The Pre-Twenty20 Draft

[blockerdave]

That is a phenomenal pick. Someone I never would have thought of, but one of the most valuable players in this draft I think given the hitting prowess you've just highlighted.

Yes I thought he might not be on others lists because his “visible” career didn’t have as much ODI or List A pyrotechnics, but if were taking players at their peak, in his mid-20s playing T20 I think he’d have been awesome.

And after Aravinda went (another I thought might go under the radar) I wasn’t risking losing Dolly too!

 

[Bevab]

Charles Macartney. A bit busy right now so will make a detailed post tomorrow explaining my selection. The man certainly deserves it and was way ahead of his times.

@CerealKiller your turn mate.

 

[Aislabie]

Charles Macartney. A bit busy right now so will make a detailed post tomorrow explaining my selection. The man certainly deserves it and was way ahead of his times.

Now he WAS on my list (probably the most mainstream player left on it). Excellent pick

 

[blockerdave]

Can’t say I knew anything of Macartney, but reading about him now he sounds a great pick.

That’s what’s so cool about these drafts - seeing new perspectives on players you know and finding out about those you don’t.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Surprised to see an Indian all-rounder still not being picked over here. No, I am not referring to Kapil Dev but that player was certainly the best all-rounder for India after Kapil Dev during his time.

 

[Master Bates]

Surprised to see an Indian all-rounder still not being picked over here. No, I am not referring to Kapil Dev but that player was certainly the best all-rounder for India after Kapil Dev during his time.

Pathan?

 

[Villain]

Pathan?

Irfan Pathan has played so many T20s and I don't think he officially retired either.

 

[CerealKiller]

Alan Davidson. The greatest left arm quick of all time, if Wasim Akram had never existed. Conceded less than two runs an over, and only two post-war bowlers have a better bowling average than his 20.53. He was a master at opening the bowling, getting the ball to swing late. With the bat, he was a hard hitting lower order batsman, and to top it off, he was nicknamed "The Claw" for his ability to take fantastic catches in the infield.
In my team, he'll open the bowling and bowl throughout the powerplay, and bat at 7.
There is no better comparison than Akram, but among modern players, Mitchell Starc, if he improved his batting a bit.

CerealKiller's XI
1. Graeme Pollock
2. Victor Trumper
3.
4.
5. Imran Khan
6.
7. Alan Davidson
8.
9.
10. Bill O'Reilly
11.

@Aislabie

 

[Aislabie]

Overall Pick #35: Colin Milburn

Profile
"No-one in my mind has ever hit the ball harder than the burly right-hander." So said Richie Benaud not of Ian Botham, Viv Richards or any other of the players who most would instantly associate with such a statement, but of Northamptonshire and Western Australia's Colin Milburn. It remains one of the great losses to cricket that the then 27-year-old Milburn lost his dominant left eye in a brutal car accident in 1969, a time at which he had accrued a Test record of 654 often brutal runs at an average of 46.71. His first-class numbers look incredibly modest by comparison, but this owes a great deal to the fact that he came back to play for Northants until 1974 with his dominant eye gone and his weak eye damaged. Though this second act of his career was far more modest than the first, the fact that a one-eyed batsman was not an outright burden to his county side speaks of his frankly obscene talent.

Comparable T20 Player
Looking for a big-hitting batsman whose physical encumberances mean they can't contribute very much in the field? That would be one Chris Lynn, coming right up.

Finest Performances
The Sheffield Shield is not a competition that eagerly welcomes overseas players. When it does, they usually have names like Garfield Sobers, Imran Khan or Mason Crane. And Colin Milburn, who was not only universally popular, but also extremely successful on the field. At his best, he posted 243 runs in a day against Queensland despite being dismissed shortly after tea. This included 180 runs in the afternoon session.

Role in the Team
Milburn's role in this team would be much the same as his role in any other team he played in: that of the destructive opening batsman.

