greatest ever test team

i know i made this thread not long ago, but i gave it more thought this time, and i think i have come up with a good side, let me know what you think, and make your own if you want

1)Virender Sehwag
2)Len Hutton
3)Viv Richards
4)Sachin Tendulkar
5)Clive Lloyd (C)
6)Kapil Dev
7)Alan Knott (WK)
8)Muttiah Muralitharian
9)Michael Holding
10)Shane Warne
11)Wasim Akram

No Don Bradman?????

No Sobers either?

No Don Bradman?! Your choice though mate

My side:

1) Sunil Gavaskar
2) Len Hutton
3) Don Bradman
4) Brian Lara
5) Sachin Tendulkar
6) Gary Sobers
7) Adam Gilchrist (W-K)
8) Wasim Akram
9) Shane Warne
10) Glen McGrath
11) Muttiah Muralitharan

Perhaps these kind of debates would be enlivened by inserting some assumptions. Eg greatest test team on the assumption that Bradman was crocked at the time and Sobers was dropped for unspecified disciplinary reasons. Would open up the field a bit!

Corporal and all - on the subject of Sobers going missing.

It's pretty widely known that Sobers was the first player to hit six sixes off an over - bowled to him when playing for Notts by Glamorgan's Malcolm Nash at Swansea. It's less commonly known that he batted lower down the order in that innings than originally intended. He was due to go in earlier but was unavailable when wickets suddenly and unexpectedly fell. At the time he was in the bookies next to the ground placing a bet!

i wanted richards cos he wa s agreat fielder as well, and also kapil dev for sobers.

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Bradman
Tendulkar
Lara
Sobers
Imran Khan
Knott
Marshall
Warne
Barnes

very good side hoggy, but no murali?

Toss up between Murali and Warne cricketfan.
Just reckon that Warne brings more to the team with his batting and slip-fielding, and there's not much between them as bowlers IMO.
Could have picked O'Reilly, or Grimmett, or Verity, or Laker or a number of others, all of whom have a good argument for being included, but Warne just takes it for me.

fair enough mate up to u

Hoggy_Bear wrote:Toss up between Murali and Warne cricketfan.
Just reckon that Warne brings more to the team with his batting and slip-fielding, and there's not much between them as bowlers IMO.
Could have picked O'Reilly, or Grimmett, or Verity, or Laker or a number of others, all of whom have a good argument for being included, but Warne just takes it for me.

I put that same argument up on old 606 several times over the years and never had anyone respond .

If I was playing 2 spinners I'd take Warne and Murali

What about WG Grace?

Sainty wrote:What about WG Grace?

Just for the mighty beard alone

It was like an addition to his bat

He could keep wicket if he wanted. Imagine the nicks that beard could take.

If WG Grace had played today, he would never have stood a chance to play for England as his bulky physique would never have reached the standard required by the current regime of Flower and co.

Very, very true.

Would you go as far as saying he was the past Samit Patel?

Sainty wrote:Very, very true.

Would you go as far as saying he was the past Samit Patel?

Yes he probably was, except that WG Grace had more competitiveness and probably more ability from a cricket point of view.

can i just say that its very diffuclut to compare grace and patel cos they played in very different times and circumstances

cricketfan90 wrote:can i just say that its very diffuclut to compare grace and patel cos they played in very different times and circumstances

Yes it is difficult and probably impossible to compare Grace and Patel. However there is no denying the fact that had Grace been playing now, he would never have stood a chance of playing for England at a test level as his physique would have counted against him due to the very strict standards of fitness which all players hoping to play for England now have to adhere to.

gboycottnut wrote:

cricketfan90 wrote:can i just say that its very diffuclut to compare grace and patel cos they played in very different times and circumstances

Yes it is difficult and probably impossible to compare Grace and Patel. However there is no denying the fact that had Grace been playing now, he would never have stood a chance of playing for England at a test level as his physique would have counted against him due to the very strict standards of fitness which all players hoping to play for England now have to adhere to.

In his early years Grace was not only England (and probably the world's) greatest cricketer, but also a fine athlete and soccer player.
He only bulked up later in his career.

he was an allround sportsman, before he got big.

Hutton
Gavaskar
Bradman(c)
Tendulkar
Viv
Sobers
Flower(wk)
Hadlee
Warne
Marshall
Holding/Mcgrath

Shanky - if that team had everyone at their peak the opposition would be beaten due to stage fright even before they left the dressing room.

lol

I wouldn’t disagree with any of the teams suggested but what is surprising to me is that nobody is picking an Australian batsman, other than the obvious one of course

Not a bad 2nd team
Ponsford
Woodfull
Hanif Mohammad
Hammond
Pollock G
Botham
Benaud (c)
Evans (wk)
Procter
Ambrose
Garner


Even then I'm leaving out great players like Greenidge, Haynes, Grout, Gibbs, Crowe, Compton

This is the official ICC best test elevan ever.
Selescted by the fans, no one can argue.

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

http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=16318_1310985120

activereactive wrote:This is the official ICC best test elevan ever.
Selescted by the fans, no one can argue.

