Twenty20 cricket has only existed since 2005, meaning hundreds of greats have missed the chance to play the shortest and most lucrative format of the game.
What if you could choose a first XI of players who never played Twenty20 cricket, but would be really good at it?
Interestingly the top five economy rates of all time in international Twenty20 cricket at present are held by spin bowlers.
1. Barry Richards (South Africa)
It was a tragedy that Richards only played four Tests, but he managed to average 72.57 against Australia in 1969. Nine times in English county cricket he scored a century before lunch and thrilled with his aggressive stroke play in Kerry Packer’s World Series cricket.
2. Victor Trumper (Australia)
In the ‘Golden Age’ of cricket between 1890 and 1914, Trumper was a revered batsman and a staggeringly quick scorer on uncovered wickets.
Australian cricketer Victor Trumper “jumping out for a straight drive” (George Bedlam, National Portrait Gallery)
In the fourth Test of the 1902 Ashes series, in arguably his greatest innings, he became the first player to achieve the very rare feat of making a century on the first morning of a Test match, scoring 103 before lunch against England at Old Trafford.
In March Cricket Monthly performed some calculations revealing Trumper averaged about 40 runs per hour and was among the top ten quickest scorers of all time.
3. Sir Donald Bradman (Australia)
Cricket’s greatest batsman wasn’t a prolific six hitter – striking only half a dozen in his 80 Test innings. However he could score extremely quickly, amassing 309 in a day of a Test against England in 1934 and three years earlier clubbing a 22-ball century in a charity match.
4. Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies)
‘The Master Blaster’ averaged 47 with a strike rate of 90 in ODIs. For over two decades he held the world record for the fastest test century, smashing triple figures from only 56 balls against England in 1986.
Richards was feared for his ability to obliterate attacks and was a handy part time bowler.
Vivian Richards batting (Photo: S&G/PA Images via Getty Images)
5. Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
The Cricinfo profile of Sobers states: “A cricketing genius, Garry Sobers excelled at all aspects of the game, and few would argue his claim as the finest allround player in modern cricket.” Sobers averaged 57 in Test cricket and was the first player to ever strike six sixes in a single over of a first class match.
Sobers took 235 Test wickets at 34, bowling both fast-medium and wrist spin. Additionally Sobers was a brilliant fieldsman.
6. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
The opening line of Khan’s Cricinfo profile states: “Suave, erudite and monstrously talented, he gave cricket in the subcontinent real sex appeal in the 1970s and 1980s. As such he and TV completed the popularisation of the game in his country.”
Khan was an aggressive and consistent batsman with a Test average of 37, but he was ever greater with the ball. Pacy and precise with the ability to move the ball in both directions, Khan took 182 ODI wickets, conceding less than four an over. Khan led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup.
Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
Swinging, searing left arm pace makes Akram the perfect bowling partner for the right-handed Khan.
Akram was the first bowler in international cricket to take more than 400 wickets in both Tests and ODI’s. Akram was an explosive, if somewhat inconsistent, batsman. Akram actually holds the world record for most sixes in a single Test innings with 12 against Zimbabwe in 1996.
Richie Benaud (Australia)
Gideon Haigh captured Benaud succinctly when he said, “Benaud as a legspinner was full of baits and traps, and he batted and fielded with verve.” An authoritative leader whose ambitious direction changed the Australian team in the early sixties, Benaud was one of the world’s best all rounders for close to a decade.
Ian Smith (New Zealand)
The averages and scoring rates of wicket keeper batsman have soared in the last two decades, but Ian Smith in addition to being a competent glove man was always a quick scorer, striking at 99 and averaging 17 in his ODI career.
In test cricket his highest score was 173 off 136 balls against India, including 24 off one over from Atul Wassan.
Joel Garner (West Indies)
The lanky and fiery West Indian boasts the best economy rate of all time in ODI cricket, conceding a mere 3.09 runs an over in 98 matches between 1977 and 1987. The combination of extreme pace, accuracy and bounce makes Garner a nightmare to score off in any format.
Derek Underwood (England)
Nicknamed ‘Deadly’ Underwood was quicker than your typical spinner, but with subtle changes of pace he effectively fired darts at times which would be very tricky to score from.
Underwood took 297 test wickets at 25.86 and claimed a staggering 2465 first class victims between 1963 and 1987.