Overall Pick #36: Leslie Ames

​

Profile
Okay, so I was going to leave my wicket-keeper until later, but there are still a lot of you who haven't picked your wicket-keepers yet when Les Ames is clearly the best available option. When assessing his merits, you're essentially looking at two players: Les Ames the batsman, and Les Ames the wicket-keeper. The batsman was world-class: a Test match average of 40, a first-class average of 43 and 102 centuries. He was entirely capable of going on the attack to great effect: his Test-best 149 came in only two hours and ten minutes, with other innings like a 144-minute 103 and 145-minute 115 showing that he was a batsman who could really turn the gears. But that's only half of what was on offer: the flip-side of that was his wicket-keeping, which was particularly adept up to the stumps, where he effected a world record 418 stumpings over the course of his career. And that despite the great big clunky wicket-keeping pads that were de rigeur at the time.

Comparable T20 Player
A calm batsman who could go through the gears, whilst being probably the world's best stumping-merchant? Of course I'm thinking of MS Dhoni.

Finest Performances
In Charles Marriott's only Test, Ames completed the stumpings for two of his wickets in addition to six catches and only one bye across a match that was played on an unusually lively Oval pitch. Weeks before, he had turned an earlier Test in the series on its head by posting an unbeaten 83 in a match where a sub-300 score was enough to win by an innings.

Role in the Team
He's our wicket-keeper, and will probably stand up to the stumps for Sydney Barnes and some of the other bowlers who I've not selected yet. He's also our cool head in the middle order.

Aislabie's XI so far:
1. Colin Milburn (Pick #35)
2. Don Bradman (Pick #3)
3. Zaheer Abbas (Pick #12)
4.
5. Leslie Ames (Pick #36)
6. Mike Procter (Pick #27)
7.
8.
9.
10. Sydney Barnes (Pick #16)
11.

Next pick:
@CerealKiller

 

[Bevab]

Ames is a brilliant pick mate. Got misled by a perception that he wasn’t as quick at scoring runs but those innings you’ve listed clearly show that he is capable of shifting gears when required. Truly reminiscent of MS Dhoni as you’ve described.

 

[CerealKiller]

Stan McCabe
McCabe was never dropped from the Australian team, from his debut till his retirement, and for a good reason. Averaging nearly 50, he also scored at a strike rate of over 60, only Trumper and Bradman being quicker at that time. His breakthrough came in the first Test of the infamous Bodyline series of 1932/33, when he made an unbeaten 187 in just four hours, as his teammates fell to the brutal English tactics. He stayed on the attack throughout the innings, hooking relentlessly. Against South Africa away in 1935/36, he made 149 in a winning cause in the first Test, with the wind so strong that it caused balls to make U-turns after being hit. In the second Test, he smashed 189 not out while chasing 399, despite having altitude sickness, the pitch having irregular bounce and wicked turn, and a dust storm followed by dark clouds and poor visibility on the final day. This innings included 100 runs in the first session of day 5.
Bradman himself considered him an all-time great, and Wisden described as one of Australia's "greatest and most enterprising batsmen".
McCabe could also roll his arm over as a medium pacer, but his services with the ball likely won't be needed.
A batsman who dominated bowlers in adverse conditions, and sometimes bowled medium pace. Virat Kohli is the perfect comparison.

CerealKiller's XI
1. Graeme Pollock
2. Victor Trumper
3.
4. Stan McCabe
5. Imran Khan
6.
7. Alan Davidson
8.
9.
10. Bill O'Reilly
11.

@Bevab

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Pathan?

He doesn't belong to the era when T20Is were not played. And the player who I am referring to also belongs to the Kapil Dev era. Infact even past that for few years.

 

[Master Bates]

He doesn't belong to the era when T20Is were not played. And the player who I am referring to also belongs to the Kapil Dev era. Infact even past that for few years.

oh yes i forgot. is it Mankad?

 

[Bevab]

oh yes i forgot. is it Mankad?

Pretty sure Mankad wasn’t even alive during Dev’s career. I have a feeling of who @NilayShah60 might be suggesting. Honestly, all of the Indian all-rounders during this era or right after it were either too defensive or lacked the consistency to make them worth picking at this stage.

Personally, I’m surprised that a certain keeper who was known for being an absolute slogger and a bowling all-rounder who had a cult following around him haven’t been picked so far despite having poor numbers with their consistency.

 

[blockerdave]

Niamh Shah means RB or SP, most likely SP.

Les Ames is a fine pick, I reckon my keeper pick is better still.