Summer cricket competition - takers?

Trying to flush out any other cricket fans here other than me and FMF. Plus it gives me something to occupy my mind, and relive happy memories, as I sit on the beach during my summer hols in the next couple of weeks.

The idea of the game is to try and build the best test team from all players who played test cricket since, say, 1 Jan 1980. Players will take it in turns to select players who, once selected, are not available to anyone else.

The teams should aim to be the best to play in 'perfect' test conditions i.e.:

1) Some pace, bounce and seam, particularly early on with new ball.

2) Some swing, and reverse swing, later on.

3) Otherwise a good pitch to bat on.

4) Spin developing on day 3 onwards.

At the end, the player will have one last chance to explain why their team is the best, after which it will be put to an independent panel to select the winner.

Comments/abuse on selections, by players, panel and spectators, as we go through, will be strongly encouraged.

I will develop and refine the rules if I get any interest. But for the moment, just register interest as either 'player' or 'panel' (plus any comments/questions you have).

Interested.

Do this with baseball and I'd be in.

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Trying to flush out any other cricket fans here other than me and FMF. Plus it gives me something to occupy my mind, and relive happy memories, as I sit on the beach during my summer hols in the next couple of weeks.

The idea of the game is to try and build the best test team from all players who played test cricket since, say, 1 Jan 1980. Players ...[text shortened]... st register interest as either 'player' or 'panel' (plus any comments/questions you have).

Can i have Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan?

Originally posted by sh76
Do this with baseball and I'd be in.

plueeeeze.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Can i have Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan?

All very fine players, but surely Gavin Hamilton would be in your squad? He qualifies, as he played one test for England, and then was despicably treated by the England selectors (not for the first time).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Hamilton_(cricketer)

Are you interested, by the way? I presume not, but it is difficult to tell.

Originally posted by Rank outsider
All very fine players, but surely Gavin Hamilton would be in your squad? He qualifies, as he played one test for England, and then was despicably treated by the England selectors (not for the first time).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Hamilton_(cricketer)

Are you interested, by the way? I presume not, but it is difficult to tell.

I could pick a team me thinks, but trying to explain why they are the best would prove
too difficult for me, me thinks, indeed, I am a great fan of bowling, would want Warne,
Murli, Shoaib Akhtar, Anil Kumble and Glen McGrath. No one from England or Scotland
would make my team, all southern hemisphere.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
I could pick a team me thinks, but trying to explain why they are the best would prove
too difficult for me, me thinks, indeed, I am a great fan of bowling, would want Warne,
Murli, Shoaib Akhtar, Anil Kumble and Glen McGrath. No one from England or Scotland
would make my team, all southern hemisphere.

Wot, no Lara? Ambrose? Ponting? Tendulkar, even? I'll have those, then. Starting with Sachin. And I'd better have Beefy for a bowler. And then, because you need a laugh as well as a bowl, Tuffers.

Richard

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Wot, no Lara? Ambrose? Ponting? Tendulkar, even? I'll have those, then. Starting with Sachin. And I'd better have Beefy for a bowler. And then, because you need a laugh as well as a bowl, Tuffers.

Richard

Well, you wouldn't necessarily get a chance, as I suspect Tendulkar might be on quite a few pick lists.

Does this mean you are in?

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Wot, no Lara? Ambrose? Ponting? Tendulkar, even? I'll have those, then. Starting with Sachin. And I'd better have Beefy for a bowler. And then, because you need a laugh as well as a bowl, Tuffers.

Richard

Ponting? Give me Shahid Afridi any day.

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Well, you wouldn't necessarily get a chance, as I suspect Tendulkar might be on quite a few pick lists.

Does this mean you are in?

No... I think I'd better not. I like cricket enough, and know just enough about it, to know that I wouldn't stand a chance against a bunch of Commonwealth boys. It's your sport, after all, and almost all I know about it is what I can get from Auntie's coverage, which, in recent years, is close to zilch.

Richard

OK, it seems my idea has generated about the same level of interest as a Test match in India.

Unless FMF would still like to continue, I will instead post my 'post 1980' best team of all time in the next few days, and let anyone who wants to take a pot shot at it.

As promised, best test team from anyone who played test cricket after 1980:

1 Sunil Gavaskar
2 Matthew Hayden
3 Sachin Tendulkar
4 Vivien Richards
5 Brian Lara
6 Jacques Kallis
7 Ian Botham
8 Adam Gilchrist
9 Shane Warne
10 Dennis Lillee
11 Malcolm Marshall

12 Muttiah Muralitharan
(substitute for Ian Botham depending on amount of spin likely to be on offer)

Originally posted by Rank outsider
As promised, best test team from anyone who played test cricket after 1980:

1 Sunil Gavaskar
2 Matthew Hayden
3 Sachin Tendulkar
4 Vivien Richards
5 Brian Lara
6 Jacques Kallis
7 Ian Botham
8 Adam Gilchrist
9 Shane Warne
10 Dennis Lillee
11 Malcolm Marshall

12 Muttiah Muralitharan
(substitute for Ian Botham depending on amount of spin likely to be on offer)

My bowlers using reverse swing, will take out your top order in jig time,

Wasim Akram,
Waqar Younis,
Lasith Malinga,
Glenn McGrath,
Brett Lee,

no spin, just reverse swing, speed and the unorthodox style of Malinga

would include Shoaib Akhtar , but he's too expensive.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
My bowlers using reverse swing, will take out your top order in jig time,

Wasim Akram,
Waqar Younis,
Lasith Malinga,
Glenn McGrath,
Brett Lee,

no spin, just reverse swing, speed and the unorthodox style of Malinga

would include Shoaib Akhtar , but he's too expensive.

By the time the reverse swing kicks in, they will have 200 on the board. Enough to build a total that will be out of reach of your lot.

Your batting line up?