Test draft QF 2 - Ijazz vs Harshad

Who will win the test series?


  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .

Varun

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Welcome to the 2nd QF of the test draft!

  • Judge the players on their peaks excluding any 6-12 month purple patch.
  • Vote for the team you think will win a 3 match test series between these 2 sides based on the given nature of pitches.
  1. 1st test: Good batting pitch.
  2. 2nd test: Slow wicket which gets worse as the game goes on and will assist spinners heavily.
  3. 3rd test: Green top
Team Harshad:

Glenn Turner
John Edrich
Hashim Amla
Robin Smith
Viv Richards
Steve Waugh
B. McCullum (wk)
Richard Hadlee
Anil Kumble
Jon Snow
Andy Roberts

Team Ijazz:

1. Gary Kirsten
2. Roy Fredericks
3. Kane Williamson
4. Mohammad Yousuf
5. Graham Thorpe
6. Ab de Villiers† (C)
7. Nathan Astle
8. Dennis Lillee
9. Muttiah Muralitharan
10. Jeff Thomson (Plays 1st and 3rd Test Match)
11. Glenn McGrath
12. Iqbal Qasim (Plays in 2nd Test Match)
 
Ijazz writeup:


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Batting

Opening the batting for me is Gary Kirsten, well known to the world for his flair, temperament and hardwork. He was the bedrock of the South African batting line-up for well over a decade and one of the most reliable batsmen of his time. His determination and desire to bat long innings and score plentiful of runs was balanced aesthetically with a very unique technique. His highest score of 275, the second longest innings in Test History, batting for over 14 hours is a testament to his character. Partnering Kirsten is a slightly less familiar name, but nonetheless an important one. Roy Fredericks was only a handful of batsmen that distinguished themselves in devising a counter-attacking style to the great pace-bowlers of the 1970s. Freddo as his teammates fondly called him was a destructive batsman. He is probably best known for the Windies tour of Australia in 1975-76, where he took on the might of Lillee-Thomson. The harder they banged the ball in, the harder he cut and hooked. For example, into the second morning of a test match, he opened to what might have been a diffident reply to Australia's 329: at lunch West Indies were 130 for one, off 14 eight-ball overs; the 200 came up in the 22nd. Fredericks went on to reach a hundred from 71 balls and, though he grew tired, turned it into a match-winning 169. He is a perfect counter-weight to Kirsten batting style.

Coming a wicket down is a Legend in the Making.Kane Williamson, might be young in age, but has already fostered a reputation as becoming a future great. Calm, serene and intelligent and with the ability to belt a shot as well as block admirably, Williamson will be a vital cog in the middle order to build a long innings. Batting at 4, is another talisman, Pakistan’s elegant amasser, Mohammad Yousuf. The late Bob Woolmer, likened him to a Ferrari when batting and a truck when he isn’t. With the innate ability to rack up tons and tons of runs, he will play a vital role when the team bats alongside Williamson. During the early 2000s, Graham Thorpe had already established himself as a complete batsman. With the ability to attack against both Pace and Spin and defend. Perfect examples of these are the contrasts in which he scored one of the quickest double centuries in history at Christchurch, hitting 28 fours and four sixes and juxtaposing it with his innings of 118 at Lahore, comprising of just 2 boundaries, a world record even now.

Captain, wicketkeeper, and innovator all rolled into one, Ab de Villiers will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest to play the game. For now, he has to be content with the best in the modern sport. One of the most versatile shot makers in the game is also one who has method to his defensive strokes as the article linked to him suggests. Here’s another article that contrasts the first and showcases his 360 degree in full. Nathan Astle, might best be remembered for owning the title of the quickest double century in world cricket, but his game is about more than that. When Astle retired, his place in New Zealand history seemed secure: 3rd highest Test run-scorer, 3rd highest Test century-maker, 2nd highest ODI run-scorer and highest ODI century-maker. He was a vital cog in the team beyond his ability to just score runs, scoring them at key moments and adding to the team in other ways. He may not be remembered as a great player, but for playing some of the best innings witnessed in a New Zealand shirt. The irresistible entertainer completes my batting line-up.

