The Best 20/20 Team Never Seen

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 10:54

20/20 Cricket is relatively new when you consider test cricket began in the 19th century. Bearing this in mind, which players do you think would have had a ball at this form and what XI would you pick?
This team does not go back that far but nor do I Very Happy

Greenidge
Botham
V Richards
D Jones
C Lloyd
Dev
D Lindsay (Wkt)
Hadlee
Harper
L Cairns
Garner

by Gregers Thu 22 Sep - 10:56

Great topic!

I'd have thought that Ambrose and Walsh would have been devastating.

Oh and Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, they would have completely dominated in T20!

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 10:57

I thought those four may have played it at some point?

If not then they are worthy contenders.

by ShankyCricket Thu 22 Sep - 10:59

Can we include Warney?He has obviously played domestic T20 and is still playing but never played for Australia.

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 11:07

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:Can we include Warney?He has obviously played domestic T20 and is still playing but never played for Australia.

Not really as he did play it.
I was trying to think who COULD have been good at this form of Cricket.

by Gregers Thu 22 Sep - 11:07

I dont think the 4 I mentioned ever played T20 Stella, might be wrong tho...

Steve and Mark Waugh would have been great T20 players as well.

How about Alec Stewart?

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 11:11

Steve Waugh bowled magnificently in the 1987 world cup at the death.

Not the biggest hitter but was a handy allrounder in ODI's.

by ShankyCricket Thu 22 Sep - 11:15

OK let me have a try
Just off the top of my head

Junior
Greenidge
Viv
Sobers
Botham
Kapil Dev
Lindsay(wk)
Wasim
Hadlee
Garner
Qadir

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 11:16

1)Greenidge
2)Graeme Pollock
3)Kapil Dev
4)Dean Jones
5)Imran Khan
6)Ian Botham
7)D.Lindsay (WK)
8)Richard Hadlee
9)Michael Holding
10)L.Cairns
11)Joel Garner

by ShankyCricket Thu 22 Sep - 11:17

Stella
Wasim just has to be in any such side or did he play a few?

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 11:20

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:Stella
Wasim just has to be in any such side or did he play a few?

Well, I thought he may have?

If not then yes, he would be in my team.

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 11:21

stella what do u make of my side?

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 11:23

cricketfan90 wrote:stella what do u make of my side?

Pollock is a good shout.

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 11:27

Stella wrote:
cricketfan90 wrote:stella what do u make of my side?

Pollock is a good shout.

thanks

by ShankyCricket Thu 22 Sep - 11:37

Good side Cricket

by Hoggy_Bear Thu 22 Sep - 11:52

An 'Oldies' XI, that I reckon'd do pretty well:

Trumper
Jessop
Bradman
Compton
McCabe
Miller
Constantine
Benaud(c)
Evans(wk)
Davidson
Barnes

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 11:59

Hoggy_Bear

Sobers?

He would have done ok but maybe not old enough for your team? Smile

by Hoggy_Bear Thu 22 Sep - 12:03

Stella wrote:Hoggy_Bear

Sobers?

He would have done ok but maybe not old enough for your team?

Yep, I was trying to keep it to players from the 1960s and before, and those who never played limited overs cricket, so Sobers didn't make it (though I have no doubt he'd have been brilliant at it)

by **LondonTiger** Thu 22 Sep - 13:03

Wasim played 5 T20 matches for Hampshire in 2003. Waqar 7 for Warwickshire in trhe same season.

Barry Richards
Gordon Greenidge
Viv Richards
Martin Crowe
Gary Sobers
Ian Botham
Kapil Dev
Rod Marsh
Imran Khan
Derek Underwood
Joel Garner

A litlle pace heavy - though IVA offers a part time option, and Sobers can bowl spin.

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 13:05

rod marsh...at 8?

by ShankyCricket Thu 22 Sep - 13:14

LondonTiger wrote:Wasim played 5 T20 matches for Hampshire in 2003. Waqar 7 for Warwickshire in trhe same season.

Barry Richards
Gordon Greenidge
Viv Richards
Martin Crowe
Gary Sobers
Ian Botham
Kapil Dev
Rod Marsh
Imran Khan
Derek Underwood
Joel Garner

A litlle pace heavy - though IVA offers a part time option, and Sobers can bowl spin.

I will replace Wasim with Ambrose in my team then thumbsup

by Liam_Main Thu 22 Sep - 15:59

1) Richards
2) Greenidge
3) Richards
4) Lloyd
5) Sobers
6) Botham
7) Lindsay
8) Hadlee
9) Khan
10) Underwood
11) Garner

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:02

Liam -that last team of yours at their peak would certainly take a lot of beating and for much of the time keep most of the punters out of the beer tent!

I believe Garner would have been a delight to watch (but certainly not face) at t20, firing in around a dozen yorkers in his four overs.

Whilst your team is especially well chosen, I do believe many other past greats (Haynes, the Chapples, Benaud, Knott (or Marsh), Marshall to name just a few without reverting to pre WWII) would have been sufficiently talented and versatile to adapt to this form of the game.

