Best aussie squad of 17 you'd choose (of the players you've seen)

Jan 13, 2015
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thought i'd do this little exercise - hoping others do as well

pick your best aussie squad of 17 (of players you've seen) as if they were going on a fully fledged tour (doesn't matter where, for all conditions) - just a balanced squad
(3 openers, 5 middle order bats, 2 keepers, 2 spinners, 5 quicks) or whoever you think:

First XI:
M.Hayden
M.Hussey
R.Ponting
S.Smith
G.Chappell
A.Border
A.Gilchrist
J.Gillespie
S.Warne
D.Lillee
G.McGrath

Squad members:
D.Warner
S.Waugh
I.Healy
N.Lyon
P.Cummins
M.Johnson

Second spinner could've easily been MacGill and reserve quick could've easily been R.Harris.

The M.Hussey spot (who could play as a reserve opener) could've been Taylor, Langer, Katich, Watson (to fit in that allrounder) but i'm taking mr.cricket on tour.
 
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May 20, 2014
20,824
26,451
AFL Club
Geelong
Hayden
Langer
Ponting
Smith
S.Waugh
Clarke
Gilchrist
Cummins
Johnson
Warne
McGrath

Hussey
Martyn
Healy
Lyon
Gillespie
Lee

Langer maybe contentious but with a big group of even openers I'd run with the Hayden and Langer partnership. 3-7 plus Warne and McGrath pick themselves really. Can't ignore Cummins' start to his career. Johnson enigmatic but I mean if the rest of your attack is Warne, McGrath and Cummins you've got a bit of leeway there and can ride out the ups and downs of Johnson. Ditto Lee as a back up quick. Hussey can bat anywhere but a bit of a cheat back up opener. Half a dozen players you could pick as a back up middle order bat but if we are touring I'm taking Martyn for an all conditions batsman. Healy enough said. I think MacGill was a better bowler than Lyon but again if we are touring and we already have Warne then makes sense to take an offie in case you want two spinners. Gillespie as your consistent back up quick.
 

worbod

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 26, 2008
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Other Teams
Liverpool
M. Hayden
J. Langer
M. Clarke
D. Boon
G. Chappell
A. Border
S. Smith
R. Ponting
S. Waugh
M. Hussey
A. Gilchrist
M. Johnson
S. Warne
D. Lillee
P. Cummins
S. MacGill
G. McGrath
 
May 30, 2006
17,517
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Canberra
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Taylor M (vc)
Hayden
Ponting
Smith
Chappell G
Border (c)
Gilchrist - very tempted to go Healy, the superior gloveman is almost always the right choice; but in this one case the extra batting counts
Warne
Lillee
Mc Dermott - I actually find the third fast bowling spot hard to fill, because the quality of the other two is so high and the next group is fairly even
Mc Grath

Langer
Hughes K - could he really be in the same squad as Chappell and Lillee though? much beter than his numbers say
Healy
Gillespie
Reid B - except for being a guaranteed injury
MacGill

Unlucky: Clarke M, Hussey, Cummins (might get there, but not yet), Alderman first in if touring England and could easily be the Reid replacement anyway
 

Santana

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 28, 2008
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Hayden
Langer
Ponting (VC)
Smith
S. Waugh (C)
Hussey
Gilchrist
Johnson
Warne
Gillespie
McGrath


Healy
Cummins
Harris
Lyon
Clarke
Martyn



Was tempted to bring another opener as cover in the 17th spot but couldn't decide who it would be. Warner & Slats both have poor away records. Didn't see Taylor at his best so it would feel weird putting him in. Almost put Rogers in there but ended up making Hussey cover for the openers if need be. Leaves the squad a batsman down but with Gilchrist and tailenders like Johnson & Warne it should be fine.

Picking the 3rd pace bowler was also hard.
 
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DAlembert

Club Legend
Mar 12, 2019
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Geelong
Hayden Aggressive Opener
Simpson Like the R L combo and Simmo was consistent and good slipper
Ponting At his best our best No 3 over I Chappell
G. Chappell Or Smith at 4 no dramas here
Smith 4 or 5 Makes no difference to me
Walters Just pips M Waugh for me. Both Good Fielders
Gilchrist Take his bat and kept well to quicks and spin
Johnson Left hand variety and sharp
Warne Best Leggie of all time
Lillee Great bowler
McGrath Ditto

Rod Marsh Good keeper to quicks..very good hands
Jeff Thomson At his best Super Quick Pitch Dependant
M.Hussey Solid Middle order...might go for M Waugh at a pinch
Alderman Accurate clever bowler in right conditions
Lyon Ozzies best ever Offie
Mark Taylor Back up opener good slipper.
 
