The Pre-Twenty20 Draft

[Bevab]

A spin bowling all-rounder, an opener also batted in middle order. He is an Indian

If it is who I think it is, he’s definitely not going to be picked by me. I fail to see what he would offer too, wasn’t a quick scorer in his times except on the rare occasion and didn’t offer much with the ball either. There are plenty of other all-rounders who were either extremely quick scorers or more resilient with the bat and had better records with the ball that haven’t been picked so far.[DOUBLEPOST=1564935246][/DOUBLEPOST]

Then it’s not either of the guys I thought it might be, but I think I know who it might be and I’m afraid he’s not on my list either.

Edit - though if it is who I think it his, his Sikh one-time opening partner was in my long list but I’m unlikely to pick him

Your initial guess of SP might be a hipster choice in the end...

 

[Aislabie]

Your initial guess of SP might be a hipster choice in the end...

Definitely a pick I could see the merits of, but I don't foresee picking him unless someone else takes my number four

 

[blockerdave]

Your initial guess of SP might be a hipster choice in the end...

I’m really going back and forth on a few picks... I’m even not entirely sure whether to pick an opener or move Jessop and others up and pick a middle order...

Also need a 7 and a 9.

Think I’ve got the ones in my head that I’ll pick.

None are SP though

 

[CerealKiller]

Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir can be credited with singlehandedly keeping legspin alive through the pace heavy late 70s and 80s. He had a unique run-up, and a box full of varieties, including the stock legbreak, two different googlies, the topspinner and the flipper. He is widely regarded as the best spin bowler of his generation. Graham Gooch even called him better than Shane Warne, while Richie Benaud included him in his all-time XI, which is all you need to know. In total, he took 132 ODI wickets at an average of 26.
In this team, he will complement O'Reilly, who relies more on varying his speed, with his relatively more orthodox wrist spin in the middle overs.

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

@Rebel2k19

 

[Aislabie]

Qadir is an excellent pick. Very nice bowling attack you've put together there

 

[Gaurav_7]

01. Gordon Greenidge
02. Farokh Engineer
03. Viv Richards
04. Javed Miandad
05. Keith Miller
06.
07. Richard Hadlee
08.
09. George Lohmann
10. Courtney Walsh
11. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar[DOUBLEPOST=1564974732][/DOUBLEPOST]@Villain

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I fail to see what he would offer too, wasn’t a quick scorer in his times except on the rare occasion and didn’t offer much with the ball either.

But Ravi Shastri was still the 2nd player in the history to hit six sixes in an over. Might not have greatest of stats but he did posses the ability to hit the long ball out of the park. He could've still made it into few T20 sides.

 

[Bevab]

But Ravi Shastri was still the 2nd player in the history to hit six sixes in an over. Might not have greatest of stats but he did posses the ability to hit the long ball out of the park. He could've still made it into few T20 sides.

And Alastair Cook plus Pujara and Chandimal both have scored T20 hundreds.. yet they wouldn't be anywhere near your overall XI in T20 history. Every player has his day where everything goes right for them, which is why his record over a series of games matters a lot more. Shastri's six sixes came in Ranji Trophy, if you compare the stats of several players of his era you will find that a lot of them averaged in the 40s yet failed to come anywhere close to that in international cricket. The standard of Indian domestic cricket was simply not good enough back in those days. Sure, Shastri would make into a few IPL sides as he was a decent international cricketer in his time and also because he is Indian.

I repeat, some of the greatest pinch hitters/impact players in cricket history have still not been picked yet, including the player most famous for sixes during Shastri's era. If at all someone needed an Indian all-rounder, there is one player who was arguably India's first overseas superstar and had everything that you seek in Shastri from economical spells to aggressive batting, including an actually competent brain for coaching and management.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Shastri from economical spells to aggressive batting, including an actually competent brain for coaching and management.

I know that he is a worst coach that one can have but that has got nothing to do with him as a player. I do think there a lot of other players as who are better than him. But I am looking at his striking ability and a power that he possessed.

