[Cricket] World Test XI

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Now then my cricket-loving NSC friends - it just shows how easy it is to forget - surely Brian Lara has to be in the L team.

On the Ms I’m still unsure of our protocol regarding player names for Pakistan. Are either Javed Miandad or Mushtaq Ahmed up for consideration? I know Murali has to be there but Mushy as second spinner? I always found the Pakistan name thingconfusing from the time I saw Abdul Qadir as Abdul on some scorecards and Qadir on others. I was lucky enough to work in inner-city schools for my last 17 years as a HT and discovered both are acceptable. Therefore looking ahead someone like Waqar Younis could qualify for W and Y - a bit like Eoin Morgan representing Ireland and England maybe?

Are you SERIOUSLY telling me that Brain Lara (who?) was a better batsman then Les Lenham?

My only (weak) defence is that

a) my teams are conjured up from imperfect memory (which is getting more imperfect by the month)
b) I put them up to be shot down or at least improved by others i.e. I can't justify all my choices. Like a village cricket team's captain, I'm just trying to get eleven players on the field!

Cheers

PS I somehow contrived not to put James Kirtley into my K team

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

Yep, Lara should be in ... and Justin Langer too. I forgot both of them

I've always considered the first name in the Pakistan team. It was always Imran, never Khan; the bowling attack was Waqar and Wasim not Younis and Ahmed. In his book on test cricketers, CMJ puts them in alphabetical order by first name and that's the best way, I think.

I have a second spinner in the Ms - Vinoo Mankad. If I were playing another, I'd have Stuart MacGill above Mushy.

Mushtaq Mohammed may be a better bet than Mudassar though - yet another spinner.

Thanks Gwylan - happy to stick with that as the rule. I guess I was biased to Mushy for Sussex memories

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Right - here goes. A combined N and O team

Nash Chris
Neale Phil
Nicholas Mark
Oakman Allan
O'Brien Niall (WK)
O'Brien Kevin
O'Donnell Simon
O'Keefe Kerry
Overton Craig
Overton Jamie
Nash Malcolm

OK: vin ordinaire, but managed to get 2 Sussex players in.

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

Right - here goes. A combined N and O team

Nash Chris
Neale Phil
Nicholas Mark
Oakman Allan
O'Brien Niall (WK)
O'Brien Kevin
O'Donnell Simon
O'Keefe Kerry
Overton Craig
Overton Jamie
Nash Malcolm

OK: vin ordinaire, but managed to get 2 Sussex players in.

Would the Nawab of Pataudi belong in this team or in the Ps?

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Ps. Some decent players here.

Parks Jim (Wk)
Ponsford Bill
Pollock Graeme
Prideaux Roger
Pietersen Kevin
Pataudi Nawab of
Pollock Shaun
Proctor Mike
Pigott Tony
Pollock Peter
Price John
.
Really needs a decent spinner to edge out Tony Piggot whose selection is based on Sussex loyalty (something of a recurrent theme with my selections!). KP could turn his arm over and bowl some off-spin

 

[Gwylan]

Right - here goes. A combined N and O team

Nash Chris
Neale Phil
Nicholas Mark
Oakman Allan
O'Brien Niall (WK)
O'Brien Kevin
O'Donnell Simon
O'Keefe Kerry
Overton Craig
Overton Jamie
Nash Malcolm

OK: vin ordinaire, but managed to get 2 Sussex players in.

I must admit that O is a bit of a struggle but Ns are easier, (struggling with a spinner though) - you're missing some major players: Monty Noble, Seymour Nurse and Dudley Nourse for starters and if you want Nashes who play test cricket, there's Brendan and Dion


This isn't great.

Phil Neale
Dudley Nourse
Marcus North
Seymour Nurse
Monty Noble
Brendan Nash
Peter Neville (Wk)
Ashley Noffke
Phil Newport
Dion Nash
Naseem Shah

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Would the Nawab of Pataudi belong in this team or in the Ps?

Please see above - but I posted the team before seeing your post!

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

Pataudi was his family Name I think - he’d definitely be in P but I don’t know that he’d get in the team - I gave up with N/O - here’s my P starter - like GNT please regard my effort as a starter - it has a long tail and I can’t find the openers

Opener x2 then

Ricky Ponting
Kevin Pieterson
Graeme Pollock
Matt Prior
Mike Proctor
Liam Plunkett
Patrick Paterson
Peter Pollock
Pat Pocock

For openers I only had Peter Parfitt/Doug Padgett although they weren’t really openers.
There’s a young Sri Lankan with a long name who starts with P and I guess Prior could open with Jim Parks behind the stumps?

 

[Gwylan]

Ps. Some decent players here.

