Post Line-ups Legends At Battle XII | Round 3 - The greatest ODI batter who never was..

[VC the slogger]

i think in newzealand suad this should be a replacement
Ross Taylor Out
Bevan Congdon In
for bowling
bracewell out and
Hedley Howarth in

Congdon is fine but I would advise against including Howarth. There are better players available.

 

[VC the slogger]

Surprised that England still haven't found a place in there squad for Ranjitsinhji or his nephew Duleepsinhji. Ranji averaged 44.95 and 56.37 during his playing career which was between 1893 to 1920 which is quite a remarkable average because it was hard to score consistently back then with the bowler-friendly pitches mostly in use. There is no doubt that he was easily one of the best batsmen the world ever saw. Anyway, England's loss is Legends XI's gain .

 

[sos]

There have been numerous cricketing talents for us but only 18 can be included. Whom would I remove?? Len Hutton??? Ken Barrington??? Jack Hobbs???

 

[VC the slogger]

There have been numerous cricketing talents for us but only 18 can be included. Whom would I remove?? Len Hutton??? Ken Barrington??? Jack Hobbs???

Alan Knott perhaps. He doesn't have all that good a rating. There is a better wk batsman than both Knott and Stewart. He is Les Ames. He was the first great wicket-keeper batsman in the game and he's in the Legends XI squad.

 

[Aislabie]

Hehe, prepare to be mullered by the Rest of the World

 

[Gaurav_7]

OMG, Les Ames wasn't picked? That's a crime.

 

[Celtic Beer]

when is this league starting?

 

[VC the slogger]

when is this league starting?

Once all the squads are confirmed and the league banner for Season 3 is made by Ahmad, I'll post the fixtures and then it can start.

 

[Dipak]

Unchanged squad. Kirsten to lead.

 

[Andrin Issac]

Newzealand will rock

 

[Celtic Beer]

Srilankans will also Rock

 

[TheNameisNiru]

Posting squad tomorrow

 

[sos]

Les Ames in Allan Knott out
Herbert Sutcliffe in Graham Gooch out
Billy Bates in Wilfred Rhodes out
Ranjitsinghji in Kevin Pietersen out (Barrington gotta wait I think)
Trueman in Willis out

 

[VC the slogger]

Les Ames in Allan Knott out
Herbert Sutcliffe in Graham Gooch out
Billy Bates in Wilfred Rhodes out
Ranjitsinghji in Kevin Pietersen out (Barrington gotta wait I think)
Trueman in Willis out

A huge boost this for an already dominating team.

 

[Fenil]

Sir Donald Bradman (Batsman)

Sir Donald Bradman of Australia was, beyond any argument, the greatest batsman who ever lived and the greatest cricketer of the 20th century.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Captain of the 1948 The Invincible Australia squad
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1931
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 1996
Knighted for services to cricket 1949
Appointed Commander of the Order of Australia (AC) 1979
Selected as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, 2000

Frederick Spofforth (Bowler)

Tall, spindly, and a player who consistently tested the wits of opposing batsmen, Fred "The Demon" Spofforth was Australia's first true fast bowler. His first-class career spanned the 23-year period between 1874 and 1897 and, throughout that time, his accuracy, his lionhearted endeavor and the phenomenal rapidity of his wicket taking made him a revered figure.

Noteworthy Achievement:

Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 1996

Charlie "Terror" Turner (Allrounder)

Charles Thomas Biass "Charlie" Turner, a bowler ranking with the best ever produced by Australia. Altogether in 17 Test matches--all against England-- Turner took 101 wickets at 16.53 runs apiece in the course of ten years. This average just beats Robert Peel's 102 wickets at 16.81 and far surpasses the next best Australian record, 141 at 20.88 by Hugh Trumble in 32 Tests.

