Coronavirus Cricket Auction Draft (Test)

FINAL: Which team would win on a slow dustbowl minefield?


  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .
Match 1: Raees vs Skills/anant

Samid

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Please vote for one of the teams that you believe would win on a flat pancake road.

Discussions encouraged. Write ups to follow.

Team @Raees
  1. Graham Gooch
  2. Bob Simpson
  3. Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
  4. Sachin Tendulkar
  5. Inzamam Ul-Haq
  6. Clive Lloyd (c)
  7. Shaun Pollock
  8. Jim Laker
  9. John Snow
  10. Ian Bishop
  11. Bishan Bedi
Team @Skills / @anant
  1. Jack Hobbs
  2. Graeme Smith (c)
  3. Ricky Ponting
  4. Ken Barrington
  5. Mohammad Azharudin
  6. Tony Greig
  7. BJ Watling (wk)
  8. Ravichandran Ashwin
  9. Alan Keith Davidson
  10. Andy Roberts
  11. Waqar Younis
 

Samid

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Team @Raees
Gooch:
One of England's all time great batsmen, averages 43 with bat in an era where the Windies were dominant. 3rd greatest Test innings of all time.
Bob Simpson: Greatest coach of all time who wasn't bad himself.. captained Australia, averaged 47 with bat and a good bowler too.
Sangakkara (WK): Sri Lanka's greatest batsman and a modern icon.
Tendulkar: ...
Inzamam:
Pakistan's greatest batsman since Miandad and a fearless player of fast bowling, averages close to 50.
Clive Lloyd (C): Averages 47 and captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation.
Shaun Pollock: Handy with the bat (ave.32) and phenomenal with the ball in his hands (ave 23) .. sheer class
Jim Laker: All time great off-spinner who took a world record 19 wickets in an Ashes test match. Test Career bowling average of 21 (46 tests)
John Snow: England's most aggressive, dangerous fast bowler in the 1960's. Average 26.66.
Ian Bishop: Before his injury was considered to be as dangerous as Ambrose. Fearsome at his peak. Average 24.
Bishan Bedi: In the conversation for India's greatest ever spinner.. a left arm spinner with bags of talent. Average of 28.7.

---

Team @Skills / @anant
The batting line up




Opening the batting we have probably the greatest opener of all time - Jack Hobbs. Named as one of the XI Wisden Crickets of the 20th century & has racked up runs in a long-ass career that was disrupted by WWI. Partnering him is one of the modern greats & one the very best openers post Gavaskar. Graeme Smith is tough bastard & was the leader of the SA team that eventually became the best team team in the world. A 4th innings average of 51 tells you everything you need to know about Smithy.

Following them you have Ricky Ponting. If you still remember him as a player, you would know he's an absolute twat of the highest order, but also one of the most destructive test number 3s of all time. His natural ability to pile on runs but also at pace turned many a potential draw into a win for Australia. Also one of the best fielders in the world during his time. Following Ponting you have Barrington who has the 3rd highest career batting average of anyone with more than 6000 runs. His lowest average in any country he played in was 44. Supporting them at 5, we have our fixer. Excellent conversion rate & and an excellent batting average considering his career spanned the 2nd and 1st half of the 80s/90s respectively, and all the great bowlers were on the other sides. Also one of the best fielders of his time.

The lower middle order is the definition of solid. Greig & Watling come in with excellent averages of around 40 each - considering they've batted their careers in positions where you could be required to see off the new ball, shepherd the tale or do a full on recovery mission. Supporting them is Ashwin at 8 who has 4 test centuries to his name & was at one point showing promise even as a number 6.

Davidson himself is a very solid lower order batsman averaging 24.59 with 5 half centuries. Andy Roberts also knew his way around at a bat too, with 3 test half centuries.