Bowling

Opening the bowling is none other than Pidge.McGrath has seen it all and done it all. The definition of consistency, his ability to bowl in the “corridor of uncertainty” with an immaculate length, caused problems to even the best of batsmen. Over time, he gained the off-cut and bounce, and specialized in the opposition's biggest wickets - especially Atherton's and Brian Lara's - and he was unafraid to back himself publicly in these key duels. He is the leading wicket taker of all time for a fast bowler. He’s so good that I couldn’t even find one single brilliant article to link him with. But if it’s any consolation, players being mentioned as the “Next McGrath”, will provide insurance to the greatness of this man. Bowling from the other end is the template for fast bowling greatness; Dennis Lillee. When Lillee came on to the international scene, he bowled with frightening pace. Finesse was added to this rough-hewn reservoir of talent from the Australian outback. The virtues of accuracy and movement off the pitch made their mark. He was the type of character whom captains could rely on to bowl "one more over" at the end of a long spell, and often made breakthroughs when success seemed unlikely. His career almost looked over at one point after just 11 Tests due to a stress fracture, but due to some careful management, the menace returned and this time, his partner was Jeff Thomson. By the time he returned, he had developed canny cutters to complement his habitual out swingers. Even the bouncers were sent down with varying speed and subtlety.

Jeff Thomson intimidated cricketers like no one before him and no one has truly replicated after him. With his slinging action, he regularly bowled in the mid 150’s and 160’s Kph. His bowling style, often compared to a Javelin thrower, not only generated tremendous pace, but also enabled Thommo to generate great control over his deliveries. His bouncers in his own words; I could bowl a bouncer much fuller than everybody else because I could get it to sort of jump like a cobra. It was a bit of a blessing. It was the style I was given.

The main focus for spin comes from Muttiah Muralitharan. One of the most polarized cricketers of all time, his undeniable ability to turn the ball on almost any surface is unparalleled. Whether Sri Lanka played at home, on pitches where he was often unplayable, or overseas, Murali was the go-to man for half a dozen captains. He seldom disappointed. He defies description. His streak spanned the middle of his career, and lasted 79 Tests. His haul of 565 wickets at a BowAvge of 18.98 is undoubtedly the best ever streak by a bowler. Only one other streak could match this: Bradman's 6996 runs in 52 Tests at 99.94.

Iqbal Qasim was the quiet and silent assassin to Abdul Qadir during the 1970s. Whilst, Qadir has ended up becoming one of Pakistan’s greatest spinners, it is unbelievable to note that Qasim finished his career with numbers better than his partner. Qasim was a miserly but penetrative spinner. He may not have possessed the variations modern slow left armers possess today, but he didn’t need to. The most impressive element about his bowling was the economy rate, barely going at above 2 an over. This enabled Qasim to bowl longer spells, bowl unchanged. The persistent accuracy just kept batsmen cautious, respectful & muted in their approach. Qasim was a workhorse, an underrated bowler.
 
Game Plan

  • Is Viv, Lillee’s Bunny ??: Probably not, but it is worth noting that no other bowler has dismissed Viv Richards more times than Lillee. In 11 matches, he dismissed Viv 9 times at an average of 1.22 Matches /Dismissal (One of the lowest ever ratios in Viv’s batting career). In the same amount of matches, Thomson has dismissed him 5 times.
Cricinfo:
Only Lillee had any answers. Lillee never made Richards his bunny, but no other bowler in the world had as good a chance of removing the dynamo. It is telling, however, that Lillee rarely - if ever - beat him for pace. He generally bamboozled Richards on to the back foot and trapped him leg-before with cut and swing, not brute speed.




