A feature across my team is that they won’t give an inch. Starting from the Captain to Kumble bowling with a broken jaw, they’ll take everything you can throw at them and keep coming back. In fact, one of them – Dujon has never played in a losing series. I don’t think you can price that attitude too highly in a team and thats what I was looking for. In fact, I sacrificed averages a couple of times for players I thought had the right mentality. Maybe Sehwag’s a minor exception…but I chose him over Hayden because I love the guy.
When bowling to ha_rooney’s team, I’ll expect a quick breakthrough from McGrath. After all, Langer’s a decent batsman but Trescothick was unfortunately one who didn't stand up to be counted when the going got tough. Once that’s done, its about getting through that high quality middle order. It's going to need tight bowling and smart changes. Luckily I have the team for that with 8…count’em…8 bowlers. High quality seam (McGrath and Nash), swing (Streak), bounce (McMillan) and spin (Kumble) plus useful partnership breakers (Sehwag, Clarke and Aravinda). I think we’ll keep them to a manageable score.
Batting wise, in my opinion, its going to be all about handling the master – Shane bloody Warne. Fortunately then, I have some excellent spin players in Sehwag, Aravinda and Clarke. The rest of his bowlers as I see them are a bunch of honest triers and I have batsmen who genuinely love playing against the quicks in Smith, Lamb and McMillan. Keep in mind also that I’m expecting a fair few dropped catches with a part-timer like AB or Tillekaratne behind the stumps. And if you give someone like Smith a chance, you’ll pay for it.
All in all, I believe my batting’s about level with his while I bat a shade deeper. I have the better bowling unit with more options and I have space for a high quality wicketkeeper. Plus I have that X-factor - my bunch of guys just hate losing.
RI's Bastards (and Veeru)
The XI
1. Graeme Smith (c)
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Allan Lamb
4. Aravinda de Silva
5. Michael Clarke
6. Brian McMillan
7. Jeff Dujon (wk)
8. Heath Streak
9. Dion Nash
10. Anil Kumble (vc)
11. Glenn McGrath
I think my team’s very nicely balanced with everyone in the position they’re best suited to.
Batting
Opening – Smith and Sehwag are easily the best opening partnership left in the draft – a lovely chalk and cheese left and right handed combination. Smith (8000 runs at 50) is probably the best opener of the last decade while Sehwag (8200 at 51) is the most explosive batsman currently in world cricket and an incredible game changer and morale destroyer.
Middle Order - At 3 I’ve got Allan Lamb (4600 at 36) who was an ever-present in the England middle order for a decade and loved playing against the quicks. Then come the stroke players deSilva (6300 at 43) and Clarke(6000 at 49). They’re both quality players of spin and importantly for me in the middle get their runs relatively quickly. Brian McMillan at 6 was a technically perfect middle order batsman who accumulated 2000 runs with an average of 40.
Lower Order Okay its 350 for 4 and you’ve made it past my devastating opening partnership and formidable middle order. Can you breathe a sigh of relief? No...because Dujon at 7 is a strokeplayer averaging 32 with 5 centuries, Streak and Nash are almost allrounders with averages of 22 and 23 (after Nash's injury restricted his bowling, there were suggestions he play on as specialist batsman). Anil Kumble at 10 has a fecking test century and 5 fifties and was the usual nightwatchman for India. You’ll get McGrath quickly enough I suppose if you make it that far.
Bowling
Glenn McGrath…I’m not even going to talk about except to say 563 wickets at 21 point fecking 6. Heath Streak was a one-man attack for Zimbabwe and a superb swing bowler with 216 wickets at 28. Dion Nash when not injured or smoking pot was a lively seam bowler who got 93 wickets at 28. Big Mac was a much underrated allrounder…international cricket came a little late for him in his career but he still managed 74 wickets at 34 always hitting the deck hard and making batsmen uncomfortable with his bounce. Now my spin option - Kumble has 619 wickets and every legspinner’s trick in the book plus some he's invented. Sehwag, Clarke and Aravinda will chip in and act as partnership breakers. They have 98 wickets among them.
