Selecting an all-time Ashes Eleven
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By Jason Cave, 27 Jan 2010 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Australian Cricket, Cricket, England cricket, The Ashes
Don Bradman AAP Photo/Mortlock Library of South Australia
For over 100 years, Australia and England have fought for what might be termed the Holy Grail of cricket: The Ashes. The names are part of cricket legend: Bradman, Ponsford, May, Hobbs, Botham, Border, Sutcliffe, Snow, Illingworth, Boycott. The list goes on.
But what if there was a combined side made up of the greats of Ashes cricket? The best from the old rivals-Australia and England-joining forces to give most teams a run for the money?
Here is the Ashes XI:
Bill Ponsford (Aust)
Sir Jack Hobbs (Eng)
Sir Donald Bradman (Aust-capt)
Allan Border (Aust)
Greg Chappell (Aust)
Sir Ian Botham (Eng)
Adam Gilchrist (Aust)
Shane Warne (Aust)
Dennis Lillee (Aust)
John Snow (Eng)
Glenn McGrath (Aust)
12th: Sir Leonard Hutton (Eng)
What do you think of this all star Ashes line-up?
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sheek said | January 27th 2010 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Gidday Jason,
You already have 12 players in your starting XI, so I presume Snow is the fast bowler to drop out?
All fine cricketers, but Ponsford, Border & Snow would be lucky to survive deeper scrutiny in this line-up.
Statistically, Hutton must open with Hobbs. Although my personal favourite would be Victor Trumper, who would be guaranteed to get the innings started at a rattling pace. However, all things being equal, you need a leftie at the top of the order, like Matt Hayden or Arthur Morris.
Wally Hammond & Ricky Ponting both have superior batting averages to Chappell & Border, & I think I would include them ahead of your selections here. Besides, Ken Barrington was similar to Border, but with a far superior average.
Can’t disagree with Botham, although others might have better statistical claims, Keith Miller for example.
Alan Knott was a far superior keeper to Gilchrist, but Gilly’s phenomenal batting gives him the edge.
Sydney Barnes is regarded as the greatest bowler in the history of the game, so he’s going to have to replace someone – McGrath or Larwood???
Anyway, here’s my Alternate Ashes XI to take yours on…..
Len Hutton (ENG)
Matt Hayden (AUS)
Ricky Ponting (AUS)
Wally Hammond (c-ENG)
Ken Barrington (ENG)
Keith Miller (AUS)
Alan Knott (k-ENG)
Alan Davidson (AUS)
Fred Trueman (ENG)
Bill O’Reilly (AUS)
Sydney Barnes (ENG)
How would separate Ashes XIs look like?
AUSTRALIA:
Ponsford, Hayden, Bradman(c), Ponting, G.Chappell, Miller, Gilchrist(k), Davidson, Warne, Lillee, McGrath, O’Reilly(12th).
Squad members: Trumper, S.Waugh, Lindwall, Healy(2nd k).
ENGLAND:
Hobbs, Hutton, Hammond, Barrington, Grace(c), Botham, Knott(k), Larwood, Laker, Trueman, Barnes, Rhodes (12th).
Squad members: Compton, Underwood, Willis, Ames(2nd k).
coops said | January 27th 2010 @ 11:42am | Report comment
Sheek
How on earth did you leave out Bradman, an oversight surely.
terrykidd said | January 27th 2010 @ 8:20am | Report comment
Both squads look awesome but I disagree with you both and would include Arthur Morris. Illness cut short his career so his stats do not quite stack up in comparison but Sir Don himself praised Morris as the best opener he had seen …. thats good enough for me.
I agree with Keith Miller over Botham for both bat and ball, plus fielding.
My squad would be Morris, Hutton, Bradman, Ponting, Barrington, Miller, Gilchrist, Warne, Lillee, Trueman, McGrath.
Also fairly awesome … lol, in my opinion.
sheek said | January 27th 2010 @ 8:53am | Report comment
Yeah Terry,
You had the balls to pick Morris & Miller ahead of Hayden & Botham – I didn’t !!!
Whiteline said | January 27th 2010 @ 9:00am | Report comment
Barnes in, Snow out – I agree with Sheek.
Midfielder said | January 27th 2010 @ 11:06am | Report comment
My squad would be Morris, Hutton, Bradman, Boarder, Barrington, Miller, Kippax, Warne, Lillee, Barnes, Lindwall.
preciouspress said | January 27th 2010 @ 5:12pm | Report comment
No Hammond, no Sutcliffe, no Miller, no Lindwall, no Harvey, no Morris, Hutton only 12th man? How do Border and Botham ever get a guernsey?
Rick Eyre said | January 27th 2010 @ 7:17pm | Report comment
I’m confused. You name 12 players in an all-time XI and then add a 12th man to make a team of 13! And with the next Ashes almost a year out, why is this being raised now?
And why John Snow, whose Ashes infamy is confined to a couple of Tests in one series? Why is Bradman the only 1948 Australian in your team – and, at the same time, its captain? Where are O’Reilly, Grimmett, Laker, Verity? Where is Miller? Hammond? WG Grace??? Why are eight out of your thirteen players post-1970 (and even then without Steve Waugh)?
I’ll come back and think up an Ashes XI of my own in November, when it’s topical
Rick Eyre said | January 27th 2010 @ 7:34pm | Report comment
oh all right then:
Hobbs, Trumper, Bradman, Hammond, Grace (c), Miller, Botham, Knott, Warne, Laker, Barnes. Steve Waugh can drive the giant Gatorade bottle.
sheek said | January 27th 2010 @ 8:20pm | Report comment
My favourite Ashes XI, not necessarily the very best, but players who ‘lifted my spirit’ in the 40 years I have watched cricket.
Graham Gooch (ENG)
Michael Slater (AUS)
Ian Chappell (c-AUS)
David Gower (ENG)
Mark Waugh (AUS)
Ian Botham (ENG)
Alan Knott (k-ENG)
Sahne Warne (AUS)
John Snow (ENG)
Dennis Lillee (AUS)
Jeff Thomson (AUS)
Doug Walters (12th-AUS)
Whiteline said | January 28th 2010 @ 12:03am | Report comment
Midfielder
Not requiring a wicketkeeper my friend?
Viscount Crouchback said | January 28th 2010 @ 10:11am | Report comment
Super thread. I like Sheek’s “lifted my spirits” XI. But I wonder who people would select in their Ashes Stylists XI and their Ashes Battlers XI? The former would surely find room for Gower, Mark Waugh, Michael Clarke (I think, anyway) and perhaps even Michael Vaughan (the Vaughan of ’02-3, that is). But perhaps I’m succumbing to contemporary bias. Who were the magnificent stylists of yesteryear? My memory fails me. The Battlers would doubtless feature Steve Waugh, Botham, Illingworth, Trueman and Ponting.
An Ashes composite is an interesting notion. One would struggle to find two more complementary cricketing nations (for obvious reasons) and I suspect that the synergy created would be quite impossible to defeat. Imagine Gower striding to the crease to caress the ball about in typically insouciant English style, and then Steve Waugh replacing him to face down the bowling attack in typically belligerent Aussie fashion! Magnificent!