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My dream cricket team - if to 'play for my life'

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Logique

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With apologies to the cricket haters out there. No match on today.
A dream team that as - I think it's Ian Chappell that sometimes puts it, can 'play for my life'. Of players I've seen, hence no Bradman. I want grit as well as talent.

1. Mark Taylor (C) AUS - tough, resilient, great captain
2. Matty Hayden AUS - run machine
3. Ricky Ponting AUS - genius
4. Sachin Tendulkar IND - genius
5. Alan Border AUS - read comments M.Taylor - brilliant protector of the tail
6. Adam Gilchrist AUS - genius
7. Shane Warne AUS - flawed genius
8. Daniel Vettori (VC) NZ - read comments M.Taylor, great all round cricketer
9. Wasim Akram PAK - left arm genius, and could bat
10. Dennis Lillee AUS - genius, and fiery, no mug with the bat either
11. Curtly Ambrose WIND - genius, and fiery

Apologies to Gordon Greenidge and Des Haynes, Muttiah Muralitharan, John Snow and Steve Waugh. Never saw Keith Miller, but I reckon he'd have been a useful addition.

Nobody could beat my team. Pace attack in particular absolutely sensational.
 

Couple of changes:

I wouldn't have Mark Taylor. When you have the ability of the cricketers you have chosen - you don't need a weak opening bat just for strategy.

I wouldn't have chosen Matt Hayden - flat track bully. Made big scores against some rubbish opposition. I remember how Matt Hayden went against an aging West Indies (he was dropped).

I wouldn't have chosen Alan Border - excellent player of his generation, and he was damn tough, however never really had a great rapport with fellow players.

Daniel Vettori - wouldn't be in the side. Don't need a front line off spinner for a start and Muttiah would be better (although he chucks and picks up big bags against rubbish opposition)

My inclusions would be Haynes for Taylor, Boon for Hayden, Waugh for Border and to strengthen the batting I'd throw in Viv Richards (also handy off spinner)

Plenty of "sorrys" - Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Allan Donald, Richard Hadlee

So the team would be:

Haynes
Boon
Ponting
Tendulkar
Richards (vc)
Waugh (c)
Gilchrist
Warne
Akram
Lillee
Ambrose

If you want tough and gritty, you shouldn't complain about the inclusion of Richards, Haynes, Boon and Waugh.

I've lost a bowler from your side, but I've added Richards and Waugh who could offer variety in attack. But honestly, you could pick a completely new 11 and have a very, very decent side. I wouldn't be too confident about your attack.

What about Holding, McGrath, Muttiah, and Garner? Or Botham, Marshall, Donald, Abdul Qadir?

You need to put a time frame around this - I'm talking about 1982/3 onwards (from my earliest memories of cricket)

Duckman
 
Stats aside. I would have to include Geoff Boycott.
If you ever needed someone more boring to watch, who could stand at the crease, blunt the leather off the ball for 4 days and frustrate the heck out of the opposition. He was the guy.

I'd include him instead of Tubby as Duckman pointed out.
 
Duckman#72 said:
I wouldn't have chosen Alan Border - excellent player of his generation, and he was damn tough, however never really had a great rapport with fellow players.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have chosen Border either Duckman. But he was tough enough to make the transition from baseballer to cricketer.
 
Unfortunately only 11 players in a team so many top players left out.

Venom and Grace

Justin Langer
Desmond Haynes
Greg Chappell
Viv Richards
Sachin Tendulkar
Jacques Kallis
Adam Gilchrist
Shane Warne
Sir Richard Hadlee
Dennis Lillee
Michael Holding

12th man -- Ian Botham
 

I can't believe everyone so far has overlooked Pidgeon (Glenn McGrath). I haven't time to put together my whole team but he's definitely there!
 
Mark Taylor, great, great, cricketer. Shocking commentator. I`d stick to air conditioners.
 
Maybe I'm a bit older than the rest of you but what about Sir Garfield Sobers?? You would have to have him in a side that included players from the early '70's, or for that matter any side.

brty
 
Virenda Sehwag
Matt Hayden
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Jacques Kallis
Ian Botham
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillee
Curtly Ambrose

Match winners, superstars and all rounders.
 
overit said:
Virenda Sehwag
Matt Hayden
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Jacques Kallis
Ian Botham
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillee
Curtly Ambrose

Match winners, superstars and all rounders.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with Warnie and Tendulkar.

gg
 
My first memories of cricket were the late 80s

1. Grenidge
2. Haynes
3. Richardson
4. Logie
5. Richards
6. Hooper
7. Dujon
8. Ambrose
9. Marshall
10. Patterson
11. Walsh

Still the scariest team ever...
 
Warne and Vittori? I'd leave out Vittori and add an allrounder. Kallis probably. Toss up between an Akram, Hadlee and McGrath. Taylor, Hayden and Border are questionable. Grenidge, Haynes, Richards, Lara, Waugh all probably get a game before them in my team.
 
Remember the thread is premised with 'Play with for your life'.

So I stick with my selections

Carl OOOopper
&
Geoff Boycott

I don't want to die fellas!
 
Fleeta said:
My first memories of cricket were the late 80s

1. Grenidge
2. Haynes
3. Richardson
4. Logie
5. Richards
6. Hooper
7. Dujon
8. Ambrose
9. Marshall
10. Patterson
11. Walsh

Still the scariest team ever...
Click to expand...
Most of the WSC team I remember from that era.

Gordon Greenidge
Desmond Haynes
Viv Richards
Clive Lloyd
Sorta Know
Ringza Bell
Murray
Michael Holding
Andy Roberts
Colin Croft
Joel Garner
 
Wysiwyg said:
Most of the WSC team I remember from that era.

Gordon Greenidge
Desmond Haynes
Viv Richards
Clive Lloyd
Sorta Know
Ringza Bell
Murray
Michael Holding
Andy Roberts
Colin Croft
Joel Garner
Click to expand...

You are still neglecting Carl OOOOper & Roger Harper!
Best One-day fielding average in history, can bowl and can bat and YOUR LIFE depends on it!!!!!

VIV RICHARDS would be there for sure in my line up!
 
Mark Taylor (C)
Matty Hayden
Ricky Ponting
Sachin Tendulkar
Kim Hughes
Adam Gilchrist
Shane Warne
Daniel Vettori
Wasim Akram
Dennis Lillee
Jeff Thompson

Kim Hughes is included as he, along with Viv Richards, Clive Llyod, was one of the most elegant batsman I have seen.

Tommo is there becasuse he scared sh*tless every batsman who faced him.
 
Geoff Boycott for boredom and endurance, Roger Harper for versatility, Carl Hooper for all-round ability and Viv Richards for "Go fetch it" psychology!
 
GumbyLearner said:
Geoff Boycott for boredom and endurance, Roger Harper for versatility, Carl Hooper for all-round ability and Viv Richards for "Go fetch it" psychology!
Click to expand...

What do you think is the reasoning behind the Mark (tubby) Taylor gig? Nothing out of the box in batting or captaining.

Chubby with the bat handle stuck in his belly button.

 
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