One thing you’ll note about the bowlers is that they won’t shirk long spells. There’s not one among them that needs to be mothered and bowled in short spells.
Dujon’s one of the all-time great keepers and an incredible athlete – just awesome to watch. Personally, I think McMillan’s the best slip fielder I have ever seen. From an article about him -
McGrath will be buying him a lot of beers.
Smith’s captain and I have a bunch to choose from for Vice-Captain. Streak, Clarke and deSilva were all possibilities. I went with Kumble in the end because I think he’ll be a perfect complement for Smith’s aggression and impulsiveness.
Justin Langer – (average 45.27; 23 100’s) – a real battler as a batsman, Langer was an integral member of the successful Aussie side scoring over 7500 runs at Test level. He showed his ability to fight for runs when he was the leading Aussie run scorer in the 2005 ashes, where all batsman struggled with the swing movement, Langer showed he could get runs in the toughest of conditions, averaging 43 in that series. He will accumulate runs at his own pace and rarely will he give his wicket away by playing a false shot. Over his career Langer consistently proved he was a superb test opener and he will provide a good platform for my team to get started.
Marcus Trescothick – (average 43.79; 14 100’s) – an elegant batsman who combined aggression with genuine strokeplay and was a fixture at the top of England’s batting line up until depression got the better of him. Trescothick has the ability to take the initiative away from any bowling attack and score quick runs whilst never looking flustered in his batting and rarely giving his wicket away. An excellent slip fielder who would have scored a lot more runs had illness not stopped him, Trescothick will provide big runs for my team. A part-time spin option as well should he be needed.
Richie Richardson – (average 44.39; 16 100’s) – coming in at the all important position of #3 is the destructively brilliant Richardson. An outstanding batsman who was a world-class stroke player and had all the big shots in his armoury and a tendency to score big centuries once set, Richardson will provide fire-power and leadership to my team. An outstanding slip or gully fielder.
Sachin Tendulkar – (average 55.44; 51 100’s) –The iconic batsman who has broken all Test match records will anchor my batting line-up. Adept at playing all kinds of shots against all bowlers in all conditions, Sachin has proven himself to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, batsman of all time and despite being under the pressure of producing everytime he comes to bat, Sachin rarely lets his team down. A useful part-time option with the ball as well should he be needed and another excellent fielding option for my team.
AB de Villiers (WK) – (average 49.16; 13 100’s) – An excellent batsman who possesses all the cricket shots, AB in recent years has emerged as an essential part of the successful SA side. Batting comes effortlessly to him and he demonstrated his ability to bat on all types of pitches by scoring first double-century by a South African against India and doing so in India. Averaging 63 since 2008 and the ability to bat anywhere in the order, AB will be the key batsman to my side and will score big runs against any type of bowler. He will WK for my side and as he possesses excellent powers of concentration and fielding ability, including quick reflexes, AB will have no problem picking up the gloves. He has shown in his short Test career as WK that he is very good behind the stumps and he will be competent enough to keep to my bowling attack and should not face any serious issues especially when he will be assisted by Warne, Trescothick, Sachin and Richardson behind the stumps.
HP Tillakaratne – (average 42.87; 11 100’s) – a gritty batsman who will provide solidity to the lower order and who will strengthen my batting line-up. An average of 47 when batting at the #6 position, he will provide resistance in my line-up should the top order fail and will be able to stick around with the tail.
Abdul Razzaq – (batting average 28.61; 3 100’s; bowling average 36.94; 100 wickets) – he may be more successful at ODIs but since we are picking teams when players were at their peak, Razzaq will be a valuable all-rounder in my team who performed reasonably well in Tests as a lower-order option with the bat and alternative bowling option. He emerged as a genuine fast bowler who has now become a stump-to-stump option, Razzaq will provide control to my bowling attack whilst also having the ability to be a partnership breaker. His role is to solidify my bowling and batting and give me another option in both categories. A very aggressive batsman he can change the momentum of the game with a few big hits and will score some important runs down the order.
