Month: December 2023

P is for Power, Panache, Presence etc

An all time XI of players whose given names begin with P, an important honourable mentions section which starts with two ‘what might have beens’ and a photo gallery.

In this post I select an all time XI of players whose given names begin with the letter P. There is an extensive and important honourable mentions section as well, and some photographs to end.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Peter Richardson (England, left handed opening batter). Had a fine test record in a generally low scoring decade, the 1950s. He also lacked a regular opening partner at England level, which makes his achievements in the role even more creditable.
  2. Phil Jaques (Australia, left handed opening batter). One of the many fine players to miss out on opportunities because Australia had a dominant and settled line up at the time. His performances in the nine test matches he got to play were excellent, and his first class record over a long career speaks for itself.
  3. Peter May (England, right handed batter). An outstanding career record, averaging 46 in test cricket’s lowest, slowest scoring decade.
  4. Phil Mead (England, left handed batter). A fine test record, and an outstanding first class one. His Hampshire tallies of 48,809 runs and 138 centuries are both records for a single first class team, while his overall career tallies place him fourth all time in both runs scored and centuries made.
  5. Polly Umrigar (India, right handed batter, occasional off spinner). He overcame a traumatic start to his test career, mainly at the hands of Fred Trueman, to end it as the holder of India career records for most runs and most centuries at test level, and with an average of 42 at that level. His India career records all stood as such until Sunil Gavaskar came along and didn’t so much raise the bar as blast it into the stratosphere.
  6. *Percy Fender (England, right handed batter, leg spinner, captain). Perhaps one place higher than would be absolutely ideal, but this side has a strong top five, and there is a very handy keeper/ batter to come. A fine all rounder, and an even finer captain, a role that Peter May’s presence not withstanding I have no hesitation in awarding him in this side.
  7. +Paul Nixon (England, wicket keeper, left handed batter). He was never picked by England for a test match, though he did play some limited overs internationals, but he was very fine wicket keeper, and good enough with the bat to average 35 in first class cricket.
  8. Pat Cummins (Australia, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). One of the best contemporary fast bowlers.
  9. Peter Pollock (South Africa, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). The spearhead of the South African bowling attack in the last years of their first incarnation as a test nation, he first developed his bowling in the backyard of the family home, where if he wanted a bat he had first to dismiss his younger brother, and since said younger brother was Graeme Pollock that, as many another bowler learned over the years, took quite a lot of doing.
  10. Peter Heine (South Africa, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). Formed an excellent and nasty new ball pairing with Neil Adcock, who should probably have been in the Ns XI in the years immediately before Pollock.
  11. Palwankar Baloo (India, left arm orthodox spin bowler, left handed batter). India were not a test nation in his playing days, and since rather than being a Jam Saheb or a Nawab he was a humble member of a low caste he did not have the opportunity of going to England to play. 33 first class matches yielded him 179 wickets at 15.09 a piece, an astounding record, especially given the caste prejudice he faced while assembling it.

This side has a powerful top five, a fine all rounder who was also a very astute captain, an excellent keeper/ batter and four high quality specialist bowlers. Cummins, Pollock, Heine, Baloo and Fender, with Umrigar available as sixth bowler are unlikely to struggle to take 20 opposition wickets.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

I begin this section, for reasons that I hope will become apparent, with…

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN? (X2)

My first what might have been, and the one that some would be gunning for me over my failure to include him is Phillip Hughes, a left handed opening batter who died after being hit on the back of the head by a bouncer in 2014, at the age of just 26. Hughes’ tragic demise does not change basic facts: in this case he had not done enough to earn his place in this XI, with a test average of under 33, including the 2010-11 Ashes when he looked decidedly ordinary. There is no way of knowing how his career would have developed, and I can only go on actual facts, therefore he misses out.

The second person to feature in this section is another Aussie. Some 40 years before Glenn McGrath was born there Dubbo, New South Wales had come very close to producing a champion fast bowler: Pat Crawford. His career came to a premature end after a horrible injury. In four test matches he took seven wickets at 15.28, while 37 first class matches yielded him 110 scalps at 21.02. In view of the achievements of Cummins, Pollock and Heine, plus one or two others who had to miss out I felt that while his figures did suggest a truly great performer I could not include him.

REGULAR HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Two other openers whose test records definitely make them worthy of consideration were Paul Gibb and Peter Parfitt, the former of whom could also have been named as keeper. Pravin Amre of India started his first class career looking like he was going to shred the record books, but ultimately did not do so, though his records at both first class and test level were excellent by mosr reckonings. Pathum Nissanka of Sri Lanka has an outstanding first class batting record and a very respectable test one, and may ultimately claim a place in this XI, but at the moment he is not quite there. Peter Burge of Australia was also in the mix for a middle order batting slot, but although he definitively won one test match for his country (an innings of 160 that was largely responsible for what looked a substantial first innings deficit becoming a substantial first innings lead) his overall record was respectable rather than great. Paul Collingwood was a candidate for the place I gave to Umrigar, and would also be a candidate for being the designated substitute fielder, though he has a rival for that slot in Paul Parker. Phil Sharpe was a gritty batter who averaged 40 at test level and an outstanding slip fielder. Parthiv Patel, Paul Downton and Peter Nevill were the three wicket keepers closest to challenging Nixon. The fastest bowler to miss out was unquestionably Patrick Patterson, but he was nearly as erratic as he was quick, which is why his record falls short of greatness. Peter Siddle and Pat Trimborn were both quality practitioners of right arm fast medium bowling. Pedro Collins was another test match pacer not quite good enough for this XI. The spin options were thinner on the ground, though Pat Pocock, who once took seven wickets in 11 balls for Surrey against Sussex deserves a mention, and two contrasting left armers, Philippe-Henri Edmonds and Paul Adams of the ‘frog in a blender’ action would both have their advocates. Pat Symcox, a fine off spinner for South Africa, would also have his advocates. Peter Hatzoglou (leg spin) and Patrick Dooley (left arm wrist spin) would be candidates for a limited overs side. Australian left hander Phoebe Litchfield would also be a candidate for a batting slot in a limited overs XI.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

England Swallow Dive Into New Era and Orchestrating an All Time XI

A look back at last night’s ODI series decider between West Indies and England, an all time XI with given names beginning with O as its theme and a photo gallery.

Last night saw the deciding ODI of the series between West Indies and England. That and an all time XI of players where the main focus is having a given name beginning with O form the bulk of today’s post.

WEST INDIES V ENGLAND DECIDER

As you will see it is more than usually appropriate that the heading of this section of the blog is in maroon, the colour of the West Indies.