 

[Bevab]

Sir Everton Weekess

​

Reasons for selection:

• Weekes was one among the hallowed trio of Three W's to have graced West Indian cricket in the 1950s. Weekes also has the second highest test batting average in West Indies and had an average of 60 for most of his career except towards the very end when he was blighted by injuries.
• In terms of batting style, Weekes was a stylish batsman who relied on quick footwork, hand-eye coordination and wrists for his marvelous variety of strokes. He seldom relied on defense, instead choosing to always play with positive 'intent' like a certain Indian skipper.
• Weekes was particularly destructive against spin and slower bowlers due to his excellent footwork, which left him almost always in the right place for the right shot. His favourite shot was the drive, particularly the cover drive but he was equally capable on the back foot particularly with shots square of the wicket.
• He was also the quickest scorer among the Three W's in addition to being the most consistent and was one of the quickest to score runs in his era, with an estimated strike rate of around 60 and 33 runs per hour. Richie Benaud once stated that according to many Australians, he was the closest in terms of playing style to the Don himself. The New York Times described his style as 'aggressive' once and he has been remarked to be a particularly hard hitter.
• Weekes was also the first batsman to have scored five consecutive hundreds in test history and would have very nearly got another hundred had it not been for a contentious run-out decision.
• Weekes had an unusual weakness, which was his lack of sixes throughout his career. If you delve deeper into it though, you will find that this was because of his early upbringing as hitting sixes and breaking windows (which shows the power he must have had ) meant no further cricket and so Weekes limited himself to just fours and constant strike rotation. His solitary actual six came in a game that was heading for the draw and so he took the liberty to smash one over long-on. This does show that while he had the muscle and ability to hit sixes if he wished to, he chose not to deliberately. Again, comparisons with a certain Indian skipper are inevitable.
• Weekes also participated in the Lancashire League, a proto-IPL that was famous for attracting overseas stars to play alongside local cricketers. He was one of the standout performers there and still holds the record for the highest batting score and batting average alongside holding the most runs scored record for nearly forty years.
• He was a fine fielder, who was equally capable in the cover region as well as in the slips. Weekes was also one of the most significant figures in Barbados cricket, nurturing future stars like Hunte and Nurse and will serve as an excellent senior figure in the dressing room.

Comparable modern T20 player:

Weekes was a number four first-class batsman with excellent wrists, an ability to score fours with powerful drives, rotated strike easily to accumulate runs without risky shots and held a disdain for sixes. Virat Kohli is the closest there is to such a player in the modern cricket.

Role in the team:

My selection of Weekes was initially based on him being a number four batsman, but it is clear that he would have been an opener like Sachin in white ball cricket had he played today. With that held in mind, a rearrangement of the batting order seems like the obvious decision.


1. E. Weekes
2. S. Anwar
3. C. Hill
4. C. Macartney
5.
6. D. Lindsay
7. K. Dev
8. R. Lindwall
9.
10.
11. J. Garner

Having Weekes as the opener gives me the right hand-left hand combination that everybody loves and also minimises the threat of an off-spinner getting an early wicket as Weekes was very good versus spin. Hill and Macartney are fairly versatile players, with Hill being a very aggressive accumulator playing at number 3 for most of his career who I believe doesn't have an ideal modern day comparison while Macartney is aggressive enough to bat anywhere in this lineup. There is always the option of sending Macartney in at three and Lindsay in at four if the openers get us off to a blistering start and the team needs to continue scoring at a similar rate on a flat deck. Anwar apart, all of the other three top order batsmen are versatile enough to fulfill their roles competently no matter what batting position they play in and that is something every T20 coach would love. In addition, Dhawan who resembles Anwar in terms of playing style always plays best as the aggressor rather than the more controlled batsman and opening with Weekes allows Anwar to do the same (like he did with Sohail, his long-term conservative opening partner).

@Villain's turn now to pick.

 

[Villain]

Mohammad Azharuddin

Introduction
One of the most stylish player of the game, India's iconic and most successful captain at the time. He undoubtedly held an arch like stature in the middle order of the Indian batting line up. "Those who saw this supreme batting artist at his peak will never forget him - sinewy wrists transforming a slender piece of willow into a magician's wand." One of the most elegant players to watch, be it his ability to find gaps and execute some amazing shots to watch. His wrist-work while playing strokes is still unmatched, perfect timer and placer of the ball.