Chaminda Vaas – (bowling average 29.58; 355 wickets; batting average 24.32; 1 100) – an underrated player who carried Sri Lanka’s seam attack by himself and will be my opening bowler. A superb swing bowler, Vaas amassed over 350 wickets despite bowling on mostly flat tracks showing he is able to take wickets in the most difficult of conditions. Alongside the great Imran Khan, he is the only player to take 14 wickets in one match on the sub-continent. A master of swing bowling who will trouble both left and right handers with his ability to bowl both in and out swingers and a well disguised slower delivery, he will be offer my team the threat of picking up early wickets with the new ball and then returning when reverse swing comes into play and being as dangerous with the old ball. Averaging a useful 24 with the bat, he will add depth to my batting and score runs down the order.
Shane Warne (C) – (bowling average 25.41; 708 wickets) – one of the greatest bowlers of all time, arguably the greatest spin bowler ever. Warne showed he got better with age by taking a record 96 wickets in 2005. Could bowl on all pitches and be as effective in all conditions, his ability to out-think the greatest batsman by mixing his deliveries up whilst never losing control made him the one of the most devastating bowlers ever. He will be the primary bowler in my team and with the supporting cast he is guaranteed to take many wickets. An excellent slip fielder as well as offering runs down the order ensuring my batting line up goes down to #9. He will also captain my side.
Stuart Clark – (bowling average 23.86; 94 wickets) – but for injury and the great Aussie bowling line-up, Clark would’ve been a mainstay in Aussie test cricket and potentially an all-time great. An incredible average and 94 wickets in just 24 matches, Clark has the ability to control the ball with superb line and length bowling whilst getting the ball to seam and cause havoc for batsman. He will open the bowling with Vaas and his role in the team will be to pick up key wickets, something which he has proven in his short career, whilst not giving away any runs and creating pressure so that the more penetrative Vaas or Warne can benefit from Clark’s superb accuracy.
Steven Finn – (bowling average 27.42; 56 wickets) – a wildcard pick to round off my bowling attack, Finn has shown he will be leading the English bowling attack in years to come. A genuine fast bowler who uses his height to trouble batsman, Finn also has the ability to swing the ball and pick up wickets when it matters most. Whilst Finn could be more expensive than my other bowlers, his pace and height will cause problems even for batsmen who have been set at the crease so he will offer the threat to break up partnerships and help changing the momentum of the game.
My bowling attack is well balanced with the 4 seamers who all offer a variety of pace, bounce, swing, reverse swing, seam, control and a bit of unpredictability. Vaas and Clark will open the bowling with Vaas offering swing and Clark offering line and length bowling with seam movement to trouble the batsman. Razzaq will be used as a stump to stump option to build pressure so that Warne will pick up the wickets when RI’s batsmen become frustrated and resort to playing silly shots. Finn will offer pace and bounce which will unsettle the middle-order and with Vaas returning to utilise the reverse swing, his line-up will struggle to make sufficient runs.
Add to that attack the great Shane Warne who has the guile and intelligence to spin an entire side out by himself, I should have no trouble going through RI’s batting line-up. Trescothick & Sachin also provide part-time spin options in the unlikely event I become desperate for wickets.
Criticism of my bowling attack will be towards the inexperience of Finn. Finn may not have played many Test matches but has his qualities already in his short career and his role in my side will be to unsettle the batsman and pick up the odd-wicket. He may be one of my main seam options, but like the other seamers, he will take a back-seat to Warne who will be the primary bowling option in my attack.
My batting is well balanced with some gritty players like Langer and Tillakaratne mixed together with more elegant stroke makers like Trescothick and Richardson. The top 3 batsman will build a solid platform for my team ensuring runs are scored at a fast pace but not at the threat of losing early wickets. Once Richardson has settled at the crease, he will be a threat to score a big century against RI’s bowling attack who will suffer first-hand from his big shots.
