Test Cricket Draft - Ordinary Edition

[akkaps]

11th pick: Shimron Hetmyer
Matches: 16
Bat Ave: 27.93


1. MT Renshaw (aus)
2. Salman Butt (pak)
3. MJ Guptill (nz)
4. KL Rahul (ind) +
5. SD Hope (win)
6. SO Hetmyer (win)
7. Liton Das (ban)
8. Imran Tahir (rsa)
9. LE Plunket (eng)
10. BC Strang (zim)
11. N Pradeep (sl)
12.

 

[cricketnut14]

need a pom and a wildcard, need a keeper and a 12th man.

lets knock over the pom and the keeper in the same hit, leaving a wildcard for the 12th man.

with a career to date of 41 tests and only 21 of them behind the stumps and a career to mirror Wade's.... Jos Butler (Eng) gets the gig.

 

[The Speaker]

I've saved one of the best names until last. I still need someone to take the new ball with Olonga, and I'm looking for someone accurate. Speed is overrated. Who better than a tall fast-mediun bowler with great accuracy, who could make the ball seam and swing off a length? He's basically Glenn McGrath, and he can bat even better than Pidge. Were it not for his untimely death in service during the Second World War, who knows what more he may have achieved. Who can say how accurate a bowling average of 45.67 is? It's certainly one for the mathematicians.

Chud Langton.

big_e

 

[big_e]

I feel my fast bowlers might struggle so I need some help in that department. By selecting someone whose best-known skill is shining the cricket ball.

Cameron Bancroft

 

[big_e]

And for 12th, I'll go the sneaky English route of using a specialist fielder: Phil Tufnell

1. Cameron Bancroft
2. Javed Omar
3. Ken Rutherford (captain)
4. Temba Bavuma
5. Mitch Marsh (vice-captain)
6. Grant Flower
7. Geraint Jones (wk)
8. Kumar Dharmasena
9. Ajit Agarkar
10. Mohammad Sami
11. Nixon McLean

12. Phil Tufnell

 

[The Speaker]

And now to finish off my batting I shall bring in some more resolute defence in at 6 - between this man and Franklin the resoluteness will be unmatched, even if the scoring is not so impressive. This man's greatest hour came when he top scored in Pakistan's win over England at the Oval in 1954, with a resolute 42*. Despite only bowling four overs in Tests, he normally came in down the order, to resolutely steady the ship. He was also the older brother of Pakistani great, Hanif Mohammad. With Wazir Mohammad, I can now resolutely say that my mediocre side will resolutely cherish the opportunity to surprise their opposition by getting a shock win from time to time, regardless of what the 'record books' (pfft) say.

1. TJ Franklin (New Zealand)
2. GJ Bonnor (Australia)
3. HDRL Thirimanne (Sri Lanka)
4. RF Surti (India)
5. M Ashraful (c) (Bangladesh)
6. W Mohammad (Pakistan)
7. OAC Banks (West Indies)
8. AF Giles (England)
9. ACB Langton (South Africa)
10. AE Dick (wk) (New Zealand)
11. HK Olonga (Zimbabwe)

12. GA Hick (England)

cricketnut14

 

[cricketnut14]

John Emburey (Eng) takes up the last spot in my team.

 

[11kgm]

akkaps

 

[akkaps]

Last pick: Ashish Nehra (ind)
Matches: 17
Bat ave: 5.50
Bowl ave: 42.40

1. Salman Butt (pak)
2. MJ Guptill (nz)
3. SD Hope (win)
4. KL Rahul (ind) +
5. SO Hetmyer (win)
6. Liton Das (ban)
7. Imran Tahir (rsa)
8. LE Plunket (eng)
9. A Nehra (ind)
10. BC Strang (zim)
11. N Pradeep (sl)

12. MT Renshaw (aus)

 

[reggie]

For my last pick I'll go to some classic 12th Man...

