An ODI team that never played white-ball cricket

Right about now, we should have been enjoying the start of a short white-ball series between Australia and New Zealand.

I was particularly looking forward to the three ODI matches because it seems to be ages since Australia last played in this format. In fact, it was about 190 days since the team played ODIs in the West Indies. Remember that?

Anyway, the Black Caps aren’t coming, mostly because they would be hard pressed to get back to New Zealand in time to play a Test series against South Africa, so we’re having what’s known in genteel circles as a hiatus or for those more down-to-earth fans, no bloody cricket.

(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Rather than leave a void, I wanted to look at a team of Australian players who never actually played in the ODI/50-over format we’re used to.

I chose 12 players who I think would be at least as good if not better than the best Australian white-ball team.

Sure they might lose a few early matches but I doubt it would take long for them to pick up the game and their quality would see them earn far more wins than losses.

Pieces like this usually have lots of stats to justify players being included but that won’t be the case here. There’ll be a few numbers but mostly this is about who I think would do the job.

Victor Trumper
He is arguably the best Australian batsman on any surface and a player who could score rapidly. In a format where getting sides off to flyers and taking risks is paramount, Trumper is a must at the top of the order.

(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Charlie Macartney
The ‘Governor General’ would be the perfect foil to Trumper, who he idolised. Macartney scored runs quickly and was more than happy to take on the bowlers from ball one.

Macartney was also a very useful left-arm bowler. He bowled about the same pace as Derek Underwood and was said to be an orthodox finger spinner. He was also very good at varying his pace, a key to being successful in ODI cricket.

Don Bradman
Nothing more needs to be said. He’d be an automatic selection not only because he was such a brilliant batsman, but because he was also an outstanding fieldsman.

Batting at three, he could either anchor the innings or hit out, depending on the state of the game. And with the modern bats, he’d have no trouble clearing the ropes on a regular basis.

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Neil Harvey
I was keen to get a balance of left and right handers in the line-up but not at the cost of quality and in Neil Harvey I got both – a quality left hander who would be perfectly suited to this format.

As with all other players in this team, Harvey’s first instinct was to attack but his technique was so good, he could play defensively to build an innings, but still score runs.

He’s also one of the finest outfielders Australia has produced and with him on one side of the wicket and Bradman on the other, I’d reckon there would be a lot of run outs.

Stan McCabe
McCabe played three famous innings: 187 not out in the Bodyline series at a strike rate of 80, 232 in the 1938 series against England at a strike rate of 83 and 189 not out against South Africa in such bad light, the fielding captain asked the umpires to stop play because McCabe’s shots were endangering the fieldsmen.

That says to me he’d be an outstanding white-ball batsman.

He is another useful medium pacer, but with this attack, he probably wouldn’t be needed.

Keith Miller
Probably Australia’s finest all-rounder, Miller could easily open both the batting and bowling in this format. His skill set is perfectly suited to white-ball cricket.

(Photo by Topical Press/Getty Images)

Jack Gregory
Perhaps not as well known as others in the team, Gregory was another true all-rounder with a Test batting average of 36 and a bowling average of 31.

He’s also a left-handed bat who still holds the record for the fastest century in minutes (70) and in his prime he was an express quick. He’d also be part of the slips cordon with a reach not unlike Cameron Green.

Richie Benaud
This team needs a captain and Benaud would be my choice by some distance. This format demands skippers who can think quickly and be adventurous. This probably sums up Benaud’s captaincy style to a tee.

Good leggies in this format are worth their weight in gold and Benaud was better than good. He was also an extremely aggressive bat, scoring a Test century in 78 minutes.

Throw in his fielding and here’s another player perfectly suited to white-ball cricket.

Alan Davidson
It should be obvious by now that I’ve followed the England approach and stacked the team with all-rounders, meaning Alan Davidson bats at nine. The big difference in this team is that all of these all-rounders are top quality bowlers and Davidson is up there with the very best.

He’d open the bowling and with his ability to move the ball both ways, he would be a handful for any batsman. He was also an excellent fielder, while his Test batting average doesn’t do justice to his raw ability to score runs. He’d be a potent hitter in the last ten overs.

(Central Press/Getty Images)

Don Tallon
White-ball cricket these days demands wicketkeepers be batsmen first and keepers a distant second. In this format, with this team, I’ve gone for the player I consider to be the best gloveman Australia’s produced.

This bowling line-up is going to create a lot of chances and I want the keeper I know will take 99.9 per cent of the opportunities that come his way.

So what if Tallon isn’t the world’s best bat. In a line-up featuring so many quality batsmen, I’d doubt he’d get a hit in most games anyway!

Bill O’Reilly
I deliberately named 12 players because I think there’s a split hair between O’Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett in this format.

I named O’Reilly in the side, mostly because he’s a slightly better bat than Grimmett, though neither are anything more than genuine number 11s.

I could see ‘Tiger’ opening the bowling on some pitches, especially any with a hint of turn or bounce.

My only other concern about O’Reilly is where to hide him in the field (ditto with Grimmett) and how to make sure he doesn’t try and use up all the player reviews. Batsmen were always out when he appealed.

Clarrie Grimmett
Shane Warne had great success in ODI cricket and I see no reason why Grimmett couldn’t do likewise.

The terrific thing about his bowling, apart from his accuracy, was his variations. This would make him such a difficult bowler to face.

If I was to name a squad of 18 players to cover COVID conditions, I’d have to include Fred Spofforth, Clem Hill, Hugh Trumble, Warwick Armstrong (the pre-World War 1 version, not the 22-stone ‘Big Ship’ man), Archie Jackson and Norm O’Neill.