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

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kennas said:
Great team.

Need an all-rounder I reckon, again. Kallis for whoever. Waugh could have done it a while ago but got slack, or injured.
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All-rounders are over-rated in my opinion (at least in the modern era).

It seems that Australia has been searching for the "Holy Grail" of All Rounders over the past few decades with little success. Certainly Hadlee, Botham, Flintoff and Kallis have been wonderful players but..... as Don Bradman once said, if your batsmen are making runs, and your bowlers are taking wickets, you don't need an allrounder.

I think it is crazy picking a "dream team" and then assuming, after picking through the greatest players of the modern era, that the specialist players chosen won't make enough runs or take enough wickets.

Kallis is the only player capable of playing as a specialist batsman, but not good enough to be a key bowler. If you have Waugh and Richards in the side - that is enough variation in my opinion.

Duckman
 
My team of the last 30 years. Note - I have Steyn in there because test bowling is about strike rates above other stats, and there are none more lethal than this man.

Gavaskar
Tendulkar
Ponting (c)
Lara
Kallis
Gillchrist
Warne
Steyn
Garner
Marshall
Ambrose

12.Muralitharan depending on whether playing 1 or 2 spinners. Replace any of the 4 equally good quicks with him.
 
Awesome responses everyone, and some 'what was I thinking' moments, realizing I had overlooked some great cricketers. Re-stating that the team is of it's time (our time), hence no Bradman or Miller or Hammond, and a vote came in for G.Sobers.

ASF popular team is as below, on votes to date. I tried to retain the team concept, with specialists in position, but not many voted for for off-spinners, so we're light-on in that respect. Could be exposed if playing on the sub-continent.

Heck of a good team.

1. D.Haynes WI, ..5 votes
2. S.Gavaskar I, or M.Hayden Aus, ..4 votes each
3. B.Lara WI, or R.Ponting Aus, ..6 votes each
4. S. Tendulkar I, ..9 votes
5. V.Richards WI, ..8 votes
6. A.Gilchrist Aus, ..10 votes
7. J.Kallis SA, ..5 votes
8. S.Warne Aus, ..10 votes
9. W.Akram Pak, ..8 votes
10. D.K.Lillee Aus, ..7 votes
11. C.Ambrose WI, ..7 votes
 
Logique said:
Heck of a good team.

1. D.Haynes WI, ..5 votes
2. S.Gavaskar I, or M.Hayden Aus, ..4 votes each
3. B.Lara WI, or R.Ponting Aus, ..6 votes each
4. S. Tendulkar I, ..9 votes
5. V.Richards WI, ..8 votes
6. A.Gilchrist Aus, ..10 votes
7. J.Kallis SA, ..5 votes
8. S.Warne Aus, ..10 votes
9. W.Akram Pak, ..8 votes
10. D.K.Lillee Aus, ..7 votes
11. C.Ambrose WI, ..7 votes
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Yep, heck of a team, well done Log.

I only question the batting order of 6-9. Maybe Akram before Warne and Kallis before Gilly? Thoughts?
 
Agreed kennas.
Also I think we need to break the deadlock on positions 2. and 3., so that the four players become two. I'm thinking 2.Gavaskar and 3.Ponting, but the members votes can decide it.

And how are we to select a captain and vice-c from this lot? I guess Gavaskar as captain with Richards as the vc.

Revised batting order:
1. Haynes
2. Gavaskar or Hayden ..votes?
3. Lara or Ponting ..votes?
4. Tendulkar
5. V.Richards
6. Kallis
7. Gilchrist
8. Akram
9. Warne
10. Lillee
11. Ambrose
 
Logique said:
Agreed kennas.
Also I think we need to break the deadlock on positions 2. and 3., so that the four players become two. I'm thinking 2.Gavaskar and 3.Ponting, but the members votes can decide it.

And how are we to select a captain and vice-c from this lot? I guess Gavaskar as captain with Richards as the vc.

Revised batting order:
1. Haynes
2. Gavaskar or Hayden ..votes?
3. Lara or Ponting ..votes?
4. Tendulkar
5. V.Richards
6. Kallis
7. Gilchrist
8. Akram
9. Warne
10. Lillee
11. Ambrose
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Gavaskar for me, but not as Captain. India went over 30 games without a win at one stage under his leadership. Maybe he might have done better with a different team...

It's hard for me to say, but Lara over Punter. :(

To throw a cat amongst the pigeons; Warne for captaincy, Viv deputy.
 
kennas said:
Gavaskar for me, but not as Captain. India went over 30 games without a win at one stage under his leadership. Maybe he might have done better with a different team...

