http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tms/author_pics/arlo_55x55.jpgHere we go again. No, not another desperate batting performance in a one-day international by England, but another raging TMS debate about an all-time Cricket XI.
I see one or two of you have pre-empted this blog by attaching your own Rest of the World XIs to my entry listing a perfect England one-day side.
But after much head-shaking, desk- thumping and general disagreement, our esteemed panel of Angus Fraser and Jim Holden (Daily Express), chaired by Simon Mann, selected this TMS Rest of the World side:
Adam Gilchrist (wkt) Sanath Jayasuriya Viv Richards Sachin Tendulkar Brian Lara Michael Bevan Imran Khan (capt) Wasim Akram Shane Warne Joel Garner Glenn McGrath
A pretty handy collection of legends I think you’ll agree. Actually, what am I talking about? I’m pretty sure none of you will agree.
Some of you may be up in arms that Kapil Dev has been left out despite taking 253 wickets at 27.45, and scoring 3,783 runs in his 225 ODIs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tms/imran203.jpgNot good enough for the panel, who felt that with a top order of Gilchrist, Jayasuriya, Richards, Tendulkar, Lara and Bevan, enough runs would be put on the board to get away with one all-rounder. Imran Khan fills that slot, and also captains this disparate bunch.
From memory, Muttiah Muralitharan can count himself very unlucky not to make the cut.
Angus was busily fighting Murali’s corner, while Jim extolled the virtues of Shane Warne. Warne’s spell against South Africa, which turned the 1999 World Cup semi-final on its head, was used to promote his case.
That spell must have been fresh in the memory banks, and on Friday the Fox Sports Cable TV Channel replayed the highlights of the match all morning, as part of their Australia Day celebrations.
Angus also selected the Pakistan batsman Javed Miandad.
Steve Waugh got an honourable mention, while Waqar Younis’s economy rate appeared to count against him.
There were no places either for the South Africans Shaun Pollock and Jaques Kallis.
It’s all great fun, and I’m sure you’ll post your say below (I’ll have a read when I get to Perth).
Not surprisingly, the newspaper headlines in Adelaide make ugly reading for England fans. BIG JOKE roars the Adelaide Advertiser, ENGLAND SINKS TO NEW LOW it continues.
I read down the report as far as the description of England as showing the “backbone of a jellyfish”, before deciding I couldn’t take any more lazy metaphors!
When I saw this my first reaction was ’ oh no not again, not another World XI’ but then I looked again and was pleasantly surprised to see Imran Khan named as captain of TMS World XI
Its a prety good team but i would make a couple of changes to it.
I would rather have Saeed Anwer in place of Jayasuria. Saeed Anwer is one of the best ODI openers ever. He has a very good record in ODI. On the other Jayasuria is not consistent and his average is not that good either.
In place of Shane Warne, I would have Muralitharan or Saqlain Mushtaq. Both are really good ODI players. If it were a test team then I would have Warne but in ODI, I would have to go with Muralitharan.
So here is what my team would look like:
Adam Gilchrist (wkt)
Saeed Anwer
Viv Richards
Sachin Tendulkar
Brian Lara
Michael Bevan
Imran Khan (capt)
Wasim Akram
Mulritharan
Joel Garner
Glenn McGrath
Some people would argue that Miadad needs to be in there. For Miadad to be in the team, I think Saeed Anwer would need to come out, and Sachin can open the innings.
Here is what it would look like:
Adam Gilchrist (wkt)
Sachin Tendulkar
Viv Richards
Javeed Miadad
Brian Lara
Michael Bevan
Imran Khan (capt)
Wasim Akram
Mulritharan
Joel Garner
Glenn McGrath
and for some people it is question of their head being inside their ass all the time.
I dont need anm all rounder in team if we have some one as classy as Kallis and on pure batting skills I will anyday bet Waugh to bail my team out than Imran Khan. If averages were the criteria then I am sure Ganguly would be in this team and there wouldnot be a choice between Jaysurya and Sachin. Gimme a break.
Here is my ODI XI. In the presence of 5 top line bowlers i dont feel a need for an all rounder. Tendulkar and King Viv can bowl if needed (1% chance). And if these 6 top class batsmen and Akram's bat can not put enough runs on the board, no one can !!
I dont need anm all rounder in team if we have some one as classy as Kallis and on pure batting skills I will anyday bet Waugh to bail my team out than Imran Khan. If averages were the criteria then I am sure Ganguly would be in this team and there wouldnot be a choice between Jaysurya and Sachin. Gimme a break.
If bailing the team out is your main criterion, then Tendulkar despite having a great one-day record would not be in the team. His 40 one-day hundreds have more to do with the position (opener) at which he batted during most of his one-day innings rather than outright superiority over his contemporaries. From what I have seen of him over the past 17 years or so, Tendu tends to freeze big time in pressure or knock-out games (apart from his 98 against Pakistan in 2003 WC which was a very good knock I can't recall Sachin winning any matches of note for India), when the chips are down, when the team really needs his runs. Infact one could almost have a bet that he would fail in a knock-out game.
Miandad on the other hand was someone (and I say this without any bias) who delivered more often than not when the team was really up against it (WC 92 is a classic example). Think of all the runs he scored in important matches like his 70 v Australia in WC SF 1987 and his half-centuries in the 1992 WC SF and Final.
Imran was not just a very capable batsman. He was a great bowler and captain too.
Also the team Waugh had and the team Ponting has (and the team Clive Lloyd and Richards had) would have still won the majority of matches regardless of who the captain was/is.
I’d like to kick someones ass…seems like the guy is stuck in his ass and he needs some help. Sometimes its good to help the people over the fence. Specially kicking their ass
Miandad on the other hand was someone (and I say this without any bias) who delivered more often than not when the team was really up against it (WC 92 is a classic example). Think of all the runs he scored in important matches like his 70 v Australia in WC SF 1987 and his half-centuries in the 1992 WC SF and Final.
Imran was not just a very capable batsman. He was a great bowler and captain too.
Also the team Waugh had and the team Ponting has (and the team Clive Lloyd and Richards had) would have still won the majority of matches regardless of who the captain was/is.
Thats why Tendu is at Top of the order and not in middle order. :p Like or not ,but world of cricket has so many openers and no one has come close to 40 hundres that he has. If there was discussion for a middle order position ebtween him and Javed , I would pick Javed.
^ To me Javed was the best middle order ODI player, best in Pakistan for sure and arguably one of the best in the world. His understanding of the game and his ability to pace (or de-pace) the game according to his plan was awesome and off course he was one of the best finisher.