It might be interesting - particularly for some of the other older posters - to consider the WORST t20 team from past international players. England could with some confidence supply the ever so slow scoring Geoff Boycott, Mike Smith, Trevor Bailey and Bob Taylor to the squad ....

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 21:17

a worst side would be intresting im gonna think of one lol..

by Liam_Main Thu 22 Sep - 21:18

Ken Barrington batted pretty slow as well.

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 21:18

chris tavare

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:22

Barrington and Tavare are both very good shouts.

More difficult when it gets to bowlers for our WORST team as runs conceded per over were generally lower ten and more years ago ....

by Liam_Main Thu 22 Sep - 21:24

Tavare had a one-day Strike-Rate of 48, haha.

by Liam_Main Thu 22 Sep - 21:24

Tuffers possibly Guilford?

Only one I can think of.

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 21:25

ah yeah defo tuffers lol

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 21:28

Bill Athey?

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:33

I'll give you Tuffers - just! He might get wickets or go for plenty or both! He certainly would be a liability with the bat and in the field which helps get him in our WORST t20 team ....

by Guest Thu 22 Sep - 21:36

what do u mean just lol, he has to be in there :p

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:37

Stella - another excellent call. As well as being a slow scoring batsman (that cost us a test match victory years back - against Pakistan??), Athey was also an occasional and very ordinary medium pace bowler whom we could rely on going for at least 45 off his 4 overs!

We seem on a roll. Keep 'em coming ....

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:40

Cricketfan - before Tuffers became a media joke, he could on his day be a fine slow bowler and actually spun us to a few test match victories.

Now lets have some more names, please ....

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 21:49

Some more openers:

Tim Curtis
Tim Robinson
Martin Moxon
Mark Benson

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:52

Stella - you are a credit to your sex (or are you named after the lager? Wink

)

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:55

David Capel was so bad at test level I'm sure we could also depend on him to let us down at t20!

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 21:57

Lager

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 21:58

I almost forgot Ian Greig.

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 21:59

Stella wrote:Lager

The Best 20/20 Team Never Seen 810156456

by guildfordbat Thu 22 Sep - 22:02

Stella - for sure, Ian Greig is from the same school as Capel. Headboy there who can captain our team - Chris Cowdrey! Wink

by Stella Thu 22 Sep - 22:05

Or Graham Cowdrey.

We have produced some crap Very Happy

by Mad for Chelsea Thu 22 Sep - 22:53

back onto the "best team" subject, here are the first guys who popped into my head:

Botham
Imran Khan
Kapil Dev
Joel Garner
Viv Richards
Gary Sobers

I also think Don Bradman was such a great player he'd have been more than good enough to excel at this form of the game. Also Dennis Compton was really unorthodox and would have enjoyed it I think. So something like

Greenidge
Botham
Bradman (capt)
Viv Richards
Compton
Sobers
Imran Khan
Kapil Dev
Alan Knott (wk)
Joel Garner
Bill O'Reilly

Knott is in there for his outstanding keeping and because he was quite an unorthodox batsman, hitting the ball in unusual areas, which would have made him difficult to bowl to. After much deliberation, I went with O'Reilly for the spinner's spot, as his fast leggies and googlies would have been particularly difficult to score quickly off IMO. The rest is pretty self-explanatory, they're six genuine bowling options in there plus Richards, and the batting goes down to n°9. Imagine Joel Garner at the death Shocked

by Guest Fri 23 Sep - 8:27

very good side mfc Smile

by ShankyCricket Fri 23 Sep - 10:01

If you are looking at bowlers for the worst xi then four ball Saj would be the first name on my list.

by dummy_half Fri 23 Sep - 12:00

I was going to suggest Harmison for the worst side bowling, but since he could occasionally be brilliant and could bat a bit, how about Devon Malcolm instead?

As for potentially poor T20 bowlers, just about every Indian seamer other than Dev and Zaheer Khan would have to be in the reckoning - medium pace line and length tends to get murdered in T20.

by guildfordbat Fri 23 Sep - 22:13

Mad for Chelsea wrote:
I also think Don Bradman was such a great player he'd have been more than good enough to excel at this form of the game. Also Dennis Compton was really unorthodox and would have enjoyed it I think.

Mad - I'm sure you are right about Bradman although he probably would need to adapt for this format more than most. During Bradman's entire career, he only hit six sixes (the same as Sobers in a single over!).

Good call about Compton. The same reasoning could also get Ted Dexter a squad place.

by Corporalhumblebucket Fri 23 Sep - 22:37

I have a rather sketchy memory of a Warks opener called Bob Barber. Played a few times for England. I think he was both inventive and fairly attacking

by guildfordbat Fri 23 Sep - 22:46

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:I have a rather sketchy memory of a Warks opener called Bob Barber. Played a few times for England. I think he was both inventive and fairly attacking

Think you're right, Corporal. Although I was a Warks boy, I can't remember much more than his name. Slightly before my time - not often I get to say that on this forum! Wink

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