Picking the best combined Ashes XI in 50 years

Kersi This top squad is too hard.... what about the worst 11 .... HHHHHHHHmmmmmm

"The decision to go for Knott over Gilchrist is even more mind-boggling however." I don't think it is. Knott is generally considered to be a better wicket-keeper than Gilchrist, and he was a pretty good batsman as well.

"Benaud and Botham have been among the best all-rounders in the game’s history. No one can challenge their inclusion." I wouldnt pick Benaud as a batsman or a bowler in a last 50 years team. I'd pick MacGill or Underwood to back Warne, and I'd pick Gower, either Waugh or KP for more batting. The decision to go for Knott over Gilchrist is even more mind-boggling however.

Very interesting, David. Just a trivia. The first wicket to fall in an ODI was Boycott's; in the first ever ODI played, at the MCG on 5 January 1971. He was caught Lawry b. Alan 'Froggy' Thomson. Yet, later Boycott teased Thomson by singing: " Froggy Thomson, you are the one, Batting against you is so much fun."

Barry, Ah the Phantom. I once attended a function where Lawry was a guest speaker and he was asked about Doug Walters' debut innings of 155 against England in 1965/66. Lawry then spent about five minutes or so telling everyone how wonderful this innings had been and how Walters was clearly a great player - because only truly great players can get scores like 155 in a Test. He concluded with words to the effect, "It was a fabulous knock, a truly wonderful innings and beaten only by my own contribution of 166!" And all done with a completely straight face.

Kersi, It may be my memory playing tricks on me but I recall that both Boycott and Barrington were dropped by England for batting too slowly in a Test. If memory serves, they both made a hundred in the offending innings. During the most recent Sydney Ashes Test I had the great fortune to spend fifteen minutes with Boycott, one on one, and despite my natural Aussie antipathy to anything Boycott I had to admit to actually liking the man. He was funny, honest and, obviously, knowledgable. It was, for me, the highlight of the Test match. One story, which will surprise nobody, had Geoffrey talking to a fellow in the media room. I was in the room also but could not hear the conversation. However, as Boycott left he stopped in the doorway and turned to his companion and said, "I'm a great guy, really, I'm a great guy. I'm just not a fu*king people person!" With that he disappeared as the rest of us present in the room just cracked up laughing. When he's right, he's right. A year or so before he died I also had the great fortune to spend twenty minutes chatting to Ken Barrington at an ACS evening in Adelaide. He was simply a great fellow and one of the nicest people anyone could wish to meet. His premature death in the West Indies saddened both Englishmen and Australians such was the respect in which he was held in both countries. Unlike Geoffrey, Kenny Barrington was indeed a people's person. Two very different people but both very interesting and entertaining in their own way - though not necessarily with a bat in hand. It should be remembered though that for several years Boycott held the record for the fastest hundred in a domestic limited overs game in England. Go figure!

Barrington has a reputation in Australia as a dour run-gatherer. But in India he was the crowd's favourite. When a section of the crowd heckled him for his slow batting, he would bring out an imaginary gun out of his pocket and take an aim to "shoot" his hecklers. And the crowd loved him for this playful gesture.

Thanks Bayman. Interesting read...I know of both Barrington and "Lord Ted" Dexters reputations but unfortunately didn't get the chance to see them. I'll also cede that my selections weren't completely unbiased. I grew up watching Allan Border fight for his wicket every time he went out to bat - to me he epitomises the baggy green. Apparently I was at the SCG for ABs first class debut but don't really remember given I was 4 or 5 years old. Similar story with Steve Waugh as well. My old man (who was an opening bat himself) reckoned that Lawry's scoring rate was never that bad, rather that because he could dig in when he had to and the fact that he slowed down a bit with the added responsibility of captaincy that he got stuck with the reputation of being a slow scorer. I remember reading a few years ago that Lawry's scoring rate in tests was actually better than Simpson's but Simpson had the reputation of a dasher because he hit more boundaries. Not sure how true - it may have been written by the Phantom himself ! Gotta love test cricket !