  • Supreme Pace Attack: Whilst Hadlee – Roberts is a great duo, there is a drastic drop in bowling quality once the new ball is seen out. The likes of Nawaz and Snow cannot be seen in the same breath as Thomson who will torment the batsmen like no one else. Not to mention, Thommo and Lillee are reunited once again. In the below video, we see Lillee and Thomson at their finest bowling to the likes of Edrich and Viv, players who are representing Harshad's team as well.





  • Supreme Spin Attack: My team has the better spinners. The likes of Murali and Qasim will form a fearsome duo on the deteriorating pitch in the second test match. With one suffocating the batsmen of any service, the other will be free to bowl an aggressive line which will trouble any batsmen in the world.

  • Match 1: Whilst Harshad’s batting is solid, McGrath with his ability to get important wickets will try to expose the middle order to the new ball at the earliest. From a batting front, once my openers see out Roberts and Hadlee , the batsmen should be able to build on their innings. My batting unit has a great mix of Patience and aggression and they will complement each other really well.

  • Match 2: For a deteriorating pitch, Murali and Qasim will combine forces and bowl devastating spells against Harshad’s team. Both are capable of bowling long spells, and it will be a difficult propostion for Harshad’s batsmen.

  • Match 3: My bowlers will love these conditions. McGrath averages less than 20 in England and New Zealand, two countries where swing bowling can be judged at it’s finest. Lillee averages 20 and 22 in the same countries as well. It’s safe to say, my bowlers will have a very good test match in these conditions.
Goodluck @harshad :)
 
Can I just say that my bowling unit has amassed over 2000 Test Wickets over the course of their careers. That's pretty special by any standards. :)
 
Game Plan

  • Is Viv, Lillee’s Bunny ??: Probably not, but it is worth noting that no other bowler has dismissed Viv Richards more times than Lillee. In 11 matches, he dismissed Viv 9 times at an average of 1.22 Matches /Dismissal (One of the lowest ever ratios in Viv’s batting career). In the same amount of matches, Thomson has dismissed him 5 times.

Wasn't a bulk of those in 5 matches in that famous Lillee Kill Kill Kill series? When the two of them just outbounced and out-intimidated the West Indians? It kick-started the great West Indies fast bowling era btw - see https://cricket.yahoo.com/blogs/yahoo-cricket-blogs/1976-massacre-sabina-park-14210.html
 
Has De Villiers ever kept wicket outside of South Africa? Especially on a turning track?
 
Why not have Thommo open with Lillee? Think McGrath is the ideal first change bowler. It's a great attack either way, though.
I was tempted to that, but Pigeon bowling first change is almost unheard of. I didn't want to mess with history I guess. Thommo on the other hand has brief experience being the 3rd bowler.

Wasn't a bulk of those in 5 matches in that famous Lillee Kill Kill Kill series? When the two of them just outbounced and out-intimidated the West Indians? It kick-started the great West Indies fast bowling era btw - see https://cricket.yahoo.com/blogs/yahoo-cricket-blogs/1976-massacre-sabina-park-14210.html
Yeah, a couple of those wickets came in that 1975-76 series, but he's taken his wicket after that as well.

How out Fielder Bowler Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
caught GJ Gilmour DK Lillee 0 1 v Australia Brisbane 28 Nov 1975 Test # 764
bowled DK Lillee 41 1 v Australia Melbourne 26 Dec 1975 Test # 766
bowled DK Lillee 101 4 v Australia Adelaide 23 Jan 1976 Test # 768
caught RW Marsh DK Lillee 50 2 v Australia Melbourne 31 Jan 1976 Test # 770
caught GS Chappell DK Lillee 98 4 v Australia Melbourne 31 Jan 1976 Test # 770
caught RW Marsh DK Lillee 140 2 v Australia Brisbane 1 Dec 1979 Test # 862
caught RW Marsh DK Lillee 76 1 v Australia Adelaide 26 Jan 1980 Test # 870
bowled DK Lillee 2 2 v Australia Melbourne 26 Dec 1981 Test # 915
caught RW Marsh DK Lillee 44 1 v Australia Sydney 2 Jan 1982 Test # 917

