ICC Dream Team

[Twodogs]

With the 2000th test due to be played soon the ICC are having an on line poll to select the best ever test team team.



The players on the shortlist for the Dream Team are:


Opening batsmen: Geoffrey Boycott, Sunil Gavaskar, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton, Hanif Mohammad, Virender Sehwag, Herbert Sutcliffe, Victor Trumper.

Middle-order batsmen: Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Wally Hammond, George Headley, Brian Lara, Javed Miandad, Graeme Pollock, Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar.

All-rounder: Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Aubrey Faulkner, Richard Hadlee, Jacques Kallis, Imran Khan, Keith Miller, Wilfred Rhodes, Gary Sobers, Frank Worrell.

Wicketkeepers: Les Ames, Mark Boucher, Jeff Dujon, Godfrey Evans, Andy Flower, Adam Gilchrist, Alan Knott, Rod Marsh, Clyde Walcott, Wasim Bari.

Fast bowlers: Curtley Ambrose, Sydney Barnes, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Malcolm Marshall, Glenn McGrath, Fred Trueman, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram.

Spinners: Bishen Bedi, Richie Benaud, Lance Gibbs, Clarrie Grimmett, Jim Laker, Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralidaran, Bill O'Reilly, Derek Underwood, Shane Warne


My team would be

Hobbs
Gavaskar
Bradman
Tendulkar
Pollock
Sobers
Gilchrist
Marshall
Warne
Akram
Lilee

I think that Harold Larwood and is pretty unlucky to miss out on the shortlist an frankly I'm stunned that Kumar Sangakkara isnt on the list of wicketkeepers.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: ICC Dream Team

The players you have to leave out make a good team in their own right.

Bloody hard, particularly when selecting players you have never seen, but all we have to go on is reputation & averages.

My team:

Len Hutton
Sunil Gavaskar
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
Gary Sobers
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillee
Michael Holding

[Twodogs]

Re: ICC Dream Team

The players you have to leave out make a good team in their own right.

Bloody hard, particularly when selecting players you have never seen, but all we have to go on is reputation & averages.

My team:

Len Hutton
Sunil Gavaskar
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
Gary Sobers
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillee
Michael Holding

I sat and looked and changed my team about five times before I just had to say "pick a side and go with it for god's sake!" to myself. I'm already starting to wonder why I couldnt find a spot for Holding...

[comrade]

Re: ICC Dream Team

1st XI

Hobbs
Gavaskar
Bradman
Tendulkar
Richards
Sobers
Gilchrist
Akram
Warne
Marshall
Ambrose

2nd XI

Hutton
Hayden *
Kallis
Lara
Pollock
Khan
Flower
Lillee
Holding
Murali
McGrath

* Hayden wasn't listed but he was the best opening batsman during my formative years which obviously leaves the biggest impression. Unstoppable on his day.

[Mantis]

Re: ICC Dream Team

The Warne v Murali decision will be very interesting.

Murali's record is outstanding, but he took hundreds of wickets against the dud teams which probably gives Warne the edge.... Plus he throws it which I guess is important too.

TwoDogs,

The Pollock call is an interesting one. World cricket looks back in time and feels ripped off that the likes of Pollock & B.Richards were only able to have such a short international career. I saw Pollock bat when he was about 50 in the charity game in which Zoe Goss dismissed Lara... I have never seen a player strike the ball so sweetly as he did that night... It's a crying shame he only played 20 odd tests as he would be lauded as an all time test great if he had another 10 years in the game.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: ICC Dream Team

The Pollock call is an interesting one. World cricket looks back in time and feels ripped off that the likes of Pollock & B.Richards were only able to have such a short international career. I saw Pollock bat when he was about 50 in the charity game in which Zoe Goss dismissed Lara... I have never seen a player strike the ball so sweetly as he did that night... It's a crying shame he only played 20 odd tests as he would be lauded as an all time test great if he had another 10 years in the game.

That was the David Boon testimonial.

Pollock smashed a cover drive off the back foot that hit the fence so hard it bounced back halfway to the pitch

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: ICC Dream Team

How can Bill Ponsford not get a nomination and Desmond Haynes can?

Are there any guidelines about picking players from each grouping? How could you choose between Keith Miller and Gary Sobers?

Can I open Hammond with Ponsford and bat Sobers at 6?



Pollock gets a nomination for just 20 tests; if Jeff Thompson could be rated only on his career before he wrecked his shoulder he would have to be included, too.

[Mantis]

Re: ICC Dream Team

That was the David Boon testimonial.

Pollock smashed a cover drive off the back foot that hit the fence so hard it bounced back halfway to the pitch

It was??

Here is the scorecard from the Bradman X1 v World X1 game.... RG Pollock 89 off 71.... He creamed them.

http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1994-95/AUS_LOCAL/OTHERS/BRADMAN-XI_WORLD-XI_18DEC1994.html

It said at the bottom that Pollock flew in at late notice to replace Viv... Imagine how he would have went if he had done some training.

