By Kersi Meher-Homji
August 25th 2009 @ 12:59am
Ponting the only current player among Ashes titans
Australia's captain Ricky Ponting celebrates after reaching 100 on the second day of the first cricket test match between England and Australia in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday July 9, 2009. AP Photo/Jon Super
As we try to cope with post-Ashes depression, let us select the best Australian and England cricket XIs based on their Ashes performances over the years in England. Call it a stimulus package after a lost weekend in rugby and cricket.
By using certain criteria and qualifications (aggregates in runs scored/wickets taken/dismissals made in Ashes Tests), one can select the best Australian and England cricket XIs.
Ideally, a top team should have five batsmen, an all-rounder, four bowlers and a wicket-keeper.
Best Australian Ashes XI (based on performances in England)
The five most prolific run-getters are Don Bradman (2674 runs at 102.84 in 19 Tests), Allan Border (2082 at 65.06 in 25), Steve Waugh (1633 at 74.22 in 22), Mark Taylor (1584 at 52.80 in 18) and Ricky Ponting (1323 at 44.10 in 18).
The five most prolific wicket-takers are Shane Warne (129 wickets at 21.94 in 22 Tests), Dennis Lillee (96 at 20.56 in 15), Glenn McGrath (87 at 19.34 in 14), Terry Alderman (83 at 19.33 in 12) and Clarrie Grimmett (67 at 29.95 in 13).
The most prolific wicket-keeper is Rod Marsh (71 dismissals; 68 caught plus 3 stumped in 21 Tests). With 773 runs at 24.93, Marsh can fill in the role as an all-rounder.
Here is the Australian Ashes XI in batting order based on above criteria:
Taylor, Border, Bradman, Ponting, Steve Waugh (capt.), Marsh (wk), Warne, Lillee, Alderman, Grimmett, McGrath.
I hear you scream: “what, Bradman to play under Waugh?”
Lillee and McGrath will open the attack, with Alderman coming as first change. In Warne and Grimmett, they have the cream of spinners. Border and Waugh are useful bowlers.
Best England Ashes XI (based on performances in England)
The five most prolific run-getters are Geoff Boycott (1549 runs at 49.96 in 19 Tests), Graham Gooch (1543 at 33.54 in 25), David Gower (1445 at 45.15 in 18), F. Stanley Jackson (1415 at 48.79 in 20) and John Edrich (1361 at 43.90 in 17).
The five most prolific wicket-takers are Ian Botham (79 wickets at 25.61 in 18 Tests), Wilfred Rhodes (67 at 20.97 in 21), Jim Laker (64 at 17.59 in 11), Alec Bedser (57 at 24.03 in 10) and Bob Willis (56 at 21.42 in 11).
Botham has scored 736 runs at 28.30 apart from his 79 wickets and is the all-rounder in the side.
Their most prolific wicket-keeper is Alan Knott (54 dismissals; 50 caught plus 4 stumped in 21 Tests).
Here is the England Ashes XI in batting order based on above criteria:
Boycott, Edrich, Gooch (capt.), Gower, Jackson, Botham, Knott (wk), Laker, Rhodes, Bedser, Willis.
Willis and Bedser will open the bowling, with Botham coming at first change. Rhodes and Laker will do the spinning.
Who will win this imaginary Test of the Legends?
On aggregates, it is Australia all the way. Three Australian batsmen (Bradman, Border and S Waugh) have scored over 1600 runs each. Not one Englishman has topped 1600 runs.
Four Australians (Warne, Lillee, McGrath and Alderman) have captured more than 80 scalps each. Not one from England has bagged 80.
These statistics indicate that Australia would be easy winners in an all-time great Ashes Test played in England – based on stats alone. Small consolation for a current no.4 ranked nation.
Also take heart. Ricky Ponting is the only current cricketer among these 22 titans of the game.
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(14)
Brett McKay said | August 25th 2009 @ 9:04am | Report comment
Kersi, interesting topic as usual, and with some surprises I must say.