The bowlers



Andy Roberts lead the great WI bowling attack of the 70s and 80s with terrifying pace, unnerving accuracy & enough pace to knock your head off. Supporting him we have one of the best strike bowlers of all time in Waqar Younis. Younis' ability to take wickets quickly has rarely ever been matched in test cricket, and as today he still has the 2nd best bowling S/R of any player with over 200 wickets. Also one of the original and best abusers of reverse swing, make him deadlier as the ball gets older. Completing the attack we have a left-hander. Davidson took 186 wickets in 44 Tests, at the excellent average of 20.53 - 2nd best of anyone with more than 100 wickets who played after the First World War.

If there's spin on offer Ravichandran Ashwin is about as deadly an option as you can wish for. One of India's key weapons in their rise to becoming the Number 1 ranked Test Team in the world. Was the fastest bowler to reach 200 test wickets. Supporting him we have Tony Greig who's more than adequate support spin bowler.


Why we win?

  • The key to winning on a flat pancake is the ability to score big, score fast & giving your bowlers enough time to bowl the opposition out. And the way my team is set up, we can put up enough runs on the board and that too at pace.
  • Deep as feck lower order, means the top order can bat without any worries. In the case of a few early wickets, we have enough in there for a deep rearguard in the middle order, and then support & acceleration in the lower order.
  • Pancakes don't offer bowlers much support, so you need to find other ways to break through. We have a few options in pure pace with Waqar, Andy Roberts slow/fast bouncer combos and Davidson being a left arm bowler.
  • Waqar Younis' expert use of reverse swing can swing the game in my favour. In fact, the flat pancake will rough up the ball quicker and bring reverse into player earlier in the game.
  • 2 spin options on the pitch means, we can rest our fast bowlers to keep them fresh for multiple attacks in short bursts. The constant pressure we can apply, will eventually help us break through.
  • Ashwin comes into play on day 4 and 5. The pancakes will eventually offer the spinners something and that's where Ashwin has repeatedly shown his ability to turn draws into win.
 

The Cat

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At the moment I am leaning towards @Skills bowling attack on this pitch.

On a flat track reverse swing by one of the best exponents ever of it is hard to ignore. The rest of the bowling is decent too.
 

Indnyc

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At the moment I am leaning towards @Skills bowling attack on this pitch.

On a flat track reverse swing by one of the best exponents ever of it is hard to ignore. The rest of the bowling is decent too.
Overall also i feel @Skills has the better bowling line up.. Though @Raees has better middle order batting line up and Laker + Bedi is solid combination for day 4+5

Edit: Went with Raees for that middle order
 
Last edited:

12OunceEpilogue

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Skills for me. Waqar will get the most out of the flat pitch and his batting line-up is very solid. It's close though.
 

Skills

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Overall also i feel @Skills has the better bowling line up.. Though @Raees has better middle order batting line up and Laker + Bedi is solid combination for day 4+5

Edit: Went with Raees for that middle order
Think Raees middle order tips this in his favour.
Some of you folk are getting too caught up with middle order. The openers are comfortably in my favour & the depth of my lower order also does its role in helping even up both of the teams batting prowesses.

But here's the thing, flat pancakes are flat pancakes because even the weakest batsman can pile on runs on them. The advantage great batsman give there teams on those pitches isn't as much, as the advantage they give there teams on genuinely difficult pitches to bat on. That's where having a top quality batting order really makes a difference.

What wins you games on the flat pitches is your bowlers being able to actually get 20 wickets & my team in my opinion is more likely to do that over 5 days. In reality on a flat pancake, this match would end up a draw 7 out of 10 times. But I would back my bwois to edge me out a win in 2 of them of the 10 games.
 

Mani

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I think bowling gives Skills lit bit edge otherwise looks be an even contest.
 

Samid

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Result:

Raaes 5 (-1*) - 10 Skills/anant

*Sanga and Pollock have died of Coronavirus and won't be available in the reinforcements.
 
Match 2: 12OunceEpilogue vs 2mufc0

Samid

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Please vote for one of the teams that you believe would win on a flat pancake road.

Discussions encouraged. Write ups to follow.

