From: sidiyus@courtney.acns.nwu.edu (Sadiq Yusuf)
Subject: Re: The best ever Test  XIs
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 04:04:21 GMT

In article <1993Jan22.190936.15582@nmsu.edu> sbasu@kirk (BASU) writes:
> 
> I've decided to make a list of all time great XIs from Australia,  
England,  
> India, New Zealand, Pakistan & the West Indies for Tests.
> 

	Good job. These ideas are all off the top of my head - so don't  
flame too much !

> AUSTRALIA
> ---------
> Vic Trumper
> Arthur Morris
> Sir Don Bradman (c)
> Greg Chappel
> Allan Border
> Neil Harvey (vc)
> Rod Marsh (wk)
> Dennis Lillee
> Richie Benaud
> Fred Spofforth
> Jeff Thomson
> 

	Iam mot sure of Thomson - surely there must be someone better (if  
not faster). I would go Lindwall. Also, definately Miller somewhere - the  
man was arguably the best (definately one of the best) all-rounders who  
ever lived !! I'd drop either Chappel or Border -  Trumper,Morris, The  
Don, Harvey, one of C/B, plus Miller is good enough, thanks very much !!


> ======================
> 
> ENGLAND
> -------
> W G Grace (c)
> J B Hobbs (vc)
> Bill Edrich
> Dennis Compton
> David Gower
> Les Ames (wk)
> Ian Botham
> Fred Trueman
> Jim Laker
> Brian Statham
> Bob Willis
> 

	There are so many good players here, Iam sure Iam forgetting many.  
But maybe Peter May, Boycott, Hammond ?? Also, Barnes etc. Tyson for  
Willis. And my heart agrees with Gower, tho my mind asks me to think again  
:-) 

> ========================
> 
> INDIA
> -----
> Sunil Gavaskar (vc)
> Vijay Merchant (c)
> Vijay Manjrekar
> G R Vishwanath
> Dilip Vengsarkar
> Faroukh Engineer (wk)
> Kapil Dev
> Manoj Prabhakar
> E A Prassanna
> Bishen S Bedi
> B Chandrashekar
> 
	Jeez, definately not Prabhakar !!! I mean, I think he's a good  
bowler and all, and has been terrific of late. But really, one only has to  
look at the stats to disqualify him !! He has 66 wickets in 23 tests, at  
an average of 42.55 !!! ( I was surprised at how high the average was).  
His strike rate is 87.76 - pretty low again ( Ayub is 89.34, and I don't  
think his parents mother suggest he's All-Time Indian XI material :-) )
The spinners are fine, of course. The other paceman - I don't have figures  
on me but maybe Amar Singh  or someone of that generation ?? Or Nissar??  
And while Iam clearly biased, maybe we ought to consider Azhar ? ( I know,  
Iam a fan and am thinking with my heart. Plus, he hasnt scored against all  
comers - yet !). But, V'kar has a better average than Vishy, by about a  
run/inning -from memory. And V'kar is 116 tests, 42.14, 17 tons. Azhar is  
51 tests, 44.55, 11 tons . At the moment - pure stats are comparable at  
the very least. Also, Kirmani may or may not have been a better pure  
keeper than Farouk. Never saw Farouk, maybe some netters could comment??


> ==================
=====
> 
> NEW ZEALAND
> -----------
> John Wright
> Glen Turner 
> Geoff Howarth
> Martin Crowe
> Bev Congdon 
> Mike Burgess (vc)
> John Reid (c)
> Sir Richard Hadlee
> Ian Smith (wk)
> Lance Cairns
> Danny Morrison
> 

	Pass on most of this, except that Danny can't hold a solid place  
in todays team !! I like him, but maybe Chatfield from the near past ?

> ====================
> 
> PAKISTAN
> --------
> Hanif Md 
> Majid Khan
> Zaheer Abbas
> Javed Miandad
> Mustaque Md
> Asif Iqbal (c)
> Imran Khan (vc)
> Abdul Qadir
> Wasim Akram
> Wasim Bari
> Sarfraz Nawaz
> 
	Am sure you'll recieve flames for the omission of Waqar, but I  
actually agree with you !! Would rather have Sarf , at the moment. Is  
Mushtaq worth a spot ? If so, should be be anything other than captain ??  
Definately not Asif as capt, with Mushtaq and Imran around. 

> ===================
> 
> WEST INDIES
> -----------
> Gordon Greenidge
> Conrad Hunte
> George Headley (c)
> Everton Weekes
> Viv Richards
> Clyde Walcott (wk)
> Sir Gary Sobers
> Wes Hall
> Joel Garner
> Michael Holding
> Lance Gibbs

	How about Worrell ? or Constantine ? ( I know, no room :-) ) Well,  
surely Marshall ?? I think he's been shortchanged for a while now - 376  
wickets in 81 tests at 20.94, strike rate 46.77 !!!!! Compare with say an  
Akram strike rate of 56.31, and 177 wickets off 45 tests, and you realize  
just how sensational Marshall was !! Hate to say it, but maybe in place of  
Garner ??

> =====================
> 
> Dare any of you to come up with a better XI from any of the above  
> countries! Suggestions about South Africa will be welcome.
> 
	To quote the great Bugs , addressing Sam : "..... I dares. " :-) 

			Sadiq [ dastardly varmint ] Yusuf

> - Scrooge McDuck