My Dream Team. Review on Cricket World XI

I am unsure whether this category is meant to choose among the current cricketers or all time cricketers. I give myself the benefit of doubt and get equipped with the most explosive cricketing ammunition chosen from any nationality or era to form my dream test XI

The Opening Pair

The candidates are Sir Jack Hobbs (Eng), Herbert Suttcliffe (Eng), Sir Len Hutton (Eng), Barry Richards (SA), Sunil Gavaskar(Ind) and Mathew Hayden (Aus). Sunil Gavaskar with most test hundreds (34) in any career across any age gets a look in straightaway. Though his batting average (51+) is lowest among all shortlisted above, none can really match him when it comes to performing in the den of the then lions i.e. the West Indian fast bowlers. Also his lower batting average can be attributed to the fact that he had an unusually long career.

To be his partner I choose Sir Jack Hobbs (avg 56+) who is among the most respected figures ever to play cricket. Along with an impressive enough test record, he has a first class record that will probably stand to be envied till eternity. Of his 199 hundreds in the first class cricket almost half came when he was above 40, which speaks for his consistency and endurance.

The Middle Order

I shall pick 4 middle order batsmen. Sir Donald Bradman (Aus) bats at number 3 because he always liked to bat at number 3. FULL STOP. For the next 3 slots it is not a difficult decision to pick up Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), Sir Vivian Richards (WI) and Sir Garfield Sobers (WI), whereas it is a very difficult decision not to pick W.G. Grace (Eng), Wally Hammonds (Eng), George Headley (WI), Ken Barrington (Eng), Greame Pollock (SA), Greg Chappel (Aus) and Brian Lara (WI). Garry Sobers has a place in the side as safe as Bradman?s owing to his more than handy left arm medium pace bowling. Vivian Richards is picked up because he is known as Vivian Richards.

Sachin Tendulkar is picked up simply because he is as near to perfection as a batsman can be imagined to be, equally good - at attack and at defence, against pace and against spin, in shorter version of the game and in the longer, on on-side or on on-off. The man who came closest and missed out a place in the middle order is Wally Hammonds who in those days was the only rival to Sir Donald Bradman.

The Wicket-keeper

If I were to choose a wicket-keeper batsman I would pick either Clyde Walcott (WI) or Adam Gilchrist (Aus). But having chosen six batsmen from the very best, I would rather go for the man who is the very best behind the wickets. When looking for a skilled wicket-keeper I do not have to think far beyond Alan Knott (Eng) who is regarded by one and all as the best wicketkeeper to play the game. He is no novice with the bat either with 5 hundreds at the test level.

The Spinners

Now we have a job on hand. Muttiah Muralitharan (SL), to me, is not just the greatest off-spinner ever but the most valuable bowler to have in the side of all in the history who has been breaking records at will. Shane Warne (Aus) is without doubt the greatest leg spinner ever and the only man who single handedly revived the dying art of leg spin in the early 1990's. And finally, if there ever was a bowler who had the potential to sit on the same pinnacle on which Donald Bradman proudly sits alone, it was the great englishman Sydney Barnes.

He bamboozled the Australian and South African batsmen with his indecipherable mix of swing and spin. His burst of 189 wickets (including 24, five-wicket hauls) in 27 test matches that he played (at 7 wickets a match) is equalled only by Muralitharan's phenomenal form where he has taken no less than 300 wickets in last 42 tests at slightly more than 7 wickets a match. Murali therefore has no threats from either Warne or Barnes having already gone far beyond all the standards set for the spinners, he now averages better than some of the great fast bowlers like Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram.

I hate to choose between Warne and Brnes, but cannot resist the temptation of forging a deadly spin combination in the classical mould of a leggie and an offie, therefore Barnes is out (certainly the toughest decision I have had to make in forming this XI)

The Fast Bowlers

Now we are left with two spots to be filled by two fast bowlers and there is a cavalcade of destructive fast bowlers to take a claim. Among them are the pacers like Fred Truemen (Eng), Dennis Lilee (Aus), Sir Richard Hadlee (NZ), Malcom Marshall (WI), Imran Khan (Pak), Curtley Ambrose (WI), Wasim Akram(Pak), Waqar Younis(Pak), Glenn McGrath (Aus) and Alan Donald (SA). When bringing the spinners and fast bowlers to the same stage and comparing there utility in a side, I consider wickets-per-match the best parameter but that is always affected by how many overs he bowls per match and whether there are some great bowlers that play along side.

This explains why Waqar Younis and Malcom Marshall do not have a mind blowing wickets-to-match ratio (Like Murali, Lillee or Hadlee) despite of having the most impressive strike rates. Deciding on the basis of bowling average (runs-per-wickets) and strike rate (balls-per-wickets) doesn't make the job easy either because on one hand you have Waqar Younis who has a strike rate better than any bowler to have taken more than 200 test wickets but has a bowling average that is better only than Wasim Akram among all shortlisted above and on the other hand there is Curtley Ambrose who has a bowling average next only to Malcom Marshall but a strike rate that is better only than Wasim Akram (By the way does that shatter a few myths? yes, its a myth that Wasim Akram is among 4-5 greatest fast bowlers ever to play cricket.

He has the poorest strike rate, poorest average and the poorest wickets-to-match ratio among all shortlisted above. No matter how impressive he looks because he has an unusually beautiful run-up or because he is left arm bowler or because he is forever fit or simply because he is too good looking, the fact remains that Mcgrath, Ambrose and Donald among his contemporaries have been far more effective in the tests.)

Malcom Marshall is the easiest pick with the best average and strike rate next only to Waqar Younis. For the last spot I pick Sir Richard Hadlee and it won't be hard to justify his selection. His average and strike rate speak for themselves, add to it the fact that when retired he set all bowling records to be demolished by Muttiah Muralitharan later - most career wickets, most 5 wickets-an-innings hauls and most 10 wickets-a-match hauls. And apart from that he was a sensational hitter of the ball too. Dennis Lillee misses out closely and leaving him out is the second toughest decision I have had to make in picking my XI.

The Twelveth Man

As the 12th man I will pick the man who can any day be a replacement to any of the eleven players and can be a match winner both with the ball and the bat. Not many prices for guessing that I am talking about Ian Botham, who played in a manner that a kid would dare not dream once he is past the age of 10. If I were to pick a team of one player and not eleven I would, without a second thought, pick the beefy Ian Botham.

My dream team, listed below in the batting order:

1. Sunil Gavaskar (Ind)

   
   




2. Sir Jack Hobbs (Eng)

   
   




3. Sir Donald radman (Aus) - capt

   
   




4. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)

   
   




5. Sir Vivian Richards (WI)

   
   




6. Sir Garfield Sobers (WI)

   
   




7. Allan Knott (Eng) - wk

   
   




8. Sir Richard Hadlee (NZ)

   
   




9. Shane Warne (Aus)

   
   




10. Malcom Marshall (WI)

    
    




11. Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)

    
    

12th Man: Ian Botham (Eng)

Let the comments flow....