Jan 13, 2015
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Hayden Aggressive Opener
Simpson Like the R L combo and Simmo was consistent and good slipper
Ponting At his best our best No 3 over I Chappell
G. Chappell Or Smith at 4 no dramas here
Smith 4 or 5 Makes no difference to me
Walters Just pips M Waugh for me. Both Good Fielders
Gilchrist Take his bat and kept well to quicks and spin
Johnson Left hand variety and sharp
Warne Best Leggie of all time
Lillee Great bowler
McGrath Ditto

Rod Marsh Good keeper to quicks..very good hands
Jeff Thomson At his best Super Quick Pitch Dependant
M.Hussey Solid Middle order...might go for M Waugh at a pinch
Alderman Accurate clever bowler in right conditions
Lyon Ozzies best ever Offie
Mark Taylor Back up opener good slipper.

loving the 70's flavour.
 
Jan 13, 2015
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M. Hayden
J. Langer
M. Clarke
D. Boon
G. Chappell
A. Border
S. Smith
R. Ponting
S. Waugh
M. Hussey
A. Gilchrist
M. Johnson
S. Warne
D. Lillee
P. Cummins
S. MacGill
G. McGrath

some great names although I don't think you'd need 10 batsmen trying to fill 6 positions.

you could easily replace 2 of them with another quick and reserve keeper .
 
Jan 13, 2015
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surprised no one else has picked warner, not even as a reserve.

perhaps its the timing of the thread, afterall he has the 2nd best average only to hayden and 2nd most tons as an opener since WSC.
 

DAlembert

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Mar 12, 2019
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surprised no one else has picked warner, not even as a reserve.

perhaps its the timing of the thread, afterall he has the 2nd best average only to hayden and 2nd most tons as an opener since WSC.
Averages do not tell the full story..although he has to be in the discussion. I like the left right combo and we are talking Test Cricket. You are right tho Warner's recent English efforts have to be considered he was diabolical. Hayden very similar but better imho. Warner lets himself down in the personality stakes.
 
Feb 6, 2013
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AFL Club
Hawthorn
Guessing Youtube highlights don't count, so I've got a very limited pool to draw from. 2005 Ashes was the first series I was really aware of and being a kid I wasn't allowed to stay up to watch it properly.

1. Matthew Hayden
2. David Warner
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Steve Smith
5. Michael Clarke (c)
6. Andrew Symonds
7. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
8. Shane Warne
9. Pat Cummins
10. Ryan Harris
11. Glenn McGrath

RESERVES
12. Brad Haddin (backup wiki)
13. Stuart Clark
14. Chris Rogers (backup opener, got to be honest I really don't remember much about watching Langer at all)
15. Nathan Lyon (the only other good spinner I've seen for Aus during their career)
16. Michael Hussey
17. Mitchell Johnson

ODI squad

1. Shane Watson
2. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
3. Ricky Ponting (c)
4. Shaun Marsh
5. Andrew Symonds
6. Michael Hussey
7. David Hussey
8. Brad Hogg
9. Brett Lee
10. Mitchell Starc
11. Glenn McGrath

RESERVES
12. Nathan Bracken
13. Clint McKay
14. James Faulkner
15. Post allrounder-era Steve Smith
16. David Warner
17. Aaron Finch
 
Last edited:
Jan 13, 2015
1,521
904
AFL Club
Sydney
Guessing Youtube highlights don't count, so I've got a very limited pool to draw from. 2005 Ashes was the first series I was really aware of and being a kid I wasn't allowed to stay up to watch it properly.

1. Matthew Hayden
2. David Warner
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Steve Smith
5. Michael Clarke (c)
6. Andrew Symonds
7. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
8. Shane Warne
9. Pat Cummins
10. Ryan Harris
11. Glenn McGrath

RESERVES
12. Brad Haddin (backup wiki)
13. Stuart Clark
14. Chris Rogers (backup opener, got to be honest I really don't remember much about watching Langer at all)
15. Nathan Lyon (the only other good spinner I've seen for Aus during their career)
16. Michael Hussey
17. Mitchell Johnson

ODI squad

1. Shane Watson
2. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
3. Ricky Ponting (c)
4. Shaun Marsh
5. Andrew Symonds
6. Michael Hussey
7. David Hussey
8. Brad Hogg
9. Brett Lee
10. Mitchell Starc
11. Glenn McGrath

RESERVES
12. Nathan Bracken
13. Clint McKay
14. James Faulkner
15. Post allrounder-era Steve Smith
16. David Warner
17. Aaron Finch


still some very good names in your test squad.

love the effort to do an odi team.
 
