All Time 11

[Caligo]

That second 11 is just insane. Especially the Demon.

Speaking of which, I wonder if he is on that Fred page they are running in the bay?

It is truly incredible he was both the fastest and most terrifying bowler of his era AND the inventor of swing bowling when he decided sheer pace wouldn't work so well in English pitches. Just mind boggling.

I think there is a legitimate argument for him being the greatest pace bowler of all time (although Marshall is still my guy).

He did give away too many runs though.

 

[Sydney Kicker]

It is truly incredible he was both the fastest and most terrifying bowler of his era AND the inventor of swing bowling when he decided sheer pace wouldn't work so well in English pitches. Just mind boggling.

I think there is a legitimate argument for him being the greatest pace bowler of all time (although Marshall is still my guy).

He did give away too many runs though.

He started as an underarm bowler too! Apparently WG was his bunny.

 

[Caligo]

He started as an underarm bowler too! Apparently WG was his bunny.

He also looked llike some kind of outlandish cartoon character. Extraordinary guy.

 

[Sydney Kicker]

That second 11 is just insane. Especially the Demon.

Speaking of which, I wonder if he is on that Fred page they are running in the bay?

With that 2nd 11 NSW could claim Thommo given he played his first games for NSW before switching to Qld.

Curator prepares a fast wicket and sub in Thommo for O'Reilly. Then you have an attack of Jeff Thompson, Pat Cummins, Jack Gregory and Fred Spofforth. The opposition openers might call in sick.

 

[Kyptastic]

Neil Harvey and Keith Miller would qualify for the NSW side, both would be good shouts for that first XI.

Monty Noble and Charles Turner would also make the cut somewhere.

 

[Caligo]

With that 2nd 11 NSW could claim Thommo given he played his first games for NSW before switching to Qld.

Curator prepares a fast wicket and sub in Thommo for O'Reilly. Then you have an attack of Jeff Thompson, Pat Cummins, Jack Gregory and Fred Spofforth. The opposition openers might call in sick.

Thommo was born in Greenacre in Sydney. Played all his juniors in Sydney too. Definitely a NSW product.

Back in the 90s and early 2000s it was possible to make a NSW team that could win test matches against major nations.

 

[Sydney Kicker]

Neil Harvey and Keith Miller would qualify for the NSW side, both would be good shouts for that first XI.

Monty Noble and Charles Turner would also make the cut somewhere.

Harvey and Miller (especially) would easily make one of those teams but I made an arbitrary criteria that you had to debut for NSW (hence Border and Gilly). Otherwise you could also choose Imran Khan!

Noble and CTB a bit stiff I agree.

 

[Sydney Kicker]

Harvey and Miller (especially) would easily make one of those teams but I made an arbitrary criteria that you had to debut for NSW (hence Border and Gilly). Otherwise you could also choose Imran Khan!

Noble and CTB a bit stiff I agree.

NSW 3rd 11 all time. Noble and Turner get a run in this one.

Slater
Warner
Bardsley
M Waugh
Barnes
Noble
Oldfield
Starc
Thompson
Turner
S McGill

O’Neill, Matthews, B Lee, Lawson unlucky

 

[Caligo]

NSW 3rd 11 all time. Noble and Turner get a run in this one.

Slater
Warner
Bardsley
M Waugh
Barnes
Noble
Oldfield
Starc
Thompson
Turner
S McGill

O’Neill, Matthews, B Lee, Lawson unlucky

Amazing to think you select 3 teams and Brett Lee somehow still doesn't get in. Just incredible.

 

[Gough]

Thommo was born in Greenacre in Sydney. Played all his juniors in Sydney too. Definitely a NSW product.

Back in the 90s and early 2000s it was possible to make a NSW team that could win test matches against major nations.

Coming up against Thommo and Pascoe in the early 70s was not for the faint of heart from what I've read.

 

[Sydney Kicker]

Coming up against Thommo and Pascoe in the early 70s was not for the faint of heart from what I've read.

