The 606v2 all time test XI - your nominations for the middle-order

Right, I was going to do the middle-order poll, but I was having a lot of trouble making a list for it, as they're so many great middle-order players throughout cricket's rich history. So I thought you could help me out, and we're going to do it like this. Each poster can nominate up to 5 players who haven't already been nominated by previous posters (it's no good everyone nominating Tendulkar for instance). Once we reach a decent list, I'll do the poll. Got it? Let''s go...

Nominated so far:
Graeme Pollock
Ken Barrington
Jacques Kallis
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
Mahela Jayawardene
Inzamaam Ul-Haq
David Gower
VVs Laxman
Steve Waugh
Mark Waugh
Sourav Ganguly
Gary Sobers
Brian Lara
Javed Miandad
Allan Border
Greg Chappell
Everton Weekes
Clive Lloyd
Clyde Walcott
Peter May
Dennis Compton
F.S. Jackson
A.B. De Villiers
Shivnarine Charnederpaul
Kevin Pietersen
Larry Gomes
Rohan Kanhai
Alvin Kallicharran
Wally Hammond

Rahul Dravid
Mahela Jayawardene
Inzamaam Ul-Haq
David Gower
VVs Laxman

wouldn't you say Dravid was mainly a n°3 though CF? Middle-order for me is 4-6.

Steve Waugh
Mark Waugh
Sauruv Ganguly

In no particular order, as guys that could bat 4-6 (although both Lara and Punter have played at 3 as well):
Sobers
Lara
Ponting
Miandad
Steve Waugh

Viv is missing because he played mostly at 3.

However, as I put on the thread about #3 batsmen, I think I'd go for a middle order of:
Viv Richards
Bradman
Tendulkar
Sobers

OK, so both Viv and the Don played most of their cricket at 3, either could bat anywhere in the middle order, and neither (particularly Viv) would be what I consider a conventional #3 in that they would play like an extra opener if the situation required

Viv played quite a lot of cricket in the middle-order dummy_half (according to cricinfo anyway). Not too sure about Ponting, he had a much better record at three didn't he (though he did bat 6 for a fair while you're right)?

Anyway, adding the names to the poll, how about some of the older guys?

your right mfc mate

4)Tendulkar
5)Lara
6)Sobers

OK knocked him off then CF, trying to keep the list within reasonable proportions (fifty names is the absolute maximum for a poll apparently).

Alan Border
Greg Chappell
(Stan McCabe)
Nial Harvey
(Javed Miandad)
Clive Loyd
OK that's 6, you may strike off McCabe if you want... Actually the 3 W's from the Windies are also missing. And George Headley. Strike off Miandad (good player though he was) and add in Everton Weekes.

TBH Mark waugh and Ganguly shouldn't be there. Junior was my favourite ever player but finished with an average just above 40. Similarly Gower probably.

Edit: someone else has Miandad for me... The 5 to add are therefore:
AB (the original, not the recent saffer)
Greg Chappell
Nial Harvey
Everton Weekes
Clive Lloyd

BTW is Sobers in this one or the all-rounder cat? You said you wanted an all-rounder at 6?

Possibly add Graeme Thorpe, Mark Ramprakash or Mark Butcher?

Mahela Jayawardena
Damian Martin
Shiv Chanderpaul
Ramnaresh Sarwan

If you're looking for a few older guys for the poll, how about George Headley, Stan McCabe, Dennis Compton, F. S. Jackson, 'Tip' Foster, Ernest Tydlesley, Eddie Paynter, Aubrey Faulkner, Clem Hill, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Dudley Nourse, Neil Harvey or Peter May?

George Headley was a n°3 Mike. And Harvey batted at three for 52 of his 79 tests, though his record is good at n°4 too...

Oh and Sobers (like Kallis) will make both polls. If say Sobers takes the all-rounders poll and is also top two in the middle-order I'll probably take the top 3 in the middle-order poll...

Sobers would definitely bat in the top 6 (as would Kallis) and would merit his place solely for his batting plus having the advantage of giving us a lefty in the middle order. The 'all rounder' thing would just be a bonus.

This is the advantage of these fantasy teams anyway - you can mix and match as much as you want, so could include say Gilchrist at 7 and Hadlee at 8 (to be a great batting keeper and then a bowler who batted a bit) or Botham / Khan at 7 and Knott at 8 (i.e. a more balanced all-rounder then the best keeper who wasn't as good a batsman).

Oh, and how could I forget Alan Border - may not have been the most naturally talented batsman ever but has to be about the hardest competitor in Test cricket.

Mike's added Harvey and Weekes hoggy, and Headley was a n°3 rather than middle-order (yes I know I'm being particularly inflexible today, but really am trying to keep this down to less than fifty names). You want to pick five of the others you named, and I'll add them to the poll no probs. Guys like Compton, Walcott and McCabe are more than worthy IMO...

One more possibility Mike Hussay?

Gregers need a list of five names mate (still trying to keep the numbers down), I've added the Waugh twins and Ganguly on your suggestion but if you wish to change that's OK.

Fair enough MfC, I'd go for:
Weekes
Walcott
May
Compton
F.S. Jackson

Right, off for some lunch, keep those names coming!

AB De Villiers

Cannit believe Shivnarine Chanderpaul hasn't been mentioned yet.

Compton and May are excellent shouts Hoggy (please note that I mentioned Stan McCabe and the W's though ).

The trouble with this kind of thing is comparison between ages where records are similar are very difficult. So whilst we all generally agree with Bradman at no3 due to him being so far ahead of the competition, how do we compare say McCabe and Jayawardene? I'm guessing we're going to be asked to pick 2 or 3 from the list? It's gonna be tough!

if ganguly is in the nominations then kp has to be there.

if ganguly and de villiers are there then KP HAS to be there.

added shanky

Mike Selig wrote:

The trouble with this kind of thing is comparison between ages where records are similar are very difficult. So whilst we all generally agree with Bradman at no3 due to him being so far ahead of the competition, how do we compare say McCabe and Jayawardene? I'm guessing we're going to be asked to pick 2 or 3 from the list? It's gonna be tough!

True enough, such comparisons are nigh on impossible.
But they're fun

No one has mentioned the great England run-machine Wally Hammond who would have been the greatest batsman between the 30's and 50's if a certain Australian run-machine named Bradman wasn't around!

Agree Hammond has to be in...

Let me introduce a bit of Calypso flavour:

Larry Gomes- in many ways the straight man to the West Indian batting entertainers of the late '70s and '80s but nonetheless a rock for them;

Rohan Kanhai, in his later years in the early 1970s a magnificent number three but before that batted lower down the order with considerable success; and

Alvin Kallicharran, the epitome of a perfect number five being able to up the pace and grind it out as required throughot the '70s and '80s.

gboycottnut wrote:No one has mentioned the great England run-machine Wally Hammond who would have been the greatest batsman between the 30's and 50's if a certain Australian run-machine named Bradman wasn't around!

Hammond was at his best as a no.3 though

Hoggy_Bear wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:No one has mentioned the great England run-machine Wally Hammond who would have been the greatest batsman between the 30's and 50's if a certain Australian run-machine named Bradman wasn't around!

Hammond was at his best as a no.3 though

But he was mainly batting at number 4 for England, hence making him a middle order batsman.

gboycottnut wrote:

Hoggy_Bear wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:No one has mentioned the great England run-machine Wally Hammond who would have been the greatest batsman between the 30's and 50's if a certain Australian run-machine named Bradman wasn't around!

Hammond was at his best as a no.3 though

But he was mainly batting at number 4 for England, hence making him a middle order batsman.

True.
But his record at 4 and lower in the order is not that great.