Draft: The Layer Cake Draft

[Aislabie]

Cant wait to see my team....and here come the opening batsmen.....Ken Farnes and Chuck Fleetwood-Smith

Can we take a moment to credit the excellent choice of niche cricketers

 

[Bevab]

If there is still a place, I'm willing to participate!

Personal schedules be damned!

 

[Ed Smith]

Done

 

[Master Bates]

Done

Thank goodness!

 

[Aislabie]

If there is still a place, I'm willing to participate!

Personal schedules be damned!

I shall PM you

 

[blockerdave]

Not to be "that guy" but this seems to be taking an interminable amount of time to get going.

T

 

[Aislabie]

Not to be "that guy" but this seems to be taking an interminable amount of time to get going.

I was at work then yoga, so I've only just got onto my laptop for the first time and haven't eaten dinner yet. Hopefully @Bevab will post his picks in the next half-hour or so

 

[Bevab]

Apologies to everyone, I will get my picks done by evening.

 

[Bevab]

PM sent!

 

[Aislabie]

IT IS TIME

All of the PMs are back. All of the food has been eaten. It is time for me to announce what on earth has happened.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 1: @ahmedleo414

Jacques Kallis

Rejected by: @Dutch / @El Loco

Test stats: 13,289 runs @ 55.37 (45 centuries, best 224) and 292 wickets @ 32.65 (5 5WI, best 6/54) in 166 matches
First-Class stats: 19,565 runs @ 54.10 (62 centuries, best 224) and 427 wickets @ 31.69 (8 5WI, best 6/54) in 257 matches

An excellent choice of protected player, one of the very greatest all-rounders of all time will be a vital cog for @ahmedleo414 as he seeks to build a side around him.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 2: @Aislabie

Imran Khan

Rejected by: None

Test stats: 3,807 runs @ 37.69 (6 centuries, best 136) and 362 wickets @ 22.81 (23 5WI, best 8/58) in 88 matches
First-class stats: 17,771 runs @ 36.79 (30 centuries, best 170) and 1,287 wickets @ 22.32 (70 5WI, 8/34) in 382 matches

If it weren't for the fact that he was a Test-class batsman, he'd have been thought of as an all-time great opening bowler. In that way, he's a reverse Kallis.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 3: @Bevab

Sunil Gavaskar

Rejected by: None

Test stats: 10,122 runs @ 51.12 (34 centuries, best 236*) in 125 matches
First-class stats: 25,834 @ 51.46 (81 centuries, best 340) in 348 matches

Before there was the Little Master, there was the Little Master. Sunil Gavaskar was Indian batting for years on end. No matter how entertaining someone like Kris Srikkanth was, Gavaskar got the runs.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 4: @blockerdave

Clive Rice

Rejected by: None

First-class stats: 26,331 runs @ 40.95 (48 centuries, best 246) and 930 wickets @ 22.49 (23 5WI, best 7/46) in 482 matches

Had it not been for the horrors of Apartheid leading to the entirely reasonable exclusion of South African sport, Clive Rice would have been remembered as the equal of the very best '80s all-rounders like Khan or Botham.

 

[Aislabie]

Protected Player 5: @CerealKiller

Shane Warne

Rejected by: @Aislabie / @Bevab / @blockerdave / @DalePlaysCricket / @Dutch / @El Loco / @Master Bates

Test stats: 3,154 runs @ 17.32 (best 99) and 708 wickets @ 25.41 (37 5WI, best 8/71) in 145 matches
First-class stats: 6,919 runs @ 19.43 (2 centuries, best 107*) and 1,319 wickets @ 26.11 (69 5WI, best 8/71) in 301 matches

The only person who didn't either protect or reject Shane Warne was @ahmedleo414 and you can see why - you'd generally want to make sure that nobody else could get their hands on a spinner as good as this.