Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
This month’s side is good, with an impressive middle-order trio. However it could spend some long days in the field chasing leather, and be…
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This month’s side is good, with an impressive middle-order trio. However it could spend some long days in the field chasing leather, and be…
This team is a seriously good one, and ranks among the strongest in the entire series, as it contains seven great batsmen, and four superb bowlers.
January's team is well balanced with the potential to bat deep in the line-up and some swing and spin options for the bowlers.
Many of the world's top cricketers were born in December: Two were born on Christmas Day, and another on New Year’s Eve.
This is the most watchable team in the entire series, and one of the strongest. I’d travel far, and pay a lot, to see…
This team is stronger than the one for September, and arguably one of the best in the entire series. Whether batting or fielding, the…
While this month’s team might lack the batting strength of the August-born team of the month, a superb five-man bowling attack and outstanding captain…
Keen cricket followers will already know what this article is about, simply by its title. Seventy-five years ago, on Saturday 14 August 1948, the…
Following on from last month’s July-born World Cricket XI we move on to August. While arguably not as strong asJuly, it does boast one…
Another month, another team. This one is arguably stronger than the June-born Team of the month. Some all-time greats have again missed out on…
A few years ago I named twelve pairs of Australian and English teams, with each player eligible only for the side representing the month…
"He was relentless, a chill wind of antagonism blew from him on the sunniest day." Neville Cardus Sydney Francis Barnes was born 150 years…
Next week will mark the 50th anniversary of a memorable Ashes series. A soon-to-be-great Australian team was led by one their best ever captains,…
We armchair historians love picking fantasy teams. The best pre-WWI side, the greatest post-2000 eleven, and everything in between. The eras that we nominate…
Each player listed below has earned his place in this composite Australian team, with an outstanding Ashes performance at the Sydney Cricket Ground during…
Australia’s Colosseum has hosted many wonderful games against England. Each player listed below has earned his place in this composite Australian team, with an…
Adelaide Oval has hosted many wonderful Ashes matches - from 'Amazing Adelaide' in the 2006-07 series, all the way back to spinner Chuck Fleetwood-Smith's…
Adelaide Oval has hosted many wonderful Ashes matches - from 'Amazing Adelaide' in the 2006-07 series, all the way back to spinner Chuck Fleetwood-Smith's…
The Gabba has been Australia’s happy hunting ground since 1946, including 12 wins in Ashes contests. It has also been the location for four…
Seventy-five years ago this month, a historic series began. It included one of the most controversial incidents in Ashes history. That event occurred during…
+ Bill Watson makes 14.
Incredible drama as Victorian Premier Cricket club go full Bazball, win grand final with all time run chase for 70-year first
+ Moises Henriques, Stuart MacGill
Incredible drama as Victorian Premier Cricket club go full Bazball, win grand final with all time run chase for 70-year first
Thanks Mike,
After the final team has been published in early-May, I’ll submit a 13th article ranking all twelve teams, probably in late-May before the ICCT20WC commences.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Sydney’s First Grade final of 1994/95 was a memorable “reverse outright,” particularly after North Sydney only got there via a very expensive midweek court case.
The court-case background –
https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/361/warwick-adlam/blog/511/the-contrived-result-north-sydney-thrown-out-of-sydney-grade-cricket-semi-finals-in-1994-95
The final, as described by a participant-
1st GRADE FINAL vs Nth Sydney at Bankstown Oval:
Day 1 – Bankstown dismissed for 89 in our 1st innings on a green top. Nth Sydney finished Day 1 at 1-100. A lead of 11 with 9 wickets in hand. We were gone!!!
Day 2, we bowled the Bears out for around 200. We were then 5-150 in our 2nd innings and ended up scoring around 350 thanks to a great partnership by Steve Small and Scott Grant – great hundred by Shrub!
Day 3 – Thanks to an incredible effort by Scott Thompson (Scott Hookey out 1st ball) and Wayne Holdsworth (bowled Phil Marks for 100 at the death) we bowled Nth Sydney out a few runs short of the target to win back-to-back premierships.
Incredible drama as Victorian Premier Cricket club go full Bazball, win grand final with all time run chase for 70-year first
Next they’ll be using the term to describe Test matches…
Incredible drama as Victorian Premier Cricket club go full Bazball, win grand final with all time run chase for 70-year first
Thanks BBOB (and welcome to the Roar too !),
My associations must have been the exceptions to the rule.
Incredible drama as Victorian Premier Cricket club go full Bazball, win grand final with all time run chase for 70-year first
In 50 years of following club cricket I’ve never before heard the term “reverse outright.”
In Sydney it would be called simply “an outright win after losing on first innings.”
The whole point of scheduling a 3-dayer, instead of the usual 2-dayer or 1-dayer, is to increase the chances of an outright result. Plus of course to reduce the chances of wet weather preventing even a first-innings result.