A brilliant fielder, one of India's all time best..
His fielding overshadowed his batting, given the class and high calibre of his batting you can imagine how good a fielder he was if his fielding abilities overshadowed it. He took 156 catches in 334 ODI matches. He also grabbed 105 catches from 147 Test innings. His throws were accurate making him a superlative fielder, one of the most important aspect you'd look for a player in T20s.

Aggressive yet a reliable batsman..
After Tendulkar's wicket people would still not lose hope till the time Azhar was there, a rock-solid aggressive batsman. His century at Lord's in 1990 came off 87 balls, 20 fours - that's 80/100 runs in boundaries. Another century in 1996 in 74 balls vs South Africa at Kolkata. 100 off 62 balls vs New Zealand in ODIs, 1988.. India went on to win that game. He was a match winner, piling up runs in important situations.

A brilliant skipper..
Evidence of Azharuddin’s dependability and consistency can be gleaned from studying his remarkable record as captain of the Indian cricket team. Azhar remains the only Indian captain to have led India in three World Cups. Azhar won 14 Test matches and 103 ODI matches for India during the tenure of his captaincy. A strategic and a calm captain who excelled in making correct decisions given the situation of the game.
​

Statistics

| Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest | Avg | SR | 100 | 50| Catches |
ODIs|334|308|9378|153*|36.92|74.02|7|58|156|
Tests|99|147|6215|199|45.03|-|22|21|105|

​

He may not have a happy ending to his career but as long as he played for India, he was admired as India's one of all time-best.

VILLAIN'S TEAM
Sir Jack Hobbs
Steve Waugh
Aravinda De Silva
Mohammad Azharuddin
Michael Bevan
Ian Healy
Sir Ian Botham
Wilfred Rhodes
Sir Curtly Ambrose

@blockerdave to pick next. ​

 

[blockerdave]

Mohammad Azharuddin​

A fine pick. I still recall a banner from the 1990 series in England - "Azzah, India's Gazza"

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Evidence of Azharuddin’s dependability and consistency can be gleaned from studying his remarkable record as captain of the Indian cricket team. Azhar remains the only Indian captain to have led India in three World Cups. Azhar won 14 Test matches and 103 ODI matches for India during the tenure of his captaincy. A strategic and a calm captain who excelled in making correct decisions given the situation of the game.

Let us not discuss what happened later.

 

[Aislabie]

Yeah, Azharuddin is a fantastic selection. He was on my list as one of two players I was considering to bat at four

 

[blockerdave]

I've been uhming and aaahing about my 2nd opener... I keep coming back to the same name. I nearly went for someone else on the grounds they'd do as a 2nd spinner, but there's this other guy... I just have to pick him. If i need to switch one of my last 2 picks for team balance so be it.


ROY FREDERICKS

Before Greenidge and Haynes there was Fredericks and Greenidge.

Fredericks was a stylish, aggressive left-hander. He once held the record for the fastest century in Test cricket, a blistering 71-ball effort at the WACA. He only scored 8 hundreds in his 59 matches, not overly impressive admittedly, but he still averaged 42.49 and passed 50 26 times. Short, blazing innings perfect for T20 was his forte.
He was also a decent fielder, and could bowl some reasonable chinamen. Not exactly a second spinner but he'd nick an over or two - with the plethora of bowling options in my side i'm not sure we'd need more than that.
This gives me two top-class aggressive openers in a left-hand/right-hand combination, Richards and Fredericks should get us off to a decent start more often than not, allowing Jessop, Dexter and D'Oliveira to unleash the big shots.

1. Barry Richards
2. Roy Fredericks
3. Gilbert Jessop
4. Ted Dexter (C)
5. Basil D'Oliveira
6. Lee Irvine (WK)
7. -
8. Franklyn Stephenson
9. -
10. Hedley Verity (VC)
11. Vince van der Bijl

@Aislabie to pick next.