Rain delayed the start significantly, and the by the time of the toss the match was reduced to 43 overs per side instead of 50. West Indies won the toss and put England into bat. Matthew Forde made an international debut in place of Oshane Thomas for West Indies and Matt Potts replaced Brydon Carse for England.

Ford bowled outstandingly with the new ball and was rewarded with three very quick wickets. Alzarri Joseph then struck twice, though he only got officially credited for one – a brilliant piece of fielding off his own bowling that in conjunction with a hesitation between the batters led to a run out was the one for which he got no credit, a terrible shot that led to a first ball duck for skipper Buttler was the one that he did get credit for. At that point England were reeling at 49-5. Liam Livingstone and Ben Duckett then shared a big partnership, and it looked like England’s early collapse might not be terminal.

England’s spinners bowled well, and the West Indies looked like failing in the chase on several occasions. Then, at the crucial moment, with the run rate definitely looking challenging for WI, and on a pitch on which extra pace had been at best a dubious asset (Forde, so successful for WI, is a medium pacer, and WI’s next best bowlers were their own spinners Motie and Cariah) Buttler entrusted Atkinson with an over. Atkinson immediately started trying for yorkers, and served up two delicious full tosses which both went for sixes. In total this over yielded 24 runs, and the result was no longer in doubt. WI duly won by four wickets and took the series.

There have been signs of promise from England this series, with Jacks and Salt looking like a decent opening pair, Jacks bowling well yesterday, Livingstone faring decently as an all rounder and Duckett’s innings yesterday, but there are also obvious problems, the biggest of them being Buttler’s inadequacy as skipper. West Indies bowl better than they bat (which as anyone familiar with my blog knows is the way round I would prefer things if I had to have a side that was stronger in one department than the other), with Forde a hugely promising new comer, Alzarri Joseph and Oshane Thomas both good pacers and Cariah and Motie good spinners. The batting is a trifle too dependent on Shai Hope for comfort, but they did the job yesterday without him making a huge score.

ORCHESTRATING AN ALL TIME XI

Today pick an all time XI with the theme being players whose given names begin with the letter O. I have had to resort to a couple of cheat picks to complete the XI, but nine of my players do indeed have given names beginning with O.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Octavius Radcliffe (England, right handed opening batter, occasional off spinner). A west country based amateur of the late 19th century (born and died in Wiltshire, turned out for both Gloucestershire and Somerset, the former of which helped get him a place on the 1891-2 Ashes tour, skippered by WG Grace), and his record compares reasonably with those of a similar vintage.
  2. Felix Organ (Hampshire, right handed opening batter, off spinner). One of my ‘cheat picks’, and picked more on potential than actual achievement. He does have a name beginning with O, but not his given name.
  3. Ollie Pope (England, right handed batter, occasional wicket keeper). An excellent FC record and a respectable test record which he is well capable of improving. Number three has been his best position for England.
  4. Owais Shah (England, right handed batter, occasional off spinner). In common with many an English player of vintage he has a good domestic record while having done little of note at international level.
  5. O’Neill Gordon ‘Collie’ Smith (West Indies, right handed batter, occasional off spinner). He was killed in a car crash while in the process of establishing himself. He had done enough to earn his place in this XI.
  6. Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan, right handed batter, right arm medium fast bowler). My second ‘cheat pick’, he has shown himself to be a fine player, and I expect him to improve further.
  7. +Oliver George Robinson (Kent, Durham, Wicket keeper, right handed batter). For me he should second choice for England men’s test wicket keeper right now behind Ben Stokes. He has recently moved from Kent to Durham, and the move north has not adversely affected his batting average, proof positive that he is genuinely skilled in that department, not merely a beneficiary of southern climes and pitches.
  8. Omar Henry (South Africa, left arm orthodox spinner, left handed batter). The first non-white cricketer ever picked for an official South Africa XI, though that came too late in his career to for him to really benefit, 443 Fc wickets at 25.17 and 4,566 FC runs at 27.34 with five centuries and an HS of 125 show him to have been a fine cricketer when in his prime.
  9. Oliver Edward Robinson (England, right arm fast medium bowler, right handed batter). When fully fit he is a formidable bowler. It is the necessity of that caveat that is problematic.
  10. Odean Brown (West Indies, leg spinner, right handed batter). Yet to play international cricket, but 255 FC wickets at 23.00 is a respectable record.
  11. Olly Stone (England, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). Has been plagued by injuries, but when fit he is a devastating bowler.

I cannot pretend that this is a great XI, but it has a functional opening pair, a respectable 3,4,5, a hugely promising all rounder at six, a class keeper/ batter and four decent front line bowlers, though two of those would be injury worries.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Most of these are players who would merit consideration for a limited overs XI but not for a long form one. There are three exceptions: Ossie Wheatley and Oliver Hannon-Dalby established fine records bowling right arm fast medium at county level, and if worried about having both OE Robinson and Stone in the XI one of these two could replace OE Robinson, though it must be noted of Wheatley that he was a genuine liability except when actually bowling. Aussie Women’s leg spinner of the 1990s Olivia Magno was also a genuine candidate for the slot I gave to Odean Brown. Oliver Rayner, an off spin bowling all rounder, had to be overlooked due to the number of front line batters in this XI who could bowl off spin if needed. Four West Indians would in the mix if not on the team sheet if I were selecting with limited overs in mind: Obed McCoy (left arm seamer), Odean Smith (right arm seam bowling all rounder), Omari Banks (off spinner who could bat) and Oshane Thomas (right arm fast bowler, excellent in limited overs, but has an awful record in long form matches).

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

“Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning” – not really needed in an English December, but accurate.
A pair of Canada Geese in the Great Ouse (six pictures total)
Lapwings enjoying the exposed mudflat at a bend in the Great Ouse (several pictures)
Four Lynx buses parked up at Lynn Interchange
An Excel Bus awaiting passengers.

All Time XIs – Given Names Begin With N

An all time XI of players whose given names begin with N, some honourable mentions and a two part photo gallery.