I've read stories about that too

Len Pascoe and Jeffrey Robert Thomson – Sydney Grade Cricket

The story about Thommo playing grade cricket in Sydney, terrorising batsmen in cohort with his partner in crime Len Pascoe brings back frightful memories for Waverely's -Eastern Suburbs former fast bowler Dennis Hourn

stumptostump.com

 

[M Malice]

From my time watching Test cricket ie. mid 1970s >

Sunil Gavaskar
Matthew Hayden
Viv Richards
Greg Chappell
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillie
Curtly Ambrose

2nd 11 >

Barry Richards
Graeme Smith
Ricky Ponting
Virat Kohli
Jacques Kallis
Steve Smith
Kumar Sangakkara
Malcom Marshall
Richard Hadlee
Glenn McGrath
Muttiah Muralitharan

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Whilst I think Sobers probably does get in on his batting alone, I believe that, like Kallis, his bowing isn't good enough to ever actually be thrown the ball when a captain has Warne and Murali soaking up big numbers of overs and Marshall and whoever you pick as your second paceman out of Akram/Steyn/McGrath/any number of West Indians. Sobers was a very good bowler, but I am just never letting him bowl unless Marshall breaks his toe.

And so for me it is just the standard best 6 batsmen you can find, Gilchrist/Sanga/Dhoni or whatever keeper you fancy and then the best four bowlers. I will have a shot at a team in a bit.

Kallis, Sobers and Imran are all interchangeable IMO. You could pick any of the 3 as your all rounder in a team like this and very easily justify the selection.

If we are trying to keep batsmen close to or in their preferred position you could make a strong argument that with his bowling ability added in that the better choice at No.4 is Kallis over Tendulkar. Hundred's of wickets and a strong batting average.

As an example. With heaps of unlucky players in each position.

Sir Jack Hobbs - 4522 runs @ 61 as an opener
Sir Len Hutton - 6721 @ 56.5 as an opener.
Sir Donald Bradman - 5078 @103 batting at no.3
Jacques Kallis - 9-33 @ 62 batting at 4
Michael Clarke - 5959 @61 at 5.
Steve Waugh - 3165 @ 51 at 6.
Adam Gilchrist - 3948 @ 47 at 7.
Warne
Marshall
Ambrose
McGrath

The flaws that present are that some players had careers in multiple positions. Ponting, Sobers, Smith etc etc that aren't strongly represented in choosing a team like this. A spot like no.6 as an example is often where great top order bats start out when they first make their national team before progressing higher with senior player retirement. So there is an element of choosing which compromises to make. Allowing for this my All time XI would be something like.

Hutton
Hobbs
Bradman
Tendulkar
Richards
Sobers
Gilchrist (+)
Imran Khan
Warne
Marshall
Ambrose

 

[Foucault1989]

I think Ricky Ponting is very unlucky not to get picked in these teams, especially teams from the 70s onwards. I feel like there are a lot of nostalgia picks from the 70s and 80s. Mate if watching blokes plod along at 2 an over is your thing, awesome, but I'm picking guys who scored runs and took wickets in undisputably the best generation of cricket late 90s - 2000s.

Sehwag
Hayden
Ponting
Tendulkar
Lara
Kallis
Gilchrist
Akram
Warne
Murali
McGrath

That team would like sh** on your World Series heros.

 

[KiwiRoo]

From my time watching Test cricket ie. mid 1970s >

Sunil Gavaskar
Matthew Hayden
Viv Richards
Greg Chappell
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Dennis Lillie
Curtly Ambrose

2nd 11 >

Barry Richards
Graeme Smith
Ricky Ponting
Virat Kohli
Jacques Kallis
Steve Smith
Kumar Sangakkara
Malcom Marshall
Richard Hadlee
Glenn McGrath
Muttiah Muralitharan

Good effort !
personally I'd probably have Marshall ahead of Ambrose and Ponting /Chappell is a 50/50 call you could argue either way
I'd also be tempted to have Hadlee over Wasim too..He took wickets everywhere at a hell of strike rate and average.

 

[big_e]

I think Ricky Ponting is very unlucky not to get picked in these teams, especially teams from the 70s onwards. I feel like there are a lot of nostalgia picks from the 70s and 80s. Mate if watching blokes plod along at 2 an over is your thing, awesome, but I'm picking guys who scored runs and took wickets in undisputably the best generation of cricket late 90s - 2000s.

Sehwag
Hayden
Ponting
Tendulkar
Lara
Kallis
Gilchrist
Akram
Warne
Murali
McGrath

That team would like sh** on your World Series heros.

"That team from when you were young is terrible, so here is a team from when I was young..."

 

[M Malice]

I think Ricky Ponting is very unlucky not to get picked in these teams, especially teams from the 70s onwards. I feel like there are a lot of nostalgia picks from the 70s and 80s. Mate if watching blokes plod along at 2 an over is your thing, awesome, but I'm picking guys who scored runs and took wickets in undisputably the best generation of cricket late 90s - 2000s.

