I am also one of these crazy fans. From many days I was thinking about posting my dream team on this blog .Also about which players should be in my team. And when 2000th test match in the history of cricket was starting & ICC declared there team; I finally decided to post my team. And today(26july 2011) when 2000th test match got over yesterday, I am finally posting my team. I was waiting these days for a perfect occasion, and I think this is perfect occasion for this,on next day after 2000th test match is over!
This is not the only reason for posting my team. Many endless arguments with some of my orkut & fb friends, mostly with Praveen Dixit about the cricket legends also have some share. From Pravin himself I got the idea to post my team on blog as he did.So thank you for that Praveen!
On a serious note these players are really best players on there respective positions. But Before reading my team it is very important to take into account 1 thing. Nobody can include every great player of test cricket in one team. So in my team also many greats had to be left out. As only 12 positions are available in a team .(including 12th man)But for that I will take help of a statement of a coach Knute Rockne:"As a coach, I don't play eleven best, but my best eleven! "(Again thank you Mr. Praveen Dixit!:-P)
So it is My All Time Test Dream Team, which is undoubtedly All Time Greatest Test Team Ever & these 12 players are The All Time Greatest Cricket Players Ever on there positions(Strictly as per my opinion)& this team can beat any team of the earth.(Just assume all players are in there peak)
So Here Is All Time Greatest Test Team Ever :
1. VIRENDRA SEHWAG - One of the most destructive & dominant batsman ever. And the most dominant & destructive opening batsman ever in tests. No opening batsman in tests is as destructive as Sehwag. His strike rate of 82.92 shows how dominantly he plays. He has changed the defination of opening batsman in tests. And in spite of being so destructive, he is not like of those batsman who hits 4 sixes in a row & lose their wicket at 5th ball. His average of over 53 shows that he is not of that type.In spite of scoring fast, he maintained that average. In 85 matches he scored 22 centuries. Also he is among those 2-3 batsman like bradman who have scored 2 Triple Centuries in teat cricket. I would have loved to pick Jack Hobs but he played in just first class more & also he don't have such a dominant batting skills. I need dominant batsman because , At day 4 after tea,If my team comes to bat to chase 400 to win, then he can score 100-150 runs till the end of the day's play so my team will have to chase only 250 in final day & no one can fulfil this need better than Sehwag.
So Here comes Virendra Sehwag to open my team's innings by batting at No.1.
2. SUNIL GAVASKAR - The most technically perfect & the greatest opening batsman ever. The most perfect batsman who first told to his team how to bat.Stood tall against fearsome fast bowlers of West Indies without helmets! When these fast bowlers were breaking many heads, many batsmen lost there eyesight with those bowls. Once Indian captain Bedi declared the innings against West Indies on 95-5 , just to avoid further damages on his batsmen. And in these conditions Gavaskar not only batted without a single ball touching to his body(without helmet again am saying!)but also he is the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in tests. First batsman to break bradman's record of 29 centuries after 40 years & setting his new record of 34 centuries.Also he is useful to avoid the collapse if it happens somehow. Because as someone said, "he just don't bat looking at time, but he bats looking at the calendar!" Again would have loved to pick Victor Trumper, but he don't have any double or triple century & his average is also ver poor i.e. 39.
So here comes Sunil Gavaskar to open the innings with Sehwag by batting at No.2
3. DON BRADMAN ( C ) - Undoubtedly the greatest batsman of all time. Fastest triple century,3 centuries in 3 sessions of a day, astonishing scoring rate,dominated every bowler, only batsman who didn't faced bad patch in his entire career.Lost his important 6 years in second world war & still scored 29 centuries which was a record till 40 years. & his well known average of 99.94 is still a record . In fact no one is even near this average,. There is not a single batsman whose average is even over 65! He is also captain of my team, as he don't have any risk of losing his touch due to pressure of captaincy. As Nevil Cards well known cricket expert once wrote, " If Bradman is in ur team, even in your worst nightmare you can't watch your team losing!"
