Best Test XI Of All Time

Jack Hobbs
Len Hutton
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
Garry Sobers
Alan Knott(wk)
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Malcolm Marshall
Curtly Ambrose

Hobbs
Gavasker
Bradman
Tendulkar
Lara
Sobers
Gilchrist
Marshall
Ambrose
McGrath
Murali

Jack Hobbs
Barry Richards
Don Bradman
Sachin Tendulkar
Ken Barrington
Gary Sobers
Alan Knott
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Joel Garner
Glen McGrath

Plenty of people unlucky to miss out

Plenty of people unlucky to miss out

------------------------------

Malcolm Marshall being one of them.

yep, don't even get me started on the fast bowlers, but Marshall is top of the list. Basically I just preferred McGrath to him, and feel the balance of the attack is just right, with Wasim Akram offering pace and the variety of the left-armer, while Garner with his height offers pace and huge bounce. Marshall a bit too similar to McGrath and so misses out, but on another day he could make it...

And Barrington over Lara/V Richards?

I read your reasons in the other thread. I never saw Barrington but he was a dependable fellow by all accounts and has the average to prove it.

never saw him either, but he has an excellent record, and from reports seems to have been a very solid player. I feel that with Bradman, Tendulkar and Sobers all attacking players, I wanted the extra stability he brings from Lara/Richards. But Richards has been known to make my test XI on past occasions (as has Marshall)...

Yes, to many names to mention.

Warne isn't in my team.

I know, you went for Murali. There's no real right and wrong here, it's down to personal preferences, and I was lucky enough to be at the MCG when Warne got his 700th, just loved watching him bowl. I also think that as an all-round cricketer (batting and slip catching) he offers more.

For a laugh, my alternative world XI
Sunil Gavaskar
Herbert Suttcliffe
Wally Hammond
Brian Lara
Viv Richards
Imran Khan
Adam Gilchrist
Malcolm Marshall
Michael Holding
Sid Barnes
Murali

Sid Barnes.

Some would castrate us for not picking him in the first XI

Just from players I've seen live:

1) Marcus Trescothick
2) Rahul Dravid
3) Ricky Ponting (c)
4) Sachin Tendulkar
5) Brian Lara
6) Michael Hussey
7) Adam Gilchrist
8) Wasim Akram
9) Shane Warne
10) Glen McGrath
11) Murali

bcos of the stick i got for my team on the other thread, i will change my team here is my new one

1)Stephen Fleming (C)
2)Graeme Pollock
3)Viv Richards
4)Jacques Kallis(greatest all-rounder ever)
5)Sachin Tendulkar
6)Imran Khan
7)Adam Gilchrist (WK)
8)Anil Kumble
9)Wasim Akram
10)Malcolm Marshall
11)Shane Warne

cricketfan90 wrote:bcos of the stick i got for my team on the other thread, i will change my team here is my new one

1)Stephen Fleming (C)
2)Graeme Pollock
3)Viv Richards
4)Jacques Kallis(greatest all-rounder ever)
5)Sachin Tendulkar
6)Imran Khan
7)Adam Gilchrist (WK)
8)Anil Kumble
9)Wasim Akram
10)Malcolm Marshall
11)Shane Warne

We've all got our own opinions

Kallis isn't the greatest all-rounder ever he's one of the greatest batsman ever but not all-rounders, Sobers by a mile is the greatest all-rounder ever. Fleming should be nowhere near that side, average record and he can't be in your side simply for captaincy. Surely Sehwag or Gavaskar should get in over him? Pollock for me hasn't played enough tests to deserve recognition. Kumble over Murali is slightly strange also.

Good shout on Imran Khan, who I feel doesn't get enough credit. Took a mediocre side to greatness.

Liam_Main wrote:Kallis isn't the greatest all-rounder ever he's one of the greatest batsman ever but not all-rounders.

Reckon Kallis IS one of the greatest all-rounders ever. Maybe not QUITE up there with Sobers, but certainly in the top echelons of all-rounders IMO.

Top 10 yes I would agree. If he bowled more in the last few years than he would be up there

Kallis is second amongst the batting allrounders, IMO.

1st XI:

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Bradman
Tendulkar
Lara
Sobers
Imran Khan(c)
Knott(wk)
Marshall
Warne
Barnes

2nd XI:
Hutton(c)
Gavaskar
Hammond
Richards V.
Barrington
Kallis
Gilchrist(wk)
Hadlee
Wasim Akram
Murali
McGrath

3rd XI:
Boycott
Richards B.
Ponting
Headley
Weekes
Miller
Flower A. (wk)
Lindwall
Ambrose
Lillee
O'Reilly

4th XI:
Sehwag
Hayden
Chappel G.
Pollock G.
Border A. (c)
Waugh S.
Ames L (wk)
Kapil Dev
Trueman
Laker
Garner

5th XI:
Trumper
WG(c)
Dravid
Ranjitsinjhi
Harvey
Walcott
Benaud
Pollock S.
Davidson
Marsh(wk)
Holding


IMO

Very good teams Hoggy_Bear

Hoggy
Sehwag ahead of Trumper in the 4th XI??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

The bloke cant bat for toffee when the ball moves around in SA,Eng and NZ.

cricketfan90 wrote:bcos of the stick i got for my team on the other thread, i will change my team here is my new one

1)Stephen Fleming (C)
2)Graeme Pollock
3)Viv Richards
4)Jacques Kallis(greatest all-rounder ever)
5)Sachin Tendulkar
6)Imran Khan
7)Adam Gilchrist (WK)
8)Anil Kumble
9)Wasim Akram
10)Malcolm Marshall
11)Shane Warne

Kumble ahead of Murali?

