Your Best 11...

[GWW]

Alderman and Reid were both better bowlers than Gillespie, but I guess fair enough not having them in these sides given the relatively small amount of Tests they played due to injury.

[wristwatcher]

Alderman and Reid were both better bowlers than Gillespie, but I guess fair enough not having them in these sides given the relatively small amount of Tests they played due to injury.

I disagree plus Dizzy could seriously bat, neither alderman or especially reid were anything more than bunnies

[am Bays]

Since 1975

1. M Hayden: Selects himself - Haydos just imposes himself in the minds of opening bowlers who were trying to do the reverse.
2. J Langer: At one stage I believe he was the best bat in the world. Well ahead of Tubby and Boonie for the openers gig.
3. R Ponting: Probably still the second best bat we've ever had but if he's still getting selected then he'll be back behind Greg.
4. G Chappell: Simply brilliant during an age of West Indian giants and good English teams as well.
5. A Border: More guts than I have ever seen in any Cricketer. Australian Cricket owes him so much. Stood up to the Windies in 1984. Enough said!
6. S Waugh: Waugh learnt from the master and I admire the way he always sought (and attained) improvement. A giant in Australian Cricket.
7. A Gilchrist: A batting freak who could demolish the attack and was handy with the gloves too. Australia's best ever allrounder.
8. S Warne (c): Simply the best spinner I have ever seen.
9. D Lillee: The best fast bowler I have ever seen. Nothing can compare to the mighty DK with the roar of a packed MCG behind him.
10. J Thomson: With Lillee, Warnie and McGrath in the line up you could just turn Thommo loose on the poor batsmen. Anyone who can bowl at 166 is a potent weapon.
11. G McGrath: Competitive, Consistent and Brilliant. We knew we had a gun in Glen and we are now lost without him and Warnie.

Hard to go past that side REB but I've got once change I Healy for A Gilchrist. As good as Gilchrist was with the bat Healy was better with the gloves and Healy's batting was a good as Gilchrist's glovework. I still get hard thinking of Healy's stumping of Butcher off Beaven's bowling at Old Trafford in 1997, his catch of Hudson (I think) at Adelaide in 1994 when it came off the back of Husdon's bat wrong footing him and he took diving towards leg slip. A key wicket on the last day which meant we were able to level the series.

As compensation though, Gilly can be 12th man.

Tried to fit Rick Darling in but could quite squeeze him in ahead of Langer of Hayden.

[Media Park]

Had an essay written on the best World XI of my time, but I hit the wrong button and it's all gone, so no explanations, here it is

Hayden
Sehwag
Lara
Tendulkar
Kallis
Mohammed Yousuf
Boucher
Pollock
Bond
Muralitharan
McGrath

[Rik E Boy]

Well you picked a WI team i picked the Australian one. There is no way i could pick another countries best 11 accurately over the last 30plus years.

No one can mate.

regards,

REB

[brod]

BROD'S BEST---AUSTRALIA 1978-current

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
G Chappell
Border
S Waugh
Gilchrist
Warne
Lillee
Thompson
McGrath

Same as REB's

[brod]

BROD'S BEST---WEST INDIES 1978-current

Haynes
Greenidge
Richards
Lara
Chanderpaul
Lloyd
Dujon
Marshall
Ambrose
Holding
Walsh

[brod]

BROD'S BEST----NEW ZEALAND 1978-current

Turner
Richardson
Jones
M Crowe
Fleming (only just ahead of Taylor)
C Cairns
McCullum
Vettori
Hadlee
Morrison
Martin

Cant put Bond in..hes played only 18 Test matches

[Media Park]

I'll give the Windies a crack, although in my vintage they've generally been shite:

1. Chris Gayle
2. Wavell Hinds
3. Brian Lara
4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
5. Ramnaresh Sarwan
6. Dwayne Bravo
7. Ridley Jacobs
8. Fidel Edwards
9. Pedro Collins
10. Mervyn Dillon
11. Jermaine Lawson

Hinds, Collins and Lawson show just how poor the Windies have been in my time, and Darren Bravo will likely take Sarwan's slot before he's all said and done.

[Media Park]

South Africa

1. Graeme Smith
2. Herschelle Gibbs
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Hashim Amla
5. AB DeVilliers
6. Ashwell Prince
7. Mark Boucher
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Dale Steyn
10. Makhaya Ntini
11. Allan Donald

Prince makes it because I can't recall seeing another batsman to really stand out in my era, JP Duminy perhaps unlucky. This also shows they've missed a handy spinner in the last decade.

