Tag: Ray Illingworth

All Time XIs – Match Ups 36

Welcome to the latest instalment in my extended analysis of how the all time XIs I selected for each letter of the alphabet fare against one another. The Is occupy the spotlight, with 2.5 of a possible 55 points. Before getting to the main body of this post I pause to congratulate Ireland on a thumping nine-wicket win over the West Indies, a result which qualifies Ireland for the Super 12 stage of the T20 world cup and eliminates the West Indies.

THE Is V THE Ms

The Is have a small advantage in spin bowling, but the Ms are absolutely dominant everywhere else and there can be only one outcome: Is 0, Ms 5.

THE Is V THE Ns

The Is have a somewhat better batting line up than the Ns overall, the Ns have a much better pace attack, the Is have the better spinners. Nixon outranks Imtiaz in both departments, and I rate Noble a better captain than Illingworth. I think the Ns advantages in fast bowling and captaincy are the telling factors and score this Is 1.5, Ns 3.5.

THE Is V THE Os

Neither side is especially strong in batting, the Os have much the better pace bowling unit, a somewhat inferior spin attack, but much greater variation in their attack than the Is. The Os also have far the better keeper. I think the Os pace bowling settles the issue, but not by an emphatic margin: Is 2, Os 3.

THE Is V THE Ps

The Ps absolutely dominate in batting and pace bowling, have the better keeper and the better captain, and arguably win the spin bowling match ups as well – Prasanna definitely outranks Illingworth as an off spinner, while for all that the England selectors of the day treated him scurvily I would rate Parker ahead of Ironmonger as a left arm spinner. Thus I score this Is 0, Ps 5.

THE Is V THE Qs

The Is a stronger in batting than the Qs, and they do actually have a seam attack, albeit a modest one, whereas the Qs have one accredited seamer. The Qs have the better spin attack, but I expect the Is to win this one comfortably: Is 4, Qs 1.

THE Is PROGRESS REPORT

The Is have scored 7.5 of a possible 25 points today, putting them on 10 out of 80 so far, 12.5%.

PHOTOGRAPHS

This is a somewhat different photo gallery. Yesterday I had to attend Sawston Health Centre in deepest Cambridgeshire for a CT scan. This entailed a 15-20 minute walk to King’s Lynn station, train to Ely, second train to Whittlesford Parkway, 25-30 mins walk from Whittlesford to Sawston, and similar in reverse save that I changed trains at Cambridge North on the homeward journey as the service I boarded at Whittlesford terminated there. Most of the photographs were taken at various stages of that journey…

All Time XIs – Match Ups 35

Continuing my extended analysis of how the all time XIs I picked for each letter of the alphabet fare against one another.

Welcome to the latest instalment in my extended analysis of how the all time XIs I selected for each letter of the alphabet fare against one another. Today sees the last two match ups involving the Hs, who come into today with 70 of a possible 115 points, and also the first three match ups of the Is period in the spotlight, which they come into with 2.5 of a possible 40 points banked.

THE Hs V THE Ys

The Hs dominate the batting, have the better new ball pairing, the better keeper and the better spin combination. Norman Yardley perhaps rates as a somewhat better third seamer than Hammond but even that is debatable. The Ys have no chance here: Hs 5 Ys 0.

THE Hs V THE Zs

The Hs have the Zs beaten in all departments. Hs 5, Zs 0.

THE Hs FINAL SCORE

The Hs finish with 80 of a possible 125 points, a score of 64%.

THE Is V THE Js

The Js have a strong superiority in batting, an overwhelming advantage in pace bowling, and they lose only tiny amount of ground in spin bowling, and also have the better keeper. The Is are miles adrift and I score this Is 0, Js 5.

THE Is V THE Ks

This is even more conclusive in the Ks favour. My scoring system limits margins of victory to 5-0, so I score this Is 0, Ks 5 and note that the Is are lucky to get 0.

THE Is V THE Ls

The Ls have an overwhelming advantage in both batting and pace/ seam bowling, the better keeper, the better captain, and while James Langridge rates below Ironmonger as a left arm spinner, Jim Laker comfortably outranks Illingworth as an off spinner. Only one scoreline is possible: Is 0, Ls 5.

THE Is PROGRESS REPORT

The Is have not added a single point to their tally and are now on 2.5 points out of a possible 55, 4.55%.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

All Time XIs – Match Ups 31

Continuing my extended analysis of how the all time XIs I selected for each letter of the alphabet fare against one another.

Welcome to the latest instalment jn my extended analysis of how the all time XIs I created for each letter of the alphabet fare against one another. Today we finish the Gs, who are currently on 72 of a possible 105 points and see the H’s move into the spotlight, with 20 of a possible 35 points from the encounters in which they are alphabetically second banked.