"I think there's something wrong with Mahanama Rod"

Roshan Mahanama - Ave 29.27, can fill the spot of match referee as well

1 WG Grace (Eng, Capt)
2 R Mahanama (SL)
3 P Kirsten (SAf)
4 D Brownlie (NZ)
5 D Hookes (Aust)
6 N Johnson (Zim)
7 K Akmal (Pak)
8 E Baptiste (WI)
9 J Gleeson (Aust)
10 M Mortaza (Bang)
11 D Malcolm (Eng)
12 S Venkat (Ind)

11kgm

 

[11kgm]

For my last pick I'll go to some classic 12th Man...

"I think there's something wrong with Mahanama Rod"

Roshan Mahanama - Ave 29.27, can fill the spot of match referee as well

1 WG Grace (Eng, Capt)
2 R Mahanama (SL)
3 P Kirsten (SAf)
4 D Brownlie (NZ)
5 D Hookes (Aust)
6 N Johnson (Zim)
7 K Akmal (Pak)
8 E Baptiste (WI)
9 J Gleeson (Aust)
10 M Mortaza (Bang)
11 D Malcolm (Eng)
12 S Venkat (Ind)

11kgm

I'll take specialists fielder S.Raina from India

Art Vandelay_

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I’m after Van_Dyke

 

[Van_Dyke]

12th man, who would float in and out of this side will be Mark Ramprakash, with his average of 27 over 52 tests
1. Raja
2. Elliott
3. Bashar
4. Shaun Marsh
5. Bairstow (+)
6. Singh
7. Symcock
8. Sammy
9. Bracewell
10. Lakmal
11. Price

12th man. Ramprakash

 

[Van_Dyke]

Art Vandelay_

 

[11kgm]

I’m after Van_Dyke

**** me I'll never get it right

 

[cricketnut14]

Looks like Art_Vandelay is on a holiday.

So lets discuss our teams.

I have given us 2 line ups each, 1 as selected and 1 with the keeper @ 7 to make it easier to compare teams.

My wrap up will be in about 2 hours.

 

[cricketnut14]

The_Speaker:
Kudos for the selections and took a different approach to this exercise. Some real left field brilliant selections.
With no batsman averaging 30 and a wicketkeeper that would bat #11 in my side, this team ain't going to muster huge totals.
A heavy reliance on Olonga and not real sure on Surti's skill as he would certainly be required to do some bowling.
Ranking 8th.

big_e:
Kudos as well for the obscure selections. With M.Marsh batting at 5 says enough really. With easily the worst bowling attack, they could be bowling a long time against some of the opponents with S.Marsh, Hick etc. Mitch Marsh statistically is the best bowler in this side. Good versatilty with Tufnell as 12th man if they play on a bunsen burner.
Ranking 7th.


Art_Vandalay:
Nevill as 12th man is just bizarre. Why a 3rd keeper and who is he replacing if he comes into the XI? Nevill never played test cricket as a specialist batsman and was oddly selected before Itikab. Two quicks and 4 spinners if Arnold gets a trundle.
An unbalanced side which leaves a heavy reliance on Edwards if the pitch ain't a turner.
Ranking 6th.

akk_aps:
Great effort to build a competitve unit, missing the first 4 rounds of the draft, before playing catch up. Batting is a little light with playing 5 bowlers and has the option strengthening the batting by dropping a bolwer and playing Renshaw.
Ranking 5th.

reggie:
Solid team, although the batting is a little light with Johnson batting at 6. The team is fine with bowling options and can bring in Venkat as a 2nd spinner in need.
Ranking 4th.

11kgm:
With a solid team and the best frontline bowling attack, this team could challenge for a grand final birth, if a season was played against these teams.
Williams and Braithwaite as back up bowlers and the 3rd best batting attack. Raina looks like he plays as a specialist 12th man and adds no value if included in this final XI as this team has 6 bats averaging 30+.
Ranking 3rd.

