The Alphabet Game

[Gingerfinch]

Caddick it is..............or Ewen Chatfield!

[Arthur Crabtree]

I reckon the debate is Caddick or Stuart Clark.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Caddick it is..............or Ewen Chatfield!

Richard Collinge would be ahead of Chatfield for me. But Caddick/Clark before them.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Though if we consider Jimmy Cook as an opener, then we could consider Sylvester Clarke (toured on a rebel SA tour, sadly).

[Gingerfinch]

Caddick for me.

Ian Chappell to open? Cheating a bit!

[Arthur Crabtree]

Sylvester, 11 Tests, 42 wickets, but almost exclusively played in Asia (one Test in Guyana, on a batters pitch, against the Packered Australians, one v Australia in Sydney. Probably the bowler the other letters' batters would least like to face, with a legendary bouncer and yorker, and vicious swing. 942 fc wickets at under 20! playing in WI,SA and UK.

Stuart, reckoned to be the inventor of the wobble ball, had prodigious impact in the middle Ashes whitewash and would have gained more caps but for McGrath (not available here). Was a match winner for Australia in SA, but fared poorly in three Tests in Asia. Fast medium. 24 Tests, 94 wickets at 23.9.

Caddick, rated widely as being tremendously talented but accused by contemporaries of lacking heart (Steve Waugh said he had the abilty of McGrath, but none of the mental strength). A Stuart Broad of his time as he got on terrific match winning spells. Mainly a seamer but swung the ball and got reverse late in career. Bowled very well in WI in two nineties tours. Not much of a record in Asia, but did well in SL on the Thorpe tour. 234 wickets at 29.1.

Really hard choice. No doubt about it, Clarke and Croft would make a formidable new ball pair. Clark had more of a successful but limited career than Caddick who had the longevity but never really achieved much of an overall legacy. Had a good late career under Duncan which makes me wonder if he might have been better handled.

I'll go Caddick. He was far more tested than the others, and albeit given more opportunity left behind more great days. Can see a case for all though.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I think if you're selecting legends XI, you'd go for Caddick for his ten year career and 234 wickets. If you were actually going to put a team out on the field to play a game, you'd go for Clarke. I'm staying with Caddick though.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Caddick for me.

Ian Chappell to open? Cheating a bit!

Opened twice and averaged 5.7.

[Gingerfinch]

Cowper to open?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Going pure stats on openers (I notice Azhar Ali is the second highest averaging opener ever with 1000 runs and we didn't even mention him) 1920s Aussie opener Herbie Collins is just ahead of A Cook for openers with 1000 runs. SO not him. Next we've got Colin Cowdrey who opened 38 times for England and averaged 42.4 with five tons,and 1500 runs. So I'll nominate Cowdrey.

Next is Joey Carew of WI, averaging 33 for 1127 runs. Only Sherwin Campbell and Chetan Chauhan otherwise average over 20 for 1000+ runs.

Cook
Cowdrey
Chappell
Compton
Clarke
Chanderpaul
Cairns
Cameron
Caddick
Croft
Chandrasekhar

Is my team based on discussions so far. The main outstanding issue is if Martin Crowe can take a top six spot.

[Gingerfinch]

A very strong batting line up, when you think the great MD Crowe cannot get in. The bowling looks very light.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Cowper to open?

Opened for one year, 1968, playing five innings in three Tests, scoring 165 v India at Sydney, but no other fifties.

My vote stays with MCC.

[Arthur Crabtree]

A very strong batting line up, when you think the great MD Crowe cannot get in. The bowling looks very light.

Probably a good case for playing Crowe. I like Chanderpaul's obduracy though, in a very attacking middle order. He went for incredible stretches without getting out. Might be a case ahead of Clarke, but for me Clarke has the legend as well as the numbers and achieved a great deal more. Chappell and Compton feel like automatic picks. Clarke and Chanderpaul get to bat in their favoured spots.

[rich1uk]

i think we need to leave Shiv in

if for no other reason i dont want to be worrying about Mike going all Liam Neeson on us

[Gingerfinch]

I'm happy(ish) with that team. I'd personally have Crowe, but am happy to have Shiv.