Best England Cricket XI - 1978 to 2020

[Sniffer]

Similar to the football team thread.

As per Tony's suggestion we will choose from the following...

2 openers
A number 3 in the batting line up.
2 batsmen
1 all rounder
1 keeper
1 spinner
3 quicks

You can have a keeper/batsman if you wish and an all rounder as one of the quicks/spinner if you want.

First vote for the openers - four picks with placings getting 4, 3, 2 or 1 point. The keeper will be next so that it does not interfere with the batsmen's vote.
3 Picks for the keeper
3 Picks for a No.3 Batsman
4 Picks for the batsmen
3 Picks for the all rounder
3 Picks for the spinner
5 Picks for the quicks

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Alastair Cook
Graham Gooch
Mike Atherton
Andrew Strauss

 

[Sniffer]

Openers...........

Geoff Boycott
Alastair Cook
Graham Gooch
Marcus Trescothick

 

[Sniffer]

As 3 is a special position in the batting line up, I'll do a separate vote for it.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Cook
Trescothick
Gooch
Strauss

 

[darlowolf64]

Strauss
Cook
Trescothick
Atherton

 

[Johnny75]

Gooch
Cook
Trescothick
Strauss

 

[Tredman]

Good idea! I have a feeling I am going to disagree with a lot of you on this

Gooch
Trescothick
Strauss
Cook

 

[Sniffer]

Unless Leedswolf or Dewsbury Wolf find this thread I can't see the votes for Boycott increasing by many. He was a devisive figure in his native County too so even then.....

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He was also done by January 1982 in international cricket so that rules out a good chunk of people from seeing much of him.

 

[Tony Towner]

Cook
Gooch
Trescothick
Strauss

Can only remember the last 6 months of Boycott's Test career - '81 Ashes onwards so can't really choose him

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Same for me. I remember the 81 ashes pretty well but he didn't make much of an impression in that series. It was all bohemian, thrash it about cricket by the standards of the time and he fitted that about as well as Sunil Gavaskar did a run chase in an ODI.

 

[Doctor Doog]

Gooch
Cook
Atherton
Trescothick

I saw most of Boycott's career, my first memories of Test cricket are the West Indies series in 1966, I wouldn't pick him even in his prime.

 

[Nando]

Cook

Strauss

Trescothick

Atherton

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Number 3 is going to be interesting...

Tempted with DI Gower, but most of the time that I remember he was really a 4. Root obvs. After that I am going to be sniffing around for some interesting possibilities.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I've got my three choices lined up.

Not picking Root there as I don't want him coming to me moaning that he wants to move back down a spot in a few weeks

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Trouble is I want Bell and Lamb at four really.

 

[Tredman]

Vaughan was good there for a brief period. Can’t be having Trott.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Might have to promote Mr Bell to three I reckon and then DI G can sit at four.

 

[Tony Towner]

Thinking about it we should have a poll for captain once the 11 is chosen. Chances are there will be 5/6 who have captained for decent periods of time. Both openers will have as it looks like it'll be Cook + one of Strauss or Gooch