THE Gs V THE Ws

The Gs have the better opening pair, though by much less than the raw figures suggest – Woolley and Worrell is a right/ left handed combo, whereas Gavaskar and Greenidge were both right handed. Also Woolley began before WWI, so faced some very rough pitches in his early days, while Worrell achieved his successes in test cricket’s lowest and slowest scoring period. Weekes was definitely the better number three, though by less than raw figures suggest – had they played on the same surfaces Weekes would probably have been about 10 per innings ahead of Grace. Walcott and Waugh win the number four and five match ups. Gilchrist wins his match up against Watling. Whitty and Willis have a small advantage as a new ball pair of Garner and Geary, especially given Whitty’s left arm, and while Gregory was the finer batter, Woods wins the bowling element of the fast bowling all rounders match up. Warne and Grimmett is a clash of leg spinning titans, but the diminutive Kiwi born Aussie of yesteryear took more wickets per match than Warne and had a better average – and there were plenty of big scorers around in the 1920s and 1930s. Wardle, probably being used mainly in his left arm wrist spin style as this is a bigger contrast to leg spin than left arm orthodox outranks Gibbs. The best sixth bowling option is close between Grace and Woolley, but the Ws have an accredited seventh bowler in Worrell. This contest is close on batting, features two ace skippers (I just give Worrell the verdict in that department), is close on keeping, the Ws are ahead on pace bowling and more comfortably ahead on spin bowling. The Ws are significantly clear in view of the depth and variety of their bowling, but we are not in whitewash territory: Gs 1, Ws 4.

THE Gs V THE Xs

The Gs have much stronger batting, an overwhelming superiority in pace bowling, a clear superiority in spin bowling and the better captain. BoX probably outranks Gilchrist as a keeper, but this is hugely one-sided: Gs 5, Xs 0.

THE Gs V THE Ys

The Gs have the better opening pair, the Ys the better number three, though not by much – playing Younis Khan’s era Grace would probably have averaged not far short of 50. M Yousuf outranks Gower in the number four slot, but Yallop is outranked by Graveney. Gilchrist wins the keepers match up hands down, while Gregory beats Yardley in both departments. Geary outranks U Yadav, Garner outranks W Younis. The Gs also win the spin match ups. The Gs have somewhat better batting, the better captain, the better keeper and a much better bowling unit – Grace as sixth bowler for the Gs certainly outranks the Ys fifth bowler, Yardley, as indeed does Gregory, who may also outrank U Yadav as a bowler. There is no circumstance in which the Ys can make a dent in the Gs: Gs 5, Ys 0.

THE Gs V THE Zs

The only match up the Zs arguably win is the keeping element of Zulqarnain Haider/ Gilchrist. For the rest it is the Gs all the way: Gs 5, Zs 0.

THE Gs FINAL SCORE

The Gs have scored 16 of a possible 20 points today, moving them up to 88 out of 125 points in total, 70.40% overall.

THE Hs V THE Is

The Hs utterly dominate the batting, winning all of the top six match ups, though the Is do just win at nos 7 and 8. Healy is the finer keeper, Illingworth probably outranks Hutton as a captain. Hadlee and Holding massively outrank Islam and Ireland as a new ball pairing, though Iremonger would outrank Hammond as third seamer. Ironmonger outranks Herath with the ball but Harmer outranks Illingworth is an off spinner. There can be only one result here: Hs 5, Is 0.

THE Hs SO FAR

The Hs now have 25 of a possible 40 points, 62.5%.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Just before my usual sign off, here is a link to a crowdfunder on behalf of the West Norfolk Autism Group.

All Time XIs – Match Ups (7)

Continuing my analysis of how my all-time XIs for each letter of the alphabet stack up against each other.

I am continuing my analysis of how my all-time XIs for each letter of the alphabet fare against each other. The Bs XI are currently in the hot seat, and come into today on 19.5 points out of a possible 30.

THE Bs V THE Hs

The Bs are ahead on batting, with only Hussey of the top five out batting his counterpart from the the Bs XI, but Hendren and Healy are both better with the bat than their opposite numbers. Healy wins the clash of the keepers. While Hadlee and Holding are close to Barnes and Bumrah as a prospective new ball pairing, Botham has to be preferred as third seamer to Hammond. Bates and Benaud are at least the equal as spinners of Harmer and Herath. I score this one Bs 3.5, Hs 1.5.

THE Bs V THE Is

This is a monster mismatch – only Imtiaz Ahmed with the bat beats his opposite number. Shoriful Islam and Anthony Ireland are hopelessly outclassed as a new ball pairing by Barnes and Bumrah, while Illingworth loses to fellow Yorkie Bates in the off spinning all rounders clash – adjusting their figures for improved pitches by the time Illingworth was playing, Bates is equivalent to an Illingworth era or later player averaging 40 with the bat and 25 with the ball, so he comfortably beats Illingworth in both departments. Ironmonger beats Benaud as a bowler, though he was of zero value with the bat. Quite simply there are no circumstances in which the Is can be envisaged troubling the Bs and I score this Bs 5, Is 0.

THE Bs V THE Js

This looks like a mismatch but 1) The Js have an extra front line bowling option compared to the Bs, 2)A Jones is a much better bat than the figures from her few test appearances suggest and is a superb keeper, 3) Jessop was the ultimayte x-factor player. Johnston, S Jones, Johnson and Jessop give the Js a clear edge in the seam bowling department, Jupp is good match for Bates, and though Benaud beats Jayasuriya with the ball, the Sri Lankan is well clear with the bat. The Bs advantage with the bat will probably tell in their favour, but this is much closer than it appears it first sight and I score it Bs 3, Js 2.