Has De Villiers ever kept wicket outside of South Africa? Especially on a turning track?
Yeah, he has.
India, England, Australia and UAE are other places where he's kept wicket.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...=1;template=results;type=batting;view=innings
 
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Yeah fair enough although I think that's mostly to do with him being Australia's by far best pace bowler in his time.
That's a very fair point. McGrath is the sort of bowler that can do damage at any end, at any position. But his ability to get an early wicket has always been instrumental to Australia's success. Just felt there were more pro's than cons to having him opening the bowling.
 
That should be great exhibition of watching all three great Australian bowlers go at one go.
 
Harshad's Batting vs Jazz Bowling:
Edrich - Very respectable 42 average against Australia during the time of Lillee and Thommo (and that was peak Lillee too). Only averages 34 in Asia though so could see him faring worse against Murali.
Turner - Doesn't seem to have faced any top seam attacks in his time. Only averages 33 in Asia, although he did score two centuries against the Indian spin quartet.
Amla - Great batsman, unfortunately hasn't faced much of Jazz's bowlers - only a couple of Tests vs Murali.
Robin Smith - Poor player of spin, expect him to get done cheaply by Murali.
Viv Richards - The biggest wicket. Averaged 54 against Lillee and Thommo.
Steve Waugh - Not as good in Asia, don't think he will do as well in the 2nd Test. Top player otherwise.
B McCullum - Decent player, should contribute a handy knock but not expecting much.
Hadlee - Will contribute a little as an all-rounder.

Think harshad's solid openers and mostly strong middle order will be too difficult for Jazz to break down in the 1st Test. The 2nd Test is where I see some weaknesses as most of harshad's batsmen are not as good on slow wickets.
 
Harshad's Batting vs Jazz Bowling:
Edrich - Very respectable 42 average against Australia during the time of Lillee and Thommo (and that was peak Lillee too). Only averages 34 in Asia though so could see him faring worse against Murali.
Turner - Doesn't seem to have faced any top seam attacks in his time. Only averages 33 in Asia, although he did score two centuries against the Indian spin quartet.
Amla - Great batsman, unfortunately hasn't faced much of Jazz's bowlers - only a couple of Tests vs Murali.
Robin Smith - Poor player of spin, expect him to get done cheaply by Murali.
Viv Richards - The biggest wicket. Averaged 54 against Lillee and Thommo.
Steve Waugh - Not as good in Asia, don't think he will do as well in the 2nd Test. Top player otherwise.
B McCullum - Decent player, should contribute a handy knock but not expecting much.
Hadlee - Will contribute a little as an all-rounder.

Think harshad's solid openers and mostly strong middle order will be too difficult for Jazz to break down in the 1st Test. The 2nd Test is where I see some weaknesses as most of harshad's batsmen are not as good on slow wickets.
I disagree about some of the points you made.

Edrich has played Lillee several times. In the video I posted above, you can see Lillee making light work of Edrich a couple of times. A little digging also told me that Lillee and Thommo have dismissed him a combined 12 times which is a very healthy return, mostly LBW.

Also, I understand that the first test is usually difficult for batsmen to be dismissed easily, but the same could said for my team. Once Roberts-Hadlee are seen out, Harshad is going to have some serious trouble finding those 20 wickets he needs to win the match. That's why I see the first match ending in a likely draw. The other two matches though, should swing in my favour.
 
Edrich has played Lillee several times. In the video I posted above, you can see Lillee making light work of Edrich a couple of times. A little digging also told me that Lillee and Thommo have dismissed him a combined 12 times which is a very healthy return, mostly LBW.
They have dismissed him many times but he's also scored plenty against them.