Parks Jim (Wk)
Ponsford Bill
Pollock Graeme
Prideaux Roger
Pietersen Kevin
Pataudi Nawab of
Pollock Shaun
Proctor Mike
Pigott Tony
Pollock Peter
Price John
.
Really needs a decent spinner to edge out Tony Piggot whose selection is based on Sussex loyalty. KP could turn his arm over and bowl some off-spin

Prasanna - can't remember his first name

I'd have the Nawab of Pataudi under his name of Mansur Ali Khan - unless you're talking about his dad and then I'd say N
You could also have Jim Parks' dad in there too

James Pattinson is better than Price

Pollock and Pietersen is a frightening middle order

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

I must admit that O is a bit of a struggle but Ns are easier, (struggling with a spinner though) - you're missing some major players: Monty Noble, Seymour Nurse and Dudley Nourse for starters and if you want Nashes who play test cricket, there's Brendan and Dion


This isn't great.

Phil Neale
Dudley Nourse
Marcus North
Seymour Nurse
Monty Noble
Brendan Nash
Peter Neville (Wk)
Ashley Noffke
Phil Newport
Dion Nash
Naseem Shah

This team illegally discriminates against the Irish!

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Pataudi was his family Name I think - he’d definitely be in P but I don’t know that he’d get in the team - I gave up with N/O - here’s my P starter - like GNT please regard my effort as a starter - it has a long tail and I can’t find the openers

Opener x2 then

Ricky Ponting
Kevin Pieterson
Graeme Pollock
Matt Prior
Mike Proctor
Liam Plunkett
Patrick Paterson
Peter Pollock
Pat Pocock

For openers I only had Peter Parfitt/Doug Padgett although they weren’t really openers.
There’s a young Sri Lankan with a long name who starts with P and I guess Prior could open with Jim Parks behind the stumps?

Good line-up.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Pataudi was his family Name I think - he’d definitely be in P but I don’t know that he’d get in the team - I gave up with N/O - here’s my P starter - like GNT please regard my effort as a starter - it has a long tail and I can’t find the openers

Opener x2 then

Ricky Ponting
Kevin Pieterson
Graeme Pollock
Matt Prior
Mike Proctor
Liam Plunkett
Patrick Paterson
Peter Pollock
Pat Pocock

For openers I only had Peter Parfitt/Doug Padgett although they weren’t really openers.
There’s a young Sri Lankan with a long name who starts with P and I guess Prior could open with Jim Parks behind the stumps?

Jim Parks certainly wasn't a great 'keeper. I think he was the first wicket-batsman. Arguably Matt P was a better keeper and a better bat. But Jim P lives about half a mile from my house, so gets the nod!

 

[Gwylan]

I can’t find the openers

John Parker
Gilbert Parkhouse
Winston Place
Noddy Pullar

How could I forget Ponting?!

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

It's interesting that we are using different formats - family name first or second.

Reminds me of that classic story when the gentleman/players distinction was still being made. The announcer at Lord's announced that the scorecard should read 'Titmus, FJ' rather than 'FJ Titmus'. Please don't tell me this never happened!

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

John Parker
Gilbert Parkhouse
Winston Place
Noddy Pullar

How could I forget Ponting?!

Not to mention our very own Paul Parker - one cap wonder and wonderful cover-point.

 

[Gwylan]

This team illegally discriminates against the Irish!

They're in the Os

Here's where I've got so far

Alan Oakman
x
Norman O'Neil
? Oldfield (he was English batsman but can't remember his first name)
Simon O'Donnell
Collins Obuya (star of the Kenya team that reached the WC SF, played CC cricket without success)
Niall O'Brien
Rodney Ontong
Chris Old
Duane Olivier
Tiger O'Reilly

O'Reilly and O'Neil are class players but I'm struggling with this one

 

[Gwylan]

Not to mention our very own Paul Parker - one cap wonder and wonderful cover-point.

But not an opener - that's what I was answering

There are probably a few more that I've forgotten

Lionel Palairet springs to mind but I'm not sure where he batted

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

Jim Parks certainly wasn't a great 'keeper. I think he was the first wicket-batsman. Arguably Matt P was a better keeper and a better bat. But Jim P lives about half a mile from my house, so gets the nod!

You cannot possibly leave Jim Parks out of this. He was surely a better bat than Matt Prior. And he could bowl a bit of legspin too!

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

Not sure how I remembered the two older Pollocks but forgot Shaun. That game at Hove in ‘65 again I reckon.

I’ve got a bit stuck with the second half of an R team but the batting is very strong!

Barry Richards
Ian Redpath
Vivian
Richie Richardson
Graham Roope(brilliant slipper)

Plus Jack Russell behind the stumps and artistic drawings and Andy Roberts leading the pace attack

S when we get there will be phenomenal

 

[Gwylan]

Not sure how I remembered the two older Pollocks but forgot Shaun. That game at Hove in ‘65 again I reckon.

I’ve got a bit stuck with the second half of an R team but the batting is very strong!

Barry Richards
Ian Redpath
Vivian
Richie Richardson
Graham Roope(brilliant slipper)

Plus Jack Russell behind the stumps and artistic drawings and Andy Roberts leading the pace attack

S when we get there will be phenomenal

I wouldn't have Roope but Cliver Rice, Derek Randall, Jonty Rhodes, Wilfred Rhodes... need another pace bowler Carl Rackemann is the only one I can think of off the top of my head but I'm sure there's someone else

I'd have Buck Rogers ahead of Redpath

S is going to be awesome but just wait till W!