Van_Dyke:
Very good all round side. With the second best batting attack and second best bowling attack. Great versatility with 5 frontline bowlers (3 quicks and 2 spinners). Bairstow adds strength to the batting and there isn't a need to give Ramprakash a run. Again a side with 6 bats averaging 30+.
Ranking 2nd.

cricketnut14:
Gonna pump up my own tyres here. Only team to have the top 7 bats averaging 30+ . including the keeper Butler. One of 3 teams to have all 4 frontline bowlers averaging sub 40. Emburey could come in making an offie and a leggie if conditions suited. Four guys that can roll the arm over in Mahmudullah, Samuels, Neesham & Blewett. A little side note: 11 of the 12 players have a first class century and O'Keefe a first class 99 not out. With a long tail, some of these opposition bowlers may be bowling long spells.

As I can't vote for my own side, I'm giving the thumbs up to Van_Dyke by a nose to 11kgm.

Well done guys and well done to swiftly move through the draft.

 

[Matera92]

On behalf of my fallen sparring partner, Art Vandelay_

My final selection on for the Ordinary 11 is Intikhab Alam. Former Captain of Pakistan

Bat ave - 22
H/S: 138

Bowl Ave: 35
Wickets 125

1. Mark Butcher - England
2. Imran Farhat - Pakistan
3. Russel Arnold - Sri Lanka
4. Pataudi - India (C)
5. Wade - Australia (WK)
6. Taibu- Zimbabwe
7. Intikhab Alam - Pakistan
8. J.Bracewell - New Zealand
9. S. Hossain - Bangladesh
10. Edwards - West Indies
11. Harris - South Africa
12. P. Nevill - Australia

 

[reggie]

1 WG Grace (Eng, Capt)
2 R Mahanama (SL)
3 P Kirsten (SAf)
4 D Brownlie (NZ)
5 D Hookes (Aust)
6 N Johnson (Zim)
7 K Akmal (Pak)
8 E Baptiste (WI)
9 J Gleeson (Aust)
10 M Mortaza (Bang)
11 D Malcolm (Eng)
12 S Venkat (Ind)

Pretty happy with my team overall. My strategy was to find players who narrowly squeezed into the guidelines, some whose stats either don't reflect their best cricket or played in a time when a batting average close to 35 was outstanding, and then a few favourites of mine. I ended up getting about 9 or 10 of the players that I wanted when first planning my team.

The batting is stronger than the pure numbers suggest. WG's average is better than it appears given batting averages of the time he played, and if he occasionally puts the bails back on and keeps batting after being bowled that will help the team's cause greatly. Mahanama is a bit of a weak link, though he is capable of a long innings and can act as match referee which could help if WG stirs up trouble. Kirsten was well past his best when South Africa was readmitted to international cricket so his stats also don't reflect how good a player he was. Brownlie is a favourite of mine and a great story going from club cricket in Perth to Test cricket in NZ within a few years. Hookesy is another favourite and adds some flair to the middle order. Johnson's career was shortened by issues in Zimbabwe and his 1999 World Cup was outstanding so I'm backing him to reproduce some of that form. Akmal is an interesting one, capable of playing a match winning innings but glovework is genuinely ordinary though, depending on whether what the bookies offer, the team could become very rich very quickly.

The bowling has variety and depth, and should have most conditions covered. There's plenty of pace up front with Malcolm and Mortaza to take the new ball and rough up the openers. Malcolm in particular has the potential to destroy the opposition line up. Baptiste was overshadowed by the Windies fast bowling cartel and is more than handy at first change with support from Johnson's seamers. Gleeson and Venkat provide different spinning options and a bit of mystery. The two are interchangeable in the line up and Venkat might be needed to stand behind the stumps with the white coat on. If conditions are favourable for spin then both would play and one of the quicks would carry the drinks.