[Greystache]

Re: ICC Dream Team

The problem with having a poll like this is the result will end up having nothing to do with who the best players were, and will be decided by sub-continental prejudice. A billion or so people voting for for their players and excluding Australian or English players will make it redundant.

[The Doctor]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Fast bowlers: Curtley Ambrose, Sydney Barnes, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Malcolm Marshall, Glenn McGrath, Fred Trueman, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram.

With due respect to Courtney Walsh how did he get nominated ahead of;

Andy Roberts
Joel Garner
Jeff Thompson

these guys regularly ripped through teams, good teams.

To me he sits in the next rung down along with Alan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Waqar Younis & Dizzy Gillespie.

[GVGjr]

Re: ICC Dream Team

With due respect to Courtney Walsh how did he get nominated ahead of;

Andy Roberts
Joel Garner
Jeff Thompson

.

There is definitely a glaring difference in class between Walsh and the guys you have named so I guess he got there because of his durability.

Very good bowler but I think there would be at least 6 West Indian pace bowlers who I would rate ahead of him.

[Twodogs]

Re: ICC Dream Team

TwoDogs,

The Pollock call is an interesting one. World cricket looks back in time and feels ripped off that the likes of Pollock & B.Richards were only able to have such a short international career. I saw Pollock bat when he was about 50 in the charity game in which Zoe Goss dismissed Lara... I have never seen a player strike the ball so sweetly as he did that night... It's a crying shame he only played 20 odd tests as he would be lauded as an all time test great if he had another 10 years in the game.

That was the David Boon testimonial.

Pollock smashed a cover drive off the back foot that hit the fence so hard it bounced back halfway to the pitch

I know it's probably dodgy logic but that's largely the innings I'm using as my justification for his selection in this team. I remember watching it, and especially the shot SS describes, and thinking "If this bloke can do that sort of thing at the age of 50, how good must he have been at his peak?". Then looking at his record and statastics tipped him over the top.

I wasnt a great Viv Richards fan-I was/still am too traumitised from watching him thumping Australian attacks all over the park in the '70s and '80s I guess. Anyway faced between a choice between Richards and Clive LLoyd, I'd go with Lloyd every time. Better tachtician, better fielder and a vetter all round cricketer.


Bradman and Tendulkar pick themselves, Sobers slips easily into the #6/all rounder spot so that left me one spot. I really wanted to pick Greg Chappell-Lillee and him were my sporting heroes as I grew up (with Kelvin Templeton) but when it came down to a choice between Chappell and Pollock, Pollock was always going to get the nod.

[Bornadog]

Re: ICC Dream Team

The best opening batsman partnership I have seen are Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes. They were just an incredible pair to open up the innings and if you got one out then Viv would step in.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: ICC Dream Team

I wasnt a great Viv Richards fan-I was/still am too traumitised from watching him thumping Australian attacks all over the park in the '70s and '80s I guess. Anyway faced between a choice between Richards and Clive LLoyd, I'd go with Lloyd every time. Better tachtician, better fielder and a vetter all round cricketer.

I don't remember seeing Lloyd really going. He made 100 in Adelaide (?) in 75-76 and I would have watched plenty of that but I don't remember it.

I saw Vivi make 150-odd at Waverley (1st day of cricket my Dad ever took me to) and I saw him make most of his 208 at the G.

I also remember him putting Carl Rackemann into the top deck of the members in a ODI and someone yelling out, "well bowled, Bananahead".



I thought Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards went OK.

[Twodogs]

Re: ICC Dream Team

I don't remember seeing Lloyd really going. He made 100 in Adelaide (?) in 75-76 and I would have watched plenty of that but I don't remember it.

I saw Vivi make 150-odd at Waverley (1st day of cricket my Dad ever took me to) and I saw him make most of his 208 at the G.

I also remember him putting Carl Rackemann into the top deck of the members in a ODI and someone yelling out, "well bowled, Bananahead".



I thought Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards went OK.

Dont get me wrong Richard's was a true great. I saw him get 150 in a ODI and the 200 at the 'G but he just rubbed me up the wrong way.


The test match in the early '80s at the MCG that Kim Hughes was last man out for 100 out of 198 (put on 30 odd with Terry Alderman for the last wicket) and then Lillee reduced the West Indies to 4/10 at stumps bowling Richards through the gate with the last ball of the day (Can you tell that was my favorite day at a test match ever???) Lloyd got about 70 odd the next day I reckon. That was the day Lillee took his 309 test wicket ( I remember Richie Benaud saying "Greg Chappell's got it" when he caught Larry Gomes of Lillee the next day) Lloyd and Dujon put on a fair amount together to just get the Windies ahead on the first innings-202 all out I reckon. But Australia went on to win the game. It was the first ever test match I watched every ball of at the ground.


Like I said Richard's and the rest of the Windies traumitised me once too often. I think that Adelaide test we lost by 1 run when MacDermott was clearly caught off a no-ball officially tipped me over the edge. No matter how crap they get I'll never tire of beating up on them.