Draft: The Mashrafe Mortaza Simulation Draft

[ddrap14]

@ddrap14 - Courtney Kruger
A really impressive human being, but not such an impressive batsman. And he'll have to bat at five for you...

Great, I played myself. Luckily, barring some sneaky business, I have perfect sixes and sevens for this pick and I doubt anyone else has them...

 

[Aislabie]

@CerealKiller has a late pick; @El Loco can go ahead with his pick

 

[CerealKiller]

Imran Khan
Josephat Ababu for the lottery

 

[Aislabie]

This time @El Loco is late, so @ddrap14 can go

 

[ddrap14]

Well I have to balance out the Courtney Kruger loss so I'll take Michael Bevan. Bats at six, handy sixth bowler and possibly the greatest finisher ODI cricket has seen.

Lottery... it's Mashrafe Mortaza Sim Draft, let's go a Bangladeshi in the form of Alok Kapali. Don't let his test hat trick decieve you, he was rubbish.

@El Loco @Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Joel Garner

ODI stats - 146 wickets @ 18.84 (econ 3.09, 3 5WI, best 5/31) in 98 matches
List A stats - 397 wickets @ 16.61 (econ 2.96, 10 5WI, best 6/29) in 256 matches

A pick that I feel exceptionally lucky to be able to make: the greatest death bowler of all time. Regardless of the current discourse around how yorkers are becoming less effective, Garner would not be a bowler you could just get down on one knee and scoop without fearing for life and limb. If he'd played an ODI, I'd potentially have picked Mike Procter ahead of him to better balance the side. Having Garner instead is not a problem.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Garfield Sobers (middle-order hitter/attacking bowler)
7.
8. Kwame Tucker (firefighter/gloveman)
9. Joel Garner (death bowler)
10.
11.

And my nomination for the lottery...


Michael Yardy

ODI stats - 326 runs @ 20.37 (SR: 69.06, best 60*) and 21 wickets @ 51.19 (econ: 4.84, best 3/24) in 28 matches
List A stats - 3,677 runs @ 25.01 (SR: idk, best 98*) and 141 wickets @ 38.82 (econ: 5.12, 1 5WI, best 6/27) in 209 matches

Honestly not a bad player to pick up, but not a fashionable one.

@El Loco and @qpeedore to make their picks and nominations before the next lottery

 

[qpeedore]

This one is a bit unusual - you'd not really think of him as an aggressive player. But Shiv Chanderpaul. This is a player who has a 50-odd ball Test hundred, a player who kept his nerve to hit a last-ball six to win a game against Sri Lanka, a player who I'd want in a crutch situation.

Adam Sanford into the lottery.

@El Loco for his pick, or if @Aislabie wants to go ahead with the lottery.

 

[Aislabie]

This one is a bit unusual - you'd not really think of him as an aggressive player. But Shiv Chanderpaul. This is a player who has a 50-odd ball Test hundred, a player who kept his nerve to hit a last-ball six to win a game against Sri Lanka, a player who I'd want in a crutch situation.

That is certainly a pick I'd not have seen coming.

As for @El Loco - I'll give another 24 hours before giving him an autopick he can change later, and picking a lottery player at random

 

[qpeedore]

And once again, guess who's on commentary? Ian Rafael Bishop. He has always been there for our big moments. Think that might be Jimmy Adams with him co-commentating.

 

[El Loco]

Sorry was bogged down in uni, I ought to just keep this tab open at all times from now on.

I'll take Muttiah Muralitharan and Scotland's Mike Allingham will enter the lottery.

 

[Aislabie]

LOTTERY TWO

@Aislabie - Mike Allingham
Oh no.

@ddrap14 - Josephat Ababu
Kruger and Ababu is a very unfortunate way to start your lotteries...

@CerealKiller - Adam Sanford Deighton Butler
The original nominee had never actually played ODIs, so I replaced him with a seamer who struck me as being in the same vein.

@Parth D - Alok Kapali
Getting Kapali out of this draft isn't a bad result - on his good days he could be entirely adequate in all departments.

@qpeedore - David Obuya
A second competent player from two lotteries - can't say fairer than that even if he is most famous for Brett Lee breaking his arm while getting him out.

@El Loco - Michael Yardy
A really strong lottery player to bat down the order and bowl stock spin. Excellent result.

@ddrap14 - at least you're up next to fix it!

 

[ddrap14]

Kruger and Ababu is a very unfortunate way to start your lotteries...

Better than another number five...

For my draft player I'm going with Chaminda Vaas. One of the great ODI bowlers, and in addition to this he can hold the bat decently.

Lottery? Iain Philp. An incredibly terrible player, maybe even worse than Allingham. Let's hope he goes to Aislabie again because Philp and Allingham opening the batting would just be fabulous.

@qpeedore

 

[Aislabie]

Iain Philp. An incredibly terrible player, maybe even worse than Allingham.

He struggled in the '99 World Cup in his 40s, but the other thing that was in his 40s was his first-class batting average - with four centuries. He's definitely not the worst player any of us will pick up

 

[qpeedore]

Lance Klusener. Will come into the late middle when there's a few left to smash around, and can bowl the new and old ball alike.

Andre Fletcher into the lottery.

@Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Andrew Symonds

ODI stats - 5,088 runs @ 39.75 (SR: 92.44, 6 centuries, best 156) and 133 wickets @ 37.25 (econ: 5.00, 1 5WI, best 5/18) in 198 matches
List A stats - 11,099 runs @ 34.04 (SR: idk, 9 centuries, best 156) and 282 wickets @ 33.25 (econ: 4.80, 4 5WI, best 6/14) in 424 matches

Another utility player, and in my opinion one of the most underrated one-day international cricketers of all time. He'll make for one of the most dynamic middle-order pairings imaginable when he's put alongside Garry Sobers (which is a good job really as we might be needing it), as well as being possibly the most athletic big man in the history of fielding. His bowling - both brisk medium pace and off-spin - was underrated, although he's more of a partnership breaker than outright attacking bowler which is the role I may be asking him to fill.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1.
2. Mike Allingham (anchor I guess)
3.
4.
5. Andrew Symonds (middle-order hitter/possible attacking bowler)
6. Garfield Sobers (middle-order hitter/attacking bowler)
7.
8.
9. Kwame Tucker (firefighter/gloveman)
10. Joel Garner (death bowler)
11.

And my nomination for the lottery...

Javed Omar Belim

ODI stats - 1,312 runs @ 23.85 (SR: 51.89, best 85*) in 59 matches
List A stats - 2,381 runs @ 24.29 (SR: slow, best 85*) in 108 matches

If you need a man to play out a maiden, or chase down a target of under 150, this is your guy. His ODI best of 85 not out came from 146 deliveries, and he hit only four boundaries in his while carrying his bat for the entire feeble innings of 175 for 6. He's not just going to score slowly, he's going to hang around for some time while doing it.

@CerealKiller is up next