Liam_Main wrote:Kallis isn't the greatest all-rounder ever he's one of the greatest batsman ever but not all-rounders, Sobers by a mile is the greatest all-rounder ever. Fleming should be nowhere near that side, average record and he can't be in your side simply for captaincy. Surely Sehwag or Gavaskar should get in over him? Pollock for me hasn't played enough tests to deserve recognition. Kumble over Murali is slightly strange also.

Good shout on Imran Khan, who I feel doesn't get enough credit. Took a mediocre side to greatness.

for the greatest test team i wanted the greatest test skipper, and fleming is that.

Vaughan or Khan were the greatest skippers ever

no fleming was a quality test captain.

Yeah quality not the greatest

Waugh would be up there also

Based on the players I've seen, be it in real life or on film, who I've studied extensively and so on.

1) Sunil Gavaskar

The sheer statistics would make him a fairly regular selection alone, but it's his average against the greatest attack of them all - the Windies of the 70s and 80s - which make him a must. The complete test opener.

2) Jack Hobbs

A pioneer, still revered to this day and with a record to match any opener in history.

3) Don Bradman (C)

No explanation needed.

4) Sachin Tendulkar

While some of his stats are partly down to longevity, there's no denying that what he's done puts him right near the top of the tree. For his sheer dominance over two decades he makes the number four spot his own.

5) Brian Lara

How can I leave out a man who has two top test scores of 375 and 400*? Never seen a better player to watch when in full flow, and one of the few who deserve a 'genius' tag

6) Garfield Sobers

Could make any side on his batting alone. Throw in his more than useful bowling, tactical nous, leadership skills and catching, and again he simply has to be here.

7) Adam Gilchrist (WK)

Took the role of wicketkeeper-batsman to new heights, and as it's effectively a dream team, how many sights have been greater than Gilly in full flow? Not many. A decent vice-captain too, perhaps.

8) Wasim Akram

There have been better bowlers, but none more attractive or spectacular to watch. Him being a lefty adds more variation to the attack, and he could really swing the bat when he wanted to on top of that.

9) Richard Hadlee

Forget Lillee, this man was finest Antipodean bowler of his time. Tremendous stats, but his sheer consistency and master of subtle swing, line & length and pace variation make him arguably the greatest quickie of them all. Carried his team like few others ever have, and a decent batsman down the order to boot.

10) Malcolm Marshall

Not easy to pick between the great West Indian quick men, but looking at his record, speaking to those who saw him in the flesh and watching him on film, Marshall stands just that little bit higher than the rest, for me.

11) Muttiah Muralitharan

Simply the greatest spinner of them all. If I hear anyone else say that Warne is better, I think I'll turn green, spout a new set of muscles, grow to ten feet tall and rip my clothes off. Murali has proven his superiority and, with Sobers taking the all-rounder role, my side only needs one full-time spinner. Might have been different had I opted for Kallis at 6, but alas, Murali makes the cut just ahead of Warne.

Twelfth man; Jacques Kallis.

hadlee is batting a bit low there mate dont u think?

cricketfan90 wrote:hadlee is batting a bit low there mate dont u think?

Meant to put him at eight ahead of Wasim. Can't really be any higher with those other names in the side, though!

true lol

Not alot between them batting wise, Hadlee does have the edge though.

hadlee was an underrated batsman,he always got credit for bowling and righthly so, but probvably didnt get enough praise for his batting

In 86 tests he only made 2 centuries so you can see why he doesn't get the credit though.

Hadlee like Akram was a good number eight.

Both IMO not quite allrounders.

Batting wise Hadlee= Broad/Swann

Better than Swann.

Swann is a handy number nine who may hit the odd fifty ala Emburey but that's about it.

Swann does have a pretty decent first-class record though.

Hadlee only really reaches 'allrounder' status by virtue of his batting average being higher than his bowling one. However, he certainly wasn't a match winner with the bat. Anyway, it wouldn't matter if he'd never scored a test fifty in his whole life; purely as a bowler, he'd walk in to any side in history.

Liam_Main wrote:Swann does have a pretty decent first-class record though.

Maybe but the acid test is in a test and IMO Hadlee/Akram and Broad are better bats.

The fact he is handy with the bat though is even more impressive.


Over 1000 first-class wickets, remarkable.

Stella wrote:

Liam_Main wrote:Swann does have a pretty decent first-class record though.

Maybe but the acid test is in a test and IMO Hadlee/Akram and Broad are better bats.

Yeah I agree fully but he is no slouch with the bat.

Hadlee was a'great' bowler.

Marshall
Akram
McGrath
Ambrose
Hadlee

Are the best five I have seen.

I've only been watching for around 8 years, so alot is off what i've heard and seen on ESPN Classic.

There's not too much Cricket on there at present. Rugby seems to have taken over.

The ESPN legends of Cricket is a good watch.

Yeah i've seen most of them. Shame there not shown as much anymore

I think they selected that 50 about 9-10 years ago. I wonder if any of the guys would make that top 50?

Steyn
Sehwag?
Kallis (not new but has done rather well in that time)?
Dravid (As above)?
Ponting (as above)?

I would say all of the people you mentioned, maybe Jaywardene also.

all of them would and i also think that Graeme swann will be in there by the time his international career will be over.

Jimmy and Broad could be also

good to see wasim and marshall in that side.