Also, I understand that the first test is usually difficult for batsmen to be dismissed easily, but the same could said for my team. Once Roberts-Hadlee are seen out, Harshad is going to have some serious trouble finding those 20 wickets he needs to win the match. That's why I see the first match ending in a likely draw. The other two matches though, should swing in my favour.
Yeah, I haven't looked at your batting vs harshad's bowling yet.
 
I disagree about some of the points you made.

Edrich has played Lillee several times. In the video I posted above, you can see Lillee making light work of Edrich a couple of times. A little digging also told me that Lillee and Thommo have dismissed him a combined 12 times which is a very healthy return, mostly LBW.

Also, I understand that the first test is usually difficult for batsmen to be dismissed easily, but the same could said for my team. Once Roberts-Hadlee are seen out, Harshad is going to have some serious trouble finding those 20 wickets he needs to win the match. That's why I see the first match ending in a likely draw. The other two matches though, should swing in my favour.
Anil-Kumble-1-600x330.jpg
 
Hadlee's record (average in bold)

n Australia 1973-1987 12 21 3373 1373 77 9/52 15/123 17.83 2.44 43.8 10 3
in England 1973-1990 14 25 4115 1746 70 6/53 10/140 24.94 2.54 58.7 6 1
in India 1976-1988 6 10 1367 689 31 6/49 10/88 22.22 3.02 44.0 2 1
in New Zealand 1973-1990 43 75 10663 4615 201 7/23 11/58 22.96 2.59 53.0 15 3
in Pakistan 1976-1976 3 5 602 447 10 5/121 5/157 44.70 4.45 60.2 1 0
in Sri Lanka 1984-1987 4 7 940 332 27 5/29 10/102 12.29 2.11 34.8 2 1
in West Indies 1985-1985 4 7 858 409 15 4/53 4/68 27.26 2.86 57.2 0 0

Barring Pakistan, where he only played three matches, Hadlee performed on all kinds of surfaces.
 
Like all matches at this stage, this is a tough one; I think current votes are getting carried away by the fearsome Lillee-Thomson-McGrath combo. Hadlee and Roberts are no slouches; Don't know much about Snow. Murali just adds to it. With Ijazz's bowling, I'm worried about who bowls first. Lillee and Thommo are a combo but he's breaking them up. And Thommo is bowling at 3 or below significantly drops in terms of his productivity. Its really splitting hairs though.

Batting is close - Williamson and Amla more or less similar; Smith, Viv and Waugh vs Yousuf, Thorpe and ABD - is largely similar but I'd give it to Harshad for the Viv factor. Moreover, Ijazz's batting stops with Astle whilst Harshad's tail has Hadlee who was pretty much a semi-batsman.

So basically, it comes down to better overall bowling vs slightly better batting. I'll need to look up Snow to figure whether he can sufficiently close up the gap.

Given both the bowling line-ups, I'd bet there will be a result in all three matches.

Correct me if I got something wrong, chaps.
 
Jazz Batting v harshad Bowling:
Kirsten - Solid opener. Average of 52 in India vs Kumble.
Fredericks - Only faced Snow of harsh's bowlers, decent average of 39 against him. Think Hadlee would be a sterner test though. Respectable 42 average in Asia.
Williamson - Decent, nothing special for me.
Yousuf - Excellent batsman at home but much more suspect on away grounds. Solid 50 average vs Kumble.
Thorpe - Solid, gritty batsman. Average of 43 in India vs Kumble.
De Villiers - Very very good.
Astle - Decent.

Jazz' batsmen are very good on slow wickets and I expect him to win comfortably there. The first Test I think could be a draw. The 3rd Test is a dead heat to me.

As a result I'm going 2-1 Jazz at the moment.
 
