played: 6
Runs Scored: 199
Average: 33.16
Strike Rate: 100.50
50s/100s: 1/0

Jan-Berrie Burger's entire ODI career took place in the 2003 WC. Representing Namibia, he kicked off with 26 off just 18 balls against Zimbabwe, and 14 off 18 balls against Pakistan, before tucking into an English bowling attack of Caddick, Anderson, Flintoff and White for a whirlwind 85 off 86 balls. Namibia ultimately fell short of their target of 273 in that game, but Burger's innings was the highest score of either innings (next highest was 60 off 77 by Alec Stewart), and the first ODI fifty ever scored by a Namibian. At only 21, he suddenly became one to keep an eye on.

He followed that up with 29 off 30 balls against India, 4 off 4 against Australia, and 41 off 42 in his final game against Netherlands as Namibia fell well short of their target of 315, and crashed out of the tournament winless.

He also picked up 3 wickets over the tournament with his legbreaks - Andy Flower, Saleem Elahi and Marcus Threscothick - although his 16 overs went for 104 runs in the process. Still, that's not a bad trio of wickets.

Burger is yet to play another ODI after that series, but he does leave with a record he can be proud off. Opening up with Saeed Anwar, he'll be expected to get us off to flying starts while the middle order steadily builds up to the end overs.

Zorax's World Cup XI
Saeed Anwar (Pak '96, '99 and '03) (915 runs @ 53.82)
Jan-Berrie Burger (Nam '03) (199 @ 33.16)
+Rahul Dravid (Ind '99, '03, and '07) (860 runs @ 61.42, 17 catches, 1 stumping)
*Steve Waugh (Aus '87, '92, '96 and '99) (978 @ 48.9, 27 wickets @ 30.14)
Steve Tikolo (Ken '96, '99, '03, '07) (724 @ 34.47, 14 wickets @ 28.21)
Chaminda Vaas (SL '96, '99, '03 and '07) (49 wickets at 21.22, 219 runs at 21.)
Sir Richard Hadlee (NZ, '75 '79 and '83) (22 wickets @ 19.13, 149 runs @ 16.55)

 

[sifter132]

Jan-Berrie Burger It's a memorable name...played a really brutal innings against England I think (or maybe NZ). I was tossing up between grabbing a guy like him or a taking a keeper. And since you took Dravid, I'll definitely take the keeper.

Niall O'Brien

O'Brien's a left handed wicketkeeper batsman who made a couple of nice half-centuries for Ireland in the 2007 World Cup. His 72 vs Pakistan in particular was a fantastic match winning knock, guiding Ireland to an unlikely victory. The highest score of the match apart from his was only 27, and only 6 others made double figures. He then made another impressive innings of 63 vs England a couple of weeks later to cement his reputation as one of Ireland's finest players, and to secure him a county deal with Northamptonshire. His World Cup strike rate is a bit low, but it's not entirely indicative of his play since there were a couple of times where he had to try and stonewall some good bowling to try and stop another Ireland collapse eg. 4 from 28 balls vs Sri Lanka when Ireland were skittled for 77. He's not the most awesome World Cup player ever that's for sure, but I think he's good value here as a tidy keeper who can chip in with the occasional valuable half-century.

World Cup Stats:
Matches: 9
Runs: 216
HS: 72
Average: 24.00
S/R: 57.75
Catches: 9
Stumpings: 0
1 Man of the Match award: 72(101) v Pakistan, 2007.

Batted mostly at #4 for Ireland, but more recently he's batted at the top of the order in country cricket for Northants and has scored some fast 50s as a pinch hitter. With that kind of versatility in mind, I'm sure he won't mind batting at #7...


And my Indian pick:
Mohammad Azharuddin

World Cup Stats:
Matches: 30
Runs: 826
HS: 93
Average: 39.33
S/R: 77.48
1 Man of the Match award: 54*(45) & 3/19(3.5) v Australia, 1987.

A stylish middle-order batsman for India in the 1987-1999 World Cup period. Never made any World Cup centuries, but made 8 half centuries in 25 innings, always seeming to contribute and at a good run rate for his time. Just for the record, he was awful against the minnows, his 3 innings vs Zimbabwe netting 21 runs. Azharuddin was also an occasional medium pacer who won a Man of the Match partly for surprising achievement of demolishing the Aussie tail. He was also an EXCELLENT fielder, one of India's best of all-time, in the ring mainly in ODIs or he was great in the slips too.

