Last week, we started off our selection process for picking The Roar’s greatest Ashes XI. With about 1000 votes lodged on the initial poll, it’s now time to finalise the team.
Over the next ten days, we’ll be pitting a pair of players against each other for a spot in the final XI. The two players who received the most votes for each position will go head-to-head in a poll both here on The Roar and on the Roar Cricket Facebook page, with he who gets the most votes confirmed in the final line-up.
In the case of positions which require more than one player to fill (we’re not just going to take one paceman, are we?) we’ll take twice as many as required and have the player with the most votes against the one with the least, and the one with the second-most against the second-least so on and so forth.
Starting at the top of the order, today sees arguably Australia’s best modern-day opener facing off against one of England’s pre- and post-WWII greats.
Matthew Hayden received more votes than any other opener in our poll, the big left-hander selected in 46 per cent of teams, and so comes in as the no.1 seed. Len Hutton was a good deal less popular, picked by 19 per cent of the crowd and scraping into this round a mere six votes ahead of Alastair Cook.
Of the two, though, it’s Hutton with the better numbers in Ashes cricket. In 27 Tests against Australia, he scored 2428 runs at an average of 56.46, with five centuries and 14 half-tons to his name.
Hayden’s record is less impressive, although still far from shabby. The Queenslander made 1461 runs at 45.65 in 20 his Tests against the Old Enemy, and scored five fifties and two centuries.
So, who gets the nod to open the batting for our Ashes XI: Hayden or Hutton? Have your say in the form below.
Tomorrow, it’s the other opening batsman as the men who combined for one of Test cricket’s most storied partnerships are set against each other.
justin
Roar Rookie
he didnt make a run that series
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
hayden by a mile
Jordan B
Roar Rookie
Yeah, Hayden wasn't even considered for my openers. Hutton for sure.
JGK
Roar Guru
Not probably!
Rellum
Roar Guru
No video reviews, players were a real mystery back then, and they did not play that often. FC cricket was the main game with the Tests the big ticket items.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Exactly. Those guys’ bowling averages were in the low 30s, except for Jones (28). Plus they had Giles, who went at over 40. Didn’t help much if you brought in Panesar (35). Or Dawson. Whereas the Australian spinners post-1946 averaged about 23 between them (Iversen, Toshack, Johnson, McCool). Putting it this way: average opposition runs scored off the bat per innings against Lindwall, Miller, Johnston & Toshack/Johnson/Iversen = 232. Average oppo runs vs Harmison, Jones, Hoggard, Flintoff and Giles/Panesar = 321. i.e an advantage of about 90 runs per innings.
Nick
Roar Guru
It's more a reflection that people are far less informed these days...and actively choose to be so. That's my frustration. It's like people who say the current season of the simpsons is as good as the stuff in the 90's. Uninformed geese.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
It’s a fair question to ask, except Waugh also averaged about 50 against the Windies and South Africa. And his batting was crucial in 1995 in wrestin the no.1 title from the Windies, who hadn’t lost a series in 15 years.
Nick
Roar Guru
What is your point?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Except most of Hutton’s Ashes matches were against Lindwall, Miller and Johnston, one of the best fast bowling attacks of all time, backed up by spinners who all averaged in the 20s (Toshack, Iversen, Johnson, McCool). These guys were well ahead of the bowlers Hayden faced and on a par with any in the 70s and 80s, with the possible exception of the West Indies. The only other bowling attacks to match them - looking at all four bowlers - would be those Windies teams from late 70s to early 90s, Australia in the McGrath-Warne era and in 1974-76, and maybe Pakistan in the 90s.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
The easiest decades for batting in Australia, judging by average runs/wicket were actually the 1920s, 1960s, 2000s and 2010s (average 35-36 per wicket in Australia). Lowest were the 1930s and 50s (around 29) with 1970s-90s around 31-33. England was relatively high in the 30s (35) but lower in the 60s (30) and 2010s (31). So some pitches were minefields back in the day, but a lot of them weren’t. (These stats for all matches in England and Australia, not just Ashes).
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
To back you up, As noted elsewhere, Hutton averaged 65 in his first five Ashes series, topped the England batting in four of them. One bad final series when he was 38. Mostly against Australian bowlers against whom the opposition scored on average 80-100 less per match than the ones Hayden faced: eg average opposition runs scored off the bat against Lindwall, Miller, Johnston & Toshack/Johnson/Iversen - 232. Average oppo runs vs Harmison, Jones, Hoggard, Flintoff and Giles - 328. Which translates as an advantage up to 200 per match. Not really a contest. Hayden only topped the averages in one of four Ashes series, and had two mediocre series.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Chappell had a great record against the Windies during World Series Cricket, which was one of the fastest and best bowling attacks of all time - Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft, Daniel. Doesn’t count in test record. Chappell was a bit selective about which tours he went on at the end of his careee, but not sure why you think he was tougher. Chappell had a better average at a time when the bowling around the world was arguably stronger than during Ponting’s time, and no matches back then against the likes of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka. But it’s a close call.
Trev
Guest
Hobbs should be the first one picked. He is probably in the top 5 batsmen of all time.
Trev
Guest
Exactly. Very well said. It's frustrating when greats of past eras are overlooked through ignorance. Hutton was one of the all time greats.
Josh H
Roar Rookie
Spruce, I voted for Hutton too, but you're taking what is a fun online vote way, way too seriously. There's really no reason to disparage those who voted for Hayden. Yeah, they've picked a bloke with a considerably weaker Ashes record, but you've got to understand that many cricket fans not only never watched Hutton play, they wouldn't even know his name from a bar of soap. Hayden is one of Australia's greatest openers ever. I don't blame them for connecting two with two. "Sometimes the voters are wrong" - like come on, this is democracy. No one answer is "right" or "wrong". There are worse things happening in the world right now. It's not the end of the universe if people don't vote according to what you like.
Howzat
Guest
Hutton doesn’t have is a highlights reel Yep so no video analysis in his day, or bowling coaches etc.
Howzat
Guest
Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard & Jones
Cari
Roar Rookie
Spot on, its OK for a bit of fun but comparing two batsmen from wildly different eras is just not possible, .i.e. you can’t compare batting averages from very different times, that has been explained by spruce moose. As I said sure its OK for a bit of fun but as a serious competition? Sorry, no.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
No worries then. We'll agree to disagree.