Noteworthy Achievement:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1889

John James Ferris (Bowler)

JJ Ferris was a deadly left-arm swing bowler who played Test cricket for Australia and England. In his eight Tests for the Aussies, Ferris wreaked havoc alongside Charlie Turner. His first act as a Test player was to bowl England out for 45, at Sydney in 1886-87, when he and Turner bowled unchanged. He later settled in England, for whom he played one Test, at Cape Town in 1891-92. Ferris took 13 for 91 in the match (he took 263 wickets on the tour) and ended up with 61 wickets at the amazing average of 12.70.

Noteworthy Achievement:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1889

Glenn McGrath (Bowler)

The young Glenn McGrath was described by Mike Whitney as "thin - but Ambrose-thin, not Bruce Reid-thin". Much later, Mike Atherton compared McGrath to Ambrose on a vaster scale. Catapulted from the outback of New South Wales into Test cricket to replace Merv Hughes in 1993, McGrath became the greatest Australian fast bowler of his time.

Notworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1998
Wisden Australia Cricketer of the Year 1999
Allan Border Medal 2000
Test Player of the Year - 2000
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2001
Wisden Australia Cricketer of the Year 2005-06
Member of the Order of Australia, Jan 2008

Dennis Lillee (Bowler)

Dennis Lillee, considered by many to have been "the complete bowler", was the heart of Australia's attack for more than a decade. Through a combination of ability, showmanship and sheer hard work he won the loyal following of the nation's crowds, who often roared his name as he ran in to bowl. And Lillee repaid their faith with interest - he was the type of character whom captains could rely on to bowl "one more over" at the end of a long spell, and often made breakthroughs when success seemed unlikely.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1973
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 2002
Member of the Order of Australia, Jan 2010

Bill Ponsford (Batsman)

A batsman who made a brilliant entry and exit to test cricket, with centuries in his first two tests and two on the way out, the current holder along with Bradman of Australia's highest ever partnership, Ponsford was viewed as workman-like batsman, who was viewed to as close as difficult to get out by some as Bradman, especially to spinners, as it was regarded that Bradman actually gave them a look at the stumps. His batting average was 48 in 29 tests, with 7 centuries, though not a standout. His ability to bounce back from the "Bodyline" series in 1932-33, in the next ashes series stands as a great statement of his ability with 569 runs at 94. Another thing to look at is his first class stats which were amazing with an average of 65 and over 12,000 runs, with 47 centuries including 2 scores over 400, usually in partnership with fellow international Bill Woodful. He was a man that never seemed to be overshadowed by Bradman and had an innate ability to form big partner ships when batting, and combining that with a toughness that could take countless blows during the bodyline, and high skill dealing with spin. These make him an ideal opener to have in any side.

Noteworthy Achievements:
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1935
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 1996

Bill O'Reilly (Spinner)

Bill O'Reilly, who died in a Sydney hospital on October 6, 1992, aged 86, was probably the greatest spin bowler the game has ever produced. Bill Tiger O'Reilly was unquestionably one of cricket's great figures: as a player, as a character and later as a writer on the game. His cricket was proof that spin bowling was not necessarily a gentle art. He was 6ft 2in tall, gripped the ball in his enormous right hand and released it at a pace that could be almost fast-medium. It would then bounce ferociously on the hard pitches of his time and, on occasion, knock wicket-keepers off their feet. He bowled leg-breaks and, especially, top-spinners and googlies, backed up by an intimidating manner.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1935
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 1996

Neil Harvey (Batsman)

One of Australia's all-time favourite cricketing sons, Neil Harvey was a gifted left-hand batsman, brilliantly athletic fielder, and occasional offspin bowler. On account of the richness of his talents, he served Victoria, New South Wales and Australia with great distinction during a first-class career which spanned the 16-year period between 1946-47 and 1962-63.

