The All Time Greatest Australian XI

What would be the all time greatest England team???
This is my selection;

1. Jack Hobbs
2. Len Hutton
3. Peter May
4. Walter Hammond
5. Dennis Compton
6. Ian Bothom
7. Godfrey Evans
8. Harold Larwood
9. Jim Laker
10. Headley Verity
11. Freddy Trueman

What would be the all time greatest West Indies team????
This is my selection;

1. Gordon Greenidge
2. Brian Lara
3. George Headly
4. Vivian Richards
5. Garfield Sobers
6. Everton Weeks
7. Derek Murray
8. Malcom Marshal
9. Curtley Ambrose
10. Michael Holding
11. Lance Gibbs

Thanks inca for your team. I note that from the official Team of the Century named in 2000, you have substituted Ponting and S Waugh for G Chappell and Harvey. In my opinion - and this is all subjective after all -- Ponting is a deserved addition, but S Waugh did not further his reputation as a batsman enough since that time to warrant inclusion. Of recent players, I believe that Ponting, Hayden (instead of Morris), Gilchrist (instead of Healy) and possibly McGrath (instead of Lindwall) should be considered. (By the way, another often-forgotten fast man is Alan Davidson, who took 186 wickets in 44 tests with a significantly better average and economy than even McGrath) Hence, here is my team, with a hefthy injection of modernity!

1. Bill Ponsford
2. Matt Hayden
3. Donald Bradman
4. Ricky Ponting
5. Greg Chappell
6. Keith Miller
7. Adam Gilchrist
8. Shane Warne
9. Dennis Lillee
10. Glenn McGrath
11. Bill O'Reilly

it will be worthless to predict the greatest Australian Team.

I am sure The Australia will always be greatest cricket team it doesnt matter who is in team or not.

hmm...
Clearly "Demon" Spofforth, Vic Trumper, Archie Jackson et al are handicapped by their age. Though I basically agree with your team Jimbo, with qualifications. Bradman should be at four with either Ponting or Chappell at first drop. Davidson should be in at eight as his batting brings a better balance to the side.

Greatest Team Ever

I think this is a bit tougher to pick, and should provide more controversy.

1. Jack Hobbs
2. Barry Richards
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Don Bradman
5. Garfield Sobers
6. Imran Khan
7. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Shane Warne
10. Michael Holding
11. Muttiah Muralitharan

With Symonds or Neil Harvey as twelfth man (best fielder of all time), and Holding and Hadlee opening the bowling.

There, that should set the cat amongst the pigeons.

I think the greatest 15 man squad ever would be:
(not in any order)
INZAMAM-UL-HAQ (captain)
YOUNIS KHAN
MUHAMMAD YOUSUF
SHAHID AFRIDI
SHOAIB AKHTAR
WASIM AKRAM
IMRAN KHAN
MUHAMMAD ASIF
YASIR HAMEED
UMAR GUL
ABDUL RAZZAQ
RAO IFTIKAR
MUHAMMAD HAFEEZ
SHOAIB MALIK
IMRAN NAZIR[/u][/b]

Greatest Team Of All Time:
1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Barry Richards
3, Don Bradman
4. Viv Richards
5. Garfield Sobers (C)
6. Adam Gilchrist (W)
7. Imran Khan
8. Shane Warne
9. Jim Laker
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Dennis Lillee

Players who are my favourite wo could get in:
Richard Hadlee (NZ)
Curtley Ambrose (WI)
Michael Holding (WI)
Jeff Thomson (NZ)

1. Gordon Greenidge
2. Conrad Hunte
3. George Headley
4. Brian Lara
5. Viv Richards
6. Garry Sobers
7. Clyde Walcott
8. Malcolm Marshall
9. Curtly Ambrose
10.Michael Holding
11.Lance Gibbs

To commence, choosing an all time best from different era is extremely difficult; however I will choose my elite 11.

Gordon Greenidge-unquestionably W.I greatest opener
Vivian Richards-arguably the most destructive W.I. batsman
George Headley-the black bradman
Brian Lara-undeniably the most complete talent
Everton Weeks-one of the famous W's. A toss up with Frank Worrell
Garfield Sobers-undoubtedly the greatest allrounder
Clyde Walcott-W.I. greatest wicketkeeper batsman
Malcolm Marshall-one of the greatest fast bowler ever
Curtly Ambrose-a toss up between Joel Garner
Michael Holding-the quickest of them all
Lance Gibbs-Indubitably W.I. Greatest spinner.

Twelve man is a toss up between Joel Garner and Frank Worrell.

