ICC Dream Team

[Twodogs]

Re: ICC Dream Team

The people have spoken (all 250,000 - who have NFI)

People's Dream XI:

Virender Sehwag (India)
Sunil Gavaskar (India)
Donald Bradman (Australia)
Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Brian Lara (West Indies)
Kapil Dev (India)
Adam Gilchrist (wk) (Australia)
Shane Warne (Australia)
Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
Curtly Ambrose (West Indies)
Glenn McGrath (Australia)

My team would be

Hobbs
1.Gavaskar
2.Bradman
3.Tendulkar
Pollock
Sobers
4.Gilchrist
Marshall
5.Warne
6.Akram
Lilee

I got six players right. With Sehwag and Kapil Dev in the team that doesnt suprise me...

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: ICC Dream Team

I got six players right. With Sehwag and Kapil Dev in the team that doesnt suprise me...

Kapil Dev was a better all-rounder than Gary Sobers.


Okay.

[LostDoggy]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Haha -- clearly some bias there, but still a pretty even team (if you take Sehwag and Dev out -- if Sehwag gets in Ponting gets in).

My question is: how even a team do you think a Pommy poll would have thrown up? (I think we are intellectual enough about our cricket here to be relatively objective)

Every 'greatest soccer players/teams in history' poll in England I've ever seen suggests that the average English soccer fan is just as culturally blinkered as any subcontinent cricket fan, probably worse. At least Indian cricket fans know/watch/care about other cricketing countries (I've found that they are pretty knowledgeable on the whole, actually, if clearly biased). What is the average Pommy cricket watcher like for overall appreciation for the game, for those who have had more actual, non beer-drenched conversations with them than I have?

ps. no South Africans good enough for the GOAT list?

[Jasper]

Re: ICC Dream Team

ps. no South Africans good enough for the GOAT list?

South Africa's consensus best player would be Graeme Pollock.
Unfortunately his international career was severly limited by the apartheid era.

Kallis would be the only other consideration, but he is not close to a middle order position in this company.

Any team not including Garry Sobers as THE all-rounder is fundamentally flawed

[LostDoggy]

Re: ICC Dream Team

South Africa's consensus best player would be Graeme Pollock.
Unfortunately his international career was severly limited by the apartheid era.

Kallis would be the only other consideration, but he is not close to a middle order position in this company.

Any team not including Garry Sobers as THE all-rounder is fundamentally flawed

Whilst I don't disagree with you, Kallis' statistics stand up from any angle

[Jasper]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Whilst I don't disagree with you, Kallis' statistics stand up from any angle

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

Matthew Hayden also allegedly had a better career than Bill Ponsford.
I look forward to the day they name a grandstand after him!!

[LostDoggy]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

Matthew Hayden also allegedly had a better career than Bill Ponsford.
I look forward to the day they name a grandstand after him!!

Here's some more Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

Sobers 8032 runs @ 57.78
Kallis 11864 runs @ 57.31

Sobers 235 wickets @ 34.03
Kallis 269 wickets @ 31.98

They named a grandstand after John Inverarity at the WACA

[lemmon]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Kallis cant be called anything except an all time great, his number are outrageous, 40 test hundreds gets him close to a middle order slot and throw in 270 test wickets as a more then handy bonus. Too often we discount longevity and consistency.

[Bornadog]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Here's some more Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

Sobers 8032 runs @ 57.78
Kallis 11864 runs @ 57.31

Sobers 235 wickets @ 34.03
Kallis 269 wickets @ 31.98

They named a grandstand after John Inverarity at the WACA

Kallis cant be called anything except an all time great, his number are outrageous, 40 test hundreds gets him close to a middle order slot and throw in 270 test wickets as a more then handy bonus. Too often we discount longevity and consistency.

Those stats don't lie and agree consistency over a long period is what makes champions

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Here's some more Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

Sobers 8032 runs @ 57.78
Kallis 11864 runs @ 57.31

Sobers 235 wickets @ 34.03
Kallis 269 wickets @ 31.98

They named a grandstand after John Inverarity at the WACA

I wonder how many runs Sobers would have made against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh?

[Mantis]

Re: ICC Dream Team

I wonder how many runs Sobers would have made against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh?

Kallis averages 169 against Zim & 79 against the Bangars.

Only averages 33 against Sri Lanka, 40 against us & 42 against the Poms.

Flat track bully.... but has done well against & in India.

[Jasper]

Re: ICC Dream Team

Here's some more Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

Sobers 8032 runs @ 57.78
Kallis 11864 runs @ 57.31

Sobers 235 wickets @ 34.03
Kallis 269 wickets @ 31.98

They named a grandstand after John Inverarity at the WACA

I think Inverarity was sleeping with the WACA Chairman's daughter at the time

Sobers took his wickets in 93 tests vs Kallis in 145 tests.
Add in his record as Captain.
Add in his ability to bowl fast medium, orthodox spin and chinamen.
Add in his 254 for the Rest of the World against Ian Chappell's Australia in 1972 led by Dennis Lillee at his absolute peak.
It's like comparing Mozart to Lady Gaga.
Each one great in their own way, but one has class written all over him

[LostDoggy]

Re: ICC Dream Team

I think they could have squeezed in Rodger Binny and Cheetan Sharma.