BEST OF THE BEST teams /players

[mal]

Any teams/players any time onwards any era

This is my best Australian cricket team since DeciMal Currency
I started watching Test Cricket on the ABC in the late 60s

1966-2024
Lawry
Simpson
Ponting
G Chappell
Cowper
Border
GilChrist
Warne
Cummins
Lillee
Mcgrath

I will add other lists in due course

[wenchbarwer]

Any teams include non-Aussie?

Greenidge
Hayden
Viv
Lara
G Chappell
Ponting
Gilchrist
Warne
Marshall
Ambrose
McGrath

An extremely unlucky Hadlee as 12th man

Can tell I grew up watching cricket in the 80's!

[Armchair expert]

Strauss
Hilditch
Jones
Flower
Balbirnie
Flintoff
Symonds
McDonald
Hall
Caddick
Roberts

Only for intellectuals

[Spargo]

Strauss
Hilditch
Jones
Flower
Balbirnie
Flintoff
Symonds
McDonald
Hall
Caddick
Roberts

Only for intellectuals

It’s as if you drew their names out of a hat…

[The Bedge]

Tendulkar anyone?

Wasim Akram and Alastair Cook.

[Lightning McQueen]

Strauss
Hilditch
Jones
Flower
Balbirnie
Flintoff
Symonds
McDonald
Hall
Caddick
Roberts

Only for intellectuals

Symonds and intellect don't belong on the same page.

[mal]

SOUTH AFRICA TEST TEAM
Smith
Richards
Kallis
G Pollock
?
Devilliers[ keeper]
Proctor
S Pollock
Rabarda
Steyn
Donald

Need help
I could not find a spin bowler so picked a pace attack instead- you hate to face this mob on a Perth deck
Is there a spinner worthy enough?
Batting at 5 also needs picking- had a few but could not decide

[mighty_tiger_79]

SOUTH AFRICA TEST TEAM
Smith
Richards
Kallis
G Pollock
?
Devilliers[ keeper]
Proctor
S Pollock
Rabarda
Steyn
Donald

Need help
I could not find a spin bowler so picked a pace attack instead- you hate to face this mob on a Perth deck
Is there a spinner worthy enough?
Batting at 5 also needs picking- had a few but could not decide

Paul Adams- frog in a blender?

[The Dark Knight]

SOUTH AFRICA TEST TEAM
Smith
Richards
Kallis
G Pollock
?
Devilliers[ keeper]
Proctor
S Pollock
Rabarda
Steyn
Donald

Need help
I could not find a spin bowler so picked a pace attack instead- you hate to face this mob on a Perth deck
Is there a spinner worthy enough?
Batting at 5 also needs picking- had a few but could not decide

Amla 3, Kallis 4 (batted the most at 4 and averaged 61.86 there, 49.77 at 3) and Pollock 5.
Maharaj as the spinner? Has the most wickets as a South African spinner.

[mal]

Thanks TDK and MT !
Yeah can slot Amla at 3
But gotta have Pollock at 4 no matter what
Pollock is only second to Sir Garfield Sobers as a batsman ive seen
That means Kallis down to 5

South Africa was considered the best team in the world before they were forced out of cricket
With Graham Pollock Barry Richards and the amazing allrounder Mike Proctor they would have been a super team
They have done well enough since being back in action
Lack of a top notch spinner is a problem for quite a while now

[Lightning McQueen]

WINDIES
Greenidge
Haynes
Lara
Sobers
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Ambrose
Marshall
Garmer
Walsh

[wenchbarwer]

WINDIES
Greenidge
Haynes
Lara
Sobers
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Ambrose
Marshall
Garmer
Walsh

Viv at 5?? Sacrilege!!

I'd probably have Michael Holding in over Courtney Walsh, too.

[whufc]

Zimbabwe

Grant Flower
Alistair Campbell
Murray Goodwin
Andy Flower
David Houghton
Brendan Taylor
Tatenda Taibu
Heath Streak
Andy Blignaut
Paul Strang
Henry Olonga

[RB]

WINDIES
Greenidge
Haynes
Lara
Sobers
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Ambrose
Marshall
Garmer
Walsh

Viv at 5?? Sacrilege!!

I'd probably have Michael Holding in over Courtney Walsh, too.

Agreed, and maybe Andy Roberts over Ambrose, but a tough call.

[wenchbarwer]

WINDIES
Greenidge
Haynes
Lara
Sobers
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Ambrose
Marshall
Garmer
Walsh

Viv at 5?? Sacrilege!!

I'd probably have Michael Holding in over Courtney Walsh, too.

Agreed, and maybe Andy Roberts over Ambrose, but a tough call.

I can't leave out Curtley, he was electric

[Lightning McQueen]

WINDIES
Greenidge
Haynes
Lara
Sobers
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Ambrose
Marshall
Garmer
Walsh

Viv at 5?? Sacrilege!!

I'd probably have Michael Holding in over Courtney Walsh, too.

So would I watching them both in action at their prime, but 500+ wickets at 24 pushes Walsh into the fray.

Sobers averaged a tad under 64 batting at 4, Viv averaged 48 @ 5, Lara just did Lara things wherever he batted

[wenchbarwer]

WINDIES
Greenidge
Haynes
Lara
Sobers
Richards
Lloyd
Dujon
Ambrose
Marshall
Garmer
Walsh

Viv at 5?? Sacrilege!!

I'd probably have Michael Holding in over Courtney Walsh, too.

So would I watching them both in action at their prime, but 500+ wickets at 24 pushes Walsh into the fray.

Sobers averaged a tad under 64 batting at 4, Viv averaged 48 @ 5, Lara just did Lara things wherever he batted

I would have Viv at 3, averaged 61.5 there. Drop Lara down to 5

[wenchbarwer]

I should add, Viv was my favourite cricketer of all time. Saw him hook a six that bounced once on the George Giffen stand roof, and into the tennis courts

[Lightning McQueen]

I would have Viv at 3, averaged 61.5 there. Drop Lara down to 5

That's the beauty of these hypothetical lists, there is no right or wrong answers, the Supercat and Richie Richardson were very unlucky to miss out too, I shall email them both to apologise.

[Lightning McQueen]

I should add, Viv was my favourite cricketer of all time. Saw him hook a six that bounced once on the George Giffen stand roof, and into the tennis courts

You're no Robinson Crusoe there mate, everyone in that era loved Sir Isaac!

I loved Imran, Akram (I modeled my bowling action and run up on his), Kapil Dev was right up there as was John Wright and Martin Snedden from the shaggers.