AB and Sachin in the middle order will provide solidity to my batting line-up and both have shown they can take momentum away from the other side by batting long periods of time and frustrate opposing attacks. AB has become one of the best middle-order players in recent times and is as adept playing spin as he is fast bowling. Sachin meanwhile is one of the all-time greats, he thrived playing against Australia and will not have any problem playing against McGrath. They will be followed by the gritty Tillakaratne who is an excellent lower-order batsman and will stick around with my bowlers to add valuable runs for my team to defend.
The one criticism that can be levelled at my side is the lack of specialist WK. AB is not a specialist WK (yet) but he is an excellent fielder, has great powers of concentration and has shown he is a competent option behind the stumps when SA need him there. Whilst WK to my seamers, AB will have no problems making catches and he will be ably assisted by Warne, Sachin, Trescothick & Richardson in the slip cordon. As for Warne, well 15% of his wickets were attributed to the WK (stumpings or catches) – AB has the reflexes and athleticism to make the stumpings and to make the extraordinary catch. Again, when keeping to Warne, AB will have Trescothick and Richardson to help him and they’re more likely to come into play than AB is. His lack of experience in the position of WK should not lead people to the conclusion AB will fail as a WK. He is an exceptional fielder, probably the best in world cricket right now, and he has shown he can WK at Test level.
Overall a balanced and deep batting line-up will ensure I have sufficient runs to put the game out of RI’s reach. The variety and wicket-taking ability of my bowling attack, which will be lead by Shane Warne, will be enough to put the game beyond his him and ensure my passage through to the next round.
My strategy is simple. Play Warne with care (obviously unless Sehwag's batting on 70 off 50 when Warne comes in to bowl because Veeru won't listen or bother). Milk the rest - they're all steady line and length bowlers and if you put them off it, they won't have too many options.
Batting-wise, don't let things settle. If Tendulkar, Richie or AB look like they're digging in for the long haul, there'll be a lot of bowling changes. I expect the sheer quality of McGrath and Kumble will win out on the whole.
My bowlers are not all simply line & length players.
Vaas offers a swing option and will utilise reverse swing when it comes into play and Finn has greater pace than the rest and will use his height to get extra bounce and trouble your batters. Clark's statistics are superb and although he'll bowl his usual line and length stuff, as he showed in his career, he will be very difficult to put away and the pressure he creates will help him and others pick up wickets. Razzaq is the only bowler you could possibly milk for runs but even he can offer solid control and variation with slower balls to make it difficult for your batsman.
If your plan is to block Warne and pick up the runs off the seamers then you'll just pressure your own batsman into making mistakes and my seamers will take wickets are regular times to ensure you don't score big runs.
Clark's fairly overhyped i'm afraid. You're really calling his statistics superb on back of two great series when batsmen were still figuring him out. For his true level, look at his first-class figures. Average of 28 and strike rate of 57. Nice bowler but there's a reason why he couldn't break into the team until the age of 31 even ahead of the likes of Gillespie and Lee (setting McGrath aside).
I fully respect Vaas just like I respect Srinath. Both of them took their countries through some lean periods in terms of pace butwith an average of 30 and a strike rate of 66, its tough to rate him as anything except a decent bowler.
These are your two strike bowlers.
Finn's ok and I like the lad but he's been dropped even for England relatively recently. We're talking about him holding down a place in a team of greats from the last 30 years here.
I don't think there's any doubt you're heavily dependant on Warne.
By the way, KM omitted a quote from my write-up about McMillan's slip fielding. I'll repeat it here just so it doesn't look incomplete. It has no real point but I read it in an article and really loved because it chimed in so well with how I remember him.
If he dropped a catch - and there aren't too many recorded instances, so you have to rely on his first-class colleagues for that - the reaction in the field would be stunned silence. Just silence, players looking at each other, not saying a word.
No doubt I'm dependant on Warne, but Vaas a 'decent' bowler?! He was no Akram but considering the seam support he had and the flat pitches he had to bowl on, Vaas was more than decent.
Finn was dropped as he was too expensive and can't bat, his wicket taking ability is not in question and he will provide a bit of x-factor to my attack with his height and bounce.