Today I pick an all time XI of players whose given names begin with the letter N. I also have some photos to share with you.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Nazar Mohammad (Pakistan, right handed opening batter). He only played a handful of test matches but fared respectably in those, and his domestic record was very good.
  2. Neil McKenzie (South Africa, right handed opening batter). An adhesive opener with a good test record.
  3. *Nasser Hussain (England, right handed batter, captain). As a batter he started badly at international level but recovered to finish with a very respectable career record. As a captain it was he who began to drag England back from the nadir of 1999 when they were dumped out of their own world cup in the group stages and dropped to the bottom of the world test rankings.
  4. Neil Harvey (Australia, left handed batter). One of the greatest of all left handers, and at the time of his retirement he ranked second only to Bradman among Australian test batters.
  5. Norman O’Neill (Australia, right handed batter). He made his debut at Brisbane in 1958, one of the slowest scoring test matches ever played, but one person proved that it was possible to score at a reasonable rate on that surface: Norman O’Neill, whose 73 not out to win the match for his side in the final innings took less than two and a half hours.
  6. Natalie Sciver-Brunt (England, right handed batter, right arm medium pacer). A contemporary great.
  7. +Niall O’Brien (Ireland, wicket keeper, left handed batter). He was of the generation who helped get Ireland elevated to full member status but for whom that elevation came too late. Over 9,000 FC runs at 35 and over 500 dismissals as a keeper provide solid credentials for his place here.
  8. Norbert Philip (West Indies, right arm fast medium bowler, right handed batter). A fine bowling all rounder who was not quite good enough for West Indies at their greatest – he played some test matches during the Packer years, but never got picked when WI were at full strength. He was an overseas player for Essex for a period and in 1983 he combined with Neil Foster (doubly not qualified, through having gone on a rebel tour of Apartheid South Africa and not having been good enough in any case) to dismiss Surrey for 14, the lowest all out total in first class cricket since before WWII.
  9. Neville Knox (England, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). He got called up for England against South Africa in 1907, though in a wet season on uncovered pitches, with the spinners making merry he was little more than a passenger. Unfortunately knee problems got the better of him at the end of this season, and his career ended prematurely. However his performances in 1906 and 1907 (England had no home series that season and no away tour in 1906-7) were outstanding.
  10. Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan, left arm wrist spin bowler, right handed batter). One of a phalanx of high quality spinners being produced by Afghanistan at the moment.
  11. Nathan Lyon (Australia, off spinner, right handed batter). In red ball cricket Australia has produced exactly one top class spinner since Warne’s retirement – Nathan Lyon.

Given names beginning with N does not give me a treasure chest of talent to work with, but I think this unit, with a strong top five, an all rounder at six, a keeper who can bat, a good new ball pairing and two good spinners is a pretty solid looking team.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Nick Compton was the only serious challenger for an opening berth. Neil Johnson of Zimbabwe would be in a limited overs XI, but his record in long form cricket was very ordinary. Nari Contractor and Neil Fairbrother both did well at first class level but did not deliver at test level, though the latter would be a candidate for a limited overs side. Nicholas Pooran would be candidate for both a batting slot and the gauntlets in a limited overs side, but not in long form cricket. Nigel Haig was a decent county all rounder, but did little in his five test matches and did not have the x-factor of Neville Knox. Neil Mallender was a good county seamer, and did well enough in his two test appearances. Norman Cowans once took a six-for against Australia in a test match, but his overall record was not great. Natasha ‘Tash’ Farrant was the only left arm seam option I could think of, and it would have been stretch even for me to include her in this XI. Nathan Hauritz was several cuts below Lyon as an off spinner. Narendra Hirwani rewrote the record books on his test debut, but his performances thereafter were ordinary.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Another two part photo section. Today has not been a day to offer vast opportunities to a photographer, so I also include some interesting stuff from work – lots 1-14 in what will be a small auction on January 23rd, printed but as yet uncut Italian playing cards…

…and some of my regular stuff.

M & Ms

An all time XI of players whose given names begin with the letter M, a more than usually important honourable mentions section, which deals with several areas of controversy and a two part photo gallery.

Today I present an all time XI of cricketers whose given names all begin with the letter M, and an honourable mentions section of more than usual importance. I also have plenty of photos to share.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. *Mark Taylor (Australia, left handed opening batter, captain). The second in a sequence of extraordinarily successful Aussie skippers, in that role he consolidated the achievements of Border who had taken over a team of also rans and passed his successor a team of champions and was succeeded by Steve Waugh. The wheels eventually came off the Aussie juggernaut under Waugh’s successor as skipper, Ricky Ponting, who suffered three Ashes series defeats, the last of which featured Australia on the wrong end of three innings defeats. His status as a batter was first shown in 1989 when he scored 839 runs in that year’s Ashes, a series tally beaten by only one Australian (Don Bradman, 974 in 1930), and bested by only Hammond among England players (905 in 1928-9). Probably his most famous moment came when he declared with himself on 334*, at the time a joint record individual score for an Australian with Don Bradman.
  2. Michael Slater (Australia, right handed opening batter). An attack minded opener who once scored 123* in a total of 184 all out, a performance that almost certainly won his side the match in question.
  3. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka, right handed batter). One of his country’s finest ever batters. He once scored 374 against South Africa, a test record for a right handed batter, in the course of which he shared a third wicket stand of 624, a first class record for any wicket, with Kumar Sangakkara. Almost 12,000 test runs at 49 show that he was far from being the Colombo specialist he was sometimes labelled.
  4. Martin Crowe (New Zealand, right handed batter). With the greatest of respect to Kane Williamson who has been part of a much stronger batting line up, he was probably the greatest batter his country has produced to date. His maiden test century, against England in the 1983-4 series between the two countries inspired his team mates to save a game in which they looked well beaten for most of the duration. This result in turn helped New Zealand to win a series against England for the first time ever, a feat they then repeated in England two and a half years later.
  5. Martin Donnelly (New Zealand, left handed batter). When he was in his prime cricket in New Zealand was almost entirely amateur, a fact that caused him to leave the game early, taking up a post as marketing manager at Courtauld’s of Sydney. In his brief career he became one of only two players to score Lord’s centuries in a Varsity match, a Gentlemen versus Players match and a test match. The last of this trio was an innings of 206. Also in a now legendary match between England and the Dominions, again at Lord’s, he was one of two Dominions players along with Keith Miller to score centuries, while a banquet of batting was completed by Hammond who scored twin tons for England.
  6. Mulvantrai Himmatlal ‘Vinoo’ Mankad (India, right handed batter, left arm orthodox spin bowler). This is probably the most controversial selection of my XI, but this guy was a lot more than the first to run out a non-striker for stealing ground in a test match – he completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in his 23rd test match, a mark bettered only by Ian Botham (21 matches) ever since. His batting highlights included four double centuries, while his best test innings figures were an eight-for.
  7. +Mark Boucher (wicket keeper, right handed batter). Over 500 test match dismissals in the course of his very long career, and good enough with the bat to average 30 at test level.
  8. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). For my money the greatest fast bowler of the golden age of West Indies fast bowling, and therefore by definition among the greatest of all time. He was also a useful lower order batter.
  9. Mitchell Johnson (Australia, left arm fast bowler, left handed batter). This was another close call, the other candidate for the left arm fast bowler’s slot also being an Australian with the given name Mitchell, but my reckoning is that Johnson had a higher ceiling than Starc, and for that reason he gets the nod.
  10. Michael Holding (West Indies, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). “Whispering Death” first gained legendary status at The Oval in 1976, when he conjured 14-149 (8-92 and 6-57) out of one of the flattest pitches imaginable, a surface on which every other bowler in the match took exactly as many wickets between them as he managed on his own, and he never lost the status he gained then for the rest of his playing career, also going on to a successful commentary career once his playing days were done.
  11. Muthiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka, off spinner, right handed batter). More test wickets than any other bowler, 800 in 133 appearances at that level. In 1998 at The Oval, on a pitch that was flat to begin with and never turned truly spiteful he collected 16 English wickets across the two innings, a performance that separated the sides.