Notable omission unfortunalely no space
Guyanese Rohan Kanhai, Shiv Chanderpaul and Clive Lloyd
Barbarian Desmond Haynes, Conrad Hunte and Wesley Hall
Jamaican Lawrence Rowe, Jeffrey Dujon and Courtney Walsh
Trinidad Deryck Murray

1 SUNIL GAVASKAR
2 JACK HOBBS
3 DON BRADMAN
4 SACHIN TENDULKAR
5 GARFIELD SOBERS
6 IAN BOTHAM
7 ADAM GILCHRIST
8 SHANE WARNE
9 DENNIS LILLEE
10 MALCOLM MARSHALL
11 MUTTIAH MURALIDARAN

12 MAN BRIAN LARA

A TEAM THAT IS HARD TO BEAT IN MOST CONDITIONS:BALANCE OF OFF/LEG SPINNER:PACE BOWLERS WHO ARE SUPREMELY ACCURATE AND CAN SWING THE BALL. AND BOOFHEAD BEEFY BOTHAM PROVIDE SOME MEDIUM PACE VARIETY.THE BATTING IS A COMBINATION OF GRITTY TOP ORDER AND A MIDDLE ORDER THAT HAS FLAIR. POSSIBLE WEAKNESS IN FIELDING ASPECT BUT DEFINITELY NO PHIL TUFFNELLS IN THERE:

My West Indies XI:
1.Gordon Greenidge
2. Vivian Richards
3. George Headley
4. Brian Lara
5. Gary Sobers
6. Frank Worrell (Capt)
7. C. Walcott (Wicketkeeper)
8. Malcolm Marshall
9. Wes Hall
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Lance Gibbs

My Best World XI

1.Jack Hobbs
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Don Bradman
4. Brian Lara
5. Vivian Richards
6. Gary Sobers
7. Adam Gilchrist
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Shane Warne
10. Malcolm Marshall
11. Curtly Ambrose

My Best England

1. Jack Hobbs
2. Len Hutton
3. Wally Hammond
4. W.G. Grace
5. Dennis Compton
6. Ian Botham
7. Godfrey Evans
8. Brian Stathem
9. Jim Laker
10. Sid Barnes
11. Fred Trueman

My Best Australia

1. W.H. Ponsford
2. Bobby Simpson
3. Don Bradman (Capt)
4. Victor Trumper
5. Greg Chappell
6. Keith Miller
7. Adam Gilchrist (wicketkeeper)
8. Shane Warne
9. Ray Lindwall
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Glen Mc Grath

Arthur Morris
Bob Simpson
Greg Chappel (or Harvey)
Kim Hughes
Ian Chappel (C)
Steve Waugh
Keith Miller
ian Healy
Ray Lindwall
Dennis Lillee
Shane Warne

(ok, there's only one spinner, but australia is not famous for winning matches based on spinners)

and here is one for 1900-1950

Bill Ponsford
Victor Trumper
Don Bradman
Alan Kippax
Charles Mccartney (or Hassett)
Stan McCabe
Don Tallon
J M Gregory
Ray Lindwall
Bill O Reilly
Clarrie Grimmett

greatest English, Indian and West Indian Team
1950-2000

Len Hutton
Geoff Boycott
Graham Gooch
Graham Thorpe
David Gower (or Colin Cowdrey)
Ian Botham
Alan Knott
Ray Illingworth (C)
Andrew Flintoff
John Snow
Derek Underwood


twelfth man: Derek Randall
(both openers are slow accumulators, but no other opener seems to make the mark)

Sunil Gavaskar
Virendra Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Gundappa Vishwanath (or Pataudi)
Sourav Ganguly (C)
Syed Kirmani
Kapil Dev
Javagal Srinath
Subhash Gupte
Erapalli Prasanna

twelfth man: Eknath Solkar
(there are only two pace bowlers - one option could be replace Subhash Gupte with Zaheer Khan if the pitch is fast)

Gordon Greenidge
Conrad Hunte
IVA Richards
Brian Lara
Rohan Kanhai
Alvin Kalicharan (or Keith Boyce)
Jeff Dujon
Malcolm Marshall
Wes Hall
Michael Holding
Lance Gibbs


twelfth man: Gus Logie

(Kalicharan may be replaced by Boyce, because this team misses an all rounder - besides with Boyce in, there are four fast bowlers)

One change to the West Indian team (oops)

replace kalicharan/boyce with one Garfield St Aubyn Sobers

My Best Pakistan team

1) Hanif Mohd / Saeed Anwar
2) Imtiaz Ahmed (wk)
3) Zaheer ( Younis
4) Javed
5) Mohd Yusuf
6) Inzimam
7) Imran Khan
Mushtaq Mohd
9) Wasim Akran
10) Waqar
11) Fazal Mahmuh

Extra Saqlain. He will replace Fazal if we play on a spinning track.