Adam Julian
Guest
Flower played T20, a few matches hence why he missed the cut.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Collis King would have been the ultimate T-20 cricketer. Was a useful medium pacer and could give the ball some good thump. At Lord's in the 1979 WC final, he made Viv Richards play the 2nd fiddle to him during his stay at the wicket.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Hell of a second x1
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Some good names . I’d throw Gus Logie in for his fielding and can bat and bowl a bit too
TommyH
Guest
Yeah, theres a video on youtube of it. Barry Richards opened the batting in Bradmans final fantasy team before he died as well. What a player ! There are stories he turned his bat 90degrees in the nets at Hampshire and used to train like that. Incredible.
Richard Islip
Roar Rookie
Barry Richards........what was not mentioned, was that playing for South Australia against W Australia in 1971, he scored 300 in one day, against a young Lillee and "mature" Graham McKenzie. Not too shabby.
TommyH
Guest
Gilbert 'The Croucher' Jessop was something else really. I had a book by him 'Cricket and how to play it' with some very interesting ideas on how to bat in it. https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/cricket-and-how-to-play-it/author/gilbert-jessop/ Heres an article on him; http://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketer/content/story/134791.html Back then they used to score by runs an hour rather than runs per 100 balls. Today the average county rate of scoring must be about 50 runs an hour, which means that the individual batsman scores at about half this rate. Great batsmen have reached much faster rates, On the evidence of a high proportion of their innings, WG Grace and Hutton scored at 36 runs an hour, CB Fry and FS Jackson at 40, Hobbs, Hendren, Clem Hill and Hammond at 43, JT Tyldesley, Compton, Bradman and MacLaren at 47, McCabe and Ranji at 50, Duleepsinhji, George Cox, Macartney at 52, RE Foster, Trumper and Woolley at 55. The evidence of all Jessop's 179 scores of over 50 (some one in five of all his innings) shows that he scored these innings at a rate of 79 runs an hour. His 53 scores of over 100 were scored at nearly 83 runs an hour. And by the way this was in an era when a 6 was considered a 4 unless the ball was hit out the ground. Gilbert Jessop is the greatest player to have never played 20/20 easily.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Another who could have made a mark was Simon O’Donnell. Early years Steve Waugh with his slower balls and outstanding batting. Or his brother.
Vin
Roar Rookie
I'd play Botham in front of Garner
Sameer Murthy
Roar Rookie
Do you mean T20 Internationals? Wasim Akram actually played a season of T20 for Hampshire right at the end of his career in 2003. Took 8 wickets @ 15 in 5 games, so was still very good even at the age of 37!
Anthony B
Guest
Surely Andy Flower get in ahead of Ian Smith as the Keeper Batsman? One of the best keeper batsman ever, at one point averaging over 60.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I reckon Ian Harvey from our early 2000's ODI side would have been a gem in this format. Dean Jones too at his best would have torn it up.
Paul
Roar Guru
I forgot Clive Lloyd off my list. The big man could surely hit a cricket ball, was brilliant in the field a better than useful medium pacer and was not a bad captain.
Targa
Guest
Lance Cairns - the bloke would hit 6s for fun with today's boundaries and bats
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Kris Srikkanth would have love it. And Chris Tavare.
Carlin
Roar Rookie
Imagine how good Sir Viv Richards would have been at T20 cricket. He was the master blaster. I think Dean Jones could fit into this category as he was a very aggressive limited overs batsmen and ran well between wickets. The other for me (and this being slightly bias) is Sir Richard Hadlee. Was the best fast bowler of his era with superb line and length. He also was a good striker down the order batting around number 8.
Matt H
Roar Guru
I forgot Doug Walters. In his prime Dougie could go very hard indeed. Hit a century in a session at the WACA in 1974 with a six off the last ball if I remember correctly.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Some good ones there Paul. Leary Constantine would have been a T20 superstar.
Paul
Roar Guru
Other guys who would have made a gazillion at T20 include Sir Leary Constantine - great all rounder from the West Indies George Headley - known as the black Bradman The three W's - Walcott, Weekes and Worrell Rohan Kanhai Wes Hall Jeff Dujon Gibert Jessup - held the record for the fastest century for years Stan McCabe SF Barnes - anyone who has a Test bowling record like his, has to be a show in T20 Martin Crowe from NZ would have killed it at his peak
Matt H
Roar Guru
Hi Adam, good list well thought out and hard to argue with any of that. Given your Dream Team need an opponent here’s a second XI to given them a game. Charlie McCartney Roy Fredericks Graeme Pollock Gilbert Jessop Keith Miller Ian Botham Kapil Dev Jeff Dujon Alan Davidson Bill O’Reilly Saqlain Mushtaq There is some big hitting in there and good luck scoring quickly off Alan Davidson or Tiger O’Reilly.