This side has a strong top five, a great and often underrated all rounder st six, one of the finest of all keeper/ batters and four mighty specialist bowlers, of whom three are definitely capable of chipping in with the bat as well. A bowling attack of Marshall, Holding, Johnson, Muralidaran and Mankad should never struggle unduly to take 20 opposition wickets.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

I will deal with some obvious controversies first, starting with…

THE NUMBER SIX SLOT

Two big names missed out here. Mike Procter, the South African genius whose international career was cut short by the enforced isolation of his country would be the choice of many, but I wanted a spin bowling all rounder, given the pace bowlers who were already inked in further down the order, and although Procter did have spin in his locker it was off spin, and I had an off spinner marked for inclusion as well. Mushtaq Mohammed, the Pakistan leg spinning all rounder who made his test debut at the age of 15 was another possibility, and I would not argue with anyone who picks him ahead of Mankad – my verdict went to the Indian who deserves better than to remembered for his association with one particular mode of dismissal.

NUMBERS FOUR AND FIVE

Martin Donnelly’s left handedness secured him the number five slot for reasons of balance. This left a big call to made at number four between two antipodeans who both graced that slot at test level, and Mark ‘Afghan’ Waugh missed out in favour of Martin Crowe. Again, this was a very close and possibly controversial decision, and I accept that those who favour ‘Afghan’ have a valid point of view.

THE OPENERS

The fact that I wanted Mark Taylor to captain the side dictated the selection of the left handed opener, and I like a left/ right opening combo if possible, which led to the selection of Slater as Taylor’s opening partner, a role he actually played. Matthew Hayden had a serious claim on the left handed openers slot but for the need for a captain, and Marcus Trescothick was also in the frame.

OTHER HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Michael Vaughan was another candidate for captain, but his natural slot in the order would be number three and that would mean dropping Mahela Jayawardene. Misbah-ul-Haq would also have his advocates for the captaincy role, but the only player I could have dropped to make way for him would have been Martin Crowe. Mansoor Akhtar had a good record in domestic cricket in Pakistan, but never delivered in international cricket. Mitchell Marsh of Australia would be one of the first names on the team sheet for a limited overs XI, but his test record is nothing special. Madhusudan Rege had his moments in Indian domestic cricket, but played at a time when conditions in that country were preposterously favourable to batting, and was a one=cap wonder at test level. Marizanne Kapp came closest among female players to challenging for a place in this XI. Mushfiqur Rahim, who recently made history as the first Bangladeshi given out for handling the ball (a dismissal along with the former ‘hit ball twice’ now lumped in under Obstructing the Field) was a potential rival to Boucher for the gauntlets, but I rate the Saffa as the finer keeper and reckon that this side is strong enough batting wise that the extra five runs or so per innings that Rahim might be worth would be unlikely to make a lot of difference. Mushtaq Ahmed, the Pakistan leg spinner of the 1990s and early 2000s, came very close, and if the match were being played at the Narendra Modi stadium I might drop Holding and go in with just Marshall and Johnson to bowl pace and spin trio of Muralidaran, Ahmed and Mankad. Moeen Ali would merit consideration for a limited overs XI, but does not qualify for an XI picked with long form cricket in mind – the notion that the extra batting he offers might even come close to compensating for the gulf in class between him and Muralidaran as bowlers is frankly risible as far as I am concerned.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Today’s photo gallery comes in two parts. First we have some pictures from the place where the West Norfolk Autism Group committee had their Christmas meal earlier today…

…and we finish with some of my usual pictures.

One L Of An XI

An all time XI of players whose given names begin with L, a number of honourable mentions and a large photo gallery.

Today, with England Women in the process of thrashing India Women in a T20I and with England Men getting underway in the second ODI against West Indies Men at 5:30PM UK time we meet an all time XI all of whose given names begin with the letter L, and a few honourable mentions.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Laurie Fishlock (England, left handed opening batter). Unsuccessful at the very highest level, partly due to World War II, which coincided with what should have been his best years as a player, his FC record was excellent.
  2. Len Hutton (England, right handed opening batter). One of the greatest openers there has ever been, and all the more remarkable given the effects of WWII – not just an enforced six year absence from playing, but also a training accident that left one arm shorter than the other.
  3. Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa Women, right handed batter). An average of 45.69 in ODIs is a fine achievement, and that it is way ahead of her T20I average suggests that longer formats suit her.
  4. *Lindsay Hassett (Australia, right handed batter, captain). His career was disrupted by WWII, but he still emerged with an excellent test record. Although Hutton won the only series in which he and Hassett were opposed as skippers I have noted that the only two of the first four matches which got close enough to completion to enable one to form a view were both heading Australia’s way when time ran out. Hassett had also got the better of Freddie Brown in 1950-1 down under, especially in the first match, when rain created a vicious sticky, Brown attempted to redress the balance by declaring at 68-7 to get Australia in on the treacherous surface, Hassett countered with a declaration of his own at 32-7, and England made such a hash of surviving the remainder of this hectic day that they closed on 30-6, including McIntyre being run out coming back for a fourth.
  5. Len Braund (England, right handed batter, leg spinner). A fine county all rounder who had his moments at test level. His batting was better than his record might suggest – almost the whole of his career happened before WWI, and he encountered a lot of poor pitches, and often didn’t have much support from the rest of the Somerset batting line up, which was notoriously brittle.
  6. +Les Ames (England, wicket keeper, right handed batter). The first test match keeper to also be a genuinely front line batter, his career highlights included 120 against Australia in an innings victory at Lord’s in 1934, a score which remained an Ashes record for a keeper until Alan Knott scored 135 at Trent Bridge in 1977.
  7. Liam Dawson (England, right handed batter, left arm orthodox spinner). He was called up for England before he was really ready for elevation and has been overlooked ever since (though with a test tour of India looming that may change), but he has been improving, and his all round skills played a large part in Hampshire faring well in the 2023 season.
  8. Learie Constantine (West Indies, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter) An explosive all round cricketer who had some great moments for the West Indies and became a legend in the Lancashire League for Nelson.
  9. Lance Cairns (New Zealand, right arm fast medium bowler, right handed batter). A fine bowler and a big hitting lower order batter.
  10. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). His career highlights include taking four wickets in four balls in each of two international formats.
  11. Lance Gibbs (West Indies, off spinner, right handed batter). He briefly held the record for career test wickets, going past Fred Trueman’s 307, ending with 309, which stood until Dennis Lillee went past it.

