[Cricket] World Test XI

[blue-shifted]

As I see it, we have four choices for spinner

Swann - can go straight in with no juggling of team
Verity or Rhodes - can go straight in with no juggling of team
Underwood - would mean dropping Knott (possible if you put Prior in and replacing Tate with spinner)

( I discounted Laker as an option as we'd be loony to drop Hobbs)

The disadvantage of Swann is that he's an offie to a team full of right-handers but he's a better batsman than all (except Rhodes)

Underwood is a lousy batsman.


I also think we should pick a genuine speedster

Again, four choices
Trueman - can go straight in with no juggling of team (unless we pick Verity or Rhodes)
Larwood - can go straight in with no juggling of team (unless we pick Swann)
Snow - would need to drop Tate
Willis - would need to drop Barnes

I'll leave it to the selection committee

BTW Australia have made changes Border, Waugh and McGrath have been dropped (to comply with the two per state rule). There's no celebrating just yet, they've been replaced by Ponting, G Chappell and J Thomson

I'd have Swanny in. Decent fella to have in the dressing room. Good slipper. Taken over 250 wickets at under 30. Handy late order runs

 

[big nuts]

I'd have Swanny in. Decent fella to have in the dressing room. Good slipper. Taken over 250 wickets at under 30. Handy late order runs

Swann was a rat who quit his last tour as we were getting whacked by the Aussie’s. Unforgivable, see the tour out then retire not after the 3rd or 4th test.

 

[Gwylan]

I'd have Swanny in. Decent fella to have in the dressing room. Good slipper. Taken over 250 wickets at under 30. Handy late order runs

My choice would be Verity - took his wickets at just under 25 and could bat a bit too (I believe he opened for England once). He'd be more effective against the right handers

The only downside would be that I'd want to include Trueman but Larwood would do just as nicely to put the wind up the Aussies

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

With all due respect to Tate (whom I never saw play!), surely the Sussex fast bowling rep should be Snow or maybe even Jofra. And to bring in a spinner (which is essential) the balance of the side needs to be adjusted - leave out one of the two all-rounders, or a batsman.

Or maybe the selectors have already met.....

 

[jakarta]

With all due respect to Tate (whom I never saw play!), surely the Sussex fast bowling rep should be Snow or maybe even Jofra. And to bring in a spinner (which is essential) the balance of the side needs to be adjusted - leave out one of the two all-rounders, or a batsman.

Or maybe the selectors have already met.....

Never thought of Archer but that isn't a bad shout is it - surely one of the fastest England bowlers ever?

It is him or Larwood I would have thought.

Swann or Deadly as spinner- but who gets dropped?

 

[Gwylan]

Never thought of Archer but that isn't a bad shout is it - surely one of the fastest England bowlers ever?

It is him or Larwood I would have thought.

Swann or Deadly as spinner- but who gets dropped?

I did think of Archer but he's still new. He's done the biz for a couple of games but you'd need to see more consistency. Trueman and Snow did it for series after series

My preference - if you're not going for Verity - is to play Underwood. Drop Knott and bring in Prior.

The obvious player to drop is Tate but if you want to bring in a speedster too - then my bet is Anderson, although there's a case for suspending Barnes for a game for his habit of causing an argument in an empty room.

Dropping one of the all-rounders is asking for trouble as that's a long tail

How about this

Cook
Hobbs
Gower
Compton
Hammond
Stokes
Prior
Botham
Trueman or Larwood
Anderson or Barnes
Underwood

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

My knowledge of the counties for some of the older players is limited. Is Matt Prior a better keeper than Jack Russell or Bob Taylor? Or does his batting tip the balance anyway? John Snow would also have been in my thinking but not sure which of the quicks bowled best at HQ

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

I did think of Archer but he's still new. He's done the biz for a couple of games but you'd need to see more consistency. Trueman and Snow did it for series after series

My preference - if you're not going for Verity - is to play Underwood. Drop Knott and bring in Prior.

The obvious player to drop is Tate but if you want to bring in a speedster too - then my bet is Anderson, although there's a case for suspending Barnes for a game for his habit of causing an argument in an empty room.

Dropping one of the all-rounders is asking for trouble as that's a long tail

How about this

Cook
Hobbs
Gower
Compton
Hammond
Stokes
Prior
Botham
Trueman or Larwood
Anderson or Barnes
Underwood

That's not bad. Underwood can give you some control too, as some of the other bowlers are attacking types who could be expensive. Not sure that selecting Cook rather than Gooch is right, but I guess that argument has already been decided in previous posts?