Hayden
Taylor
Ponting
Smith
Clarke
Hussey
Gilchrist
Johnson
Warne
Cummins
McGrath

Warner
S Waugh
M Waugh
Healy
Lyon
Harris

It’s an all rounder away from being the perfect test squad
 
M. Hayden
J. Langer
R. Ponting
G. Chappell
S. Waugh
A. Border
A. Gilchrist
S. Warne
D. Lillee
J. Gillespie
G. McGrath

R. Marsh
D. Martyn
C. McDermott
B. Reid
S. Smith
T. May
M. Clarke

Unlucky: M. Johnson, T. Alderman, G. Lawson, P. Cummins, I. Healy, M. Hussey, M. Taylor, D. Boon, D. Jones, R. Harris, M. Hughes, D. Warner.




ODI team:

A. Gilchrist
M. Waugh
R. Ponting
S. Waugh
M. Bevan
S. Smith
A. Symonds
S. Warne
C. McDermott
S. Davis
G. McGrath

Also: M. Hayden, S. Watson, D. Jones, B. Lee, S. O'Donnell, M. Hussey, M. Starc, S. Tait, I. Healy, P. Taylor, G. Marsh, R. Marsh, D. Boon, D. Martyn, M. Clarke, S.Marsh, U. Khawaja.


Best SA team:

G. Blewett
P. Nobes
J. Siddons
D. Lehmann
D. Hookes
P. Sleep
T. Nielsen
J. Gillespie
S. George
T. May
R. Hogg

Unlucky: W. Phillips, J. Scuderi, C. Sayers, S. Tait, A. Zesers
 
My best 17 from other countries:

G. Greenidge
S. Gavaskar
I. Richards
B.Lara
S. Tendulkar
S. Jayasuria
A.B. de Villiers
I. Khan
R. Hadlee
W. Akram
C. Ambrose

No spinner (except Viv) - but would you need one??
6 more in the squad:
M. Muralitharan
M. Crowe
V. Kohli
M. Marshall
J. Garner
K. Sangakarra

Other great players I've been lucky enough to see:
R. Dravid
J. Miandad
C. Lloyd
I. Ul Haq
S. Chanderpaul
M. Yousuf
M. Holding
R. Richardson
C. Walsh
K. Williamson
D. Steyn
A. Flower
J. Kallis
A. Donald
V. Philander
S. Pollock
W. Younis
A. Lamb
K. Dev
D. Haynes
 
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Santana

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 28, 2008
9,767
7,668
........
World Cup Squad

1. Gilchrist
2. M. Waugh
3. Ponting (C)
4. Hussey
5. Clarke (VC)
6. Bevan
7. Symonds
8. Starc
9. Lee
10. Warne
11. McGrath


Watson
Warner
Smith
Johnson


Unlucky to miss out: Hogg, Bracken, Hayden, Gillespie & Martyn
 

Docker82

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 21, 2013
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Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Smith, S.Waugh, Clarke, Gilchrist, Cummins, Johnson, McGrath, Watson, Hussey, Haddin, MacGill, Gillespie, Harris

Most won’t pick Watson but as his peak he was an absolute gun - just a pity his best barely lasted 3-4 years.
I started watching the game around when Gilly started playing which is kind of average as I’ve picked Haddin as there’s nearly no one. I guess 2013/14 Ashes Haddin was pretty damn good though.
MacGill was much more talented than Lyon - let’s be honest. Would be in the same conversation as Warne if their careers didn’t overlap.
Lee, Lyon and Martyn bloody stiff.
 

Barlos Crathwaite

Club Legend
Sep 22, 2019
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Guessing Youtube highlights don't count, so I've got a very limited pool to draw from. 2005 Ashes was the first series I was really aware of and being a kid I wasn't allowed to stay up to watch it properly.