This XI has good batting depth, with a strong top seven and explosive bowling all rounders at eight and nine. The presence of so many multi-dimensional players, including the keeper Ames, enables the side to have an enviably balanced and well varied attack, with Malinga, Constantine and Cairns attending to pace/swing/seam and Gibbs, Dawson and Braund covering the spin department nicely.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

I nearly went for an all-Yorkshire opening pair, with Louis Hall joining Hutton at the top, but Fishlock’s left handedness swung the verdict his way. Les Berry of Leicestershire and Lionel Palairet of Somerset were also potential openers. In the middle order Lala Amarnath, Hilary Angelo ‘Larry’ Gomes (the latter could have had the number three slot that I gave to Wolvaardt, giving me a second left hander) and another South African, Lizelle Lee, were all potential picks in this area. Lahiru Thirimanne of Sri Lanka was talented but ultimately failed to deliver on that talent. Liam Livingstone would at one stage have seemed a candidate, but his red ball form his been non-existent for some time, and in white ball cricket England seem to be treating him as a bowling all rounder, with his batting now considered of secondary importance. Lance ‘Zulu’ Klusener just missed out on an all rounders slot. A few years ago I would have expected Lewis Gregory to be worth a place in this XI but his career his flatlined. Len Hopwood, a left arm seamer and right handed batter for Lancashire, would have been a candidate for the number eight slot except that he failed absolutely in both of his test appearances. Len Coldwell spearheaded the Worcestershire bowling attack when that county when two championships in the 1960s but was found wanting at international level. Len Muncer of Middlesex and Glamorgan could spin the ball both ways, and played a significant role in the latter county winning its first championship in 1948, but he never played at international level. Laxman Sivaramakrishnan bowled leg spin for India in the 1980s, but not well enough to merit a place in this XI. Lisle Nagel, a tall right arm seamer in the 1930s once took an eight-for against a visiting England side in a tour match, but did little at international level. Two contemporary pacers, Lockie Ferguson of New Zealand, and Lance Morris, on the fringes of the Australian test side, would both have their advocates. Ferguson is a limited overs specialist, and if I were picking an XI for limited overs he would get the nod. Morris may yet force his way in to the reckoning, but at the moment he is unproven. Lebrun Constantine, father of Learie, was a fine wicket keeper but not fine enough to displace Ames.

PHOTOGRAPHS

I have a fine photo gallery to end with…

England Women have won their match against India Women, by 38 runs, which is a huge margin in a T20. Nat Sciver-Brunt scored 77 with the bat, and Sophie Ecclestone took 3-15 in her full four overs with the ball.

England’s Brave New Era and the Special Ks

An acknowledgement of a major omission in yesterday’s post, a look back at yesterday’s west Indies v England ODI, an all time XI of players with given names beginning with K and a photo gallery.

This is a two-in-one post – yesterday saw the start of England’s new era in ODI cricket after the disaster of the world cup, and I look back at that match. I also parade an all time XI of players whose given names begin with K. Before getting into either of the main features I have on other thing to do…

ACKNOWLEDGE AN OMISSION

I noted yesterday when I covered cricketers whose given names began with J that I was dealing with an embarrassment riches. So much was the case that I entirely missed someone with a claim to place in the XI and to whom I should certainly have given at the least an honourable mention: Joel ‘Big Bird’ Garner the extra tall West Indies quick bowler of the 1970s and 80s. Note that I make no effort to perform the blogging equivalent of burying this rectification in 6 point type in the middle of page 27.

AN UNDERWHELMING RELAUNCH FOR ENGLAND

Yesterday saw the first match of a three match ODI series between the West Indies and England. The former had failed to even qualify for the recent ODI world cup, while the latter had an unmitigated disaster of a tournament.

THE PRELIMINARIES

After their world cup nightmare the England team showed a number of changes. Unfortunately Jos Buttler was allowed to retain the captaincy, a mistake which was to prove costly. Another poor call was the selection of left arm medium pacer Sam Curran who had proven valueless at the world cup. On the credit side a new look opening pair of Phil Salt and Will Jacks looked like a step in the right direction, as did the selection of young leg spinner Rehan Ahmed. Liam Livingstone was also in the XI, being treated as a bowling all rounder, scheduled to come in at seven and expected to bowl a full allocation of 10 overs. The West Indies had selected two frontline spinners as well, Gudakesh Motie (left arm orthodox) and Yannic Cariah (leg spin). Buttler won the toss and decided that England would bat, a correct call in my opinion.

THE ENGLAND INNINGS

Salt and Jacks made a blazing start, and were going at ten an over at one point, but both got out with the job half done, which was representative of the England innings as a whole. In the end, with the assistance of a late flurry from Sam Curran and Brydon Carse, England tallied 325 from their 50 overs. Gudakesh Motie had 2-49 from his ten overs, and Yannic Cariah 2-62 from his.

THE WEST INDIES RESPONSE

This was a tale of good spin bowling, good pace bowling from Gus Atkinson, dire pace/ seam bowling from Carse and Curran and terrible captaincy by Buttler, with Shai Hope playing a great innings, Romario Shepherd a spectacular one, and Sherfane Rutherford a brief but supremely eventful one.

Bizarrely, on a pitch that was helping spin, and with two of England’s designated pace options taking a hammering, Buttler chose not to deploy sixth bowler, off spinner Will Jacks. This piece of captaincy, curious at best, downright dreadful at worst, would cost England the match.

