Team Anant/RD:
Test 1 and Test 2:
Dennis Amiss
David Warner
Richie Richardson
Sachin Tendulkar
Michael Clarke (C)
Ian Botham
Rodney Marsh (WK)
Shaun Pollock
Harbhajan Singh
Rangana Herath
Danish Kaneria
Test 3:
Dennis Amiss
David Warner
Richie Richarson
Sachin Tendulkar
Michael Clarke (C)
Ian Botham
Rodney Marsh (WK)
Shaun Pollock
Harbhajan Singh
Rangana Herath
Matthew Hoggard
Dennis Amiss:
In Dennis Amiss, we have one of the finest openers who lacked neither courage nor technique. A fine 262 vs a fearsome WI highlighted just how good he was versus pace. In just 88 innings, he scored 11 100's and 11 50's- a conversion rate to these milestones higher than any opener eligible in the draft. Of Amiss's 11 Test hundreds, eight exceeded 150, a higher proportion even than that of Don Bradman. Among all the eligible openers,
Amiss holds the highest average as an opener at 53.70.
Two great innings against West Indies, 262 not out to save the 1973-74 Kingston Test and 203 at The Oval in 1976, supplied ample evidence that Dennis Amiss lacked neither courage nor technique against fast bowling. In that Oval match Michael Holding took 14 wickets in an attack completed by Andy Roberts, Wayne Daniel and Van Holder. Strongly built, tireless and four-square at the crease, Amiss was harder to get out, once he had 40 on the board, than any batsman of his generation, including Geoff Boycott.
David Warner:
Who holds the 2nd highest as an opener, you ask? David Warner! A batsman who is a leech and sticks to the crease and tough to get out. A player who has scored a century in every 17% of his innings(highest among all openers eligible), highlights that he isn't just boom boom but has the controlled aggression in tests very few batsmen possess. In just his 2nd test, he carried his bat a feat that not even the legendary Justin Langer or Mathew Hayden could reach. His unbeaten 123 in Hobart could not prevent a historic New Zealand win, but his patience in challenging conditions showed a different side to his batsmanship.
With an opening average of 51 and 16 hundreds to his name in just 51 matches, he is one of the most prolific batsman in any
format of the game.
Richie Richardson:
At 1 down, we have a master player of fast bowling, a player who made no. 3 position his own.
An average of more than 47 at no.3 position in a rapidly declining Windies side was an achievement that can't be matched by many others.
An impressive 16 centuries and 27 fifties in just 146 innings highlighted his ability as a batsman.
He was a destructively brilliant batsman, particularly on hard pitches where he could throw the bat through the line with abandon, carving the ball square. He hooked willingly too, usually up, frequently for six. His 69 grafted out over four hours on a vile pitch at Edgbaston in 1995 was a masterly exhibition of bad-wicket play. He reserved his finest innings for the Australians: only Sachin Tendulkar and Jack Hobbs have bettered his nine centuries against them. The finest was at Georgetown in March 1991, when he blasted 182, including 106 in the final session of the first day.
Sachin Tendulkar:
At no. 4 we have GOD, not De Gea, but Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. He, in my opinion, is the Michael Jordan of the cricketing world. He did the simple things right - his basics were so sound that he could do take on every bowler on any pitch in any condition anywhere in the world. Perhaps the most complete batsman and the most worshipped cricketer in the world, Tendulkar holds just about every batting record worth owning in the game. The cricketer with most matches, most 100s, 50s, most runs. Fastest to 10000 runs, and only player to reach 14000 and 15000 runs. Hell, He has scored more runs from no. 4 position than any other player has scored in their career. A fantastic straight drive
, a fantastic player against Aussies, a player who haunted Warne in his dreams
. How can anyone not like a 16 year old kid facing the Paki bowling attack! The kid who at 17 years scored a magnificent century versus Englishbut couldn't get the Champagne along with his MOTM award because he was too young to drink. The 194* vs Pakistan , the 241* vs Aussies at SCG, batting in a blood soaked Shirt vs Waqar in his debut series. The century vs SA in 2011 to secure a draw, the partnership with Yuvraj to set India to a chase of 387 vs England. I can go on and on as this has unleashed my muppet mode. From his backfoot punch to reverse sweeps, there was no weakness to his game. Also- He is a Man Utd Fan
.
Michael Clarke:
If there was a player, who can be called made for no.5, it will be Michael Clarke. 2nd highest average at this position at 60.81 with 110 innings at no. 5, Clarke was instrumental behind Aussies' dominance in Test cricket. 28 centuries, 27 50s, Clarke has one of the highest conversion rates to 50s or 100s in the world, and highest among players with over 100 tests to their name.
In Captain Courageous, we have one of the most successful captains in the draft, the 7th most to be exact in terms of % of matches won. He will lead this side because he was instrumental and captained the Austrailian side back to the #1 test ranking after he took over in 2011. Mostly he became known for his immaculate driving and slicing of the ball through impossible angles. His peak year was 2012, which brought 1595 runs at 106.33 and stamped him as the most in-form batsman in the world. The year began with a monumental 329 not out against India at the SCG and continued with 210 in Adelaide, where he joined Wally Hammond and Don Bradman as the only men to score a triple-century and a double-hundred in the same series. Later in the year came back-to-back double-centuries against South Africa in Brisbane and Adelaide.
On 22 November 2012, Clarke scored a double century at the Adelaide Oval, making him the only Test batsman to ever achieve four double centuries in a calendar year. His tally of 1595 Test runs in 2012 is the most for an Australian in a calendar year. He went past Ricky Ponting’s record of 1544 runs. He won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, thereby winning the ICC Cricketer of the Year award 2013. He also won the Allan Border medal for the year 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2013.
Ian Botham:
After Clarke, our batting is still not done with one of the finest all-rounders of all time coming into bat.
He scored 14 hundreds during his time and picked up 383 wickets. He is still date, England's best all-rounder.
Ian Botham was the fastest to the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets. An English icon, full of endless self-belief, he could change the course of a game in an afternoon. With him, England were a side to reckon with; without him they were abysmal. The most famous few weeks in English cricket history came when Botham led England to an astonishing Ashes victory with three performances - two with bat, one with ball - of mystical brilliance.
Every one led to victory and among them they caused a boom in support for English cricket that reverberated through the decade. By the end of it, sober judges were wondering if Botham had done more harm than good by making all England believe, as he did, that cricket matches are won by inspiration not preparation. His batting was based on sound principles and phenomenal strength.
A player with 14 centuries, 22 fifties, a high score of 208, 5200 Test runs under his belt and 383 wickets in 102 games are stats that make you wonder whether he was a batsman who could bowl or a bowler that could bat. His famous 149* vs Aussies in 1981 still ranks as the 4th greatest Test innings in the history of the sport as per Wisden. Ian Botham was equally good with the ball. A strike rate of just u