1. Matthew Hayden
2. David Warner
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Steve Smith
5. Michael Clarke (c)
6. Andrew Symonds
7. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
8. Shane Warne
9. Pat Cummins
10. Ryan Harris
11. Glenn McGrath

RESERVES
12. Brad Haddin (backup wiki)
13. Stuart Clark
14. Chris Rogers (backup opener, got to be honest I really don't remember much about watching Langer at all)
15. Nathan Lyon (the only other good spinner I've seen for Aus during their career)
16. Michael Hussey
17. Mitchell Johnson

ODI squad

1. Shane Watson
2. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
3. Ricky Ponting (c)
4. Shaun Marsh
5. Andrew Symonds
6. Michael Hussey
7. David Hussey
8. Brad Hogg
9. Brett Lee
10. Mitchell Starc
11. Glenn McGrath

RESERVES
12. Nathan Bracken
13. Clint McKay
14. James Faulkner
15. Post allrounder-era Steve Smith
16. David Warner
17. Aaron Finch
You poor thing. You never got to see the legend that was Michael Bevan. He was the kohli of his time for chasing targets down or rescuing us time after time after time
 

The Passenger

The passenger, I am...
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You poor thing. You never got to see the legend that was Michael Bevan. He was the kohli of his time for chasing targets down or rescuing us time after time after time
It's a huge shame, but I feel Michael Bevan's performances in ODI cricket have been somewhat lost a little as there are now numerous players who average over 50, loads over 45, and most of them do it with a strike rate above 80.

But at the time of his retirement, only 5 players averaged 45 in ODI cricket, and he was the only one of them above 50, 6 runs clear of the next highest. His strike rate of 74 - although not outstanding - was nothing to sneeze at in those days. Not much slower than Ponting, Hayden or Lara.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...4;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Viv Richards is another who's career numbers suffer from the explosion of ODI runs in the T20 era. His performances were arguably even better than Bevan's when you put them in the context of his era - his strike rate of 90 was phenomenal, only bettered by Kapil Dev (but with an average of roughly half) and only half a dozen other blokes were striking above 75.

I think many youngsters today would see their career stats and wonder what the fuss was about. But for mine, these two and Sachin Tendulkar were the clear three best ODI batsmen in the pre-T20 era, and each played with a very distinctive methodology from each other. If I was doing an all time ODI XI now, all three would definitely be in it. Sachin opening, (Kohli at 3), Richards at 4, Bevan at 5 or 6 (probably 6).

ODI cricket was so much more entertaining when the scores were a bit lower. Longing for the days when 250 was a good score, 300 was something to behold and chasing down a score over 300 was cause for a national holiday - two holidays if it was an important match.

(Some numbers: In the first 2100 ODI's to 2004, 300 was chased down 13 times. In slightly more than 2100 ODI's since it has been done 71 times.)
 
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Pippen94

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Jun 12, 2019
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AFL Club
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Taylor M (vc)
Hayden
Ponting
Smith
Chappell G
Border (c)
Gilchrist - very tempted to go Healy, the superior gloveman is almost always the right choice; but in this one case the extra batting counts
Warne
Lillee
Mc Dermott - I actually find the third fast bowling spot hard to fill, because the quality of the other two is so high and the next group is fairly even
Mc Grath

Langer
Hughes K - could he really be in the same squad as Chappell and Lillee though? much beter than his numbers say
Healy
Gillespie
Reid B - except for being a guaranteed injury
MacGill

Unlucky: Clarke M, Hussey, Cummins (might get there, but not yet), Alderman first in if touring England and could easily be the Reid replacement anyway
Was Healy that much better a keeper? I don't remember Gilly dropping too many at his peak.
 

Santana

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 28, 2008
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Healy was brilliant but Gilly was a very good keeper. Healy's keeping was not that much better that you would ever consider picking him considering the batting differents.

Some people take the "better gloveman plays" way too seriously.
 
Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Smith
Clarke
S Waugh (c)
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Harris
McGrath

Rogers, Hussey, Haddin, Johnson, Gillespie, Lyon

ODI:

Gilchrist
Hayden
Ponting
Clarke
Smith
Hussey
Symonds
Lee
Warne
Bracken
McGrath

Watson, Bevan, Johnson, Starc
 

Barlos Crathwaite

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Considering Gilchrist barely dropped a catch in his peak years I can't believe it's even up for discussion between he and heals. Tall keeper too. Took more than a few absolute speccies at full stretch off the quicks.
 
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