World Test Team

[Kane McGoodwin]

OK, I guess we are back in cricket season again. Based on current cricketers, who would you have in your world test team (including 12th man)? Must admit I was struggling for a 2nd opener, as I don't believe there is another class act apart from Anwar. Also, some may argue that Andy Flower should be the keeper, as he has also had a great year. Gillespie is also unlucky, but the South Africans just kept him out.

My team is as follows:

S Anwar (Pak)
M Hayden (Aus)
J Kallis (SA)
S Tendulker (Ind)
S Waugh(Aus)
I Ul-Haq (Pak)
A Gilchrist - w/k (Aus)
S Pollock (SA)
S Warne (Aus)
A Donald (SA)
M Muralitharan (SL)
G McGrath (Aus)

 

[The Hippie]

Interesting mate, can't argue with most of it, pretty much picks itself.

The only spots I would maybe have different would be Gary Kirsten in for Anwar, I'm not sure of how many runs he's got this year or his average, but whenever you see a score from sth Africa, he always seems to be amongst the runs, and I'd also bat Tendulkar at 3 and bring in Mark Waugh at 4 as he is back in the runs again after the Ashes and early this season.

Or maybe I just want the two of them in the same team purely for the entertainment value.

 

[Briedis]

I'd have the following:

S Anwar (Pak)
G Kirsten (SA)
S Tendulkar (I)
M Waugh (Aus)
+S Waugh (Aus)
R Jacobs - w/k (WI)
S Pollock (SA)
S Warne (Aus)
D Gough (Eng)
M Muralitharan (SL)
G McGrath (Aus)

12th - I Ul-Haq (Pak)

I don't think either Aussie opener (Hayden or Slater) would be picked in a world test team after the Ashes tour. Hayden has had one excellent series but the rest have not been outstanding.

While Gilly is easily the best Keeper/batsman, I think Jacobs is a far better keeper and is also the type to get stuck in and make the hard runs (like Healy, but a LOT better batsman).

Gough is a quality bowler and should in the team, although I think Gillespie, Mushtaq and H Singh would go close.

I put Ul-Haq in but was very tempted in include Laxman, Dravid, Lara and Flower.

Chris Cairns should probably fit in there if the all-rounder spot hadn't been taken by Pollock.

 

[Briedis]

World team game!

Perhaps they should have a world team 1 vs. World team 2 test match.

I would love to see the team above go up against the remaining team of:

Flower (Zim)
Trescothick (Eng)
Lara (WI)
Hussain (Eng)
Dravid (I)
Laxman (I)
Kallis (SA)
Gilchrist (Aus)
Cairns (NZ)
Gillespie (Aus)
H Singh (I)

12th - B Lee (Aus)

 

[PiesPremiers]

My Test team.
Matty Hayden (AUS)
Gary Kirsten (SA)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Mark Waugh (AUS)
Damien Martyn (AUS)
Steve Waugh (AUS) Skipper.
Adam Gilchrist (AUS)
Shaun Pollock (SA)
Harbijhan Singh (IND)
Brett Lee (AUS)
Glenn McGrath (AUS)

My one-day team would be
Gary Kirsten (SA)
Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
Brian Lara (WI)
Rick Ponting (AUS)
Steve Waugh (AUS)
Chris Cairns (NZ)
Adam Gilchrist (AUS)
Shaun Pollock (SA) Skipper
Shane Warne (AUS)
Jason Gillespie (AUS)
Glenn McGrath (AUS)

Australia dominating in both of my teams. biased? maybe a little but we are the best team in the world, and we have alot of players that are the best in the world in their position.

 

[WA]

Originally posted by Briedis
While Gilly is easily the best Keeper/batsman, I think Jacobs is a far better keeper and is also the type to get stuck in and make the hard runs (like Healy, but a LOT better batsman).

...and Gilchrest doesn't???

 

[Briedis]

Gilly gets plenty of runs, but more often than not it means taking Australia from 5/300 to 6/400. Jacobs usually comes in and scores runs to get the WI out of severe trouble and make a competitive total....Gilly seems to fail under those circumstances...

