Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

I thought Sobers was a great fielder?

Deadly ahead of Murali? I would hope not.

Great golfer, they say.

Murali got a couple of votes in the spinner- only vote, and Deadly none. Might just be different people voting.

I was going to flesh this out into a touring party, based on votes. So I'll just take both. Gibbs got one vote earlier, so misses out.

I looked up more about runs per decade, but couldn't draw any reasonable conclusions. Runs came easier in the forties, and harder in the fifties, generally. There was a run glut in Australia in the twenties (Bradman?). Certainly within this period, differences in stats shouldn't matter. Runs are just scored faster now. There wasn't a sudden spike in runs per wicket after the introduction of the helmets or covered pitches, or a dip after bringing in drs. Most cricket after WWI is played at 29.5-32.5 runs per wicket at the extremes. Maybe someone will tell me that's a huge range, but it doesn't seem it. Is 2.5 runs per wicket between the nineties and the noughties meaningful? I guess it matters a bit more to the bowlers than the batters, as it is only 4-5 bowlers dividing those extra runs.

Enough of that gibberish. We have our team.

Gavaskar
Sehwag
Richards
Lara
Tendulkar
Sobers
Gilchrist
Warne
Wasim
Marshall
McGrath.

I'd suggest Dravid, Laxman, Steyn, Hadlee, Murali and Underwood for the squad. It's a big squad, but if they're going back in time to play the pre fifties team, you need a few players in case some get separated and end up at the time of the French revolution, or on a Viking longship.

There was at least one of these playing for the whole of the past fifty years until... Sehwag or SRT retired, don't know who was last. Shame we didn't make to the present day, but Steyn came close.

I'd have liked a figure of the stature of Border or Waugh to lead the side, but it's a valid team from 1 to 11.

Well selected, CMS.

a good looking team, but I wouldn't fancy any of those as captain

perhaps we need to appoint Flower as head coach, and then captaincy becomes a simple case of reading the instructions written on the back of the hand

Sunny I guess.

I only have a vague recollection of Sunny... and indeed Sir G too, so I can't really comment

given that I can't comment, you could reasonably ask me why I did..... and that would be a very valid thing to ask. one to which I would have no answer

although I would probably smile knowingly

Well he was an international captain for a long time, on and off. Could be Sobers. They won ten, lost ten under him after 1965. Viv must be one of the most successful captains ever, so he should have it on that basis, but he could be quite inflammatory. He had the best team ever, but you don't hear of him refusing to play with other players... Lara wasn't always popular with his team mates. SRT didn't like the job. Wasim was captain for a while I think as was Gilchrist as a stand in. Warney?

SKW would love to be asked........... but probably wouldn't be, despite him sitting at the front with his hand in the air, saying "me, me" over and over again

I might see if John Buchanan will coach.

does he drive?

Ha! Well, when they get to pre 1965, the opposition won't know what a coach is.

They'll wonder why the new lads don't have either a job down the mines in the winter, or a title.

hard to work down a mine when a long ashes tour also requires a 6 week cruise before and after

better for team bonding than a boot camp, I suppose