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

http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=16318_1310985120

No Gary Sobers baffles me.

Liam_Main wrote:

activereactive wrote:This is the official ICC best test elevan ever.
Selescted by the fans, no one can argue.

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

http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=16318_1310985120

No Gary Sobers baffles me.

No Malcolm Marshall baffles me.
Kapil ahead of Sobers, Kallis, Imran, Botham or Miller baffles me
Sehwag ahead of Hobbs or Hutton baffles me


Oh well
The general public has spoken
The same general public which once voted 'Titanic' as the best film ever made

The same general public which once voted 'Titanic' as the best film ever made

true,,,,,

Here is my team.

1) Sunil Gavaskar
2) Len Hutton
3) Don Bradman
4) Brian Lara
5) Sachin Tendulkar
6) Gary Sobers
7) Adam Gilchrist (W-K)
8) Wasim Akram
9) Sir Richard Hadlee
10) Glen McGrath
11) Shane Warne

hadlee could probably bat higher than wasim

And Warne above McGrath lol. Was just piling names in at the end, didnt really look at the batting order of the bowlers

Hobbs
Hutton
Bradman
Sachin
Viv
Sobers
Knott
Warne
Wasim
Marshall
Barnes

1) Sir Jack Hobbs
2) Sunil Gavaskar
3) Sir Donald Bradman
4) Sachin Tendulkar
5) Brian Lara
6) Sir Garfield Sobers
7) Adam Gilchrist (wk)
8) Sir Richard Hadlee
9) Wasim Akram
10) Sydney Barnes
11) Muttiah Muralitharan

Twelfth man; Imran Khan

If, to make it more open, we exclude Bradman and Sobers, who'd surely make any team, then I'd slot Khan in to replace Sobers (switching him with Gilchrist in the batting order), and Greg Chappell takes Bradman's place. Twelfth man, in that case, would be Kallis.

Sorry forgot about Barnes

Barnes in at 11 in my team

Gavaskar
H Mohammad
Bradman
Lara
Kallis
Sobers
Gilchrist
Hadlee
Marshall
Warne
Ambrose or Murali depending on venue

Hobbs
Gavasker
Bradman
Lara
Tendulkar
Sobers
Gilchrist
Akram
Marshall
Barnes
Murali

i posted these threads quite a while ago, and have changed my sides, i will post them later.

i am changing my side, as my mind changes over time lol

1.Sunil Gavaskar
2.Len Hutton
3.Don Bradman
4.Andy Flower (wk)
5.Sachin Tendulkar
6.Steve Waugh (C)
7.Garry Sobers
8.Shane warne
9.Malcolm Marshall
10.Allan Donald
11.Joel Garner

Hobbs
B. Richards
Bradman (capt)
Tendulkar
Barrington
Sobers
Knott (wk)
Wasim Akram
Warne
Garner
McGrath

Barrington is the glue that holds the middle-order together. With great attacking batsmen full of flair around him I go with the more solid option in there. Barry Richards is there probably more on potential than anything else, but IMO would have been possibly the greatest opening bat of all time. If I can't have him, then Gavaskar. Knott ahead of Gilchrist because he's the best keeper I've ever seen (footage of) and with a brilliant top 6 I won't need too many runs from n°7 (plus n08 and 9 can bat). Bowling attack I go for balance rather than the best individuals, and with McGrath's nagging line and length and seam movement, Wasim's pace, swing and left-arm angle, and Garner's pace and height I think there's great balance there. Murali would probably replace Garner on big turners.

Mad for Chelsea - a very timely selection of Barrington He does not look out of place in that exalted company.

Agree that Barry Richards had massive potential (tho' sadly the only time I saw him play he was caught behind for single figures....)

Can I include Steyn?

include who ya like its your team

cricketfan90 wrote:i am changing my side, as my mind changes over time lol

1.Sunil Gavaskar
2.Len Hutton
3.Don Bradman
4.Andy Flower (wk)
5.Sachin Tendulkar
6.Steve Waugh (C)
7.Garry Sobers
8.Shane warne
9.Malcolm Marshall
10.Allan Donald
11.Joel Garner

no stephen fleming ?

rich1uk wrote:

cricketfan90 wrote:i am changing my side, as my mind changes over time lol

1.Sunil Gavaskar
2.Len Hutton
3.Don Bradman
4.Andy Flower (wk)
5.Sachin Tendulkar
6.Steve Waugh (C)
7.Garry Sobers
8.Shane warne
9.Malcolm Marshall
10.Allan Donald
11.Joel Garner

no stephen fleming ?

And Junaid Siddique

Got to have Gilchrist as wicketkeeper surely. I would, anyway, though Flower is of course a good shout as an alternative.

Fists of Fury wrote:Got to have Gilchrist as wicketkeeper surely. I would, anyway, though Flower is of course a good shout as an alternative.

Some may pick the best glovesman, whoever that is???

Chris Read?

Gilly was perfectly safe with the gloves, and was one of the most dynamic batsmen Test cricket has ever seen. That qualifies him ten times over.