Barry, Boycott made my team because he simply did his job better than anyone else. I guess it may depend on who the team plays. If it's the Stinkweed Ramblers Third XI for charity then, perhaps, Boycott is surplus to requirements. If, however, it's a winner takes all and kills the losers contest against Mars then I'd want Boycott. Perhaps the question then becomes at what point along the scale of Ramblers vs Martians does Boycott feature. Always assuming the worst, I'd pick him and let the others lift the scoring rate later. It's a pity you never saw Barrington and Dexter play because two different guys, and batsmen, it would be difficult to find. Barrington was the dour professional player who batted because that's the job for which he was paid. Dexter was the Cambridge educated amateur who played for fun and sometimes didn't really feel like it. He was once noticed by his team (England) practising his golf swing in the covers rather than concentrating on fielding. Only an amateur could get away with it. He was, incidentally, an exceptional fieldsman. As a batsmen there were none better when the mood took him and he was a savage hitter of the ball - few hit it harder. Two great players who absolutely played the way they were brought up. For one, batting was his job and he took it seriously. For the other it was a past-time and he played for fun - and, as I said, he didn't always feel like it. Incidentally, that practice golf swing was well worth it - Dexter was a hell of a golfer who many golfers of the day suggest could easily have been a fellow professional if he didn't play so much cricket. You've picked Lawry and Trueman on reputation and both are sound choices (I picked Lawry but not Trueman). Both were very competitive and both wonderful story tellers. Lawry's slow reputation with a bat in hand is not matched by his great off-field wit and humour. Trueman is the hub of many great stories. One, repeated many times with different counties, has Freddie going into the opposition rooms before the game. Standing in the doorway he starts pointing at various players and saying, "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven". When asked what he was doing Trueman replied, "Just counting up my victims when you bat".

Bayman, nice to hear from you and read your knowledgeable comments. Your team is equally strong. See you at the book launch tonight.

Kersi, You've certainly set a tough task but personally I'd have Ponting ahead of Harvey at three. Harvey retired after the 1962/63 Ashes series and his best was in the 1950s. Mind you, he'd be a chance if the selection was from 1951-2011. Four centuries in a series twice has not been done much since (and these days is impossible except in an Ashes contest. Which also raises a point about Michael Slater. I recall three hundreds in an Ashes series and who can forget that century at Lords in his second Test. Worth considering given he and Taylor kept Hayden in Shield cricket for years. I'd also query Cowdrey and Benaud in this combined side. Cowdrey was a great player, a class player, but he never really dominated in the Ashes. Certainly a hundred here, a hundred there but he didn't ever really punish us. Like Mark Waugh he tended to get out as soon as he reached his century. Benaud was also a great player and some forget, or never knew, he also made three Test centuries (and a 97 at Lords) including one of the fastest of all time. However, if you've got Warne you don't really need Benaud. I reckon Underwood would be a better bet for the variety and the ability to keep it tight - and be unplayable on the right surface. Apart from that, it's difficult to argue. As Ian Chappell once pointed out in discussion on "best ever" elevens, you don't really pick guys to save games in a crisis - because there shouldn't be a crisis with teams like this. Despite that, I'd still have Boycott as one of my openers because he simply did it better than anyone in this era. The rest of the team would make up for any speed deficiencies. With Boycott in, I'd leave Barrington out (sorry Sheek) but I'd add a comment - back in the day, Barrington was the one Englishman I definitely wanted out early. Wally Grout's famous comment that every time Barrington came out to bat you could see the Union Jack flying behind him, rings very true. Trueman was a great bowler but probably at his best in the fifties. I recall talking to Colin McDonald about the famous duo of Trueman and Statham (and Tyson). Colin said the two quickest Poms were Tyson (in 54/55) and Statham. I queried, "What about Freddie?" to which Colin replied with a laugh, "Oh, Freddie wasn't that quick - he just thought he was!". So, Kersi, having queried a couple of your selections I now find it virtually impossible to name the definitive team. In most spots there are at least two, and maybe three or four, viable alternatives. Perhaps just a team I'd like to watch. So here goes; Boycott Lawry Ponting Chappell G. Gower Botham Knott Warne Lillee Snow Underwood Waugh S. (12th) Given, this team may just play a "once off" match I'd have Warne as captain. The openers will give the team a start and the rest can just smash them. Mind you, it is also widely forgotten that the early Lawry (as in the early sixties version) was a much more attacking player than his later reputation would suggest. Captaincy added responsibility to his batting and staying in took some priority. Happy to agree that any two or three teams made up of other players would be just as commendable. Sorry Andrew Hilditch, all is forgiven (well, maybe not all.....). P.S. See you at the book launch tonight and we can discuss further.