Team @12OunceEpilogue
  1. Bill Lawry
  2. Andrew Strauss
  3. David Boon
  4. Jacques Kallis
  5. Martin Crowe
  6. Ian Botham
  7. MS Dhoni (c) (wk)
  8. Deshabandu Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas
  9. Trent Boult
  10. Nathan Lyon
  11. Joel Garner

Team @2mufc0
  1. Alastair Cook
  2. Marvan Atapattu
  3. Virat Kohli
  4. Muhammad Yousuf
  5. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
  6. Shakib Al Hasan
  7. Mitchell Starc
  8. Peter Pollock
  9. Makhaya Ntini
  10. Neil Wagner
  11. Abdul Qadir
 

Samid

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Team @12OunceEpilogue

1- Bill Lawry L 5k @ 47.1
2- Andrew Strauss L 7k @ 40.9
3- David Boon R 7k @ 43.7
4- Jacques Kallis R 13k @ 55.4
5- Martin Crowe R 5k @ 45.4
6- Ian Botham R 5k @ 33.5
7- MS Dhoni (c) (w) R 4k+ @ 38.1
8- Chaminda Vaas L 3k @ 24.3
9- Trent Boult R 654 @ 15.2
10- Nathan Lyon R 1k @ 12.1
11- Joel Garner R 672 @ 12.4

Joel Garner R - 259 @ 21, 50.8
Trent Boult L - 267 @ 27.7, 55.7
Chaminda Vaas L - 355 @ 29.6, 66
Ian Botham R - 383 @ 28.4, 57
Jacques Kallis R - 292 @ 32.7, 69.3
Nathan Lyon RO - 390 @ 31.6, 63

Batting

Lawry-
The ‘corpse with pads on’ will be hard to shift on this flat pitch, and while occupying the crease the left hander will score runs with aplomb and dull the new ball
Innings-123 Runs-5234 Avg-47.15 HS-210 100s-13 50s-27

Strauss
- A solid batsman with superb judgement, he has the guile and the patience to work the ball off a dead pitch and is perfectly happy cutting off the back foot should the ball reach him at pace
Innings-178 Runs-7037 Avg-40.91 HS-177 100s-21 50s-27

Boon-
Another batsman famed for occupying the crease. On a flat track, such as at Adelaide where he made his first century in ’85 versus Dev’s India, Boony will relish the chance to stick around and score big runs
Innings-190 Runs-7422 Avg-43.65 HS-200 100s-21 50s-32

Kallis-
An ATG batsman with the ideal technique and temperament to take advantage of a flat deck after our top three have taken the shine from the new ball. Kallis’s two tons in Karachi in 07, which got him back on his feet after a rare lull in form, will be the benchmark he’ll hit on this flat wicket
Innings-280 Runs-13289 Avg-55.37 HS-224 100s-45 50s-58

Crowe-
With Williamson, Martin Crowe is one of his country’s greatest ever batsmen. He makes batting look easy, almost as if he has an extra half second to read deliveries, which allows him to stay on the front foot even against devilish pace and in the early 90s he showed a competency against reverse swing few could match
Innings-131 Runs-5444 Avg-45.36 HS-299 100s-17 50s-18

Botham-
The fastest player to 1000 runs and 100 wickets, Beefy is a mercurial talent you cannot bet against. Coming in at six gives him ample opportunity to both pile on if we are dominant and to wrest the game back if we’re struggling
Innings-161 Runs-5200 Avg-33.54 HS-208 100s-14 50s-22

Dhoni-
Known neither for elegant shot play nor mammoth totals, MS’s versatility in the white ball game is something we’re asking him to bring here. Whether we need a repair job, somebody to rotate strike with Kallis or Crowe or a quick blast to get the runs flowing alongside Botham we’re confident MS has the tools to deliver
Innings-144 Runs-4876 Avg-38.09 HS-224 100s-6 50s-33

Vaas-
No one’s fool with willow in hand, Vaas will ably partner whoever he joins at the crease and his numbers show he can add useful runs down the order
Innings-162 Runs-3089 Avg-24.32 HS-100* 100s-1 50s-13

Boult, Lyon, Garner-
Can all bat, whether we need to eek out a few more runs or hold on until stumps