Incredible drama as Victorian Premier Cricket club go full Bazball, win grand final with all time run chase for 70-year first
Hi Mike,
I think that you’ll like the team for April, that I’ll submit in a few weeks’ time. It will include a gloveman that averaged 41.00 at number seven, and a bowling quartet so good that for the only time in this entire series, I didn’t feel the need to support it with a decent fifth bowler.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Thanks Mike,
You’ve made a good case. I thought long and hard over the best complementary spin pairing- Herath/Swann, Herath/Giffen, Al Hasan/Swann or Al Hasan/Giffen. Each had advantages and disadvantages.
If you’re after a great side with a short tail, here’s a few options-
Some months just got lucky.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Thanks DaveJ,
So many factors play into “standardising” run-scoring across distant era. Great that your article got so many views and comments. There’s hope for humanity yet. Here’s a few other interesting ones-
https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1138684/who-are-the-fastest-scorers-in-test-history
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/analysing-test-dismissals-across-the-ages-622519
When comparing Hill’s era to the current one, one could argue that a 40 by him is equivalent to a half-century, an 80 to a ton, and a 160 to a double-century. Raw averages and scoring rates don’t need to be the only figures adjusted upwards.
On an entertainment basis, there must be a sweet spot. I think I’d rather watch 20 overs and 60 runs per hour, than 13 overs and the same 60 runs ! The scoreboard is ticking over as quickly, but the quantity of enjoyment via bowling is higher.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Happy birthday Clem Hill, born 147 years ago today, during what is now recognised as the very first Test match.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Hi chaukspp, thanks for the feedback.
This team is clearly the weakest one in the entire series. And unfortunately, strengthening a weakness in one place will only weaken a strength somewhere else. For example, playing Herath and Swann would mean commencing the side’s tail at number six.
Solkar would make a great twelfth man a la Gus Logie and Roger Harper. Especially as this side is weak in both bowling, and fielding. It needs to take every chance offered.
Fair comment about Hussain, given I did list Atherton. But with a career average of 37, and just 14 tons from 96 games, I didn’t seriously consider him.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Trescothick played 28 times with Strauss. In them he scored 9 centuries, and averaged 48.68.
But Trescothick struggled with his health when on tour. Those particular 28 games (of his 76 in total) comprised 21 in Eng, 2 in Pak and 5 in RSA. And his tours to Aus yielded 261 runs at 26.10 in 2002/03, then an early return home in 2006/07 without having played (shades of Trott and Swann in 2013/14).
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Thanks Redcap,
The side will provide some entertaining cameos, but fail completely against ones like these-
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
He didn’t even get to leave the dressing room balcony to deliver a drink, towel or change of gloves every 10 minutes.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
And how did those 19th-century sides ever cope without a coach, assistant coach, batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, strength and conditioning coach, nutritionist, dietician, analyst, security manager, media manager, team doctor and psychologist ?
The 12th man (if he existed) must have been very lonely in the changeroom every time that his team was in the field.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Hi TLN,
And explaining to Giffen that a bowling change didn’t mean just a change of ends for him.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Hi DaveJ,
The 1928/29 combination of flat pitches, dry weather, timeless Tests, a weak opposing pace attack and an average over-rate of 21.4 per hour was lethal.
They made possible the glacial scoring rates of Hammond (905 runs at 35.89 runs/100 balls), as well as Sutcliffe (355 at a rate of 28.69) and Jardine (341 at a rate of 25.75). Hammond’s innings contrasted with his one at Lord’s in 1938 (240 at a rate of 60.91).
No wonder Bradman was so keen to return the favour in spades, at every possible opportunity during the next 20 years.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Hi mrl,
Inzy can field at first slip all day.
And Giffen can bowl from one end all day. I briefly considered making him captain, just so that I’d get away with picking only 2 other bowlers, and be able to play an extra specialist batsman.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Thanks DaveJ,
Unfortunately picking the best 5 bowlers (including Herath and Swann) could have meant the tail started with Wasim Bari at number six ?
And a useful non-Test-playing attack might include van der Bijl plus 3 of Bart King, Jack Massie, Franklyn Stephenson, Ted Wass and Charles Kortright ?
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Thanks, TLN. But it would still be favoured to pick up the wooden spoon in this 12-team competition.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Hi Ray,
I respectfully disagree, while acknowledging that neither of us can prove the other wrong !
Hill was exceptional in his own era, and in my opinion would have been exceptional in any other one. In his era, match conditions meant scoring was about 20% lower than it is nowadays. At the time of his last game in 1912-
* he was the highest Test run-scorer of all time
* only Trumper had scored more Test tons
* only Syd Gregory had played more Tests
* his career average was higher than that of any other batsman to date with more than 20 caps.
If he had been born 100 years later, his 16-year career could have yielded up to 200 Tests and 15,000 runs.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Reverse psychology ?
Incredible drama as Victorian Premier Cricket club go full Bazball, win grand final with all time run chase for 70-year first