All seemed to be going pretty well for a time, and at one point the West Indies required run rate was close to 11 an over. However, once Rehan Ahmed (an exemplary display of leg spin bowling earning him 2-40 from his 10 overs) was finished, no one else was quite as good, though both Livingstone and Atkinson conceded runs at a respectable rate. The problem was the bowling of Curran and Carse, and the stubborn refusal of Buttler to deploy Jacks. Shepherd and Hope combined to take 23 off one Curran over, which made the ask manageable for the West Indies. After 48 of their 50 overs, with all of Ahmed, Livingstone and Atkinson bowled through and it having long since become too late to introduce Jacks the West Indies needed 19. Buttler opted to entrust the 49th over to Sam Curran, who had leaked 79 from eight overs up to that point. Five balls later, three of which had been dispatched into the stands Curran’s figures stood at 9.5-0-98-0 and West Indies had won the game with seven balls to spare. Shai Hope after a cautious start necessitated by circumstances had finished in glorious style, taking his score to 109* off 83 balls, his 16th ODI century, an innings in the course of which he passed 5,000 career ODI runs. Shepherd had hit 48 off 28 balls, Rutherford 6 off three, each ball being a genuine event – he hit his first ball in ODI cricket for six, was given out to his second but had the decision overturned, and then holed out off his third. Also worthy of mention was opener Alick Athenaze, whose 66 prevented his side from being sunk without trace. Hope was deservedly Player of the Match. Had England managed to win, Rehan Ahmed would have been an equally deserving recipient of the award for his bowling, but the incompetence of Curran and Carse and the poor captaincy of Buttler meant that Ahmed’s great effort was ultimately in vain and England’s brave new era of ODI cricket had started with a defeat. England need a new ODI skipper as a matter of urgency. Personally, with no absolute stand out candidate I would gamble on Jacks – slow bowling all rounders often make good skippers, and albeit on a small sample size, England historically fare well when captained by someone with first two initials WG – eight wins out of 14 matches under such a captain to date.

THE K XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies, right handed opening batter). Opening batters with given names beginning with K were hard to find, but the West Indian is noted for being able to bat time and has a respectable record in what has been a problematic area for his side ever since the Greenidge/ Haynes pairing broke up.
  2. Krishnamachari Srikkanth (India, right handed opening batter). With a blocker in the number one slot I wanted my other opener to be more aggressively inclined. His career highlights include being the top individual scorer in a world cup final that his side won.
  3. Ken Barrington (England, right handed batter, occasional leg spinner). One of the least appreciated of test cricket’s super stackers, his average of almost 59 an innings over the course of a long career puts him right up among the all time greats.
  4. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, left handed batter, wicket keeper). Few would seriously dispute his claim to be regarded as his country’s best ever test match batter.
  5. Kane Williamson (New Zealand, right handed batter). Another modern great, the third element of an extremely powerful engine room for this XI.
  6. *Keith Miller (Australia, right handed batter, right arm fast bowler, captain). One of the greatest all rounders ever to play the game, and reckoned by everyone who played under him to have been a superb captain as well.
  7. +Kyle Verreynne (South Africa, wicket keeper, right handed batter). Yet to fully establish himself at international level, but his domestic record is excellent.
  8. Kapil Dev (India, right arm fast medium bowler, right handed batter). An extraordinary record for his country, even more so given that he was often the only member of the attacks of which he was part who was actually capable of bowling a ball at above medium pace.
  9. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). An indisputably great fast bowler.
  10. Katie Levick (England, leg spinner, right handed batter). The only non-international I have picked, she has a splendid record in domestic cricket, and a little like George Dennett (see this post) she has been unlucky that her career has happened at a time when England women have been exceptionally well served by spinners. With Miller capable of turning his hand to off spin it seemed sensible to select a specialist spinner of a different type.
  11. Ken Farnes (England, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). A promising career was nipped in the bud by the outbreak of WWII, but by then he had done enough to earn his place in this XI.

This XI has an opening pair who should combine well, a very powerful 3,4,5 combination, an ATG all rounder, a quality keeper-batter, a great bowling all rounder and three high quality specialist bowlers. Farnes, Rabada, Miller, Kapil Dev and Levick is by an reckoning a powerful bowling unit.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Kevin Pietersen is probably the standout name among those I could not find space for in the XI. The only way to get him in would be to use him as an opener, presumably in place of Srikkanth, and that was never a role he relished. Two Indian princes, the uncle and nephew KS Ranjitsinhji and KS Duleepsinhji were also unlucky to miss out on middle order slots. Kim Hughes had talent to burn but ended with a record that was not weighty enough to merit inclusion. Ken Rutherford recovered from a dreadful start at test level to become a highly respected middle order batter, but someway short of qualifying for inclusion in this XIs middle order. Karen Rolton, who has a cricket ground named after her in her native Australia, was s superb batter who deserves at least this mention. Kusal Mendis of Sri Lanka is a fine player, but not quite fine enough in my view. Ken ‘Slasher’ Mackay, a left handed blocker and right arm medium pacer, was also on the fringes. KL Rahul would have been in as keeper had I been picking with ODIs in mind. Karun Nair did once score a test match triple century, but that innings accounted for four fifths of his career tally at that level. Ken Wadsworth and Kiran More were both challengers for the keepers slot, while Keith Andrew was a top quality keeper, but a bunny with the bat. Keith Piper, keeper-batter in Warwickshire’s mighty unit of the mid 1990s also deserves a mention. Keith Barker, a left arm pacer and a useful lower order batter, was a candidate for the number eight slot, but I felt that Kapil Dev’s international pedigree had to tell in that instance. Kyle Abbott was a candidate for a seam bowling slot, but with Kapil Dev already inked in I preferred the fire and brimstone of Farnes. Kuldeep Yadav was the other candidate for the specialist spinner’s slot. Krom Hendricks, the first non-white South African cricketer to have been a documented victim of discrimination based on the colour of his skin, does not have a detailed enough career record to be selected, but warrants an honourable mention.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

The J Team

An all time XI all of whom have given names beginning with J. There was a massive embarrassment of riches available for this letter, so the honourable mentions section is large. There is also a photo gallery of course.

Today, in a post the will feature a huge list of honourable mentions, our XI are linked by having given names beginning with J.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Jack Hobbs (England, right handed opening batter, occasional right arm medium pacer). One of the greatest ever to play the game, unchallengeable for this spot.
  2. John Edrich (England, left handed opening batter). A member of the ‘hundred hundreds’ club and someone with a superb test record. Scores of 310* v New Zealand and 175 & 164 v Australia show his ability to really cash in on a good start.
  3. Javed Miandad (Pakistan, right handed batter, occasional leg spinner). In the whole of his long test career his average never dipped below 50. Many would still name him as his country’s all time number one batter.
  4. Joe Root (England, right handed batter, occasional off/ leg spinner). Undoubtedly one of the greatest batters England has ever produced.
  5. Jacques Kallis (South Africa, right handed batter, right arm fast medium bowler). An absolute champion cricketer. Garry Sobers mastered a greater range of skills, one could argue that the likes of Aubrey Faulkner, Keith Miller and Imran Khan were truer all rounders, and one can list batters (though not very many) who were better and a greater number of bowlers who were better, but it would be brave person to state unequivocally that anyone has been a better cricketer than the South African.
  6. James Langridge (England, left handed batter, left arm orthodox spinner). He got few opportunities at test level due to overlapping with Hedley Verity, though he did take a seven-for on debut at that level. In a long and distinguished first class career he averaged 35 with the bat and 21 with the ball.
  7. +James Foster (England, wicket keeper, right handed batter). The most heavily contested slot in the entire XI, as you will see when we look at the honourable mentions, but the person I have chosen was a magnificent keeper, a good middle order batter and was badly treated by the England selectors of his day.
  8. *Jason Holder (West Indies, right arm medium fast bowler, right handed batter, captain). An impressive captain, in spite of never having had the luxury of having a really strong side under his command, and his averages are the right way round.
  9. Jim Laker (England, off spinner, right handed batter). One of the greatest off spinners ever to play the game. In 46 test appearances he took 193 wickets at 21.24 each, which included the best innings and match figures in test history, 10-53 and 19-90, at Old Trafford in 1956 against the oldest enemy.
  10. James Anderson (England, right arm fast medium bowler, left handed batter). England’s all time leading test wicket taker, more test wickets than any other non-spinner, and still going in his 40s.
  11. Jasprit Bumrah (India, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). One of the leading contemporary pace bowlers, and probably the best pace bowler his country has ever produced.