We're not taking into account first-class figures; as a Test bowler Clark was very good in his short career. If, however, you do want to take into consideration first class wickets, I'd like to point out Vaas' first class career was 772 wickets at 24.64 and strike-rate of 53.8. Add to that Finn who has taken 277 wickets at an average of 27.81 & strike rate of 48.6 - and he's only 23.
Richardson, Sachin and AB in the middle order swing it to HR for me. If he wins and gets Mcgrath instead of Finn , I think he will go on and win it all.
By the way, KM omitted a quote from my write-up about McMillan's slip fielding. I'll repeat it here just so it doesn't look incomplete. It has no real point but I read it in an article and really loved because it chimed in so well with how I remember him.
I disagree with RI that his batting has the edge. Sachin adds too much weight to that order for ha and his batting defo edges it for me. I also rate De Villers much more than Clarke.
Bowling wise
I would say-
Vass = Streak, with a slight edge to former given he had to toil on subcontinent pitches but then the latter had to lead a poor attack most of the time.
Warne > Kumble
McGrath >>> Clarke
Dion Nash > Finn, the latter simply has not played enough.
Mcmillian > Razzak as well for me.
I am leaning towards Red Indian but I am going to let it play out a bit more in my mind. Having Sachin and Warne in the same team is very big plus.
No doubt I'm dependant on Warne, but Vaas a 'decent' bowler?! He was no Akram but considering the seam support he had and the flat pitches he had to bowl on, Vaas was more than decent.
Finn was dropped as he was too expensive and can't bat, his wicket taking ability is not in question and he will provide a bit of x-factor to my attack with his height and bounce.
We're not taking into account first-class figures; as a Test bowler Clark was very good in his short career. If, however, you do want to take into consideration first class wickets, I'd like to point out Vaas' first class career was 772 wickets at 24.64 and strike-rate of 53.8. Add to that Finn who has taken 277 wickets at an average of 27.81 & strike rate of 48.6 - and he's only 23.
I've only used Clark's first class figures because there's so little of his test figures available. For the likes of Vaas, Warne, Kumble and McGrath, there's no need to bother because there's heaps of evidence of their quality in tests.
kps thinks Vaas is a step above Srinath. There's no evidence for that really. Vaas's average is a shade below Srinath's (29.5 Vs. 30.5) but Srinath takes a shade more wickets per innings than Vaas 1.95 Vs. 1.83. They've had longish careers so there's plenty to compare.They're dead level man.
Streak's figures on the other hand are a step above Vaas'. Average better, strike rate better, wickets per innings better. Better everywhere really.
On top of that, you've gone and handicapped your bowlers by giving them a part-time keeper while mine get one of the greatest of all time behind the stumps.
I'm really enjoying this by the way ha_rooney. Procastinating at work to refer to pointless shit on cricinfo and making "my dad is better than yours" arguments. I didn't get this fun last time with DE because he was an absentee team manager.
I'm really enjoying this by the way ha_rooney. Procastinating at work to refer to pointless shit on cricinfo and making "my dad is better than yours" arguments. I didn't get this fun last time with DE because he was an absentee team manager.
To be fair, RI, you did not think having De Villers was a big loss for him in last round so you can't really use that stick to beat him with. And it must be said he is currently keeping for one of the best team around and also keeping to likes of Steyn and Morkel. Only issue is that we don't have ample evidence yet that he will cope with keeping and batting in tests.
To be fair, RI, you did not think having De Villers was a big loss for him in last round so you can't really use that stick to beat him with. And it must be said he is currently keeping for one of the best team around and also keeping to likes of Steyn and Morkel. Only issue is that we don't have ample evidence yet that he will cope with keeping and batting in tests.
Of course I can...what do you think this is - one of Interval's annual reports? I'll talk shit and then forget about it tomorrow.
