[Cricket] Your All Time Test Cricket XI

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Only one team has Bradman. Best test batter ever.

Whenever I see my Grandad, he tells me that his dad much preferred Charles Macartney among the Australians of that time, because he was a much more attractive and exciting player while Bradman seemed to grind the runs out by comparison.

Possibly worth highlighting that Macartney scored three hundreds and averaged 94.6 on the 1926 tour, so it's not quite as bonkers a comparison as it might appear at first.

 

[Eeyore]

Whenever I see my Grandad, he tells me that his dad much preferred Charles Macartney among the Australians of that time, because he was a much more attractive and exciting player while Bradman seemed to grind the runs out by comparison.

Possibly worth highlighting that Macartney scored three hundreds and averaged 94.6 on the 1926 tour, so it's not quite as bonkers a comparison as it might appear at first.

Obviously I have only seen Bradman in YouTube footage. He just seemed to have so much time.

I was more interested in his conflicts with Ian Chappell. It seems that he was acknowledged for the elite player he was yet very unpopular amongst that Australian group in his time at the ACB. It's a really fascinating watch. Mind you, Chappell is not the easiest of people to get on with himself.

 

[Jim in the West]

I was lucky enough to watch quite a bit of Hampshire in the 70s when they had Richards and Greenidge opening the batting and Andy Roberts the bowling.
Barry Richards was an absolutely sublime batsman and a wonderful fielder.
I also saw a bit of Mike Proctor for Glos - an incredible allrounder.
Great memories!

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Very hard to leave Steve Smith out of that side. But hey, none of the others used sandpaper, so I did it.

From mid 90s onwards. Most I only saw on TV. No English players in the side

Hayden
G Smith
Ponting (C)
Tendulkar
Lara
Kallis
Gilchrist (WK)
Warne
Pollock
McGrath
Muralitharan

 

[Diablo]

I was lucky enough to watch quite a bit of Hampshire in the 70s when they had Richards and Greenidge opening the batting and Andy Roberts the bowling.
Barry Richards was an absolutely sublime batsman and a wonderful fielder.
I also saw a bit of Mike Proctor for Glos - an incredible allrounder.
Great memories!

Barry Richards was good...However Viv Richards definately better !!

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

Here's my offering, hastily put together on train to QPR:

Richards B
Smith G
Dexter
Lara
Richards V
Sobers
Imran
Knott
Wasim
Marshall
Murali

 

[carlzeiss]

Could be 2x Richards in the 11 , Viv and Barry .
Early 70's I watched Hampshire at Hove and they had Barry Richards & Gordon Greenidge opening the batting with Andy Roberts opening the bowling
Barry Richards is probably not remembered so well due to playing limited number of test matches while South Africa were excluded

 

[Machiavelli]

Delighted to see that the first page of this thread rate the most delightful cricketer I've had the pleasure to see -- on the television at least. I've gone with the bowling attack I have for variety as much as anything else, and as much as Garner, Marshall and probably even Ambrose and Walsh deserve a place, they're not getting in because they don't whisper death.

Greenidge
Tendulkar
Sangakkara
Lara
Richards
Kallis
Waqar
Warne
Holding
McGrath
Muralitharan

 

[dazzer6666]

I started watching test cricket in the late 80s. This is my best team I have watched.

Gordon G
Gooch (simply because of one innings he played vs a ridiculous windies attack when he was the only one who could cope)
Ponting
Lara
Sachin
Kallis
Gilchrist
Warne
Marshall
Ambrose
McGrath

I really wanted to include wasim but I worshipped Ambrose and McGrath when I was a tall young fast bowler. Marshall has to be in because he was the best of that side.

Kallis is the best of all that lot. To average mid 50s with the bat and take almost 300 wickets at just over 30 when you bowl the dog overs is ridiculous. If he could not bat and focussed on bowling he would have been good enough to play as a bowler. He was brilliant. Top fielder too.

Leaving our Sanga feels wrong so maybe he could open.