It's hard for me to say, but Lara over Punter. :(

To throw a cat amongst the pigeons; Warne for captaincy, Viv deputy.
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I agree - Warne for Captain. (Although a "dream team" isn't the place to try new things)

Gavaskar wasn't a team player. It is well known and written about by Gideon Haigh that he played for himself No 1 and India No 2. As a result his players didn't respond to him. I guess 30 games without success highlights that. Can't make him captain on that basis. Although he gets my tick above Hayden, as he scored against quality opposition.

Duckman
 
Duckman#72 said:
I agree - Warne for Captain. (Although a "dream team" isn't the place to try new things)
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Agree, but such a shame for the man. If he had have been able to keep his **** in his pants and not needed 'diuretics' for weight loss (steroids to fast track his recuperation from injury) and he would have been a great Australian captain and maybe would have played a couple more years.

So, captain?

Seriously missing a captain in this team.
 
Warnie for captain it is.

With due respect to site administration, my proposition would require their consent. We seem to have some refugees from the HC forum on ASF - I was thinking we challenge HC to submit their team, then send both team sheets off to the Ch9 cricket commentary team to adjudicate.

Loser (which will be HC - as if they'd have a clue) must sit through an entire day of the Australian Open tennis. And all mens games. Sure, a cruel punishment - is there a human being alive who could withstand it - but it will teach HC a lesson. There'll be no Venus Williams in flesh-coloured pants to soften the blow for them over at HC.
 
On the Lara or Ponting 'debate' at no.3:

Lara scored 400* & 375 runs in 2 innings on extremely flat batting tracks in Antigua. Man it was a bore to watch him pummel 2 extremely weak England sides. These 2 innings combined with the other 7 200+ scores which Lara scored means that he scored about 1/5 of his 11953 runs in just 9 innings.

So what was his average in his 223 innings? A quick calculation shows that it would be at a lowly 43. Yes we shouldn't just eliminate big innings, but when they skew the stats as much as Lara's then his records need to be treated with caution. Lara was as 'hot or cold' a batsman as you could ever see, and in my opinion only just scrapes into this team. Yes, he was a record breaker, but I certainly wouldn't put my life on him scoring. Simply having in a team is a gamble.

So I would go with Ponting at number 3. On a side note, Tendulkar and Kallis are the epitomy of consistency. They are run solid accumulators (if unspectacular), no matter what the conditions. Just thought I would add that point.
 
The next addition to any future list would have to be Chris Gayle. It is scary to see him wind up and I have never seen a ball hit on to the roof of a Grandstand before he came along.
 
UBIQUITOUS said:
On the Lara or Ponting 'debate' at no.3:

Lara scored 400* & 375 runs in 2 innings on extremely flat batting tracks in Antigua. Man it was a bore to watch him pummel 2 extremely weak England sides. These 2 innings combined with the other 7 200+ scores which Lara scored means that he scored about 1/5 of his 11953 runs in just 9 innings.

So what was his average in his 223 innings? A quick calculation shows that it would be at a lowly 43. Yes we shouldn't just eliminate big innings, but when they skew the stats as much as Lara's then his records need to be treated with caution. Lara was as 'hot or cold' a batsman as you could ever see, and in my opinion only just scrapes into this team. Yes, he was a record breaker, but I certainly wouldn't put my life on him scoring. Simply having in a team is a gamble.

So I would go with Ponting at number 3. On a side note, Tendulkar and Kallis are the epitomy of consistency. They are run solid accumulators (if unspectacular), no matter what the conditions. Just thought I would add that point.
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Fully agree with those comments OK2. I left Lara out of my side - as he was neither "consistent" nor "tough" enough in my opinion. Statistics aren't everything.

I like the team Logique. Although - I'd vote for Pointing over Lara. And if you MUST pick an allrounder - this team is crying out for S Waugh. He would be logical choice for Captain and was tough as nails. Built his career on beltings by the West Indies, unlike Kallis who has had it pretty cruisy in comparison.

Duckman
 
Who would they play?
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Ahh, the B team, which would include some of my A team, but seem to have missed out..

1 Barry Richards
2 Virender Sehwag
3 Graham Pollock
4 Greg Chappell (vc)
5 Javed Miandad
6 Alan Knott (k)
7 Sir Garfield Sobers (c)
8 Sir Richard Hadlee
9 Kapil Dev
10 Max Walker
11 Muttiah Muralitharan

Remember when they played a 'B' team from Australia in the ODIs. It got a little embarrassing as they beat the best from other nations, then started to beat the 'A' team.

The choice of 'Tangles' in the above may perplex some, but he was a superb inswing bowler and would give the captain the variety needed in playing for ones life.
Good luck in getting that batting line-up out in a hurry..

brty
 
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