So greatest batsman of all time Don Bradman comes at No. 3
4. SACHIN TENDULKAR - Again undoubtedly the greatest batsman of all time. Most Runs, Most Centuries, Most Fours,Most Man of Match, Most everything. But What stats can't show is his dominance over all the bowlers in world. His technique & beauty, his art, his answer to every bowler with his bat, his talent of turning match most of the times. Now he can only compared with bradman.
Now the question is who is the best? Bradman or Tendulkar? Well, Bradman is superior in average & his hunger of runs. But Tendulkar is superior in Technique,Beauty & Art in shots which stats can't tell. So Why can't we take in this way? Tendulkar is among one of the two finest batsmen ever who walked on a cricket pitch!(Bradman the other) Enough said !
Standing on a doorstep of 100 international centuries & still going strong , Sachin Tendulkar comes at No.4 to join with Bradman!
5.BRIAN LARA - Leonardo - Da Vinci of modern cricket. As word genius is suitable too Einestine in science , same it also suits to Lara in terms of batting. In his form & tempo what he can do, only god can tell. He 2 times made highest individual score in the history of cricket. First he made 375 which was broken by hayden when he made 380. But lara again made highest score of 400 & which is still a record & no one could touch it. Also he is first player to score 11000 runs in test cricket. A good dominant batsman who can play any bowling attack especially spin bowling.Who ruled on bowling of Murlidharan in Sri Lanka. His innings of 153 not out against Australia which gave a superb victory to West Indies is still a landmark & is a ideal example of how to play in second innings in pressure of winning. It was a tough call between him & Viv Richards about whom to select.But as Viv Richards was weak against quality spin attack with turning wicket and when he will comes to bat in 5th position, ball will be old & it will be time to use spin attack by oppositions and considering the fact Lara is 2nd best in playing spin attack ( Tendulkar 1st), I will go with Lara.
So Brian Lara comes in at No.5
6. GARRY SOBERS - Without any argument Sobers is the best all rounder cricket ever produced. Plus he is the greatest & dominant no.6 batsman. Though he can bat well in any position. The only player who struck 6 sixes in a over in a test match.Many players after so much effort can't do specialisation in even 1 aspect of game. But here Sobers was best in every form. Scored 8000 runs & 27 centuries with bat ( only 2 short than bradman). Took 235 wickets with ball & took 198 catches as a fielder. In bowling he could ball fast with 80 miles p.hour & he was a great spin bowler. What he didn't do in cricket is more easy to answer. The answer is wicket keeping! Rest all he did. It is easy to say why he was greatest all rounder among all. When he took retirement 3 records were in his bag. Most runs, Most wickets & Most catches.
Best all rounder cricket ever produced, Garry Sobers comes in at no.6
7. ALAN KNOTT (WK) - The greatest wicketkeeper of all time. First wicketkeeper in tests who took 250 catches. His Catching & Stumping both were world class.to see his wicketkeeping at its most spectacular, you had to catch him standing up to Derek Underwood on a rain-affected pitch for Kent in county cricket. Most of the time, despite the obvious problems, Knott would take the ball so nimbly he might have been keeping wicket in the indoor nets. As a batsman he learned to put a high price on his wicket, and in only his fourth Test, at Georgetown in 1967-68, he made 73 not out in four hours and helped Colin Cowdrey save the series.
I was Tempted to choose Adam Gilchrist as a wicketkeeper. But in greatest team you should select only greatest players as per my opinion. Adam Gilchrist was good keeper & good batsman but knott was greatest keeper & average batsman.So I decided to select greatest wicketkeeper rather than good keeper, As my bowlers need great wicketkeeper & as my team don't need batsman as it has more than enough dominant batsmen from Sehwag to Sobers.
So greatest wicketkeeper Alan Knott comes in at No. 7 to bat.