Best world 11

1) Jack Hobbs
2) Sutcliffe
3) Bradman
4) Tendulkar
5) Sobers
6) Miller
7) Imran Khan
Hadlee
9) Dujon
10) Marshall
11) Share Warner

Dujon is best keeper I have seen for fast bowling

World Team

1.Jack Hobbs
2.Barry Richards
3.Don Bradman
4.Brian Lara
5.Sachin Tendulkar
6.Gary Sobers
7.Adam Gilchrist
8.Wasim Akram
9.Malcolm Marshalll
10.Shane Warne
11.Dennis Lillee

12th man Imran Khan

Australian Team

1.Arthur Morris
2.Matthew Hayden
3.Don Bradman
4.Ricky Ponting
5.Greg Chappell
6.Allan Border
7.Adam Gilchrist
8.Keith Miller
9.Shane Warne
10.Dennis Lillee
11.Glen Mcgrath

12th Man-Ian Chappell

All Time Englsih team
1.Jack Hobbs
2.len Hutton
3.Walter Hammond
4.Ted Dexter
5.Colin Cowdrey
6.David Gower
7.Ian Botham
8.Alan Knott
9.Fred Trueman
10Harold Larwood
11 Jim Laker

12th man-Frank Wooley.

My best current world 11

Greahm Smith (C)
Virender Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar
Kevin Peterson
Ricky Ponting
Jaque Kallis
M.S. Dohni
Andrew flintoff
Mitchell Johnson
Dale Steyn
Mattai Muraliteran

i can't believe noone has included G.Pollock in their all-time XIIs.

My all-time XII:

1. M. Hayden (AUS)
2. B. Richards (SA)
3. D. Bradman (AUS)
4. V.Richards (WI)
5. G. Pollock (SA)
6. G. Sobers (WI)
7. A. Gilchrist (AUS)
8. W.Akram (PAK)
9. S.Warne (AUS)
10.C.Ambrose (WI)
11.D.Lillee (AUS)

backup allrounders: A.Davidson (AUS); I Khan (PAK)
backup pace bowlers: G.McGrath (AUS); M.Marshall (WI)
backup spinners: B.O'Reilly (AUS); J.Laker (ENG)
backup batsmen: S.Tendulkar (Ind); A.Border (AUS)

i would like to join the stimulating debate about the all time west indian eleven with my team and related comments

1 gordon grenidge
2 conrad hunte
3 george headly
4 viv richards
5 gary sobers
6 frank worrell *
7 derek walcott +
8 malcolm marshall
9 micheal holding
10 curtly ambrose
11 lance gibbs
12th man - everton weeks

rationale
gordon grenidge - best opening bat in the modern era.. he however barely makes it over roy fredricks (who did well in austriala but fredricks was a bit one dimensional)
conrad hunte - greatest opener of his era in the wi - carried the batting without partners
george headly - second best batsman of his generation 50 per cent chance he will make a century and averages 60 with the bat. best batsman in the side
viv richards - most devastating batsman of any era... will deplete the opposition bowling
frank worrell - almost 50 average (40 plus) - best captaincy skills of any west indian
gary sobers - all rounder who will make runs and give depth to the bowling attack with either medium pace or left arm spin (complements gibbs)
derek walcott - wicket keeper with a fifty average
lance gibbs best offspinner of his generation - takes wickets while containing the runs of the opposition
micheal holding - speed merchant
malcolm marshall - moves ball at pace (90mph)
curtley ambrose - bounce and uncertainty of the off stump line
weeks - 12th man - consistency of performance - especially against australia

why lara does not make it. again (for all you emoticons out there - why lara DOES NOT MAKE IT)
FIRST - lara batted in a time of helmets (cricket was safer)
SECOND - lara batted in a time when bowlers had only one bouncer per over
THIRD - lara batted in a time when the only major bowlers around were glen mcgrath and shane warne.
FOURTH - he was not a consistent match winner - just exciting to watch. you could depend on viv. you could depend on headly..these guys were big second innings players. end of story

ALL TIME GREATEST TEST XI

1. Barry Richards
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Don Bradman (C)
4. Viv Richards
5. Garry Sobers
6. Clyde Walcott (Wk)
7. Imran Khan
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Malcolm Marshall
10. Joel Garner (replace with Bill O'Reilly if turning wicket)
11. Muralitharan

1. Adam Gilchrist
2. Virendah Sehwag
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Don Bradman
5. Viv Richards
6. Garry Sobers
7. Lance Klusener
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Andy Roberts
10. Joel Garner
11. Muralitharan

1. Gordon Greenidge
2. George Headley
3. Viv Richards
4. Garry Sobers
5. Brian Lara
6. Everton Weekes
7. Clyde Walcott
8. Malcolm Marshall
9. Michael Holding
10.Joel Garner
11. C. Ambrose (replace with L. Gibbs if turning wicket)

1. Matthew Hayden
2. Bill Lawry
3. Don Bradman
4. Greg Chappell
5. Ricky Ponting
6. Adam Gilchrist
7. Keith Miller
8. Alan Davidson
9. Bill O'Reilly
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Glen Mcgrath

1. Hobbs
2. Sutcliffe
3. Hutton
4. Hammond
5. Barrington
6. Botham
7. Stewart
8. Flintoff
9. Trueman
10. Laker
11. Barnes