This side has an awesomely strong top five, a genuine all rounder, a keeper who was also a good batter, a bowling all rounder and three all time great specialist bowlers. The bowling, with Bumrah, Anderson and Holder to bowl pace, Laker and Langridge to bowl spin, Kallis as sixth bowler and in the unlikely event of them being needed Hobbs, Miandad and Root available as back up options is both strong and well varied, and should have little trouble taking 20 opposition wickets on even the flattest of pitches.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Jack Robertson is the only obvious challenger for an opening role. The middle order was studded with options: Johnny Tyldesley, Joe Darling, Jack Ryder and Jesse Ryder being the four most obvious to miss out. James Hildreth had a magnificent record for Somerset but never got picked for England. I would expect James Rew to avoid Hildreth’s fate, but at the moment he is one for the future. James H Parks and James M Parks would both also have their advocates. The two legendary Hambledonians James Aylward and John Small have to be relegated to the honourable mentions due to lack of sufficient detail about the career records.

Jack Gregory might have had the slot I gave to Jason Holder but I wanted the latter’s captaincy as well as his playing skills. Jacob Oram of New Zealand was a fine all rounder, but I wanted a spinning all rounder, given that Kallis’ selection was set in stone and I also wanted Holder in the number eight slot. Johnny Douglas, both an England cricket captain and an Olympic gold medallist at middleweight boxing, cannot be completely ignored.

There was a logjam of keepers to consider, even after disqualifying Robert Charles ‘Jack’ Russell and Clifton James ‘Jack’ Richards is in neither case was Jack either their given name or derived from John. John Murray, Jackie Hendriks, Jeff Dujon, Junior Murray, Jack Blackham, Jimmy Binks and Jim Kelly are the seven most obvious potential keepers that I had to overlook.

There was if anything an even greater wealth of seam/ pace bowling talent. Josh Hazlewood is probably the most obvious miss to a contemporary audience, but two other Aussies, Jeff Thomson and Jason Gillespie were also formidable in this department. Jack Cowie, probably New Zealand’s best pre-Hadlee quick, also merits a mention. John Wisden has to be mentioned for historical significance, and a later Sussex pacer, John Snow also had a fine test record. Javagal Srinath, the first genuinely fast Indian bowler I ever saw in action, was another candidate. James Broadbridge was one half of the first truly great bowling partnership in cricket history, along with William Lillywhite, but it was the latter who was the greater bowler.

James Lillywhite Jnr, England’s first ever test skipper, was one of the spinners I had to overlook. Jason Krejza once took 12 wickets in a test for Australia, but he conceded 358 runs while doing so. Jim Sims was a good enough leg spinner to be selected for England and a useful lower order batter. Jemma Barsby, who bowls both off spin and left arm orthodox spin, and has recently helped the Adelaide Strikers to win a second successive WBBL title was another I considered. Jack Noreiga remains in a club of one as a West Indian to have test match nine-for. Jim Higgs had some successes as a leg spinner for Australia. Jack Saunders, who bowled left arm spin and seam for Australia in the early 20th century had a fine record as well. Two left arm spinners, Johnny Briggs and Johnny Wardle, both had excellent test records. Jimmy Matthews once took a hat trick in each innings of a test match, but those six scalps were almost half his career tally of test wickets and he never took more than four in an innings at that level.

I have doubtless missed a few.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

There is no I in Team

A mention of Adelaide Strikers WBBL triumph, an XI of players whose given names begin with I, and a photo gallery.

Today I select an all-time XI all of whose given names begin with I. Before getting to the main meat of the post I also acknowledge Adelaide Strikers winning a second consecutive Women’s Big Bash League title, which they did earlier today, beating Brisbane Heat by three runs in a superb final that illustrated yet again how utterly compelling low scoring matches can be – Strikers managed 125-5 from their 20 overs, and then bowled like demons to restrict Heat to 122-8 in their innings. A full scorecard can be viewed here.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan, right handed opening batter). Has a respectable record in his fledgling test career and an outstanding one in ODI cricket.
  2. Ian Redpath (Australia, right handed opening batter). Averaged 43 in test cricket.
  3. Ian Chappell (Australia, right handed batter, vice captain). I only occasionally name vice captains of these XIs and have done so on this occasion because this team has two outstanding leaders among its number, and one of those could not be named as captain. He had a very good test record.
  4. Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan, right handed batter). One of his country’s all time great batters, though somewhat marred by not being the best runner between the wickets.
  5. Ian Bell (England, right handed batter). It took him a few years to overcome an early reputation for softness, but by the time his career ended he was one of the most respected of all middle order batters, with a record whose weight of achievement matched the stylishness of its accomplishment.
  6. *Imran Khan (right handed batter, right arm fast bowler, captain). One of the greatest all rounders ever to play the game and an outstanding captain to boot.
  7. +Ian Healy (Australia, wicket keeper, right handed batter). An outstanding keeper, and a very tough competitor – all four of his first class centuries came in the test arena.
  8. Irfan Pathan (India, left arm medium fast bowler, left handed batter). At test level, the ultimate benchmark, his averages were just the right way round, with the bowling average just on the right side of 30 per wicket.
  9. Ian Bishop (West Indies, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). Injuries spoiled his career, which at one stage seemed certain to see him claim a place among the all time greats of the game. As it was, 161 test wickets at 24.27 each from 43 matches still amounted to a very fine record. He has recently established himself as an excellent commentator, always being well prepared for any match he is covering.
  10. Ian Peebles (England, leg spinner, right handed batter). Only 13 test appearances for the Scottish born spinner, which yielded him 45 wickets at 30.91 each. In first class cricket he managed 951 wickets at 21.38 each.
  11. Ishant Sharma (India, right arm fast medium, right handed batter). His average of 32.40 per wicket looks expensive, but he was a bowler who improved massively later on in his career, and in many ways the current era of India being well equipped in the seam/ pace department began with him.