8. WASIM AKRAM - Known as the 'King Of Swing' as he can swing the ball in both directions with terrifying speed.He have both Inswing & outswing in his bag. But most deadly are his yorkers. With his yorkers & inswingers ,in his peak he took more wickets as either Lbw or straight clean bold! This shows how deadly his bowling was. WIth lots of spoeed & swing his ball often beat batsman's bat & either hit on his pads for lb or if it swings more, then bold ! But its a still a big question for me that, why his wickets can't match his skill & perfection? (Still wickets are 414 , reasonably good)Anyways! Wasim comes as first change fast bowler as he can easily swing better with old ball.
So a greatest left arm fast bowler cricket ever seen, also can bat well when needed Wasim Akram comes in at No. 8
9. SHANE WARNE - The Magician! Greatest spinner ever in the history of cricket. Second in highest wicket takers list with 708 wickets. But undoubtedly the greatest spinner ever. Had every delivery of leg spinner in his pocket. Turning the ball from leg to off & off to leg ( If you don't belive then still watch Mike Gating's wicket) Flipper, Googly in everything he was unmatchable. In every match he took normally 3-4 wickets. Only genius batsmen could dominate him. Otherwise he was always a hot sauce for any team. My team format is of 3 fast bowlers. But if you think Shane Warne is only spinner, then you are wrong. Because Garry Sobers is always ready to bowl his spin with him.
So undoubtedly one of the compulsary choice in any team & also can bat, Shane Warne comes at No.9.
10. MALCUM MARSHALL - Among one of the greatest fast bowlers & most fearsome fast bowler. If you are playing against my team, I bet you will even fear his pic if you have watched him live or if you have watched video of his bowling!Greatest among the famous West Indian fast bowlers line up.He was not so tall or was not athelatic like other fast bowlers.He was like pistol but having capacity of a nuclear bomb.His ball was not pitching in front of a batsman , it was blasting like a bomb. He took 380 wickets. Looks like very few. But it's not. Considering there was a lot of fearsome fast bowlers like Paterson,Ambroj, Holding, Roberts,Walsh etc. And how we can forget Sobers being bowler himself? So being all these fast bowlers taking there share in wickets, then it can be understood. But his economy rate was just 23.
So as a fearsome fast bowler Marshall becomes the first bowler ( opening bowler) of my team & comes to bat at No.10.
11.GLEN MCGRATH - The most accurate fast bowler ever in test cricket.If there would have been a six sigma( one mistake in a million) rating in cricket, Glenn Mcgrath must have been the first one to get that.He was not a real fast bowler with so much speed.4th highest wicket taker in tests.And Highest wicket taker among the fast bowlers. One ordinary bowler with ordinary speed became the greatest fast bowler just because his pin point accurate bowling.Many great fast bowlers either didn't came in tour of sub continent or those who came became totally unsuccesful in sub continent like lilee in 1987. But Mcgrath's average in sub continent is just 20. And in these conditions where batsman enjoy many things than bowlers.And his overall average is 22. His fights with legend Sachin Tendulkar was one of the finest duels in sporting history.And still remembered by many. Second in all time fast bowlers list. So my all time favourite fast bowler Mcgrath will open my bowling attack along with Marshall.
As he was good with ball , same he was poor with the bat, Glen Mcgrath comes at last position i.e. 11.
Muthayya Murlidharan (12th man) - Legend Offspinner!!! With 800 wickets Highest wicket taker in the cricket. Many say, he can even turn his ball on pitch made of glass.Though Mushtaq invented "Dusra" Murli mastered it. Except Lara no one could dominate him all time. But as my team can have only one spinner I have no choice than keep him as 12th man. But I think I can use some ' tacts' to include him also in a team. Real cricket fans know what these 'Tacts' are!
Now on second thought I can see many gr8s has been left out. Such as Jack hobs( 197 first class centuries & 62000 runs ), Victor Trumper( Grandest of all , can even play on pitch made of a swamp), Viv Richards( Most destructive batsman ever),Jack Kalis ( Greatest 2nd all rounder,below only Sobers)& Anil Kumble ( most underrated bowler ever in tests, 3rd highest in wicket takers & holds the record of taking all 10 wickets in single innings)
But we can easily make team of these players , who will give tough fight to my team.
So Here is my All TIme XI. Needless to say comments & suggestions are most welcome .