To be frank, AB's decent and I like him and think he could be a decent WK. Its an all-time greats match-up though and every mistake counts. Also I don't think there's any doubt it will affect his batting. Warne's going to be doing about 40% of the bowling i'd guess. To crouch and spring up behind the stumps for hours on end (and it will hours on end with my batting line-up) will take a lot out of anybody physically...especially somebody who does it rarely.
Also keep in mind ha_rooney has 4 bowlers really. Razzak's available but his average is a pretty pathetic 37. Worse than fecking Michael Clarke's who's actually my sixth bowler. Even his economy's worse and strike rate's similar. I think ha_rooney might actually be better off using Razzaq a water carrier for his four bowlers who're going to be very very tired.
I have 5 bowlers including Big Mac and then I start my part-timers - 3 of them.
Would have liked to think about this a bit more but i might not get the time to come on again. I just think ha rooney would edge the game. Would be very close though. One side has the better openers while the other has the better middle order. Bowling too pretty evenly matched.
Also keep in mind ha_rooney has 4 bowlers really. Razzak's available but his average is a pretty pathetic 37. Worse than fecking Michael Clarke's who's actually my sixth bowler. Even his economy's worse and strike rate's similar. I think ha_rooney might actually be better off using Razzaq a water carrier for his four bowlers who're going to be very very tired.
I have 5 bowlers including Big Mac and then I start my part-timers - 3 of them.
Let's not compare him to Big Mac and Nash. Big Mac got to debut in test cricket at the age of 30 and maintained a much better average. Nash had to play with a debilitating back problem and still managed to end with an average of 28 (better than Vaas' by the way but I won't make a big point out of that because Vaas played a fair bit more).
Razzaq's a part-timer. A decent batsman who can bowl a bit.
By the way I don't know you're getting 7 bowlers. I count 4 full timers - Warne, Vaas, Clark and Finn and 2 part timers in Razzaq and Sachin. 6 in total.
Let's not compare him to Big Mac and Nash. Big Mac got to debut in test cricket at the age of 30 and maintained a much better average. Nash had to play with a debilitating back problem and still managed to end with an average of 28 (better than Vaas' by the way but I won't make a big point out of that because Vaas played a fair bit more).
Razzaq's a part-timer. A decent batsman who can bowl a bit.
By the way I don't know you're getting 7 bowlers. I count 4 full timers - Warne, Vaas, Clark and Finn and 2 part timers in Razzaq and Sachin. 6 in total.
He has. Bowled some crucial spells as well. The one that sticks out is his 3 wickets in the Kolkatta test in 2001 when he and Bhajji took 7 wickets in the final session
Let's not compare him to Big Mac and Nash. Big Mac got to debut in test cricket at the age of 30 and maintained a much better average. Nash had to play with a debilitating back problem and still managed to end with an average of 28 (better than Vaas' by the way but I won't make a big point out of that because Vaas played a fair bit more).
Razzaq's a part-timer. A decent batsman who can bowl a bit.
By the way I don't know you're getting 7 bowlers. I count 4 full timers - Warne, Vaas, Clark and Finn and 2 part timers in Razzaq and Sachin. 6 in total.
That's all I need him to be. Warne, Vaas & Clark will be my wicket-takers with Finn chipping in and unsettling your batters. Razzaq's role isn't so much about taking wickets but about keeping it tight and building pressure. Although, your tactics seem to be to block Warne and attack the seamers which will give Razzaq the opportunity to pick up wickets himself.
I get 7 as Trescothick can bowl a little as well but I won't need him or Sachin to bowl.
That's all I need him to be. Warne, Vaas & Clark will be my wicket-takers with Finn chipping in and unsettling your batters. Razzaq's role isn't so much about taking wickets but about keeping it tight and building pressure. Although, your tactics seem to be to block Warne and attack the seamers which will give Razzaq the opportunity to pick up wickets himself.
I get 7 as Trescothick can bowl a little as well but I won't need him or Sachin to bowl.
If you're going to count Trescothick who's bowled 50 overs in the 76 test matches he's played i.e. about 2/3rd of an over per match for a grand total of 1 wicket, i'd say it starts looking a little sad. I didn't even count Smith and he has 8 times as many wickets as Tresco.