THE Bs V THE Ks

The Bs have their usual advantage in the top batting slots, with only Kallis beating his opposite number in that department. However, Khan wins the battle of the all rounders, Kirmani rates above Bari with both bat and gloves. King, Kortright and Khan represent a fearsome pace trio, with Kallis a decidedly useful fourth seamer. Although them both being leg spinners is less than ideal there is enough of a contrast in bowling styles between R Khan and Kumble to mitigate that, and they are a good match for Bates and Benaud. Here I think the Ks bowling depth will swing it for them: Bs 2, Ks 3.

THE Bs V THE Ls

Once again the Bs dominate the top batting positions, but Langridge wins the battle of the allrounders, Langley and Bari are level pegging. In bowling Lindwall, Lillee and Lohmann outpoint Barnes, Bumrah and Botham – even if you rate Barnes and Bumrah one and two in the pacers department, Lillee, the third best of the Ls on statistics is far clear of Botham as a bowler. Laker and Langridge are about level with Bates and Benaud. I do not see the Bs batting advantage saving them here, and I score a close contest as Bs 2, Ls 3.

THE Bs PROGRESS UPDATE

The Bs have scored 15.5 out of 25 in these five match ups and are therefore up to 35 points out of 55, a score of 63.63%. The As were on 28 at this same stage of their progress.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

All Time XIs – The Letter I

Continuing my exploration of the all-time XI theme with a look at the letter I.

I continue my all time XIs theme with a look at the letter I. The letter I is problematic the opposite reason to the letter H, but I think I have still assembled a respectable side.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Khalid Ibadulla (Warwickshire, Pakistan). He scored 166 on test debut. After his playing days were done he became a distinguished coach – it was he he first spotted the talent of Glenn Turner of New Zealand, and it was at his urging that the Kiwi secured a county contract.
  2. Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh). The classiest batter his country has yet produced. His test average is just below 40, but that has been achieved without having an opening partner of similar class and with Bangladesh often facing big opposition totals.
  3. Colin Ingram (South Africa). A rare non test player in one of these XIs. His first class record is respectable, his list A record outstanding.
  4. Frank Iredale (Australia). Played in the late 19th century when pitches were often poor. His test batting average (36.68) is three runs an innings better than his first class average.
  5. Asif Iqbal (Kent, Pakistan). A middle order batter with a test average of 38.75 and an occasional medium pacer. His finest hour came in losing cause, when he came in with the score 53-7 and proceeded to score 146 out of 202, sharing a ninth wicket stand of 190 with Intikhab Alam.
  6. James Iremonger (Nottinghamshire). No test caps, but a stalwart for Nottinghamshire for many years. An all rounder who bowled medium pace he scored 16,622 FC runs at 35.06 with an HS of 272 and took 619 wickets at 22.97, with a BBI of 8-21. He subsequently became coach of the county he had played for, being responsible among others for the development of Harold Larwood and Bill Voce.
  7. +Imtiaz Ahmed (Pakistan). A fine keeper batter, with a test match 209 to his credit in the latter department.
  8. *Ray Illingworth (Yorkshire, Leicestershire, England). An off spinning all rounder, one of the select few to have scored 20,000 FC runs and taken 2,000 FC wickets, also a very shrewd captain (reclaiming the Ashes in 1970-1 – the only post war England captain to have travelled to Australia without the urn and returned with it – Hutton, Brearley, Gatting and Strauss all retained the Ashes down under).
  9. Shoriful Islam (Bangladesh). Very little test experience, but his record in ODIs and T20Is is excellent, and finding pacers of anything approaching the requisite standard was difficult.
  10. Anthony Ireland (Gloucestershire, Zimbabwe). The only other new ball bowler of remotely sufficient standard I could find to partner Shoriful Islam.
  11. Bert ‘Dainty’ Ironmonger (Australia). A rarity – an unquestionably world class Australian left arm orthodox spinner. 74 test wickets at 17.97, 464 FC wickets at 21.50.

This team has a reasonably deep batting order, with all down to Illingworth at number eight capable of making significant contributions in this department. The bowling is less pretty, with the weakest new ball combo I have yet selected, Iremonger’s medium pace the principal back up seam option, and spinners Illingworth and Ironmonger likely to have to shoulder a heavy workload

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Even with a weak letter like this one some have to miss out. Doug Insole might have had a middle order batting slot, but his test record was less good than Iredale. Jack Iddon was a good all rounder for Lancashire in his day, and another Lancastrian, Jack Ikin, might have had a middle order slot. Jack Iverson missed out, because his almost exclusive reliance on the googly makes him basically an off spinner, and Illingworth’s all round skills and captaincy got him that slot. Manzural Islam (Bangladesh) might have become a great all rounder had he not been killed in a car crash. Finally, two Indians, batter Shreyas Iyer and all rounder Venkatesh Iyer may claim their places in this squad in the next few years, although the former needs to work on how he plays the short ball – at the moment an encounter between him and Mitchell Starc on a bouncy Perth track would be be brief and brutal.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…