Benaud's Greatest XI

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only imran khan from pakistan made to final eleven…

http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/AUG/030058_WCI_23AUG2004.html

Richie Benaud, the former Australian captain and current doyen of television commentators, has named his World XI of the 20th century. Jack Hobbs, whose England career spanned 23 years, and Sunil Gavaskar, who scored 34 Test centuries for India, open the batting for a team that is made up of four Australians, two West Indians, two Indians, two Englishmen, and one player from Pakistan.

Don Bradman makes an appearance at No. 3, followed by Sachin Tendulkar, who is one of three cricketers in the team still playing international cricket, at No.3 and Viv Richards at No. 4. Pakistan’s Imran Khan and the West Indian Garfield Sobers are the two allrounders in the side.

Australia’s Adam Gilchrist is the side’s wicketkeeper, batting at No. 8. Rod Marsh may have been more acrobatic, and Ian Healy had more finesse behind the stumps, but Gilchrist’s contribution as a top-class batsman earned him a place in the side: he averages 15 runs per innings more than any other keeper in history, and has a strike-rate of 82 per 100 balls faced in Tests.

Shane Warne squeezed into the side, somewhat controversially perhaps, ahead of Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s prodigious offspinner, as the side’s only specialist spinner. Warne is only just behind Muralitharan in the Test bowling record stakes with 527 wickets to Murali’s 532, but Murali has taken his wickets in 21 fewer Tests.

Sydney Barnes, who remains the only man to be picked for England while playing league and minor cricket, is one of two specialist fast bowlers in the squad. He took 1432 wickets for Staffordshire at less that nine runs each, and played for the county until he was over 60. The other is Dennis Lillee, who took 355 Test wickets for Australia between 1971 and 1984.

Apart from Muralitharan, some notable exceptions from the World XI include Graeme Pollock, the South African batsman, his fast-bowling nephew, Shaun, and New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker Richard Hadlee. Benaud himself would arguably have been in the running for a place in the side himself. As a legspinning allrounder, he took 248 Test wickets at an average of 27.03 in 63 Tests and retired as Australia’s leading wicket-taker at the time.

Benaud, 73, is chairman of a five-man selection panel for next month’s ICC Awards that will choose the best World one-day international XI and World Test XI of the year.

Benaud’s Greatest XI

1 Jack Hobbs, 2 Sunil Gavaskar, 3 Don Bradman, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Viv Richards, 6 Imran Khan, 7 Garfield Sobers, 8 Adam Gilchrist, 9 Shane Warne, 10 Sydney Barnes, 11 Dennis Lillee.

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Where are Wasim Akram and Miandad- two thumbs down
Pardon my ignorance, but who are Sydney Barnes and Jack Hobbs?

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by elahi: *
Where are Wasim Akram and Miandad- two thumbs down
Pardon my ignorance, but who are Sydney Barnes and Jack Hobbs?
[/QUOTE]

both of them are of our grandfathers time (between 1900 and 1930)......well sydney barnes was even before my grandfather time but on a serious note, both of them were great players espeiclaly jack hobbs was a great batsman.....he has scored most first class centuries, 199 centuries all together and scored almost 62,000 first class runs.....so u can imagine his profile......in test cricket, he averaged 57 in 61 tests.......so do u still think miandad should be there instaed of Hobbs.....just curious....

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I agree with the list bar one: I think Akram should be in place of Lillee. But than it is Benaud's choice so he would go for Lillee.

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Where's Rana Navid-ul-Hasan? Not to mention Younis Khan.
I tell you, commentators these days.

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Overall thats a very well balanced team, Sydny Barnes was one of the Legends of Fast bowling, along with Fred Spo Forth for his days. This is probably the best all time test team that i have seen.

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sid barnes is statistically the best bowler in history....

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Its such an interesting time-pass, I tell you. I want to put Faisal's Greatest XI too. Should I?

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where's wasim?? :(

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Miandad doesn't deserve to be in there....but Wasim Akram is a must. Cricket history and all time best can't be completed without him. He is a legend in his catagory and no one comes near to him when it comes to fast bowling. And mind it, its not just me, but great WI giants from 70s also think alike about Akram. He has given fast bowling an art or perfection.

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*the gr8 sir donald bradman even once said that wasim akram is one of the best bowler in the history of cricket he has ever seen and he would've loved to have faced him. i'm disgusted @ some of the key players who should've made it into the starting X1 and haven't.

  • being a aussie richie chose warne ahead of murali', biased commentator during the ashes series' i've watched over the years and biased in team selection 2!!!!*
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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by phoenixdesi: *

both of them are of our grandfathers time (between 1900 and 1930)......well sydney barnes was even before my grandfather time but on a serious note, both of them were great players espeiclaly jack hobbs was a great batsman.....he has scored most first class centuries, 199 centuries all together and scored almost 62,000 first class runs.....so u can imagine his profile......in test cricket, he averaged 57 in 61 tests.......so do u still think miandad should be there instaed of Hobbs.....just curious....
[/QUOTE]

Yeah man I woud still include Miandad. Simply because he was one of the top clutch preformers. That, to me, is the most important quality a batsman can have. Wasim should also be on the list. He's generally recognized as the greatest left arm bowler ever.
As for this old timer Jack Hobbs, I'm sure his stats are unreal, but he played cricket back when the total community of cricket players was aas large as say lacrosse athletes are today. Get 40 reguler players and if one guy is good he will have amazing stats. I would love to see how he would play today with 8-9 international teams.

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Benaud and biased :confused:

He is one of the best commentators that Cricket will ever see. Simply brilliant.
Coming to team..Even I am surprised not to see Wasim and also to see Imran Khan there. But then you got to respect the guy. This is his personal opinion and he has definitly seen more cricket than me and you !!!

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by garma_garam_gup: *
*the gr8 sir donald bradman even once said that wasim akram is one of the best bowler in the history of cricket he has ever seen and he would've loved to have faced him. *
[/QUOTE]

really.....not thaat i am questioning your statement but i never heard of it........and even if Don would have never said that, it does not matter at all becuase akram is akram........the best left-handed bowler in cricket history...no one even comes close to him.......magician taaa magician....buss thorra saa slefish bee thaa...but that is ok......chaaltta ha....

and who cares if chacchha benaud burapphhayy may thorray say sithhyaaa gay hann.......

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Bhai aap log apni apni team bana lein. Naraaz kyon hotay hein?

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  • f&b no doubt richie is one of the best commentators in the game, i have high respect for his deep all round knowledge for the game but i have listened to his commentary during the ashes series and he blatantly licks the aussie players back sides’ especially mcgrath’s who he once called the fastest bowler in the world at the time shoaib and brett lee + kiwi bond where the fastest till shoaib set the world record. :rolleyes: and after that sentence from him glen sahab was hit for 2 consecutive 4’s by mike atherton and not a word from richie that the line or length was wrong etc *
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Yes…here is one example…

http://www.gupistan.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=161148

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Who cares what Richie Benaud thinks? This list means absolutely nothing and is just an excuse for media whacks to waste valuable paper.

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Although i think Wasim and Murli deserved to be in the team but hey its Benaud's Greatest XI not mine !