I was torn between Gooch and Cookie.......but Stewart's epic two hundreds in the Windies as everyone else did the usual also worth a mention.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Hayden
Gooch
V Richards
Lara
Tendulkar
Kallis
Gilchrist
Warne
Marshall
Ambrose
Anderson

 

[Shuggie]

Don’t go as often these days …

Barry Richards
Gordon Greenidge
Viv Richards
Ted Dexter
VVS Laxman
Imran Khan
Alan Knott
Dennis Lillee
Shane Warne
Michael Holding
Derek Underwood

 

[A1X]

Not one team with kohli. Nuts.

Never seen him play live, which is the criteria

 

[Robinjakarta]

Most of my live cricket watching was in the 1960s and early 70s. Best I've seen something like this:
Boycott
Lawry
Kanhai
Dexter
Harvey
Sobers
Knott
Illingworth
Trueman
Underwood
Holding

 

[DJ NOBO]

Very hard to leave Steve Smith out of that side. But hey, none of the others used sandpaper, so I did it.

From mid 90s onwards. Most I only saw on TV. No English players in the side

Hayden
G Smith
Ponting (C)
Tendulkar
Lara
Kallis
Gilchrist (WK)
Warne
Pollock
McGrath
Muralitharan

Graeme Smith nearly made the cut for me also, based on the 2003 series. he was a monster.

 

[DJ NOBO]

I was torn between Gooch and Cookie.......but Stewart's epic two hundreds in the Windies as everyone else did the usual also worth a mention.

Gooch would have got a stack more runs if he hadn’t taken the South Africa money. He was a better all round batsman than Cook. Cook was limited technically.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Gooch would have got a stack more runs if he hadn’t taken the South Africa money. He was a better all round batsman than Cook. Cook was limited technically.

Love Cookie as I do, his temperament and perseverance got him those runs, not his natural ability. Not knocking that, but not sure it gets him in an all time XI

I reckon opening batsmen is the hardest selection, as in my time, there have been several very good ones, but i'm not sure there has been an all time great.

In my last 25 to 30 years team, the middle order, the WK and at least 3 of the bowling line up pick themselves!

 

[Wes Tupper]

Allan Donald anyone?

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Again on the conditions Brett Lee ?

 

[Berty23]

Years ago I was on a train which broke down and we got off at Bicester so I put the odi on my phone. Someone asked the score and I realised it was Chris broad. We got chatting and we discussed fast bowling and I asked who the best of the windies pace men was and he said it was not even close. Marshall was different class. He pitched it up and swung it or seamed it depending on conditions but had a bouncer that was almost impossible to pick and he had two different paces so you could not attack it. He said Ambrose got the most bounce but marshal was just awful to face. He was closest to Brett Lee in my side.

Again on the conditions Brett Lee ?

I am pleased I have not see arguments for flintoff. It always amazes me that Shaun pollock averaged more with the bat and Kallis averaged less with the ball and they were absolutely world class in the other suit. Us england fans loved Freddie though.

 

[Eeyore]

Years ago I was on a train which broke down and we got off at Bicester so I put the odi on my phone. Someone asked the score and I realised it was Chris broad. We got chatting and we discussed fast bowling and I asked who the best of the windies pace men was and he said it was not even close. Marshall was different class. He pitched it up and swung it or seamed it depending on conditions but had a bouncer that was almost impossible to pick and he had two different paces so you could not attack it. He said Ambrose got the most bounce but marshal was just awful to face. He was closest to Brett Lee in my side.



I am pleased I have not see arguments for flintoff. It always amazes me that Shaun pollock averaged more with the bat and Kallis averaged less with the ball and they were absolutely world class in the other suit. Us england fans loved Freddie though.

If I had to select just one of the Windies crew, it would be Malcolm. Joel Garner for the limited overs.

Malcolm Marshall was not that tall for the team of the era. The ball just skidded off the surface. In the 1984 series he was unplayable at times- even on flat tops. I think only Allan Lamb had any mastery. I wonder if Andy Lloyd still has the bump.

And don't forget his one handed boundary !

Still sad to think that such a Windies legend only lived for 8 years after his last Test match.

Cricket is one thing in life when I can honestly say the old times were better.