Best England Cricket XI - 1978 to 2020

[Deutsch Wolf]

Bruce Reid in the mix too.

I think I would have Mitch tbf. Yeah he was rubbish at times, but he was also utterly devastating. It's not so much taking us apart, he then went and did the exact same thing to a very good SA team away from home straight after. He's also a really nice guy, I felt so sorry for him when I heard what he had to do when his action fell to bits

Hayden
Rogers
Ponting
Clarke
Smith
S Waugh
Gilchrist
Johnson
Warne
Harris
McGrath

MacGill in for Harris in the subcontinent.

 

[Tony Towner]

Can't believe you guys aren't picking Border. He averaged over 50 in Tests when for a lot of the 80s he was their batting line up

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Not exactly aesthetically pleasing though :icon_lol:

Clarke averaged 49 and Smith is a freak, averaging 62 with 29 hundreds and he's only 30?! If I can only have one awkward bastard in there where it doesn't make sense how he makes runs, then I'll take him.

 

[Johnny75]

I take Lee instead of McDermott.

 

[Nando]

Bloody hell, that middle order is obscene.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Border was majestic, the convict so-and-so.

If he is in there with both Waughs and Ponting then at least the team is really easy to despise!

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

You could also make a case for the beer-swilling monstrosity that is David Boon. The bloke could really REALLY bat.

Obviously you have to pick Gilchrist, but Marsh was a great keeper too. They have had some embarrassments of riches over the last forty years.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

And you have to have Lee, McGrath, Johnson, Lillee as the quicks. Utterly devastating.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Would love to be able to put Merv Hughes in there - can't because there are much better bowlers, but for entertainment and moustache value alone

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

As Jimmy Ormond told Mark Waugh, at least he was the best cricketer in his family :icon_lol:

I can't really contribute to a Windies one, they've been mostly rubbish in my time. First time I remember them is 1991 and they were already on the way down. BC Lara is of course a genius and I saw plenty of Curtly and Courtney, but not them at their real pomp.

What next? An England ODI team? A WORST England XI?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

By the way this innings played a major part in me picking Gooch.

Forget his 333 on a flat deck against a popgun Indian attack. This was the real deal. Genius. He was about 38 as well at the time!

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Windies

Greenidge
Richardson
IVA God
Clive Lloyd - that's the top four

Quicks

Marshall
Holding
Garner
Ambrose
Walsh

Fuck spinners

Dujon keeping wicket and then shove an extra batsman which will be Lara obviously I am so stupid...

 

[Johnny75]

Surely the Universe Boss is in there along with Lara.

 

[Tony Towner]

Windies

Greenidge
Haynes
Richards
Richardson
Lara
Chanderpaul
Dujon
Holding
Marshall
Garner
Ambrose

Carl Hooper instead of Ambrose if you have to have a spinner

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Windies

Greenidge
Richardson
IVA God
Clive Lloyd - that's the top four

Quicks

Marshall
Holding
Garner
Ambrose
Walsh

Fuck spinners

Dujon keeping wicket and then shove an extra batsman which will be Lara obviously I am so stupid...

Pretty much unbeatable on anything other than a raging turner and even then you wouldn't write that 11 off. Scary.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Windies

Greenidge
Haynes
Richards
Richardson
Lara
Chanderpaul
Dujon
Holding
Marshall
Garner
Ambrose

Carl Hooper instead of Ambrose if you have to have a spinner

Viv and Shiv can do the spin

I saw all of those bar Holding and Garner.

 

[Tony Towner]

Viv and Shiv can do the spin

I saw all of those bar Holding and Garner.

I wrote to Jim'll Fix It asking to face a 90mph Malcolm Marshall delivery. Needless to say as an 11/12 year old I didn't get on. I'll leave you to decide which was the closest miss.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I didn't face him but I saw Paul Smith up close in the Edgbaston nets around 1994/5ish. I don't think even on my best of best days I'd have managed to get near nicking one.

Didn't get any drugs off him either.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Surely the Universe Boss is in there along with Lara.

Not even close

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Sir Richard of Richardson hardly ever opened though (wasn't very good when he did) so I don't think you can have him there.