BTW, I'm not saying Gilly can't bat, on the contrary, but his keeping skills can be very ordinary (especially to Warnie) and I would prefer Jacobs because is an excellent batsmen as well as a high-standard keeper...

 

[Briedis]

Originally posted by PiesPremiers
My Test team.
Matty Hayden (AUS)
Gary Kirsten (SA)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Mark Waugh (AUS)
Damien Martyn (AUS)
Steve Waugh (AUS) Skipper.
Adam Gilchrist (AUS)
Shaun Pollock (SA)
Harbijhan Singh (IND)
Brett Lee (AUS)
Glenn McGrath (AUS)

No Warnie or M. Waugh, yet you've gne for "one-series" Hayden and Lee whose recent form in England was very ordinary...

And you'd have Martyn and no Tendulkar?

 

[Nic]

Wouldn't take Lee over Gillespie at the moment in any team, PP.

 

[Dipper]

Flower A
Laxman
Tendulkar
Martyn
Waugh.S(captain)
Cairns
Gilchrist
Pollock
Warne
McGrath
Murali

Here's mine, I reckon if you've got your pick of the world's best players then you don't need 6 batters.So I've gone for 5 & put in Cairns/Pollock/Gilchrist to make some middle order runs.

Don't think there's too many top openers about, but I reckon Flower can do the job his average in a poor side, whilst keeping wicket is such that I couldn't leave him out.I love Martyn so I'm happy to have him in there, for me Dravid although he has a superb average he's gutless against the quicks away from the featherbed pitches in India.If Cairns is fit he's a handful with bat & ball.Pollock & McGrath are a bit similar but it'd be hard to score a run with them bowling in tandem, I'd have liked a real speedster but none of them are on form & I'm not sure how well Donald is going these days otherwise I'd have him.Warne & Murali in tandem would be virtually unplayable if the pitch had a little bit of turn in it-even if it didn't if it was quick enough they'd still cause mayhem.

No room for a token English player though.

 

[Visro]

Martyn could nearly make the side. His stats for international tests:

16 matches
27 innings
1020 runs
HS of 118
Average of 51
2 centuries
7 fifties

He could quite easily bat at number 5 or 6.

 

[kretchy]

My Side

Gary Kirsten
Saeed Anwar
Sachin Tendulkar
Mark Waugh
Jayawardene (not sure on first name)
Steve Waugh (C)
Adam Gilchrist
Shaun Pollock
Shane Warne
Darren Gough
Glenn McGrath

12th Mutthaih Muralidaran

 

[Bulldog1954]

Originally posted by PiesPremiers
My Test team.
Matty Hayden (AUS)
Gary Kirsten (SA)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Mark Waugh (AUS)
Damien Martyn (AUS)
Steve Waugh (AUS) Skipper.
Adam Gilchrist (AUS)
Shaun Pollock (SA)
Harbijhan Singh (IND)
Brett Lee (AUS)
Glenn McGrath (AUS)

My one-day team would be
Gary Kirsten (SA)
Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
Brian Lara (WI)
Rick Ponting (AUS)
Steve Waugh (AUS)
Chris Cairns (NZ)
Adam Gilchrist (AUS)
Shaun Pollock (SA) Skipper
Shane Warne (AUS)
Jason Gillespie (AUS)
Glenn McGrath (AUS)

Australia dominating in both of my teams. biased? maybe a little but we are the best team in the world, and we have alot of players that are the best in the world in their position.

No way should Brett Lee make the world team. He was absolutely caned by a pitiful England batting line u. Give me Dizzy anyday

 

[Darky]

Saeed Anwar
Andy Flower (c)
Jacques Kallis
VVS Laxman
Sachin Tendulkar
Steve Waugh
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
Shaun Pollock
Jason Gillespie
Muttiah Muralitharan
Glenn McGrath
12 - Chris Cairns

Andy Flower as captain, even though he is not captain of Zimbabwe (electively). Far and away the best batsman in the world at the moment.