Mohd Yousuf (average in bold):

v Australia 1998-2010 11 21 0 622 111 29.61 1160 53.62 1 3 1 85 6
v Bangladesh 2001-2003 5 6 4 503 204* 251.50 843 59.66 2 2 0 76 3
v England 2000-2010 14 24 0 1499 223 62.45 2864 52.33 6 3 1 183 9
v India 1999-2007 15 27 2 1247 173 49.88 2198 56.73 4 6 2 169 11
v New Zealand 2001-2009 9 15 1 747 203 53.35 1634 45.71 1 5 3 94 5
v South Africa 1998-2007 7 13 1 357 83 29.75 586 60.92 0 3 1 43 3
v Sri Lanka 1999-2009 15 26 1 725 112 29.00 1505 48.17 1 3 1 79 8
v West Indies 2000-2006 8 14 2 1214 192 101.16 2321 52.30 7 3 1 141 4
v Zimbabwe 1998-2002 6 10 1 616 159 68.44 1261 48.85 2 5 1 87 2

in Australia 1999-2010 9 18 0 574 111 31.88 1015 56.55 1 3 1 77 6
in Bangladesh 1999-2002 3 3 1 295 204* 147.50 418 70.57 1 1 0 47 2
in England 2001-2010 8 15 0 815 202 54.33 1418 57.47 3 1 1 110 3
in India 1999-2007 9 17 2 506 104 33.73 1049 48.23 1 3 1 71 2
in New Zealand 2001-2009 8 14 1 718 203 55.23 1587 45.24 1 5 3 90 5
in Pakistan 1998-2007 32 52 5 3067 223 65.25 5833 52.58 12 11 2 377 25
in South Africa 1998-2007 5 10 0 261 83 26.10 369 70.73 0 2 1 33 3
in Sri Lanka 2000-2009 7 11 1 338 112 33.80 648 52.16 1 1 0 32 2
in U.A.E. 2002-2002 2 4 1 270 146 90.00 455 59.34 1 2 0 35 1
in West Indies 2000-2000 3 5 1 279 115 69.75 722 38.64 2 0 1 27 1
in Zimbabwe 1998-2002 4 7 0 407 159 58.14 858 47.43 1 4 1 58 1

His record in Australia, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka is really not great.
 
:lol:. My Bad, I was incredibly harsh on your bowling. Let's say it won't be easy getting those 20 wickets.

Williamson - Decent, nothing special for me.
:(. He's tipped to become better than Crowe eventually. He's already New Zealand's highest Run getter at the No 3 Position and has already broken into the Top 10 at that position as well.
 
:(. He's tipped to become better than Crowe eventually. He's already New Zealand's highest Run getter at the No 3 Position and has already broken into the Top 10 at that position as well.
Yeah, I don't really rate the batsmen of the past few years that highly. Averages across the board have gone up insanely. I don't think he's in the same class as Crowe.
 
Like all matches at this stage, this is a tough one; I think current votes are getting carried away by the fearsome Lillee-Thomson-McGrath combo. Hadlee and Roberts are no slouches; Don't know much about Snow. Murali just adds to it. With Ijazz's bowling, I'm worried about who bowls first. Lillee and Thommo are a combo but he's breaking them up. And Thommo is bowling at 3 or below significantly drops in terms of his productivity. Its really splitting hairs though.

Batting is close - Williamson and Amla more or less similar; Smith, Viv and Waugh vs Yousuf, Thorpe and ABD - is largely similar but I'd give it to Harshad for the Viv factor. Moreover, Ijazz's batting stops with Astle whilst Harshad's tail has Hadlee who was pretty much a semi-batsman.

So basically, it comes down to better overall bowling vs slightly better batting. I'll need to look up Snow to figure whether he can sufficiently close up the gap.

Given both the bowling line-ups, I'd bet there will be a result in all three matches.

Correct me if I got something wrong, chaps.

http://worldcricketwatch.com/storie...riven-variety-john-snow-the-aesthete’s-choice/
 
Yeah, I don't really rate the batsmen of the past few years that highly. Averages across the board have gone up insanely. I don't think he's in the same class as Crowe.
That's fair enough.
 