Heading that list is Mark Taylor. Of his almost 1600 Test runs in England, some 900-odd came in the 1989 series, his ‘93 return was pretty reasonable, and he prefers not to talk about ‘97 where possible. Would he have had the same consistency as say, Morris, or even Hayden?
And we know from this series that stats don’t tell the full picture!! But great piece, some great names in there…
Kersi Meher-Homji said | August 25th 2009 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Brett,
Thanks for the compliments. I treasure these.
Perhaps a better way to select all-time great Ashes XIs would have been to go by averages (instead of aggregatess). I’ll work on the averages of Morris, Hayden et al in Ashes in England. Give me a few hours.
I agree, stats tell only half the story.
Dave said | August 25th 2009 @ 7:40pm | Report comment
Didnt Morris’ form drop away at the end as well
sheek said | August 25th 2009 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Kersi,
Interesting, based only on performances in England. However, at the risk of being a spoil-sport re Australia dominating the averages all the way.
That’s precisely what happened in this currently concluded series. Australia dominated both the batting & bowling statistics, but England won the series 2-1!
Kersi Meher-Homji said | August 25th 2009 @ 11:20am | Report comment
Sheek,
Occasionally, stats present cricket’s big paradoxes.
Brett,
Going by aggregates, Mark Taylor (1584 runs) did not head the list, Bradman did (2674 runs), followed by Allan Border (2082) and Steve Waugh (1633). In the team, Taylor was mentioned first because the team was given in batting order.
Here are top performances by Australian batsmen in Ashes in England, going by AVERAGES (qualification 500 runs):
Bradman tops ( 2674 runs at 102.84 in 19 Tests) followed by
Steve Waugh (1633 at 74.22 in 22), Dean Jones (566 at 70.75 in 6), Border (2082 at 65.06 in 25), Bill Ponsford (936 at 62.40 in 10),
Arthur Morris (1033 at 57.38 in 10), Matthew Elliott (556 at 55.60 in 6) and Taylor (1584 at 52.80 in 18).
Matthew Hayden averaged only 34.50 when hitting 552 runs in 10 Tests in England.
davido said | August 25th 2009 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
Great article.
How good would our bowling be again if we had Warne, Lillee, McGrath, Alderman in one team. Look at those averages!
onside said | August 25th 2009 @ 2:54pm | Report comment
Kersi,
Both teams played a remarkably similar number of games
BATTING……Australia 102…England 99
BOWLING….Australia 74…..England 71
W’KEEPER…Australia 21….England 21
A difference of only three games in both batting and bowling .Both wicketkeepers identical.
What conclusions can be drawn from these observations. It’s too early for a glass of wine.
But OK, if you’re having one.
sheek said | August 25th 2009 @ 3:22pm | Report comment
Kersi,
Perhaps a bit off-topic here, but my favourite Ashes series was 1975 in England.
Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the 1974/75 series in Australia, which we won 4-1. But 1975 was tougher. We won the first test by an innings, but the remainder of the series was an arm wrestle.
In the second test, some wonderful rear-guard Aussie batting kept us in the game. In the third test, a potentially exciting finish was firstly ruined by the pitch being vandlised, & secondly by rain that fell most of the last day anyway.
In the 4th & final test, England following on, managed to escape with a draw. This was also the year of the inaugural world cup, which preceded the Ashes series.
This was also the first, the very first, full Ashes series to be broadcast live by TV back to Australia. In 1972, only the 5th & final test had been broadcast live back to Aussie.
Australia’s best team in 1975 was: Rick McCosker, Alan Turner, Ian Chappell(c), Greg Chappell(vc), Ross Edwards, Doug Walters, Rod Marsh(k), Max Walker, Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Ashley Mallett, Gary Gilmour(12th). Veteran opener Ian Redpath was unavailable to tour.
England used many players, but its composite best team was: John Edrich(vc), Barry Wood, David Steele, Keith Fletcher, Bob Woolmer, Tony Greig(c), Alan Knott(k), Chris Old, Phil Edmonds, John Snow, Derek Underwood, Graham Roope(12th).