Balanced attack - three quicks, one of whom bats well at 8, a top-order batsman who bowls a lively medium pace and is a regular bowler, and a spinner who can bowl long tight spells and most importantly gets a truckload of wickets.

It might be handy to squeeze in a second spinner (Warne probably), but who to omit?

 

[Bulldog1954]

Originally posted by kretchy
My Side

Gary Kirsten
Saeed Anwar
Sachin Tendulkar
Mark Waugh
Jayawardene (not sure on first name)
Steve Waugh (C)
Adam Gilchrist
Shaun Pollock
Shane Warne
Darren Gough
Glenn McGrath

12th Mutthaih Muralidaran

Darren Gough would struggle to get a game for Australia, let alone a world team

 

[London Dave]

no particular team, but thinking of best players from each country...

NZ Cairns astle
England Thorpe, Tresco (and me old mate Tuffers!)
WI Lara Jacobs
Zim A Flower, H Streak
India Sachin, Harbajan, Laxman
SriL Murali, Jayasuriya(?)
Pak Inzy, Wasim, Saqlain, Waqar
aus S Waugh, Gilly, McGrath, Warney,
SA Pollock, Kirsten, Kallis

probably forgot a few, and i missed Kenya and Bangla..go figure!

 

[NICK THE PIE MAN]

WORLD 11

M.Hayden
J.Langer
R.Ponting
M.Waugh
S.Waugh (c)
D.Martyn
A.Gilchrist (vc)
B.Lee
S.Warne
J.Gillespie
G.McGrath
CARN THE AUSSIES!

nah seriously...!

S.Anwar
G.Flower
S.Tenduklar
B.Lara
S.Waugh (c)
C.Cairns
A.Gilchrist
S.Pollock (vc)
M.Mulltierlitianidhsfghjdfhdh-ian
J.Gillespie
G.McGrath

12th-Jayasuriya
13th!-Kallis

THE DAMIEN MARTYN AWARD- G.Kirsten (great player, but finds it hard to cement a permanent spot in this team)

 

[WCE2000]

Andy Flower - Zimbabwe
Gary Kirsten - South Africa
Jaques Kallis - South Africa
Sachin Tendulkar - India
Steve Waugh (captain) - Australia
Mahela Jayawardene - Sri Lanka
Adam Gilchrist (keeper) - Australia
Shaun Pollock - South Africa
Darren Gough - England
Muttiah Murilitharan - Sri Lanka
Glen McGrath - Australia

Shane Warne - Australia

 

[WCE2000]

Originally posted by Bulldog1954


Darren Gough would struggle to get a game for Australia, let alone a world team

45 wickets at 26 a piece in the last 12 months begs to differ with that comment.
Admittedly, he was the last bowler i picked in my line-up and i was going to go Warne except i prefer a 3 pronged pack attack, but he is definetaly in the top 5 bowlers in the world.

 

[Bulldog1954]

Originally posted by WCE2000


45 wickets at 26 a piece in the last 12 months begs to differ with that comment.
Admittedly, he was the last bowler i picked in my line-up and i was going to go Warne except i prefer a 3 pronged pack attack, but he is definetaly in the top 5 bowlers in the world.

McGrath, Lee, Gillespie and Warne all average at or below 26 for their career and over the last 12 months. And Donald, Pollock, Akram are all far better then Gough

 

[Jars458]

I think the world selectors wouldn't be as biased as teh Australian selectors and non Eastern States players would get a fair go

my team


Haydyn
Blewett
Tendulkar
Lehmann (captain)
S Waugh
A Flower
A Gilchrist
C Cairns
J Gillespie
M Muralitharan
G McGrath


That team would be unbeatable.

 

[WCE2000]

Brett Lee's last 12 months have been ordinary indeed
While Gillespie hasnt been sensational. admittedly his been unlucky, but thats cricket.
McGrath got picked and Warne was 12th man because i would want 3 quicks.

Donald was next in line for that spot, and maybe you want to check up on Wasim Akrams recent form, hasnt been very good at all.

Gough is a brilliant bowler, and would make it into any test team in the world.