Hadlee's record (average in bold)

n Australia 1973-1987 12 21 3373 1373 77 9/52 15/123 17.83 2.44 43.8 10 3
in England 1973-1990 14 25 4115 1746 70 6/53 10/140 24.94 2.54 58.7 6 1
in India 1976-1988 6 10 1367 689 31 6/49 10/88 22.22 3.02 44.0 2 1
in New Zealand 1973-1990 43 75 10663 4615 201 7/23 11/58 22.96 2.59 53.0 15 3
in Pakistan 1976-1976 3 5 602 447 10 5/121 5/157 44.70 4.45 60.2 1 0
in Sri Lanka 1984-1987 4 7 940 332 27 5/29 10/102 12.29 2.11 34.8 2 1
in West Indies 1985-1985 4 7 858 409 15 4/53 4/68 27.26 2.86 57.2 0 0

Barring Pakistan, where he only played three matches, Hadlee performed on all kinds of surfaces.

It was early days(not the peak years) for him, he didn't have much control over his delivery during those period he relied more on his pace,it was later where he had become complete bowler.If he would have played Pakistan around late 70's or 80's period the result would have been different.Fantastic bowler.
It was also the period where he had came up with short run up and criticized by media and writers for not doing enough with bowling run up where other pace bowlers usually come up with long run up,but that turned up well as he improved on his control without loosing much pace.
 
It was early days(not the peak years) for him, he didn't have much control over his delivery during those period he relied more on his pace,it was later where he had become complete bowler.If he would have played Pakistan around late 70's or 80's period the result would have been different.Fantastic bowler.
It was also the period where he had came up with short run up and criticized by media and writers for not doing enough with bowling run up where other pace bowlers usually come up with long run up,but that turned up well as he improved on his control without loosing much pace.
I did mention earlier my bowlers are being underrated.

Also, Hadlee & Roberts' record in India is quite telling.

If we were to consider the second match being played at pitches normally found in India, then both Hadlee and Roberts have performed extremely well in India and along with Kumble and Snow, I should have no trouble in taking 20 wickets in that test.
 
I did mention earlier my bowlers are being underrated.

Also, Hadlee & Roberts' record in India is quite telling.

If we were to consider the second match being played at pitches normally found in India, then both Hadlee and Roberts have performed extremely well in India and along with Kumble and Snow, I should have no trouble in taking 20 wickets in that test.
I don't think you are loosing vote on bowlers, the issue should be elsewhere , eg Robin smith or Turner,i dont rate Smith and i don't know much on Turner, may be you need to some more write up on these two.This one similar to Akshay's where he failed to come up with facts on G.Pollock,class batsment to come up on one down.
 
I don't think you are loosing vote on bowlers, the issue should be elsewhere , eg Robin smith or Turner,i dont rate Smith and i don't know much on Turner, may be you need to some more write up on these two.This one similar to Akshay's where he failed to come up with facts on G.Pollock,class batsment to come up on one down.

....
Even in absolute terms, Turner’s numbers are quite impressive. He had scored 2,991 Test runs at 44.64 with 7 hundreds, of which 2,828 at 45.61 were as an opener. Of all New Zealand openers, his runs are just behind John Wright’s, and his average is the best among those who have scored 2,000 Test runs or more. If all batsmen are considered, he falls behind Martin Crowe and Mark Richardson, though, in terms of batting average.

Turner’s real greatness lies elsewhere, though. In the pre-Turner era, New Zealand had played 83 Tests, of which they had won four, drawn 38, and lost 41. Turner’s performances changed things around significantly — as New Zealand won 11 Tests in 14 years, losing 26 and drawing 30. The win-loss ratio, which was 9 per cent previously, had gone up to 42 per cent in Turner’s era.
...