[Media Park]

India

1. Gautam Gambhir
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Sourav Ganguly
6. VVS Laxman
7. MS Dhoni
8. Anil Kumble
9. Harbhajan Singh
10. Venkatesh Prasad
11. Javagal Srinath

[Media Park]

Might do a few more for fun tomorrow, but I'll do my last for the day on possibly the hardest team: Zimbabwe

1. Grant Flower
2. Brendan Taylor
3. Andy Flower
4. Murray Goodwin
5. Elton Chigumbura
6. Tatenda Taibu
7. Heath Streak
8. Guy Whittall
9. Ray Price
10. Bryan Strang
11. Henry Olonga

Being a new team, my best XI misses only a few of their better players ever, Eddo Brandes, Alistair Campbell, Dave Houghton, but it's a striking blow that this is a shit team.
Taylor, A Flower and Taibu could all keep wicket, with Flower the best bat, but I couldn't think of two other quality batsmen to take the other two out.
Five bowling all-rounders, Starting at number five in the batting order, aint great either.

[westozfalcon]

For Australia; going back to 1980:

M Hayden
M Slater
R Ponting
G Chappell
A Border (capt)
A Gilchrist (wk)
S Warne (vice capt)
D Lillee
C McDermott
G McGrath
B Reid

12th - S MacGill

[Rik E Boy]

BROD'S BEST----NEW ZEALAND 1978-current

Turner
Richardson
Jones
M Crowe
Fleming (only just ahead of Taylor)
C Cairns
McCullum
Vettori
Hadlee
Morrison
Martin

Cant put Bond in..hes played only 18 Test matches

I reckon it should be

J Wright
B Edgar
M Crowe
S Flemming
G Howarth
J Coney
C Cairns
D Vettori
R Hadlee
I Smith
D Morrison
12th E Chatfield

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

South Africa

1. Graeme Smith
2. Herschelle Gibbs
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Hashim Amla
5. AB DeVilliers
6. Ashwell Prince
7. Mark Boucher
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Dale Steyn
10. Makhaya Ntini
11. Allan Donald

Prince makes it because I can't recall seeing another batsman to really stand out in my era, JP Duminy perhaps unlucky. This also shows they've missed a handy spinner in the last decade.

Hansie Cronje (although a cheat in the end) a long way ahead of Prince and Amla and Gary Kersten should be in ahead of H Gibbs IMO.

regards,

REB

edit - sorry Parky forgot you are just a pup.

[brod]

Turner would be the equal of NZ's besxt batsman ever, Im amazed you cant find a spot for him

[Rik E Boy]

For Australia; going back to 1980:

M Hayden
M Slater
R Ponting
G Chappell
A Border (capt)
A Gilchrist (wk)
S Warne (vice capt)
D Lillee
C McDermott
G McGrath
B Reid

12th - S MacGill

Too many bowlers. Where is Steve Waugh? And while Slater is one of my favourite players he wasn't as consistent as Langer.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Turner would be the equal of NZ's besxt batsman ever, Im amazed you cant find a spot for him

He played his last test against Australia in 1977. I didn't remember seeing him play. I saw Edgar and Wright and gave them the nod. I left out Turner for the same reason I left Don Bradman out of my Aussie side.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Alderman and Reid were both better bowlers than Gillespie, but I guess fair enough not having them in these sides given the relatively small amount of Tests they played due to injury.

Alderman was better in favourable conditions and no way was Reid better than Dizzy. I'd say Alderman better in England than Dizzy but I'd have Gillespie ahead of 'Clem' everytime anywhere else except for maybe New Zealand.

regards,

REB

[Media Park]

South Africa

1. Graeme Smith
2. Herschelle Gibbs
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Hashim Amla
5. AB DeVilliers
6. Ashwell Prince
7. Mark Boucher
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Dale Steyn
10. Makhaya Ntini
11. Allan Donald

Prince makes it because I can't recall seeing another batsman to really stand out in my era, JP Duminy perhaps unlucky. This also shows they've missed a handy spinner in the last decade.

Hansie Cronje (although a cheat in the end) a long way ahead of Prince and Amla and Gary Kersten should be in ahead of H Gibbs IMO.

regards,

REB

edit - sorry Parky forgot you are just a pup.

Going on stats I've seen, and records I've looked at, the two you mention, as well as Dippenaar and Cullinan would be considered, but placing the restriction onto guys I've seen play makes it difficult...