World Test Team

[sohum]

I think my first essay in this thread:

In the subcontinent
1. Virender Sehwag
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Kumar Sangakkara
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Mahela Jayawardene*
6. Michael Hussey
7. MS Dhoni+
8. Andrew Flintoff
9. Zaheer Khan
10. Ajantha Mendis
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
--
12. Ricky Ponting
13. Ishant Sharma
14. Shivnarine Chanderpaul

In Australia
1. Virender Sehwag
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Ricky Ponting*
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Michael Hussey
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Mark Boucher+
8. Brett Lee
9. Dale Steyn
10. Ishant Sharma
11. Stuart Clark
--
12. Ajantha Mendis
13. Kevin Pietersen
14. VVS Laxman

They're not quite fine-tuned but that's what I've come up with off the top of my head.

 

[smssia0112]

Mine right now:
1. Graeme Smith
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Mike Hussey
5. Shiv Chanderpaul
6. Michael Clarke
7. Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
8. Brett Lee
9. Ishant Sharma
10. Dale Steyn
11. Murali

A few others in contention included KP, Sachin, Boucher and Clark (injuries have hurt him lately) but I picked this based on current ability and form. Guys like Ponting are out of form but capable of getting back to his top, whereas I left out Hayden because I fear he is long past his best and may not recover properly.

 

[stereotype]

an interesting side would be a best side v Australia, kind of like a rest of the world the difference though would be that these are guys who score their runs against the top nations.

Current XI

Virender Sehwag
Michael Vaughan
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Kevin Pietersen
VVS Laxman
Andrew Flintoff
Mark Boucher
Andre Nel
Matthew Hoggard
Steve Harmison

All Time

Jack Hobbs
Herbert Sutcliffe
Walter Hammond
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
Clive Lloyd
Adam Parore
Curtley Ambrose
Sydney Barnes
Richard Hadlee
Robert Willis

 

[irottev]

That looks like a last year's World XI. Hoggard, Nel and Vaughan aren't even being selected anymore and Dravid is in the worst form of his career. Boucher's a strange choice of keeper. His keeping looked disappointing last I saw him too. Dhoni and McCullum easily beat him these days.

 

[King Pietersen]

Yeh, there are much better sides you could pick if you were ignoring Australian's. Something like:

Virender Sehwag
Graeme Smith (C)
Sachin Tendulkar
Kevin Pietersen
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Kumar Sangakkara (WK)
Andrew Flintoff
Daniel Vettori
Zaheer Khan
Dale Steyn
Ajantha Mendis

Picking Hoggard, Nel, Vaughan, Dravid, Boucher and Harmison in a World XI is pretty ludicrous on current form. They've all got massive talent, but are just not in form atm, especially Dravid and Vaughan.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I think he picked a World XI who would be the best against Australia. I dunnow about Nel and Hoggard, but Vaughan, Dravid, and Harmison (somewhat) have done okay against Australia...

 

[m_vaughan]

Matthew Hayden
Graeme Smith
Ricky Ponting
Kumara Sangakkara
Shiv Chanderpaul
Mike Hussey
MS Dhoni
Andrew Flintoff
Daniel Vettori
Brett Lee
Dale Steyn

 

[Leggie]

I just checked, Sehwags strike rate in Tests in ridiculous. 78.

Cricinfo Statsguru - V Sehwag - Test matches - Batting analysis

 

[m_vaughan]

Strike rate is hardly important in test matches.

 

[Leggie]

The type of opener can set the momentum of an innings, even a match. I'd rather have Sehwag-Gambhir than Dravid-Jaffer.

 

[King Pietersen]

I think Sehwag proved in the last game that Strike Rate is important in a Test Match. Without Sehwag's blast at the start of the Indian Innings, India wouldn't have won. He turned the game on it's head, and gave India the momentum. England had lost the game before the 5th day even started. An opening partnership of Sehwag and Hayden would just butcher attacks and get the team off to such a good start.

 

[venom2011]

No what he proved was that it can be important in a certain situation. It's not very important in the grand scheme of things because of the vast amount time available in most matches.

 

[sohum]

Strike rate is hardly important in test matches.

No what he proved was that it can be important in a certain situation. It's not very important in the grand scheme of things because of the vast amount time available in most matches.

It is, though, for our batting line-up and others. If you can bat at a good strike rate and still be consistent (like Sehwag), you give the innings momentum, you ease the nerves of the batsmen in the pavilion and you push the fielders back.

I think in the new era of Test cricket, strike rate is far more important since these days the batsmen are good enough to hang around and score runs given that the pitches are flat and the bowling has not been that great. You can see how England threw away the last match by batting in the 30s for large periods... which would have been fine by traditional, old-school Test cricket, but just didn't cut it in the modern game.

 

[deerkick]

Strike rate IS important. Hayden and Sehwag are living examples. Whenever they get off to a quickfire start, the rest of the team can bat under less pressure and score much more freely.

 

[Leggie]

Exactly, Anyone remember the opening batsmen and their epic scores in Melbourne '07 against Aus? Had that been Viru-Gambhir, We would have made a better start.