Bowling

Garner-
Whether he’s bouncing them out, making the ball talk just back of a length or breaking their toes with his famous yorker Big Bird will find a way to cause mayhem for our opposition even on a flat wicket. And as his superb average shows, he’ll do it cheaply
Innings-111 Wkts-259 Avg-20.97 SR-50.8 BBI-6/56 BBM-9/108

Boult-
This left armer is made to use the new cherry, so he’ll partner Garner first up. His fantastic ability to swing the ball both ways in almost any conditions will be of huge benefit on this lifeless track
Innings-127 Wkts-267 Avg-27.65 SR-55.7 BBI-6/30 BBM-10/80

Vaas-
Used to opening the bowling, Vaas will this time follow Boult’s lead in providing searing left arm seam and swing. He also has a nasty offcutter in his armoury that will keep the likes of Cook and Lara honest
Innings-127 Wkts-267 Avg-27.65 SR-55.7 BBI-6/30 BBM-10/80

Botham-
Though Beefy’s skill with ball in hand is not in question it is the unexpected moments of magic that set him apart. In his first five years of test cricket Botham was a match for any batsman on any surface, and it is that form we’re hoping he will bring to bear over the five days
Innings-168 W-383 Avg-28.40 SR-56.9 BBI-8/34 BBM-13/106

Kallis-
He arguably has the skills to be a frontline bowler in his own right, but tucked away here as fifth-choice paceman Kallis can play a support role, surprising quality batsmen with beguilingly skilful, pacy or bouncy deliveries. If needed he is also equipped to bowl longer, possibly fruitless spells on an unforgiving pitch to give our frontline attack a break
Innings-272 W-292 Avg-32.65 SR-69.2 BBI-6/54 BBM-9/92

Lyon-
A late bloomer in first class cricket, in less than a decade Lyon has cemented himself as a great modern spinner. Known for giving the ball plenty of flight and bounce, he tends to perform better on pitches that are not thought to be conducive to spin bowling, such as the ostensibly quick-friendly track at the Gabba. As he closes in on his 400th test scalp, Lyon has proven himself a superb wicket-taking offie, but he is also unafraid of bowling long hard stints for the team
Innings-184 W-390 Avg-31.58 SR-62.9 BBI-8/50 BBM-13/154


Team @2mufc0

Lineup


  1. Alastair Cook
  2. Marvan Atapattu
  3. Virat Kohli
  4. Muhammad Yousuf
  5. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
  6. Shakib Al Hasan
  7. Mitchell Starc
  8. Peter Pollock
  9. Makhaya Ntini
  10. Neil Wagner
  11. Abdul Qadir

Stats & Write up

MatchesRunsBat AvgWicketsBowl Avg
Alastair Cook1611247245.4
Marvan Atapattu90550239.02
Virat Kohli86724053.6
Muhammad Yousuf90753052.3
Adam Gilchrist+96557047.6
Shakib Al Hasan56386239.4021031.12
Mitchell Starc57151522.2724426.97
Peter Pollock2860721.6711624.18
Makhaya Ntini10139028.82
Neil Wagner4820626.60
Abdul Qadir6723632.80

As we are playing on a flat wicket i have gone with the extra bowler, as variation and keeping the pacers fresh will be key to taking wickets and keeping the score as low as possible, 2 top class spinners are in the side to take advantage of the later days as pitch deteriorates. The fast bowlers offer different variation in terms of style and speed not allowing the opposition batsmen to settle.

Batting is tailor made for flat wickets, with the top 6 all having double hundreds to their names. The likes of Cook, Atapattu, Kohli and Yousuf are known for their concentration abilities and able to rack up mammoth hundreds which will be key on these pitches. Shakib and Gilly provide more assurances lower down the order in case some of the top order fall early, both able to score big runs. On a flat wicket Starc and Pollock are both decent with the bat and will be able to pitch in if needed.
 

12OunceEpilogue

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Good luck @2mufc0 , I definitely didn't snitch to the teacher about Lara, Gilly and Ntini in World XI action, but you've managed to drop the former and still put a great batting order together.

