KM
I’m afraid I just blue myself
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2008
- Messages
- 49,917
kps88's XI
I’ve packed my batting with flair players and it looks like Crappy’s done the opposite, going for the more solid and unspectacular. My odd batsman may self destruct, but I only need a couple of them to click and I’m on my way to a big score in quick time. This team will always be on the attack and play to win. Worth noting the opening pair are known openers and the left - right hand combo.
Walsh is definitely the danger man but he can only bowl for so long before being tired out, since Crappy’s only gone for four specialist bowlers. I’ve never seen Aldermann so can’t really comment (Youtube videos can make Sami look good). The rest are fairly average and shouldn’t cause too many problems. My top four are all known for being strong against spin so Macgill shouldn’t be a problem. Hafeez will get hit out of the attack if brought on.
I’ve gone for 5 specialist bowlers so I can rotate them around and keep everyone fresh without using part timers. Zaheer, Lawson, Flintoff, Kasprowicz all complement each other well and offer something different.
I haven’t watched Lawson play but he’s described as a fast right hand, not medium but fast. He was tall, quick and lively but had bad luck with injuries. He got the man of the series award in the 83 Ashes as well. His Cricinfo and Wiki pages read as a player who could have been great but had bad luck with injuries.
Zaheer Khan at his best was a tremendous seam bowler. Worth noting Flintoff’s record may not be spectacular, but he’s big game player and I expect him to bowl his heart out. And of course, I’ve got Murali – the second greatest spinner ever. Murali at his peak WILL get wickets. Don’t think Crappy having three sub continental batsmen will help against Murali when two of the three are Hafeez and Misbah.
If my batting clicks there will be a high score put up in quick time, giving my 5 bowlers more time to bowl out the opposition.
Here’s my team.
Jayasuriya – Specialist opener. Over 100 tests at an average of 40. No record of his strike rate but I imagine it being on the high side.
Slater – Average of 42. The most steady of my batsmen and an accomplished opener.
Azharuddin (c) – Average of 45 over 99 tests. An attractive to watch, wristy, stroke player. Tremendous slip fielder.
Mallick – Average of 43. Similar player to Azhar (off the field as well!) in that he was wristy and great to watch.
Astle – Average of 37. Another one who’s entertaining. Great slip fielder as well.
Flintoff – Batting/Bowling average of 31/32. Not very impressive stats wise but a big game player. Can probably chip in with a 40-50 with the bat and provide pressure with the ball.
Moin Khan (WK) – Average of 28. Didn’t rate him with the bat but he’s got a few 100s and 50s to his name so not a complete mug I suppose. Experience behind the wickets.
Zaheer Khan
Kasprowicz
Lawson
Muralitharan
Vs.
crappycrapperson's XI
Match specific tactics and musings
kps88's batting vs my bowling -
Pretty weak batting IMO. Jayasuriya averages 35 away from home. I would back Walsh to scoop him 9 out of 10 times. Azhar's average away from home - 36.40... Malik’s drops off away as well. Rest of his batsmen are average, bar may be Slater. None of which my bowlers should have a hard time getting them out. My attack will be Walsh and Aldermann to start, Cairns the third pacer, Macgill spinner and Hafeez second spinner/fifth bowler.
kps88's bowling vs my batting -
The only person that bothers me is Murali. I have three players from the subcontinent in my top 6 so that will help. Plus Cullinan has a great record against SL and also proved himself in India, it was only Warne's spin that bothered him. Kirsten and Crowe should cope fine enough as well. The other two main bowlers are Z.Khan and Flintoff. The latter is really more of a stock bowler and bar Hafeez, I don’t think anyone else in my batting order will be bothered by the bounce he can generate. Z. Khan I rate a lot when he is at his best but people like Kirsten, Dravid, Crowe, Cullinan, Cairns faced some of the best fast bowlers of all time and proved themselves good enough to survive against them. My tail is a big worry of course so yeah, there will be ample pressure on middle order to pile up runs. I think they are more than good enough to do that.
So here we go with my team
1. Gary Kirsten - As solid as they come even of not a fancy or swashbuckling batsmen ala Vivs or Lara. If Germany had a proper cricket team, he would be in it given the efficient style of his batting. Was without any doubt SA's best batsmen before likes of Kallis arrived. Has 21 hundreds, first one to score a hundred against every test playing nation as well. Average of 45.34.
2. M. Hafeez - Simply an above average batsmen, in the side to provide a handy second spin option as the fifth bowler. Has an average of above 38. He has a solid enough technique to cope against any attack, but prone to mental lapses. As a bowler coming into his own as well over the last year.
3. Dravid (vc) - errrrr
4. Martin Crowe (c) - A smart cricketer, who is credited with introducing the cricket world to concepts such as pinch-hitters. That's just a value addition given he averages 45.77 as a batsman and is a former wisden cricketer of the year. Interestingly averages above 66 in Australia. Captain of the team, and his record in 16 tests as captain improves some bounds as well
5. Daryl Cullinan- If not for Dravid, would be batting at no.3 probably. Another supremely solid batsmen. Seems to be a forgotten one as well given he his understated style. Average of44.21
6. Misbah-ul-Haq- Arrived on the cricket scene with his heroics (or near heroics) in the first T20 WC. Has been one of the most solid Pak batsmen since then. Averages above 45. Also has shown good experience batting with tail-enders, which will be handy at no.6 position.
7. Chris Cairns - One of my fav crickters. Better all-rounder than Flintoff for my money. Batting average above 33 with 5 hundreds and a bowling average of 29.40, better than many of the other strike bowlers in this draft. Has 13 5-wickets haul to his name as well. Contender for the best third pace bowler in any team on this draft IMO.
8. Adam Parore(wk)- Wicketkeeper. Averages above 26 with the bat, with 2 hundreds and 14 fifties to his name. Not good enough to out bat an attack on his own but should provide good support to the batsmen above him. Holds the NZ record for most WK dismissals so a very safe keeper to have. Something that is being bizarrely overlooked in this competition. Your bowlers are going to suffer if your keeper keeps spilling stuff.
9. S. Macgill- I am one of those who believe if not for Warne, Macgill would have been the premier Oz spinner and would have been counted as one of the best to play the game. But alas, life is never fair, he was destined to live in the shadow of Warne and go down as a forgotten cricketer. Great turner of the ball and as a leg spinner would trouble many a batsmen. Bowling average of 29.02, strike rate of 54(better than Warne's!) One of his best bowling performances
10. C. Walsh- errr
11. Aldermann- Ah.. my sole controversial pick perhaps. Never saw him play but then we had to pick players who debuted after 1980. And I am sure many of the younger ones here picked some 90s players solely by their reputation, having never seen them play much. So I only am going to post his record here.. Average of 27.15, strike rate of 59.8, 170 wickets in 41 tests. Took 9 wickets on his debut, 42 wickets against England in his debut series! Wisden cricketer of the year in 82. His record would be better if not for a ban for playing in SA during apartheid period. Even after that ban, he came back and took 41 wickets in a series against Eng. All time leading wicket taker for Western Oz with 956 first class wickets. To give a taste of his bowling -
Here we go.