Another couple of reasons I like him: a) versatility - he made a WC 50 at each of the middle order spots: 3,4,5 & 6 - I'll have him at #5 initially b) captaincy - led India in 3 World Cups. 1992 wasn't too great for India, but in 1996 they made the semis and in 1999 they did pretty well, but couldn't quite defend the 252 they needed to to take NZs spot in the semis. He'll be provisional captain of my XI.

Sifter's XI
1 David Boon
2 Neil Johnson
3
4 Aravinda de Silva
5 Mohammad Azharuddin (c)
6
7 Niall O'Brien (wk)
8 Abdul Qadir
9
10
11 Geoff Allott

 

[shravi]

I choose Navjot Singh Sidhu. He played 12 matches and in 10 innings he amassed 454 runs at an average of 45.40 with a quite amazing 6 fifties to his name. His runs could come at quite a pace when he was in the mood so when he got going, he certainly struck fear into the hearts of many a bowler. He'll be batting at three for me which will up the scoring rate after a relatively steady start from Turner and Atapattu.

Glenn Turner ('75, '79, '83- 612 runs, 61 average, 2 hundreds, 2 fifties)
Marvan Atapattu ('99, '03- 521 runs, 43 average, 2 hundreds, 3 fifties)
Navjot Singh Sidhu ('87, '96- 12 matches, 10 innings, 454 runs, 45 average, 6 fifties)
4.
5.
6.
* Imran Khan ('75, '79, '83, '87, '92- 666 runs @ 35, 34 wickets @ 19)
Thomas Odoyo ('96, '99, '03, '07- 361 runs @ 26, 20 wickets @ 34)
Shane Warne ('96, '99- 32 wickets at 19.50)
Boyd Rankin ('07- 12 wickets @ 27)
11.

 

[Papa_Smurf]

Sir Viv Richards​

Fear. Intimidation. Destruction. Gum. Since the 70's, all these words have become synonymous with Viv Richards. In my humble opinion, and many others', he is the greatest batsman in both Tests (after the Don) and ODI's. He was a member of both WI squads that won the 1975 and 79 WC, as well as leading them to the 83 final.

In an era of great fast bowlers, bowler-friendly pitches (as in comparisons to today's) and no helmets, Richards dominated and ripped attacks apart like no other. Imran Khan, the great Pakistani fast-bowler, once singled out Richards as the only batsman who he knew he could do nothing to stop. I can go on, but most of you would have heard it all before. So what about his WC stats?

Ironically, the year when WI won the inagural WC, he was at his worst (understandable as he had just started his career then). In the 75 WC, he socred a measly 38 runs at an average of 12. Compare this to just 4 years after - 207 runs at an average above 100 and a SR in the late 70's. That seems more like it After this, there was only one way to go - more and more destruction. In the 83 WC and 87 WC, when he was captain, he scored 367 and 391 runs respectively, at a SR of 82 and 107!!!

For obvious reasons, Sir Viv Richards Richards makes my WC XI with final stats of:

WC Stats:

Matches: 23
Runs: 1013
Average: 63.31
SR: 85.05
HS: 181
100/50: 3/5

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Papa's WC XI:

1) A Gilchrist (+)
2) J Davison
3) I Richards (*)
4) Z Abbas
5) A Ranatunga
6)
7)
8) P Strang
9)
10) D Patel
11)

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There's a strong possibility I might not be online for a while, so decided to start the WI round since I'm on atm. Will post my Indian pick after Rizzy's picked his and I'm back on.

 

[riz7khan12]

Virender Sehwag

One of the most agressive batsmen of all time, Virender Sehwag has been the reason of India's strong starts in ODI's since he started opening the batting and decimating bowling attacks. He hasn't had the best of success at world cups, with his debut world cup (2003) being the best. He has scored 463 runs in his 14 innings at the world cup with 1 century and 3 half centuries at a strike-rate of 95.66. A opener like him compliments my side perfectly as the explosive opener joins his partner in Grant Flower.

Michael Holding

He was the most succesful of the pace quartet that the mighty West Indies had back around the first 3 world cups. Lightning fast and incredibly accurate would be the words to describe him. In his 11 world cup matches he took 20 wickets at an average of 17.05! A meagre economy rate of under 3.5 also made sure that he was both a restricting and a attacking bowler.


With my top 5 spots filled in i'm pleased with the order i have, hopefully i can pick up a few quality bowlers to go with holding and malinga.
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1. Virender Sehwag
2. Grant Flower
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Martin Crowe
5. Javed Miandad
6.
7.
8. Trent Johnston
9.
10. Lasith Malinga
11. Michael Holding​