This side has a solid looking opening pair, a powerful engine room of Chapelli, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bell, an ATG all rounder, an ATG keeper and a bowling attack that is probably better than their respective career averages suggest. Bishop, Sharma, Pathan, Peebles and Imran Khan an attack that should claim 20 opposition wickets without undue difficulty on most surfaces.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The biggest miss by far is Ian Terrence Botham. There were two candidates for the all rounders slot, and my feeling is that outstanding is Botham was between 1977 and 1982, his subsequent protracted decline gives the verdict to Imran. Also, Botham and Chappelli in the same dressing room might be problematic.

There is no left handed front line batter, but the nearest claimant, Ian Blackwell, never established himself as an international player, and averaged less than 40 in FC cricket. Imam-ul-Haq likewise falls short, though he merits a mention.

Ian Healy has three challengers for the gloves: Imtiaz Ahmed (Pakistan), Ian Smith (New Zealand) and Ikram Alikhil (Afghanistan), the last named of whom may eventually depose him from this XI.

I considered Issy Wong for the number eight slot, but felt that Irfan Pathan’s left arm offered more than the youngster’s right.

There were three spinners challenging for inclusion: Imran Tahir (South Africa), Ish Sodhi (New Zealand) and Intikhab Alam (Pakistan).

Iain O’Brien (New Zealand) was closest among the quicks I did not select to displacing any of my choices.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Subzero temperatures and mist, both currently afflicting west Norfolk, do not provide the best of opportunities for photographers, but I do have a gallery to share with you…

All Time XIs – Given Names Begin With H

An all time XI of players whose given names begin with H, a number of honourable mentions and a large photo gallery.

Today I introduce an all time XI of players whose given names begin with the letter H, and sundry honourable mentions. By and large the difficulties with this one were caused by an embarrassment of riches. There is one exception as to this rule of which more later.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Herbie Taylor (South Africa, right handed opening batter). This guy averaged 40 opening the batting in test cricket, with WWI disrupting his career and often having little support from the rest of the order. In the last test series contested prior to WWI, with Sydney Barnes running amok, claiming 49 wickets at 10 a piece in four matches before missing the final match due to a dispute over terms and conditions, Taylor scored 509 runs in the series at 50.90. In one innings that series he made 109 in a total of 182 all out, a performance that inspired a piece that appears in “The Faber Book of Cricket” under the title “Herbie Taylor Masters Barnes”, the last two words constituting a claim never made about any other batter.
  2. Herbert Sutcliffe (England, right handed opening batter). The ultimate in big occasion players, as demonstrated by the progression of his averages – 52.02 in FC cricket, 60.73 in test cricket and 66.85 in the cauldron of The Ashes.
  3. Hashim Amla (South Africa, right handed batter). One of the greatest ever – a team comprising players who have represented his country since its readmission to international cricket in the early 1990s would undoubtedly feature him at number three.
  4. Harry Brook (England, right handed batter). Currently has a sensational test record, averaging 62 at that level to date.
  5. *Herbie Collins (Australia, right handed batter, captain). Had a fine test record with the bat, captained successfully at home in 1924-5 and unsuccessfully away in 1926.
  6. Hardik Pandya (India, right handed batter, right arm medium fast bowler). This one was the problem position, and I have filled with a guy whose limited overs record is better than his long form record, though his averages in test cricket are just the right way round.
  7. Heath Streak (Zimbabwe, right arm fast medium bowler, right handed batter). This is probably one place too high in the order for him, but nevertheless, as you will see this XI can hardly be accused of having a long tail.
  8. Hugh Trumble (Australia, right handed batter, off spinner). His tally of 141 wickets in Anglo-Australian tests stood as a record for such contests for 77 years until Dennis Lillee overhauled it. He was also a useful batter, good enough to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in first class matches on the 1899 tour of England.
  9. Harold Larwood (England, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). One of only three English fast bowlers to put the wind up the Aussies in their own backyard, along with Tyson in 1954-5 and Snow in 1970-1, and good enough with the bat that he had Ashes scores of 98 and 70 in the course of his career.
  10. Hedley Verity (England, left arm orthodox spinner, right handed batter). 1,956 first class wickets at 14.90, including the cheapest ever first class all-ten, 10-10 v Nottinghamshire in 1932. 144 test wickets at 24.37 in a decade of doped pitches and Bradman’s batting. He averaged over 20 with the bat at test level and 18 at first class level.
  11. +Herbert Strudwick (wicket keeper, right handed batter). Only two wicket keepers made more first class dismissals than him, Bob Taylor and John Murray.

This XI contains a powerful top five, an all rounder, four high quality bowlers all of whom had some level of competence with the bat and an all time great keeper. A team with Larwood, Streak and Pandya to bowl pace/ seam and Verity and Trumble to bowl spin would have little difficulty in taking 20 opposition wickets.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

There is no left handed batter, which is very unusual for me. The trouble is that the best left hander to have a given name beginning with H, Henry Nicholls of New Zealand, averages under 40 at test level, and could only be accommodated by dropping one of my top five, or reducing the bowling options by dropping Pandya.

Besides my chosen pair of openers, whose claims I regard as ironclad, Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan, Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa and Harold Gimblett of England would have their advocates, with Gibbs definitely getting in the limited overs XI. Huw Morris of Glamorgan was a fine county opener, and in common with many associated with that particular county was badly treated by the England selectors of his day. In the middle order Hashan Tillekaratne of Sri Lanka deserves a mention. In a limited overs XI Harmanpreet Kaur of India Women would be a shoo-in for a middle order slot. Heinrich Klaasen is another who would feature in a limited overs XI.

Only two other wicket keepers besides Strudwick merit mentions, Hylton Philipson and Harry Wood both of England. Neither were in the same class as Strudwick.

The biggest miss among the bowlers was Harbhajan Singh of India, an off spinner who might have had the slot I opted to give to Trumble. Hugh Tayfield of South Africa was also in the mix for that slot. Among the seamers who had to miss out were Hasan Ali of Pakistan, Hines Johnson of the West Indies and Harry Boyle of Australia. Herbert’Ranji’ Hordern, Australia’s first regular user of the googly merits an honourable mention. Haris Rauf of Pakistan would merit consideration for a T20 XI, but not even for a 50 over squad would he enter the equation, never mind long form. Harold Butler of Nottinghamshire and England was a fine county seamer, but his test appearances were restricted to two.

PHOTOGRAPHS

We end with my usual sign off…