In short, Harvey was an electrifying batsman who thrilled spectators with the splendour of his strokeplay. He possessed a masterful technique as well as a full range of shots and he displayed to cricket followers a superbly steadfast temperament right from the moment, as a teenager, that he played his opening first-class innings. Throughout a career which ultimately netted him in excess of 20,000 first-class runs, bowlers rarely found a way of disrupting his concentration or curbing his attacking instincts. He also possessed disarming power for a man of relatively short height.

Noteworthy Achievements:

A member of 1948 "The Invincible" Australian Team
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1954
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 2000

Ray Lindwall (Allrounder)

A protg of Bill O'Reilly's at Sydney's famous St George club, Ray Lindwall renounced rugby for cricket after the Second World War, and was for a decade uncontested as Australia's new-ball bowler, a master in all conditions. Ashes opponent John Warr held that "if one were granted one last wish in cricket, it would be the sight of Ray Lindwall opening the bowling in a Test match". His powerful, rhythmic approach, unwavering control and late swing brought a hush to arenas all over the world: when he yorked Len Hutton with the second ball of the Headingley Test of July 1953, it was received with the solemnity of a declaration of war. Like his longtime bowling partner Keith Miller, Lindwall could also bat with spirit and adventure: his Test century at Melbourne in January 1947 was the second-fastest by an Australian. Ray Lindwall was undeniably one of the great fast bowlers, arguably the greatest of all the Australian practitioners, and perhaps the man who established fast bowling's role in the modern game. In the 1930s the game had been dominated by batsmen, with the brief, unacceptable, interlude of Bodyline. Lindwall began a new era in which bat and ball were more evenly matched, when the bouncer (or bumper as it was then called) was an accepted weapon, provided it was not overused. He bowled the bumper sparingly but brilliantly, and the mere possibility of it made batsmen uneasy. He thus paved the way for all the other great fast bowlers of the post-war era, from Trueman to Ambrose. But in fact more than two-fifths of Lindwall's 228 Test victims were bowled.

Noteworthy Achievements:

A member of 1948 "The Invincible" Australian Team
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1949
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 1996

Keith Miller (Allrounder)

Keith Miller enlivened the post-war years with his brilliant all-round play, able to turn a match with an attacking innings or a fiery spell of bowling. He is probably best remembered for his new-ball partnership with Ray Lindwall, but it was as a classical batsman that he first made his mark: a photograph of Miller clipping a textbook square-drive adorned the desk of the cricket-loving Australian prime minister Robert Menzies for many years.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1954
Awarded the OBE in Jan 1956
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 1996

Clem Hill (Batsman)

Clem Hill, the Australian left-handed batsman, ranked among the finest cricketers in the world during a long period.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1900
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 2005

Greg Chappell (Batting Allrounder)

Upright and unbending, with a touch of the tin soldier about his bearing, Greg Chappell was the outstanding Australian batsman of his generation. Though he had an appetite for big scores, it was his calm brow and courtly manner that bowlers found just as disheartening. He made a century in his first and final Tests, and 22 more in between - although perhaps the outstanding batting of his career left no trace on the record-books, his 621 runs at 69 in five unauthorised World Series Cricket "SuperTests" in the Caribbean in 1979, off a West Indian attack of unprecedented hostility.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1973
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 2002

Ricky Ponting (Batsman)

Ricky Ponting, the most uncompromising player of his generation, grew into Australia's most successful run-maker and only sits below Bradman in the country's overall ratings. It takes an extremely critical eye to diminish his run-scoring achievements, which seem to collect new records in every series.