Sehwag
Hayden
Ponting
Tendulkar
Lara
Kallis
Gilchrist
Akram
Warne
Murali
McGrath

That team would like sh** on your World Series heros.

The majority of players who played in World Series Cricket say it was the highest standard "Test" cricket they ever played in, the West Indies side was a GOAT side with exceptional fast bowlers, Greg Chappell averaged 56.60 with 5 centuries, 4 50s and a highest score of 246 N.O from 21 innings.

G.Chappell, V&B Richards, Gavaskar, Miandad were just as good as any batsmen from any era IMO... apart from Bradman of course.

 

[Burtonsgottago]

In the spirit of he ODI World Cup I’d like to add to this the XI that I’d like to watch play the 50 over game…

Gilchrist
Sehwag
Sir Viv
de Villiers
Maxwell
Kluesner
Shahid Afridi
Wasim Akram
Warne
Ambrose
Lillee

 

[eth-dog]

All time, that I haven't seen

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Bradman
Headley
G Pollock
Sobers
Les Ames
Imran Khan
Hadlee
Marshall
Laker

That I've seen:

Smith
Hayden
Sangakkara
Kallis
Lara
Ponting
Gilchrist
Warne
Steyn
McGrath
Murali

 

[Caligo]

All time, that I haven't seen

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Bradman
Headley
G Pollock
Sobers
Les Ames
Imran Khan
Hadlee
Marshall
Laker

That I've seen:

Smith
Hayden
Sangakkara
Kallis
Lara
Ponting
Gilchrist
Warne
Steyn
McGrath
Murali

I think you might be the first to ignore both Warne and Murali in your best all time list. Bold choice. I wish I had seen that test where Laker took every single wicket against a powerful Australian team.

 

[eth-dog]

I think you might be the first to ignore both Warne and Murali in your best all time list. Bold choice. I wish I had seen that test where Laker took every single wicket against a powerful Australian team.

It would help if you read what I said.

 

[Caligo]

It would help if you read what I said.

Sorry, I misunderstood your post. I thought the team you hadn't seen was just everybody, rather than specifically only people you hadn't seen.

Others have done an all time vs only players they have seen and i assumed you were doing the same. My bad!

 

[Oliver09]

XI that I've seen
Sehwag
Cook
V Richards
Lara
Tendulkar
Border
Imran Khan
Healy
Warne
Ambrose
McGrath

All Time
Sehwag
Sutcliffe
Bradman
V Richards
Tendulkar
Sobers
Imran Khan
Healy
Lillee
Barnes
Grimmett

The all time team is certainly weighted towards stats as if you've never seen them play it's all you can really go by. Didn't see Lillee during his career but i've seen plenty of footage/highlights so have a fair idea what he was about. Grimmett ahead of Warne is different to most but 216 wickets in 37 Tests is an amazing record plus he never got a crack at international cricket until he was 35. Healy is the best keeper I've seen, Gilchrist might've averaged an extra 15 or so with the bat but Healy was no mug plus a fair chunk of his career was against the great West Indies attack. Everyone that faced them took a hit on their stats.

 

[PhatBoy]

XI that I've seen
Sehwag
Cook
V Richards
Lara
Tendulkar
Border
Imran Khan
Healy
Warne
Ambrose
McGrath

All Time
Sehwag
Sutcliffe
Bradman
V Richards
Tendulkar
Sobers
Imran Khan
Healy
Lillee
Barnes
Grimmett

The all time team is certainly weighted towards stats as if you've never seen them play it's all you can really go by. Didn't see Lillee during his career but i've seen plenty of footage/highlights so have a fair idea what he was about. Grimmett ahead of Warne is different to most but 216 wickets in 37 Tests is an amazing record plus he never got a crack at international cricket until he was 35. Healy is the best keeper I've seen, Gilchrist might've averaged an extra 15 or so with the bat but Healy was no mug plus a fair chunk of his career was against the great West Indies attack. Everyone that faced them took a hit on their stats.

I know these are all a matter of opinion and it’s not like Cook was hopeless, but what earns him a spot in your side over a Graeme Smith?
Their stats are fairly similar albeit Cook’s aggregate is colossal.
But when and where and how Smith got his runs - I think I’m right in saying he holds a record or share of it for 4th innings hundreds etc etc - to me that always put him on an extra tier to basically any of his contemporaries

 

[Gough]

I thought Jimmy Cook at first, he and Richards would have made a hell of an opening partnership.