What I hope I've got is a top order that can hang, hang, hang on any pitch, but particularly this road. You have great variation in your bowling attack, a better blend than me I must admit with two spinners, but Boon and Kallis are very durable, Strauss conservative and watchful and Lawry like a bloody sandbag. I think they'll frustrate and tire any bowling attack on this pitch while keeping the score ticking, and lay a platform for the middle order to get runs and for Botham to do his thing. We also bat nice and deep.

My biggest worry during your batting innings is your 3, 4 and 5, which I'm sure will be like hitting a brick wall. However I hope I have the craft and guile in my swing contingent to muster something special even on a pitch offering little to the bowler. Boult, Vaas and Botham, plus Kallis who has been known to swing it beautifully (he virtually retired Ponting on a flat deck at Adelaide in 2012) will have something to say in this match, then there's Garner and Lyon, who I'm confident will be the most effective spinner on this wicket, notwithstanding the class of Shakib and Qadir.
 

Skills

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I like that 2mufc0 has gone for a 5-pronged attack on a flat pancake pitch. Two excellent teams.
 

2mufc0

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Good luck @2mufc0 , I definitely didn't snitch to the teacher about Lara, Gilly and Ntini in World XI action, but you've managed to drop the former and still put a great batting order together.

What I hope I've got is a top order that can hang, hang, hang on any pitch, but particularly this road. You have great variation in your bowling attack, a better blend than me I must admit with two spinners, but Boon and Kallis are very durable, Strauss conservative and watchful and Lawry like a bloody sandbag. I think they'll frustrate and tire any bowling attack on this pitch while keeping the score ticking, and lay a platform for the middle order to get runs and for Botham to do his thing. We also bat nice and deep.

My biggest worry during your batting innings is your 3, 4 and 5, which I'm sure will be like hitting a brick wall. However I hope I have the craft and guile in my swing contingent to muster something special even on a pitch offering little to the bowler. Boult, Vaas and Botham, plus Kallis who has been known to swing it beautifully (he virtually retired Ponting on a flat deck at Adelaide in 2012) will have something to say in this match, then there's Garner and Lyon, who I'm confident will be the most effective spinner on this wicket, notwithstanding the class of Shakib and Qadir.
Cheers mate, great team you are fielding too. On a flat wicket you need as much variation as possible (swing, seam, fast, spin, left & right) as mentioned in my write up, which I think we have with the extra bowler, I also think my batting has the slight edge, all of my guys rack up big hundreds once in and also score at a decent rate leaving more time to bowl your team out.

Garner, is a worry but I feel if we can play defensive against him we can score against the rest, also playing on a flat wicket he won't be as difficult to face (though he still will be a menace) . Lyon is great too but my top 6 are great against spin esp the the south Asians.
 

Skills

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  1. MS Dhoni (c) (wk)
  2. Deshabandu Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas
@12OunceEpilogue

What's thinking about abbreviating one and not the other?
 

Skills

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This is a really, really close one. 12Oz obviously has a much better lower middle order with Dhoni & Botham as his 6 and 7 vs Starc & Shakib. But I still fancy 2mufc0 because I think he's got potentially two very, very explosive batsman in his line up in this type of conditions. Virat Kohli & Adam Gilchrist are capable of scoring big very, very quickly. The difference is potentially giving your team another session to bowl your opponent out which might prove to be the difference. I also like that he has a few different options - Leg Arm Spin & a leg spinner.

But you could also say the same for 12Oz who's got Kallis as his 6th bowler, a couple of left armers, Garner who was an extremely awkward customer & Beefy Botham. Botham & Garner might just be the two best bowlers on the pitch. I think might have to edge with 12Oz.
 

2mufc0

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I dislike both teams. One is somewhat imbalanced and is really short of proper batsmen, while the other lacks a bit of quality.
Yeah I cocked up pretty bad and didn't bother checking that Lara the cnut played with 2 other players in my team. Team would have been a lot more balanced with another bat.