An Elite XI (Australia)

[The Mad Hatter]

In the 1994/95 Futera Cricket set, there was a chase set called Elite XI, and at that time, it pretty much formed the ‘best’ XI since 1970.

The players included were:

1. Mark Taylor

2. David Boon

3. Ian Chappell

4. Greg Chappell

5. Allan Border

6. Steve Waugh

7. Rod Marsh

8. Shane Warne

9. Dennis Lillee

10.Jeff Thomson

11.Terry Alderman


I got to thinking, if they made an Elite XI subset now, who would be included? It’s a tough ask. Shane Warne? Definitely. But who would open? Who would your middle order be? Your wicket-keeper? Quicks? All-rounder?

Tentatively mine would be:

1. Matthew Hayden

2. Mark Taylor

3. Ricky Ponting

4. Michael Clarke / Greg Chappell

5. Allan Border

6. Steve Waugh

7. Adam Gilchrist

8. Shane Warne

9. Dennis Lillee

10. X

11. Glenn McGrath


I’m stuck for the 3rd seamer – McDermott, Thomson, Gillespie, Johnson, Lee…all great wicket takers and a smorgasbord of talent. And as someone who loves the quicks, it’s damn hard to split them. Depending on this summer, if Johnson can replicate his form and take another 30 or so wickets, he will be Australia’s outright 5th highest wicket taker, and is exhilarating with his pace and menace.

As for the batsman, I’d walk over hot coals to watch batsmen like Mark Waugh and Michael Slater score a frenetic or sublime 50. But on raw numbers, I can’t slot them in. M Waugh for his catching…maybe…but I can’t displace anyone from 3-6. I’d also like the cold steel of Mike Hussey in the middle order, but again, how can he dislodge S Waugh when he bowled for a lot his career and Hussey didn’t?

And as for keepers, well, Gilly certainly changed the dynamic of a keeper/batsman. We've been lucky to have keeper eras. Rod Marsh…Ian Healy…Adam Gilchrist…all ten year keepers (or thereabouts) and a some point in their careers, the world record holder for dismissals. But for mine, Gilchrist's bludgeoning, exhilarating batting wins it.

Regardless. Debate away. It will be interesting to see who you select. I know for mine, it’s a difficult task.

 

[mounteverest]

That third pace bowler is tough I would go for Johnson based on last years form and as you said he needs to reproduce that this summer,as bradman said all teams should have a left arm bowler,would you class Steve Waugh as the all rounder as he didn't bowl a lot after his injuries early in his career and him and border both played the same way and batted well with the tail?
Will think about my team and post in a couple of days
Wow what a task as we have been blessed with some outstanding cricketers over the last 30 to 40 years
Looking forward to seeing what we all come up with and maybe we can put our own elite 11 together

 

[Matty76]

Magic idea for a thread, love it

I guess you have to look at the different eras involved - I think that Test cricket has been very weak since the mid-1990's (co-inciding with the downfall of the West Indies and England's struggles until the 2005 Ashes series). Then of course it can come down to personal preference, your point re: the wicketkeepers being a great example of there not being a right or wrong answer.

I'll go with:

1. Mark Taylor (c)
2. Matthew Hayden
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Greg Chappell
5. Michael Clarke
6. Allan Border
7. Ian Healy
8. Shane Warne
9. Brett Lee
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Glenn McGrath

The contentious "outs" are Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist but I honestly can't find a place for them in the actual positions they used to occupy in the Australian team in place of Clarke and Healy.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I went with Gilly for the extra runs. But technically, I think Healy was the best keeper. And a bull ant behind the stumps too.

I'd go with Steve Waugh still bowling or not, but if we go on 'peak' I think I'd consider him the all-rounder. Might even squeeze a few more overs out of AB too.

I love Hayden, but there is also the argument that when teams were still decent with their quicks - Akram, Younis, Walsh, Ambrose, Donald, DeVilliers…he had a devil of a time of it leading to some suggestions he was a flat track bully. But what a flat track bully eh? Swaggering out, chewing gum, taking strike and BANG!!! Yep…I'll take him.

All in all, it is a futile argument/discussion really. I'm just so proud of the players over the years and feel blessed to have seen so much great Aussie cricket.

 

[mounteverest]

My team is
1 mark taylor (c)
2 David boon
3 Ricky ponting
4 Greg Chappell
5 Allan border
6 Steve Waugh
7 Adam gilchrist
8 shane warne
9 glen mcgrath
10 dennis lillee
11 jeff Thompson
12th Man Michael Hussey
That was a decent exercise,how would you like that pace attack,lillee and Thomson coming down wind,mcgrath just nagging away at you,warnie is warnie,Waugh and border to bowl if needed
The batting speaks for itself with 3 of the all time run scorers,Chappell and all his class,boonie was just so tough and also your short leg,Taylor as captain may cause some debate,but he was just so calm chewing on that gum,gilchrist proved him self against warnie and co,
So there you go,that's my team
I might try over the next couple of days pick a world x1 from the same era to play the Aussies!!!

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Gilly won us the series as stand-in captain in India in 2004 as well. 2 wins and a draw. Punter returns for the 4th Test and we lose, ha!

 

[The Mad Hatter]

World XI would have to include:

Dravid
Sangakarra
Viv Richards
Tendulkar
Lara
Botham
Boucher (wk)
Murali
Kumble
Wasim Akram
Hadlee

I want Pietersen as a 'villain' too LOL! Inzy…Sehwag…Laxman…Gower…Kallis…Ambrose…Holding…Marshall…Vaughan.

Licking my lips at making one side out of all that.

 

[Matty76]

Oh bugger, now a World XI....
Desmond Haynes
Virender Sehwag
Brian Lara
Jacques Kallis
Sachin Tendulkar
Vivian Richards (c)
Mark Boucher
Wasim Akram
Malcolm Marshall
Curtley Ambrose
Muttiah Muralitharan

It seems silly of me to put Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards at number six but I had to include him!