 

[Gwylan]

That's not bad. Underwood can give you some control too, as some of the other bowlers are attacking types who could be expensive. Not sure that selecting Cook rather than Gooch is right, but I guess that argument has already been decided in previous posts?

No, I'd be happy with Gooch - he also gives another bowling option

 

[jakarta]

Going to look at this again but need to confirm we are still doing the one player per County thing?

 

[Gwylan]

Going to look at this again but need to confirm we are still doing the one player per County thing?

yes

 

[Gwylan]

Nice piece in the Guardian reminding us of Compton's genius. Well before my time (my parents hadn't even met then), this is probably the season I'd most like to have seen - prior to 2003 that is!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/b...ns-cricket-summer-47-succour-nation-needs-now

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Swann was a rat who quit his last tour as we were getting whacked by the Aussie’s. Unforgivable, see the tour out then retire not after the 3rd or 4th test.

And I couldn't stand him in the dressing room if he went through his 'impersonations' routine. I bet Deadly Derek never did this.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

My knowledge of the counties for some of the older players is limited. Is Matt Prior a better keeper than Jack Russell or Bob Taylor? Or does his batting tip the balance anyway? John Snow would also have been in my thinking but not sure which of the quicks bowled best at HQ

On Matt P - no, no and yes possibly. As for Snowy's performances at Lords, I was there when he (literally) knocked over Sunny Gavaskar but I'm not sure if this counts as a plus or a minus.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Read in The Times yesterday of a journo and his mates coming up with Alphabet Cricket Selections (yes I know it's desperate).

Off the top of my head

Athey
Atherton
Ames (WK)
Amiss
Abbas (Zaheer)
Appleyard
Abel
Alley
Anderson
Acfield
Allot

I think they are all 'valid' as 1st class cricketers but I don't think Alley or Acfield played Test cricket. Can anyone accept the challenge of replacing them with 2 pukka Test cricketers and /or coming up with a Bs team? (This should be fairly easy?)

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

I’ve had a quick go without reference to other than my brain which means some of these barely got in their national team - never mind a world team

Geoff Boycott
Mike Brearley(C)
Don Bradman
Ian Bell
Mark Butcher
Ian Botham
Mark Boucher(WK)
David Brown
SydneyBarnes
Jake Ball
Bishen Bedi

Yes I know it’s a long tail - tried to remember if Bob Barber bowled a bit, or Ken Barrington? It’s a start anyway

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

I’ve had a quick go without reference to other than my brain which means some of these barely got in their national team - never mind a world team

Geoff Boycott
Mike Brearley(C)
Don Bradman
Ian Bell
Mark Butcher
Ian Botham
Mark Boucher(WK)
David Brown
SydneyBarnes
Jake Ball
Bishen Bedi

Yes I know it’s a long tail - tried to remember if Bob Barber bowled a bit, or Ken Barrington? It’s a start anyway

Nice one. Yes I think Barrington and Barber both bowled leg spin. And Mike Buss, my all time favourite Sussex player, bowled some Slow Left Arm!

Anyone for a C team?

 

[Gwylan]

I’ve had a quick go without reference to other than my brain which means some of these barely got in their national team - never mind a world team

Geoff Boycott
Mike Brearley(C)
Don Bradman
Ian Bell
Mark Butcher
Ian Botham
Mark Boucher(WK)
David Brown
SydneyBarnes
Jake Ball
Bishen Bedi

Yes I know it’s a long tail - tried to remember if Bob Barber bowled a bit, or Ken Barrington? It’s a start anyway

Barrington is a must - he had a test average of around 50, he bowled a bit too. Barber bowled a lot more

Players that you could have had: Eddie Barlow, Basil Butcher, Sid Barnes (the Australian one, with a batting average of 63!), Bill Brown (like Bradman and Barnes, a member of the 1948 invincibles), Bill Bowes, Trevor Bailey and current Pakistan player Babar Azam

 

[jakarta]

ANYWAY......

What about the Second Test after that brilliant first one?

Is the Venue Lord's or did I get that wrong?

 

[jakarta]

Cook
Hobbs
Gower
Compton
Hammond
Stokes
Prior
Botham
Larwood
Anderson
Underwood

OK I'll go for Prior for Knott this time around to give us some more runs.

Gower needs a few words about stylish 30's being not good enough.

Hope Larwood sticks it up them...

When does the game start?