For England, opener Geoff Boycott was temporarily unavailable due self-exile, while pacemen Bob Willis & Mike Hendrick were injured following the Australian tour. Opener Dennis Amiss temporarily lost all form & favour.
These were great days. I was a teenager with little or no responsibilities, chasing sun, sand, surf, socialising & sex. Australia had a great cricket team & England, while inferior in talent, made the Aussies work hard for their wins. At the time, this was frustrating, but looking back, you appreciate the battle of wits all that much more.
There is a philosophy – the greater the victory, in overcoming the greater the opponent. In 1975, it was there to see & savour!
Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end, we’d sing & dance, la, la, la, la, la, la….. (apologies to Mary Hopkin).
onside said | August 25th 2009 @ 3:51pm | Report comment
Boycotts self-exile was due to Lillee and Thomson.
No way was Boycott padding up against those two.
He never returned untill Lillee and Thompson retired.
sheek said | August 25th 2009 @ 5:08pm | Report comment
Onside,
This was the story doing the rounds at the time, but I think it was terribly unfair on Boycs. He was an outstanding batsman with a high opinion of his own ability.
He was dropped after the first home test against India in 1974 for slow scoring. He was so incensed by his sacking, he told the selectors to stick it! He also had a very low opinion of his then test skipper, Mike Denness.
When he returned in the 1977 Ashes series, he faced Thomson & Pascoe. In 1978/79 he faced Lillee & Thomson; in 1980 he faced Lillee & Pacoe; & in 1981 he faced Lillee again.
He also faced up to the Windies pace barrage of Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft & Marshall. In the 60s he faced up to the Windies fastmen Hall & Griffith; as well as Australia’s McKenzie.
it should also be remembered that up until 1976, batsmen had no protective helmet. All they had was a groin protector, maybe some rib padding, their gloves & bat. Boycott showed as much courage as anyone against fast bowling.
I think the story that circulated at the time was both unnecessary & obviously untrue. It also defies history. At the beginning of the 1974/75 Ashes series in Australia, it wasn’t known if Lillee would make a successful comeback from back injury. While Thomson was considered just another overhyped ‘fly-by-nighter’.
It should also be noted, England bowled first in that 1974/75 series, & peppered the Aussies with plenty of short balls, not believing the Aussies were capable of responding in kind. By the end of the first test, both questions surrounding Lillee & Thomson had been resoundingly, make that frighteningly, answered.
So an apology to Boycs is in order. He was a disagreeable son-of-a-bitch, & a boring guy to watch, but hell, he could bat as well as anyone. And with courage also when necessary.
onside said | August 25th 2009 @ 8:48pm | Report comment
Terrific information Sheek.Another urban myth of mine smashed.Thanks.
matty p said | August 29th 2009 @ 3:38am | Report comment
Sheek – 78-79 was World Series Cricket – Boycot was facing Hogg and Hurst, not Lilley and Thommo. But fair point – he really did face up, bravely, to some of the more savage bowlers of the 20th century and, sooner or later, everyone that bowled in his era.
Ddin’t Lillee and Thommo’s treatment of the poms in 75 effectively lead to Tony Greg to wear a motobike helmet?
Boycott was a tosser, but dad almost told me to watch how he batted – his footwork, especialy against spinners, was a great lesson.
Bacchus Marsh was a fine cricketer – but must check the stats to see why Gilchrist doesn’t rate. Clearly his batting makes him the obvious choice. So many of Marsh’s dismissals just come down to DK’s leg cutter.
Kersi Meher-Homji said | August 25th 2009 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
Davido, Sheek, Onside and other merry commenters,
You know you have played a good innings (mostly with the middle of the bat) when the article makes readers hum songs of yesteryears and make them think of wine in the middle of the afternoon!
Thank yous all!!
Kersi Meher-Homji said | August 29th 2009 @ 1:27pm | Report comment
matty p,,
If given a choice I would pick Gilly ahead of Marsh as a wk – batsman.
But my selection was based on cricketers making most runs / taking most wickets / making most dismissals in Ashes series in England. On that account, Marsh is ahead.