Australia's finest - chosen by Cricinfo selectors

Although Greg Chappell was a fine batsman averaging 53.86 with 7110 runs in 87 tests (24 hundreds), some w’d dispute his inclusion in the final XI ahead of Ricky Ponting

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/414510.html


After six categories and two months of decisions, Cricinfo’s selectors release their verdicts and reveal their all-time Australian XI. Don Bradman, Shane Warne and Dennis Lillee were universally picked by the 10 judges, while Greg Chappell and Keith Miller received nine votes, one more than Victor Trumper and Adam Gilchrist in their respective categories.
To balance the experts’ outfit, we also include the readers’ XI and there are a few disagreements. None of the openers are the same, with the masses pushing for Matthew Hayden and Bill Ponsford at the top instead of Trumper and Arthur Morris. The online judges also call for Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting in the middle order instead of Greg Chappell and Allan Border. However, there was agreement over the other seven spots in the side.
In the readers’ poll, Hayden got more than twice the number of votes Ponsford did, and more than Taylor, Morris and Trumper combined. Bradman received almost 80% more support than Ponting in the middle order; Miller picked up nearly 65% to sweep past Richie Benaud for the allrounder’s spot; and Gilchrist took eight votes for every one for Ian Healy.
Only 60 votes separated McGrath and Lillee, and each fast man polled more than all the others put together. Warne got nearly twice as much support as Bill O’Reilly, but the legspinners won spots in both XIs.
Either team would fancy their chances against any of the other all-time outfits, which will be decided over the rest of the year.

Re: Australia's finest - chosen by Cricinfo selectors

Having watched both Greg Chappell and Ponting, my vote would be for Chappel. He was much better than Ponting, a class player.

You probably have a point but Ponting's record (11150 runs in 133 tests, average 56.31, hundreds: 38) is such that he will go down in history as one of the all-time greats. I think it was the academy coach Rodney Marsh - who played with Greg Chappell - who once said that Ponting was the best teenage batsman that he had ever seen in Australia

Re: Australia's finest - chosen by Cricinfo selectors

Punter is great............. :)

Probably both Ehsan Bhai and you have valid points, we have seen Ponting, Warne playing but haven't seen Chappell or same go with bowling we haven't seen bowlings of O'Rielly or Grimmet. If both O'Rielly and Grimmet had played 145 tests as Warne had played both would have ended up far more wickets then Warne. Same can go for batsmen too If Chappell had played as many tests as Ponting has played maybe Chappell's record looks same if not better. It is situations or circumtances under a player is playing makes him great. :)

Yup it is a bit like comparing

Inzi with Miandad - most sane minds w'd go for Miandad (better overall player)
Lara with Viv Richards - most people w'd go for Viv Richards (simply a genius, just incomparable)
Tendulkar with Gavaskar - most wise people w'd go for Gavaskar atleast in tests

etc etc.

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