Really enjoyed the draft, thanks to The Speaker for running it

 

[big_e]

The_Speaker:
Kudos for the selections and took a different approach to this exercise. Some real left field brilliant selections.
With no batsman averaging 30 and a wicketkeeper that would bat #11 in my side, this team ain't going to muster huge totals.
A heavy reliance on Olonga and not real sure on Surti's skill as he would certainly be required to do some bowling.
Ranking 8th.

big_e:
Kudos as well for the obscure selections. With M.Marsh batting at 5 says enough really. With easily the worst bowling attack, they could be bowling a long time against some of the opponents with S.Marsh, Hick etc. Mitch Marsh statistically is the best bowler in this side. Good versatilty with Tufnell as 12th man if they play on a bunsen burner.
Ranking 7th.


Art_Vandalay:
Nevill as 12th man is just bizarre. Why a 3rd keeper and who is he replacing if he comes into the XI? Nevill never played test cricket as a specialist batsman and was oddly selected before Itikab. Two quicks and 4 spinners if Arnold gets a trundle.
An unbalanced side which leaves a heavy reliance on Edwards if the pitch ain't a turner.
Ranking 6th.

akk_aps:
Great effort to build a competitve unit, missing the first 4 rounds of the draft, before playing catch up. Batting is a little light with playing 5 bowlers and has the option strengthening the batting by dropping a bolwer and playing Renshaw.
Ranking 5th.

reggie:
Solid team, although the batting is a little light with Johnson batting at 6. The team is fine with bowling options and can bring in Venkat as a 2nd spinner in need.
Ranking 4th.

11kgm:
With a solid team and the best frontline bowling attack, this team could challenge for a grand final birth, if a season was played against these teams.
Williams and Braithwaite as back up bowlers and the 3rd best batting attack. Raina looks like he plays as a specialist 12th man and adds no value if included in this final XI as this team has 6 bats averaging 30+.
Ranking 3rd.

Van_Dyke:
Very good all round side. With the second best batting attack and second best bowling attack. Great versatility with 5 frontline bowlers (3 quicks and 2 spinners). Bairstow adds strength to the batting and there isn't a need to give Ramprakash a run. Again a side with 6 bats averaging 30+.
Ranking 2nd.

cricketnut14:
Gonna pump up my own tyres here. Only team to have the top 7 bats averaging 30+ . including the keeper Butler. One of 3 teams to have all 4 frontline bowlers averaging sub 40. Emburey could come in making an offie and a leggie if conditions suited. Four guys that can roll the arm over in Mahmudullah, Samuels, Neesham & Blewett. A little side note: 11 of the 12 players have a first class century and O'Keefe a first class 99 not out. With a long tail, some of these opposition bowlers may be bowling long spells.

As I can't vote for my own side, I'm giving the thumbs up to Van_Dyke by a nose to 11kgm.

Well done guys and well done to swiftly move through the draft.

FWIW - I was going for a team of disappointments, not the best team possible. So to have Mitch Marsh batting at 5 and being the best bowler hit the brief.

 

[The Speaker]

I should actually put together an XI of players I could have chosen but didn't end up getting picked. Intikhab would've been among them had he not been the final selection.

Would we like to have a public vote for what people make of the teams?

cricketnut14 Surti was a genuine all-rounder - on India's tour of Aus and NZ in 67-68, he took 42 wickets across all matches.

 

[cricketnut14]

I should actually put together an XI of players I could have chosen but didn't end up getting picked. Intikhab would've been among them had he not been the final selection.

Would we like to have a public vote for what people make of the teams?

cricketnut14 Surti was a genuine all-rounder - on India's tour of Aus and NZ in 67-68, he took 42 wickets across all matches.

lol @ genuine allrounder - he may have been touted as one.

fair effort on the 67/68 tours to oz and nz though.

 

[The Speaker]

lol @ genuine allrounder - he may have been touted as one.

fair effort on the 67/68 tours to oz and nz though.

He was one. Took Queensland's first ever Shield hat-trick. Those who played with him always say that he was great at every discipline.