The Budget Draft: Project 200

[Ed Smith]

Lohmann, Barnes, Constantine, and Mr A. N. Other are licking their lips.

We're a bit soft up top like haha

 

[Deleted member 193590]

What?

The name for his bowler not yet picked.

 

[Master Bates]

The name for his bowler not yet picked.

Let's hope he gets picked soon.

 

[blockerdave]

Let's hope he gets picked soon.

depending on how I decide to go he’ll either be one of my next double picks, or I might wait till last

 

[Aislabie]

For some time after his retirement, there was only really one name in the discussion for the greatest wicket-keeper of all time: the soft-handed, fleet-footed Godfrey Evans. Wisden said that he made wicket-keeping "a spectator sport in itself", flipping the old adage of a great wicket-keeper not being noticed on its head. Nor was he merely a gloveman: he had been selected first for Kent as a batsman, and though he would go on to make his name behind as opposed to in front of the stumps, he was still good enough to make a brace of Test centuries: 104 each against India and West Indies, each scored in a little over a session. He will combine with Benaud for some very exciting partnerships should the match situation allow it.

Test Stats (91 matches)
2,439 runs @ 20.49 (2 centuries, best 104)
173 catches, 46 stumpings

1. WG Grace (Cost: 32)
2. Javed Omar Belim (Cost: 22)
3.
4.
5. Syd Gregory (Cost: 24)
6. Richie Benaud (Cost: 24)
7. Godfrey Evans (Cost: 20)
8. Fred Spofforth (Cost: 9)
9. Jasprit Bumrah (Cost: 2)
10. Jack Iverson (Cost: 0)
11. Brett Schultz (Cost: 1)

Budget remaining: 66

@ahmedleo414

 

[Aislabie]

Budgets Remaining

• @Aislabie (9 players / budget remaining: 66)
• @DalePlaysCricket (9 players / budget remaining: 58)
• @ahmedleo414 (8 players / budget remaining: 56)
• @CerealKiller (8 players / budget remaining: 88)
• @blockerdave (8 players / budget remaining: 59)

 

[ahmedleo414]

Neil Fairbrother, only played 10 test with a batting average of 15.64 but, in First Class batted with an average of 41.22 and scored over 20,000 runs. I believe he deserved more of a chance to prove himself in tests given is good ODI and FC record, therefore i have put him at number 5

219 runs @ 15.64 (best 83)

1. Ricky Ponting (Cost: 51)
2. Wasim Bari (Cost: 15)
3.
4.
5. Neil Fairbrother (Cost: 15)
6. Wasim Akram (Cost: 22)
7. Fred Titmus (Cost: 22)
8. Ian Bishop (Cost: 12)
9. Danish Kaneria (Cost: 7)
10. Courtney Walsh (Cost: 8)
11. Lance Gibbs (Cost: 7)

Budget Remaining: 41

@CerealKiller

 

[blockerdave]

Oh man I have a double pick coming up, I am so excited!!

 

[Aislabie]

1. Ricky Ponting (Cost: 51)
2. Wasim Bari (Cost: 15)
3.
4.
5. Neil Fairbrother (Cost: 15)

Slightly odd batting order here - I get using Bari as a makeshift opener, but there's got to be an argument for playing your best player in his best position. That would mean Ponting at three

 

[ahmedleo414]

Fair point, depending on on my last pick I might adjust the top batting order, but my reasoning was I could have Ricky play his shots while Bari can anchor the innings... I might move Ricky down to three if I can find a better replacement

 

[Aislabie]

@CerealKiller is very nearly late. It's about an hour and a half until @blockerdave can go ahead and make his double pick (at which point it'll be his go again)

 

[blockerdave]

@CerealKiller is very nearly late. It's about an hour and a half until @blockerdave can go ahead and make his double pick (at which point it'll be his go again)

Yes, I can't believe he's made me wait... I'm so excited but I'm also still undecided!

Do I pick the best batsman of his generation, and that allows me to pick an unfortunate bowler... or do i pick the greatest cricketer of all time which means I have to find another 0 average bowler...

Or do I pick one of my favourite cricketers ever, which would allow me to pick a very unfortunate bowler, or perhaps even an unbelievable spinner...

Do we class Barnes as a spinner, in which case my team really needs an express pace bowler, or do we not, in which case it needs a top class spinner


I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!

 

[Aislabie]

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!

Well, it's decision time

 

[blockerdave]

Brian Charles Lara, cost 52. As soon as this draft started I knew I'd save enough budget for him. If I could choose any batsman to watch bat and score a hundred it would be him. Held the world test record, lost it, and took it back. 400* highest test score, 501* highest FC score. Glorious batsman, costs 52 and who cares.

Wayne Daniel, would have had more caps but for World Series, and an awful lot more but for being West Indian. Adds the missing ingredient of express pace to my bowling attack, and costs 6.

I've taken @Aislabie advice and taken the gloves off Stewart, that'll be my last pick. 199 used, 1 left.

I am absurdly delighted with that batting line-up. given the constraints of the draft to have 3 batsmen averaging over 50 in FC, and a 4th (Richards) averaging 49. In fact Andy Lloyd is the only member of the top 6 not to average over 40 in first class cricket. I think it's a half decent bowling attack, too!!

1. Jimmy Cook (cost 17)
2. Andy Lloyd (cost 0)
3. Alec Stewart (cost 39)
   
4. Brian Lara (cost 52)
5. Viv Richards (cost 50)
6. Stuart Law (cost 0)
7. Learie Constantine (cost 19)
8. -
9. George Lohmann (cost 8)
10. Sydney Barnes (cost 8)
11. Wayne Daniel (cost 6)

199/200. 1 left.


back to @CerealKiller

 

[CerealKiller]

My second opener is Aussie Ken Meuleman, who, despite averaging 47 in 117 FC matches, only played 1 Test against New Zealand, making a duck in his only innings. He was an influential coach in Western Australia, playing a role in the development of Justin Langer, among other good players.

CerealKiller’s XI
1. Ken Meuleman (Cost: 0)
2. Tim Curtis (Cost: 15)
3.
4. Rob Bailey (Cost: 14)
5.
6. Mike Procter (Cost: 25)
7. Prasanna Jayawardena (Cost: 29)
8. Waqar Younis (Cost: 10)
9. Allan Donald (Cost: 10)
10. Glenn McGrath (Cost: 7)
11. Bert Ironmonger (Cost: 2)

Budget remaining : 88