Test Cricket - World Dream Team

Commentators have pondered this through the history of the game.

Do you believe the cricketers of today are pampered by manicured well grassed pitches. How about the bouncer? Should it return to it's former glory or was it a pain watching the West Indies teams of the 70's pounding them down at Batsmen all day? Would Ponting be where he is today?

All good food for thought as you select and we chat about our dream test twelve with a 13th pick for a turning wicket.

How should a dream test team be balanced? five top Bats 5 top bowlers?
Do we need specialists? Would you open with the top bats who never opened.. not for me but worth thinking about.

I've picked and revised re-picked and revised this team several times and think I've balanced my personal favs with averages and with todays players and the players of the great 60s-80s era.

I've picked for the rules of the 70's too.. I hate the way the game has been tamed today.

Think about touring with your team to the dirt tracks and grassy mine fields as well as the flat tracks

1. Bradman D .. The Don is the greatest in history
2. Pollack R.G. .. only 23 tests over 60 av..
3. Ponting R .. The greatest living batsman
4. Richards V .. Terminator
5. Sobers G .. Sir Garfield "First Knight" magic!
6. Gilchrist A .. Instant promotion if an opener fails
7. Khan I .. Best Bowling all-rounder ever.
8. Warne S .. Love him or hate him
9. Hadlee R .. Mr NZ Cricket.. superb craftsman
10. Marshall M .. The mainstay of WI's golden era
11. McGrath G ... very close.. just gets in ahead of Curtly Ambrose (lazy but less prone to injury) would pick Muralitharan on turning wkt.

12. Rhodes J ... fastest off the ground thrower of the ball I have ever seen and one of the most rapid athletic mid-fielders I've seen.

I've picked for ability to dominate and change the game. Each individual player here could win or turn a game.. they all did on many occasions.

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
Commentators have pondered this through the history of the game.

Do you believe the cricketers of today are pampered by manicured well grassed pitches. How about the bouncer? Should it return to it's former glory or was it a pain watching the West Indies teams of the 70's pounding them down at Batsmen all day? Would Ponting be where he is today?

All ach individual player here could win or turn a game.. they all did on many occasions.

Who are your opening batters?

You did say that you wouldnt open with players who never batted there.

Originally posted by boarman
Who are your opening batters?

You did say that you wouldnt open with players who never batted there.

Lol good spotting! I can't change it now.. too much cutting and changing.. I deleted Boycott (selfish) and Herbert Sutcliffe.. with promoted the order and I forgot to change it... I was toying with Barry Richards to Open. If push comes to shove I'll open with Gilchrist.
Fun start.

Here is a team that would match any ,in all conditions

1. J Hobbs Av 56.95 greatest batsman of his era
2 B Mitchell Av 48.89 Very solid opening batsman
3 D Bradman Av 99.94 Speaks for himself
4 R Ponting Av 59.43 Best Batsman of today
5 G Sobers Av 57.78 Greatest Allrounder
6 A Gilchrist Av 49.27 Very attacking batsman /Good keeper
7 I Botham Top class allrounder
8 I Khan Another Top class allrounder
9 S Warne Greatest spin bowler ever
10 R Hadlee Superb bowler and handy with the bat
11 M Marshall The speed machine
12 J Rhodes Best fielder i have seen

What we have here is 2 very solid opening batsmen ,followed by a strong middle order and a long tail.

Opening bowlers would be Marshall and Hadlee,backed up by Botham and Khan and then there is Warne for the spin.Mitchell picked up some wickets too.


I'm sure i could come up with a few more dream teams ,but we can debate this in the future.

Many great players were left out of this team with the likes of
Richards,Pollack,Rice,Lloyd,Gavaskar,Lillee,McGrath,Ambrose, just to name a few.

Originally posted by boarman
Here is a team that would match any ,in all conditions

1. J Hobbs Av 56.95 greatest batsman of his era
2 B Mitchell Av 48.89 Very solid opening batsman
3 D Bradman Av 99.94 Speaks for himself
4 R Ponting Av 59.43 Best Batsman of today
5 G Sobers Av 57.78 Greatest Allrounder
6 A Gilchrist Av 49.27 ...[text shortened]... the likes of
Richards,Pollack,Rice,Lloyd,Gavaskar,Lillee,McGrath,Ambrose, just to name a few.

I can't fault that.. I like it. Hobbs and Mitchell were awesome.. I was thinking about playing Ponting as and opener but decided against it..
Who else did you consider at opening bat? Did SA'n Barry Richards come into your thoughts?
Botham had ability to take wickets on any type of wicket and he'd tie an end up all day if your speedsters needed a rest. Of course he was exciting to watch with ball and bat. In the end I had total faith with my attack so stuck with Viv Richards who without doubt was the most powerful cutter of the ball ever.