@crappy. Yes you can get away with 4 bowlers in a test match but they need to be 4 of great qualilty. The great teams
Australia 90-00's - McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Lee (with S Waugh, M Waugh and Lehmann part-time)
Windies 80s - 4 of the greatest assembly line of bowlers ever produced plus Lloyd, then Hooper
Ha_rooney has Warne plus Clark who couldn't get into the Australian till he was 31, Vaas who has a test average of 30 and Finn who's trying to break back into the England team. To make it even more difficult for them, he makes them bowl to a keeper who's only ever kept for 5 tests.
It won't work in dismissing a batting line-up like mine. I'll have to help him by declaring when I have too many.
If you're going to count Trescothick who's bowled 50 overs in the 76 test matches he's played i.e. about 2/3rd of an over per match for a grand total of 1 wicket, i'd say it starts looking a little sad. I didn't even count Smith and he has 8 times as many wickets as Tresco.
@crappy. Yes you can get away with 4 bowlers in a test match but they need to be 4 of great qualilty. The great teams
Australia 90-00's - McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Lee (with S Waugh, M Waugh and Lehmann part-time)
Windies 80s - 4 of the greatest assembly line of bowlers ever produced plus Lloyd, then Hooper
Ha_rooney has Warne plus Clark who couldn't get into the Australian till he was 31, Vaas who has a test average of 30 and Finn who's trying to break back into the England team. To make it even more difficult for them, he makes them bowl to a keeper who's only ever kept for 5 tests.
It won't work in dismissing a batting line-up like mine. I'll have to help him by declaring when I have too many.
If you're going to count Trescothick who's bowled 50 overs in the 76 test matches he's played i.e. about 2/3rd of an over per match for a grand total of 1 wicket, i'd say it starts looking a little sad. I didn't even count Smith and he has 8 times as many wickets as Tresco.
@crappy. Yes you can get away with 4 bowlers in a test match but they need to be 4 of great qualilty. The great teams
Australia 90-00's - McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Lee (with S Waugh, M Waugh and Lehmann part-time)
Windies 80s - 4 of the greatest assembly line of bowlers ever produced plus Lloyd, then Hooper
Ha_rooney has Warne plus Clark who couldn't get into the Australian till he was 31, Vaas who has a test average of 30 and Finn who's trying to break back into the England team. To make it even more difficult for them, he makes them bowl to a keeper who's only ever kept for 5 tests.
It won't work in dismissing a batting line-up like mine. I'll have to help him by declaring when I have too many.
Even if you don't have 4 top quality bowlers, bowling just part timers is not going to work.
The so called partnership breakers people keep talking about work in limited over context. The quality of batsmen you have in this draft now won't be taking it easy against likes of Clarke or Sachin. In your team itself, if you have to use Clarke or Sehwag extensively means someone like Kumble is not doing much. Having 6-7 people bowling in a test sounds obscene to me.
Also in the context of the batsmen left in the draft, your no.3-6 is not all that. That opening combo is awesome though. There is a genuine possibility of them flaying all the quicks in opposing team, meaning it will come down to Warne to make the break-throughs before others can chip in. I think if ha_rooney had one quick bowler of top most quality, I would have voted for him but as it is I will probably vote for you.
Ha_rooney has Warne plus Clark who couldn't get into the Australian till he was 31, Vaas who has a test average of 30 and Finn who's trying to break back into the England team. To make it even more difficult for them, he makes them bowl to a keeper who's only ever kept for 5 tests.
It won't work in dismissing a batting line-up like mine. I'll have to help him by declaring when I have too many.
Clark couldn't get into the team until a late age because you don't change a winning team and that's what the Aussies were. Once Clark got his chance he took it and despite playing in a lot fewer tests, he ended up with more wickets than 2 of your bowlers.
You keep coming back to Vaas' average which is pointless as he bowled on flat tracks which were and are batsman friendly. 355 test wickets playing mostly in those conditions at an average of 30 proves his quality and he will trouble your openers taking early wickets whilst Clarke won't know what to do when reverse swing comes into play.