Turner became the youngest batsman in history (at 22 years 63 days, beating Warwick Armstrong’s record in 1902-03) and the first New Zealand player to carry a bat through an innings. Underwood kept denting the other end, picking up 7 for 32 — while Turner played 226 balls on his way to an obdurate 43 not out as New Zealand crashed to 131. He is still the youngest player, and the only New Zealand batsman to have achieved the feat. We shall, however, come back to carrying the bat through an innings later.

...

The West Indies tour of 1971-72 turned out to be a watershed mark in Turner’s career. On the second tour match he got his first double-hundred of the tour — a formidable 202 against Board President’s XI at Montego Bay, putting up 268 for the opening stand with Dowling.

The next match was the first Test at Sabina Park, where Turner decided to take things in his own hands. He was certainly not willing to let the debutant Lawrence Rowe (who scored 214 and 100 not out) hog all the limelight alone. Up against West Indies’ 508 for 4, Turner batted on, and on, and on, and on… carrying his bat again for a 572-minute essay of 223 out of a team score of 386. From 108 for 5 he helped New Zealand evade the follow-on.

Turner became only the fourth cricketer (after Bill Woodfull, Len Hutton, and Bill Lawry) to carry his bat through a Test innings twice. His 223 not out still remains the highest score by any batsman while carrying his bat (the previous record being Bill Brown’s 206 at Lord’s in 1938).

Turner scored 95 in the third Test at Queen’s Park Oval, but that turned out to be a mere appetiser. Up against Guyana’s 493 for 4 at Bourda, Turner scored a masterful 259, and worse — he never looked like getting out. Things looked really ominous for the West Indians.

The fourth Test, also at Bourda, was another run-fest: after West Indies declared at 365 for 7, Turner and Terry Jarvis batted for 9 hours before Jarvis eventually fell for 182. They had put up 387 for the opening partnership — then the second-highest opening stand, after Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy’s 413. Turner eventually finished with a colossal 759-ball 259 with 22 fours.

New Zealand returned with the five Test series leveled 0-0. Turner easily topped the batting charts with 672 runs at 96. On the entire tour, he scored 1,214 runs at 86.71 from 11 matches, and all his 4 hundreds were converted to double-hundreds. His superlative performances made him the New Zealand Almanack Player-of-the-Year.
...

Turner’s greatest batting performance – his magnum opus — possibly came against the Australians next season at Christchurch. The Test, in
Turner’s own words, “helped our cricket come of age. It gave us that belief. It also gave a boost to the game in New Zealand at that time.”

After Congdon bravely put Australia in, Richard Hadlee, Richard Collinge and Congdon bowled out the tourists for a paltry 223. Max Walker and Geoff Dymock hit back for Australia, and New Zealand kept on losing wickets on a consistent basis. Turner stood among the ruins, scoring 101 in 260 balls (after remaining 99 not out overnight — again) with nine fours, and took New Zealand to 255 — when nobody else had reached 25.

His job was not done, though. After the Hadlee brothers combined to bowl out Australia for 259, Walker hit back again, reducing New Zealand to 62 for three. With 166 still to get, Turner knew that he could not afford to get out: he batted on tirelessly, scoring 110 not out — and guiding New Zealand to their first Test victory against Australia. In the process he became the first New Zealand batsman to score two hundreds in a Test. Turner later called it ‘probably the most significant contribution I made’.

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http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/glenn-turner-new-zealand-and-worcestershire-giant-26991
 
If we were to consider the second match being played at pitches normally found in India, then both Hadlee and Roberts have performed extremely well in India and along with Kumble and Snow, I should have no trouble in taking 20 wickets in that test.
McGrath also averages just 21 in India. Add to the mix, an all time great in Murali and a containment specialist in Qasim who are playing in home-like conditions and I still think the matches edges in my favour.
 
I have no idea who Qasim is. That notwithstanding Amla, Turner, Viv, Waugh are all excellent players of spin bowling and can easily score runs. Moreover, you have only 4 bowlers bowling, will put a tad bit more pressure on McGrath and Murali to take wickets.