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
I can't fault that.. I like it. Hobbs and Mitchell were awesome.. I was thinking about playing Ponting as and opener but decided against it..
Who else did you consider at opening bat? Did SA'n Barry Richards come into your thoughts?
Botham had ability to take wickets on any type of wicket and he'd tie an end up all day if your speedsters needed a rest ...[text shortened]... k so stuck with Viv Richards who without doubt was the most powerful cutter of the ball ever.

I thought about Gavaskar but opted for Hobbs ,and i was thinking of Michael Slater as an opener as he was just so attacking but went with Mitchell as he could bowl a little as well.Didn't consider Barry Richards as he only played the 4 tests ,but his ability was great.

Could not fit Viv Richards into that team but i'm looking at putting up another dream team.

The possibilities are endless.

Originally posted by boarman
I thought about Gavaskar but opted for Hobbs ,and i was thinking of Michael Slater as an opener as he was just so attacking but went with Mitchell as he could bowl a little as well.Didn't consider Barry Richards as he only played the 4 tests ,but his ability was great.

Could not fit Viv Richards into that team but i'm looking at putting up another dream team.

The possibilities are endless.

I am supposed to be swatting for a work exam but thoughts of cricket are so distracting.. I'm thinking of putting up a 1960-87 team to test match a series against a 1987 to current team playing at the worlds best grounds today.. with bouncers!

Perhaps players who crossed over can play in either but not both teams (your choice)

Dreams are made of this stuff.

What about Grace?

Originally posted by Red Night
What about Grace?

Yup I dropped him from this dream team.. Bradman Hobbs etc all played modern test cricket against fast bowling.. it is an old argument. Pop him in your team..

Originally posted by boarman
Here is a team that would match any ,in all conditions

1. J Hobbs Av 56.95 greatest batsman of his era
2 B Mitchell Av 48.89 Very solid opening batsman
3 D Bradman Av 99.94 Speaks for himself
4 R Ponting Av 59.43 Best Batsman of today
5 G Sobers Av 57.78 Greatest Allrounder
6 A Gilchrist Av 49.27 ...[text shortened]... the likes of
Richards,Pollack,Rice,Lloyd,Gavaskar,Lillee,McGrath,Ambrose, just to name a few.

For God's sake, it's Pollock you pillocks.

Originally posted by buffalobill
For God's sake, it's Pollock you pillocks.

Yes you are right old chap ,sorry about the slight spelling error

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
Yup I dropped him from this dream team.. Bradman Hobbs etc all played modern test cricket against fast bowling.. it is an old argument. Pop him in your team..

I think that my team would have to include:

Bradman, Grace, and Anson.

Okay for dream match 60-80s v 80s to current. Pick twelve!!! overlapping players like Botham career 74-92 .. either or.. I picked his early years and put hijm in the then team.

I have to say that I thought the heros of my early years would mash the teams of later years but when I took in player from the late 80s to the current team they flourished...

I know I would dearly love to sit in the shade on a grassy bank at Arundel cricket green and watch this lot play...


Then:

Gordon Greenwich
Barry Richards
Graeme Pollock
Viv Richards (Capt)
Gary Sobers
Ian Botham
Imran Khan
Alan Knott
Richard Hadlee
Curtly Ambrose
Joel Garner
Lance Gibbs

v

Now

Mohammad Yousuf
Mark Taylor (Capt)
Ricky Ponting
Brian Lara
Jacques Kallis
Adam Gilchrist
Andrew Flintoff
Shane Warne
Shaun Pollock
Waqar Younis
Glen Mcgrath
Muttiah Muralidaran

Who would win , who would you sub.. ??

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
Okay for dream match 60-80s v 80s to current. Pick twelve!!! overlapping players like Botham career 74-92 .. either or.. I picked his early years and put hijm in the then team.

I have to say that I thought the heros of my early years would mash the teams of later years but when I took in player from the late 80s to the current team they flourished...
...[text shortened]... llock
Waqar Younis
Glen Mcgrath
Muttiah Muralidaran

Who would win , who would you sub.. ??

Pretty good. I'll suggest a few changes to the "now" team.

I think the balance is wrong. You've got five specialist bowlers and two allrounders. The team doesn't need that much bowling. Kallis can hold a place on his batting alone, but Flintoff can't. So I'd drop Flintoff (or one of the other bowlers, depending on conditions, if the tail needed strengthening - but at least Warne and Pollock can bat).

I'd replace him with Tendulkar or Dravid. In fact, I'd quite like them both there, but I'm not sure who to leave out.

Also, I'm unconvinced by Mark Taylor opening, unless he's there as a specialist captain. Hayden or Slater would be a better bet. Or maybe Border.

Oh, and I'd have Marshall in one of the teams somewhere. An oversight? You had him in your all-time team.