Also, you are overrating your batting. My middle-order is more solid and although you possess the more dynamic openers, Sehwag is liable to get out early which would put your team into trouble before Warne even gets to bowl.
After Sehwag and Smith destroy Clark and Finn's fragile confidence, Warne and Vaas will be doing a lot of bowling to my lovely middle-order and looong lower order. Keep in mind - Kumble at 10 has an average of 18, a test century and 5 fifties (I haven't told him he'll be batting so low yet. It'll piss him off but what can you do? Its a tough job managing this imaginary team.)
Hey, can you please submit my vote for the current game? It goes to Red Indian.
Reason : I rate his bowling better. While the other team has Warne, his other bowlers including Vaas can prove to be cannon fodder against quality batsmen. Harsh as it may sound, Clark, Finn and Vaas would be targetted with Warne being played out. It's always difficult when you don't have someone at the other end to keep things tight. The batting order is very good and being from India I couldn't rate Sachin more, but there's not much difference between the two batting orders. Viru and Smith is the better opening partnership, but Sachin, AB and Richie would be better. But then Aravinda is one of the classiest batsmen I have seen and I can see him tackling Warne well. While Lamb and Clarke are very good after the good opening stand the team will get. TBH Viru was always more fragile against quality seam bowling than quality spin bowling. Someone like McGrath or Steyn would get him out easily, but Vaas or Clark wouldnt find it easy.
For the other team, their bowling is excellent. McGrath and Kumble are as good as they come with Nash and Streak being much better than Clark and Finn. McGrath has been a thorn in Sachin's way a lot of times. I can at least see Pidge getting Langer and Marcus out below a 50 run stand most times. He also has Big Mac who is capable of making crucial breakthroughs and Viru and Clarke have also got very good records for part timers.
Captaincy clearly goes in favour of Smith. Richie, while was a good captain, isnt in the same class. And as mentioned, not having a proper keeper will hurt. It has been discussed already with people saying most catches will go to slip, but that's not the only job of a keeper. To read Warne, you need a keeper who has kept wickets for quality spin bowlers.
All in all, Red Indian edges it in most areas apart from middle order for me.
The middle order that ha rooney has is far superior to that of RI and that swings it for me.
It's ok to criticise AB about keeping to Warne but conversely Dujon spent most of his wicketkeeping stood a mile back and there is no out and out fast bowler in RI's side. So there is a bit of unknown there as well albeit less so than AB.
Clark couldn't get into the team until a late age because you don't change a winning team and that's what the Aussies were. Once Clark got his chance he took it and despite playing in a lot fewer tests, he ended up with more wickets than 2 of your bowlers..
Well Lee broke in when Fleming and Kasprowiczzzz got old/injured/tired. Justin Langer replaced Michael Slater. Damien Martyn replaced Mark Waugh. If you have quality, you'll break in. Clark while a nice bowler just didn't have that little bit extra.
You keep coming back to Vaas' average which is pointless as he bowled on flat tracks which were and are batsman friendly. 355 test wickets playing mostly in those conditions at an average of 30 proves his quality and he will trouble your openers taking early wickets whilst Clarke won't know what to do when reverse swing comes into play..
Vaas' figures are much better at home than abroad 26.3 Vs. 32.3. His average in Australia is 42. He's a decent bowler and nothing more
Also, you are overrating your batting. My middle-order is more solid and although you possess the more dynamic openers, Sehwag is liable to get out early which would put your team into trouble before Warne even gets to bowl.
I did admit your batting is a shade better but there's nothing in it in the averages and I have a longer batting line-up. And while Sehwag can get out quick sometimes, if he gets going, he can own the game. His average Vs. Australia (he played a fair bit against Warne) - 44. His average vs. Lanka (Vaas) - 76.
I'll talk about your batting in a bit and Tendulkar is Tendulkar but McGrath's got him out 6 times in 9 matches they've played against each other.
meano