Surprise omissions in Cricinfo's Best Australian XIs

Here is a side for all out attack and domination: 1. Hayden 2. Slater 3. Bradman 4. Greg Chappell 5. Adam Gilchrist 6. Keith Miller 7. Ray Lindwall 8. Shane Warne 9. Lillee 10. Jeff Thomson 11. McGrath

Very good team with players that have high averages in test and ODI cricket, and good economy rates.By the way the captain for the ODI team is Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist is the keeper. 12th man is James Faulkner.

Test Squad Ricky Ponting Matthew Hayden Adam Voges Steve Smith Michael Hussey Steve Waugh[captain] Adam Gilchrist[Wicket-keeper] Shane Warne Brett Lee Mitchell Starc Glenn McGrath [12th man: Nathan Lyon] ODI Squad David Warner Ricky Ponting Shane Watson Michael Clarke Michael Hussey Adam Gilchrist Michael Bevan Brett Lee Shane Warne Mitchell Starc Glenn McGrath

Ricky Ponting 12th ???? who are u ???????? heres my XI 1) Michael Slater 2) Matthew Hayden 3) Donald Bradman 4) RIcky Ponting (C) 5) Steve Waugh 6) Allan Border 7) Adam Gilchrist 8) Ray Lindwall 9) Shane Warne 10) Dennis Lillee 11) Glen McGrath This team has great pace bowlers, with great batting depth! you can make some arguments for the opening spot and steve waughs positon in the team! but Steve waugh does give some 5th bowling option.

I also came back to this several years late. Sad to read through the comments and see those of the late Vinay, but nice to see your post. Its a very interesting perspective - not one I totally agree with I have to say. I think you have to look at sportsmen in their time, and that if someone was a champion in one time they would have been in others also. Totally unprovable of course. You might be interested in this article: http://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_are_athletes_really_getting_faster_better_stronger/transcript

Interesting to come back and read this blog - haven't been here for a few years. The fascinating thing, to me, is the acceptance of Keith Miller as an automatic. he is Richies hero, granted, and he had a post war glamour and good looks - more matinee idol than terrifying - moderate batsman.. The rest of you, who did not see him, are obviously accepting the word of the geriatrics - well I am one of them and would not pick him in a fit - come on you octogenarians - tell the younger ones the truth. England had an almost clone in Dennis Compton. Lindwall - we have produced so many fast bowlers superior to Lindwall - again people are accepting folk lore - he could swing the ball late and had a beautiful action - but he was not terrifying (Lillie, Thompson, Johnson) or deadly accurate - Mcgrath. Neil Harvey - a generation adopted him as a mascot - because he was 18 in Bradmans 1948 team - I reckon I have seen at least 20 Ausi batsmen better than him over the years. Arthur Morris - my chidhood hero - nice man - but could not handle Bedser who was military medium at best - a trundler. Bradman - he faced Larwood - up there with our best and the great WI quicks - and who else - depression era, half starved English bowlers or post war burnt out English veterans - (Bradman 1928 - 1948). Is this heresy? - no it is the facts - the last 40 years have lifted everything in cricket several levels - it is now a full time professional sport. I think you have to assume that cricketers are getting better all the time - as do all other athletes. When you choose your best - think of the people who have made cricket uplifting - the people who make you realise that life is good and we are watching magic and make you smile - you then have a different team - Walters, Mark Waugh (so elegant), Gilchrist of course, warne - wonderful, Lillee and Thompson - think of them as a pair, Mcgrath - for his batting of course, Ponting for his grit and skill, Hayden and Langer (they go together) - may not have faced WI demons - but surely they made you ENJOY cricket - and what about Michael Clarke. Enough - at least I have seen a lot of the old timers and I speak from actually seeing and watching them

This side will beat any: 1. Ponsford 2. Hayden 3. Bradman 4. G Chappell 5. Keith Miller 6. Gilchrist 7. Lindwall 8. Warne 9. Lillee 10. Jeff Thomson 11. Glen McGrath

I have said this many time before that Arthur Morris (Good batsman that he was) never got runs against true fast bowling. Look at his record against Tyson and Statham - 1 century on a shirt- front wicket in Brisbane and then about 70 runs in next 7 or so digs> He got runs against popgun ageing post- war Pommie bowlers Voce and co. He played against medium pace Bedser (great bowler) but not a threat to hjuman life or limb. I saw a lot of Harvey (200 odd against Qland) He was a joy to watch but his record against England is mediocre to say the least. Trevor Bailey said that the Poma did not regard him anywhere near as highly as did the Aussies .He made his runs against Sth Africa - not the team then that it is now. However,He was the best fieldsman I ever saw.Mc Grath a great bowler but how coulad u leave Jeff Thompson out of and Aussie team. He struck fear into every batter before he injured his shoulder. Border for me. He stood alone againsy the mighty West Indies - the most ferocious bowling attack ever. Trumper - come off it- the oldtimers favourite . Although he must have been a joy to watch., his track record aint that good at test level when compared with his contemporaries. Ponsford, the run machine, was a failure in the bodyline series - ddropped in one test and did not get many runs apart fro an 85.