Brendon, I can only assume you never actually saw Sobers play?

Thank you very much Kersi. Much appreciated there akcnolwdegment as contenders.

Yes Kersi - I must admit that my selections are skewed by the fact that the majority of my cricket watching life (late 70s onwards) has seen the Aussies dominate the Ashes. I only picked two players that I haven't seen in Lawry and Trueman - these selections were based on reputation. It's much easier to pick players that you've seen first hand rather than relying on grainy footage and dusty almanacs. As for the spinners - I've also grown up in an age where two spinners in an XI is very much the exception rather than the rule. I don't know that with Warne in the team you need another spinner, particularly another leggie in Benaud who seems to have made most selections. Maybe Underwood would get a bowl ahead of McGrath in some circumstances but are there any other spinners kicking the selection door down ? I couldn't justify picking Gleeson or Mallett ahead of McGrath. Swann hasn't been around long enough yet and Tuffnell - you must be kidding. He'd be a big show for worst Anglo-Aussie XI. There's any number of quicks I would go for ahead of most of these spinners (Davidson, Thommo, McKenzie, Snow, Willis, Simon Jones, Norman Cowans?) I'll admit to not really knowing enough beyond the numbers about Barrington and Dexter to pick them in my middle order. I don't think there's an English middle order batsman in the 20 years between Gower to Pietersen who would even come close. I'd watch Ponting, Border, Waugh, Botham, Gilchrist bat all day. Even then my next selections would likely be I Chappell, G Chappell, Walters, M Waugh ahead of any English bats. I could never have a batsman like Boycott in my team - I'd be sending Beefy out to run him out every innings! And Johnno - Bruce Reid would be in the top couple of bowlers that I've ever seen - unfortunately his horrible injury run that limited his appearances sometimes precludes him from these types of discussions.

Hi Sheek - I'm not trying to take anyone for a ride. It's a subjective thing. For once I've tried to avoid simply trawling through CricInfo's database in a stats-based dissection and did this off my head from memory of many games viewed live or on the telly. I treated it as a bit of fan fun. Thanks for the nod on Chappelli. Must add that the Snow/Lillee pace combo works well in your team.

Rob, I don't exactly know what kahunas means but I presume it means courage. If so, I thank you. As they say fools rush in and all that! I should have included Healy as among the contenders. And Johnno, same for Michael Slater, Dean Jones and Bruce Reid as contenders.

Kersi, I commend your kahunas on picking this squad. I can barely get my head around an Aussie team over my lifetime, let alone the period you are talking AND adding Poms. The only comment I will make - no thought for Heals!!!! However, I'll admit as an unashamed Healy fan, I am a little bit biased.

I just have one comment; "Harvey after Sobers is the most overrated player in the past 50 years." How in all that is good and holy in this world, can you put the word 'overrated' in the same post as Garry Sobers?!!!!! An argument can be made that while Bradman was the greatest batsman of all time, Sobers was the greatest ever cricketer.

sTILL KNOW ACknodlegment by anyone regarding Bruce Reid, Dameien Fleming, Jaosn Gillespie, Micheal slater(1 comment), and Deano(Jones).

Ben, You're taking us for a ride, aren't you? great choice of Chappelli at 3, although statistically he doesn't deserve it. And neither do Taylor, Atherton, Gatting & Willis (in a combined team).