Noteworthy Achievements:

ICC Player of the Year - 2006,2007
ICC Test Player of the Year - 2003, 2004, 2006
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2002
Allan Border Medal - 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
Wisden Cricketer of the Year - 2006
Cricinfo Player of the Decade - 2000-09

Adam Gilchrist (Wicket-keeper)

Going in first or seventh, wearing whites or coloureds, Adam Gilchrist was the symbolic heart of Australia's steamrolling agenda and the most exhilarating cricketer of the modern age. He was simultaneously a cheerful throwback to more innocent times, a flap-eared country boy who walked when given not out in a World Cup semi-final, and swatted his second ball for six while sitting on a Test pair. "Just hit the ball," is how he once described his philosophy on batting, and he seldom strayed from it. Employing a high-on-the-handle grip, he poked good balls into gaps and throttled most others, invariably with head straight, wrists soft and balance sublime. Only at the death did he jettison the textbook, whirling his bat like a hammer-thrower, caring only for the scoreboard and never his average. Still he managed to score at a tempo - 81 per 100 balls in Tests, 96 in one-dayers - that made Viv Richards and Gilbert Jessop look like stick-in-the-muds.

Noteworthy Achievements:

First man to score 100 sixes in tests
Most dismissals in ODIs
Wisden Cricketer of the Year - 2002
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2003
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2004
Walter Lawrence Trophy 2010

Monty Noble (Allrounder)

During his long career, Monty Noble showed exceptional ability in every detail of the game, and by many people was regarded as the greatest all-round cricketer produced by Australia. He excelled as a batsman, bowler, fieldsman and captain, notably in placing his field to block a batsman's favourite strokes. The first Monty to be a crowd favourite, M.A. Noble was the most complete player of the late 1800s and early 1900s. A medium pacer and batsman who appeared everywhere from opener to No. 9, Noble was capable of holding his place with either discipline and was a crucial member for Australia over 11 years and 42 Tests.

With the ball Noble employed break-backs, although when the wicket was not offering assistance he preferred "spin-swerve", and Ranjitsinhji rated him in his best six medium pacers. "He reached 1000 runs and 100 wickets in 27 Tests - five fewer than Benaud, six fewer than Miller, seven fewer than Davidson," Ray Robinson wrote in On Top Down Under. "He averaged a victim every 59 balls, a ball sooner than Lindwall's striking rate".

Noble scored one Test century, 133 at Sydney in 1903-04 during his first Test as captain, and finished with 1997 career runs at 30.25 to go alongside 121 wickets at 25.00. "A wonderfully good medium pace bowler; an extremely solid batsman and at point, a most brilliant field," wrote the Victoria representative J. Elliott Monfries in Not Test Cricket.

Noteworthy Achievement:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1900

Victor Trumper (Batsman)

Of all the great Australian batsmen Victor Trumper was by general consent the best and most brilliant. No one else among the famous group, from Charles Bannerman - thirty-nine years ago - to Bardsley and Macartney at the present time, had quite such remarkable powers. To say this involves no depreciation of Clem Hill, Noble, or the late WL Murdoch. Trumper at the zenith of his fame challenged comparison with Ranjitsinhji. He was great under all conditions of weather and ground. He could play quite an orthodox game when he wished to, but it was his ability to make big scores when orthodox methods were unavailing that lifted him above his fellows.

For this reason Trumper was, in proportion, more to be feared on treacherous wickets than on fast, true ones. No matter how bad the pitch might be from the combined effects of rain and sunshine, he was quite likely to get 50 runs, his skill in pulling good-length balls amounting to genius.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1903
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 1996

Shane Warne (Spinner)

Once the highest wicket taker in test matches, the man who bowled the "ball of the century" is one of the greatest spinners that have played the game. Shane Warne was usually amongst wickets even on non-responding pitches. He used to turn a great deal and that was not it. He has many variations to fox the best of the batsmen. Warne brought legspin out from a dusty closet and made it fashionable again. A charismatic, spectacular performer who made as headlines on the field and off it, he finished second-best to Muttiah Muralitharan in the Test wickets stakes, but to many he remains the greatest spinner - if not bowler - of them all. Warne was also a good lower oder batsman and often added vital runs for his side and on numerous occasions his innings would prove to be the difference for Australia.

Noteworthy Achievements:

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1994
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2000
Selected as one of five Wisden cricketers of the century, 2000
Test Player of the Year - 2006