Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Thanks all for voting. Here's our XIXV

Cook
Gooch
Gower/Trott
Root
Pietersen
Flintoff
Prior/Stewart
Swann
Anderson
2 of Broad, Gough, Willis

Reserve spinner
Panesar

The openers
Cook
Gooch

Fairly easy for our voters. Cook was the first of several unanimous picks, and Gooch, while not unanimous, was far and away the clear second pick. Weight of runs overwhelmingly scores over other concerns.

The middle order
Gower/Trott
Root
Pietersen

Root and Pietersen were also unanimous picks, again, the weight of runs and great innings against all opposition made it easy for our voters.

Number 3 was a tie between David Gower and Jonathan Trott. Two very different players - it's hard to imagine a bigger contrast in batting styles, but they both made runs against the best of their era.

Allrounder
Flintoff

A very close run vote between Stokes and Flintoff, with posters agreeing that Botham was past his best in the time period in question. While both have their strong points, the consensus seems to be that Stokes has been the more consistent player, especially with the bat, but has yet to match Flintoff at his absolute peak.

Wicketkeeper
Prior/Stewart

Another tie, we couldn't decide between these two outstanding performers.

I'm tempted to give Stewart the tiebreaker here (even though I voted for Prior), as at least one poster had him as a write-in as a specialist batsman elsewhere. Stewart was easily the hardest person to fit in, and as I think I said in the intro, you could easily make a case for a team with both in it, with Stewart opening, or a team with both Stokes and Flintoff in it as well.

Spinner
Swann

Another unanimous pick, no-one else in the era comes close to his wicket-taking ability.

Fast bowlers
Anderson
Two of Broad, Gough, Willis

Anderson was the last of our unanimous picks for the XI. Peerless, not much more can be said.

Posters were split in a three-way tie for the last two bowling slots. I considered having a run-off, but I am not sure it would solve anything, so I think we declare them all in the team, with the exact playing XI to be dependent on conditions.

Reserve spinner
Panesar

For conditions where two spinners are warranted, Panesar was the overwhelming pick to accompany Swann. Their combination in India in 2012 contributed to one of England's greatest ever overseas victories. I just wouldn't want to be the person to tell two of Broad, Gough and Willis that they have to sit out...

Although I picked Gower, his record against the best, as in the West Indies, was pretty poor.

You're chairperson of selectors, bfl, so should have the casting vote...

oh blimey, I'd forgotten about this

I wonder if the best team of the last 40 years would play bazball?

Durhamfootman wrote:oh blimey, I'd forgotten about this

I wonder if the best team of the last 40 years would play bazball?

You cant say Bazball now, its insulting to the hard work the team are putting in....

Or so Rob Key says....

Is that so? Ah, well......I've never really understood what the term was meant to convey, tbh

I've assumed it's a papers spin on baseball, but why they didn't just say baseball, I couldn't say. As far as I'm aware, Baz is a dimunutive of Barry, and there aren't any of them to be found in the England set up afaik, so as usual the papers leave me as sad and as baffled as I always am with these sorts of things. Perhaps that's why I haven't bought a paper this century

Durhamfootman wrote:Is that so? Ah, well......I've never really understood what the term was meant to convey, tbh

I've assumed it's a papers spin on baseball, but why they didn't just say baseball, I couldn't say. As far as I'm aware, Baz is a dimunutive of Barry, and there aren't any of them to be found in the England set up afaik, so as usual the papers leave me as sad and as baffled as I always am with these sorts of things. Perhaps that's why I haven't bought a paper this century

I'm not sure whether you're joking or not, but in case not, Brendan McCullum is know as Baz, and I think the term is meant to imply that England are approaching tests the way he used to approach ODIs. I do think it's a stupid term though, the players hate it, McCullum hates it, and I'm not sure why the press has adopted it, really.