Ive got no doubt this is the best selection for an aussie team and I can defend it too. everyone else with their 'morris and ponsford and simpsons and waugh and border and walters'.... youve all got no idea

Obviously u did not see O'Reilly. He was a great bowler with his bounce and fizz off the wicket. He could bowl on all wickets and in his time a lot of the test wickets were made for the batsman.'. Give Big Bill a turner and he was almost unplayable. u sure are right about the Chappells and Lillie and their attitude to Kim Hughes. Surely there is a place for Alan Border., He stood alone against the might of the West Indies - Captain Courageous.

Sheek, You weren't in Weewak in PNG were you? I lived there as a kid in the late 60's with my family. My old man might have known yours.

Peter to say Hayden & Langer proved themselves against great fast bowling was absurd.They were both dropped as they couldn't handle the ageing champions of the last great era of fast bowlers. People such as Ambrose, Akram & Younis.Once these guys retired they cashed in against weak attacks the word over.I do acknowledge though as someone else has here Hayden's great tour of India in 2001.No fast bowlers there though great or otherwise.

I'm aged in my mid- 30s so I can only include players I've actually watched over the last 3 decades, so my all time best Australian team is: Hayden Langer Ponting Clarke S.Waugh Border Gilchrist Warne Lee McDermott Mcgrath 12th man - M.Hussey My one day side would be: Gilchrist Watson Ponting D.jones Clarke Bevan Symonds Warne Lee Bracken Mcgrath 12th man: M.Waugh

If Hayden had to face the WI at there top he would have spent more time in the hospital than at the crease. He just didn't have the footwork and was a very big target. Not good when the ball was moving about. A flat track bully. Cudos for his efforts in India though, his long reach and aggressive outlook prevailed.

Please- a stylish 30. What a wonderful innings; obviously one of the great innings u have seen. Richie - so debonair, but certainly would not get into any world X1. Aussie has had many spinners better than Benaud- the selectors pet. The selectors persevered with Benaud more than any other Aussie cricketer in my memory. He had many failures before he came good in Sth Africa in1957-58

Sheek, what a joke, you picked 2 openers who failed against real fast bowling. From memory Ponsfords highest score in the bodyline series was 85 and he was dropped at one stage. Arthur Morris was a failure against Tyson and Statham and made his runs against post was popgun Pommies old timers

Come off it. How could you possibly pick Ritchie Benaud. Did not get wickets in many series with the exception of l957-58 against Sth Africa and one innings on a turner in England, Hewas a Christmas bat- a couple of good digs but that is all. Asi have said before, Arthur Morris only got runs against post -war geriatric English bowlers with theexception of Bedser - he was not express and no threat to life and limb. When he faced real fast bowlers in 1954-5 Statham he was not up to it, He scored 153 in the first test on a shirt front wicket when everyone was getting runs and in hiis next 6 innings he scored only 70 runs.

Ron obviously you did not see BIll O'Reilly Great bowler on all sorts of wickets and certainly in a period of shirt front wickets, Morris seems to be most peoples pick but I saw a lot of him but I cant remember him getting runs against fast bowling. He got runs against a very ordinary postwar English bowling side, with the exception of Bedser - who was hardly a threat to life and limb. Bill Edrich opened for England as did a geriatric Bill Voce and Pollard - hardly an attack to fear, I am not sayig Morris was not a good batsman but he did not prove himself against fast bowliing as did Simpson, Lawry,Stackpole, Langer. Hayden and others.

Spofforth - dont think u ever saw him. Trumper - the old timers favourite. When I was 11 my twin brother and I had a full set of Wisdens and we knew our statistics, and therefore we use to argue with our old baker - horse drawn cart type- about VT by telling him his batting average was Poor even compared with players of his own era. VT must have been great to watch but that does not pick him in the best ever team. He had some great deeds and also some poor performances . Sure agree with u about Thompson and Gilchrist.

i hated leaving sid out of my team. I followed him everywhere in the 40's. also hated to leave ojut Lindwall and Ponting.