God is not there!. Okay, I know the topic is about best cricketers. But by the time you finish reading my piece you too fair reader will be convince in the truth about my statement.
My objective is to find the best team which can at the toss of a coin can play either test or one day cricket. I’ll finalise the team along with the batting order. I’ll also fit in a twelfth man .
There are two ways of going about selection. One is the English method of choosing a captain and then a team. This system throws up people like Tony Lewis, Mathew Maynard, Chris Cowdrey, Adam Hollioake and Mike Brearley. Apart from Brearley almost all others have one thing in common. They have been big flops
New Zealand too did it once with catastrophic effect viz Lee (Who?) Germon.
The second is to pick a team and from it the captain. Australians are supposed to follow it. But S Waugh has other ideas. He sees that captaincy is his lifelong position J Long live Bangladesh!
( Actually there is a third system. It is the Pakistani system. It is very complicated and involves Probability theory . The grapevine has it that whenever the Pakistani captain is to be selected the Board President collects the name of all active cricketers in the country. He puts all the names in a hat and asks his wife, driver, gardener, grand children to take out five names. These names are again put in a fez this time .Five of the top army brass is then called to draw a slip each. General Musharraf then picks his favourite among the top five subordinates. The chosen one opens his slip and Only then Inshanallah the name is revealed. That my friends was how Rashid Latif was chosen as captain. It could have so easily been Basat Ali!)
My readers are stamping their feet in impatience. All this surely should be leading to something. Yes, my lovelies, it leads to my first predicament. Do I choose the captain first. Or do I pick the team first. Actually I’ll do a bit of both.
I’ll shortlist a few captains and a see if they make it on merit to my team.
So the captains are
Clive Lloyd, Mark Taylor, Mike Brearley, Saurav Ganguly.
Lloyd dominated the cricket scene like no other person. Also he led a team consisting of intense inter island rivalry. But his team would willingly give their everything for the boss.
Mark Taylor is a cool cat. He never looked under pressure even when the opposition was ramming it in. Contrast it to his successor who resorts to mental disintegration.
Mike Brearley was Cricket’s Aristotle. He could not make it to any side purely on cricketing merit. But as a captain. He was in a league of his own.
Saurav Ganguly. Let truth be told. I hate him. I am ashamed when he ducks awkwardly when a short ball is bowled at him. But under his tenure there has been North vs Mumbai vs South vs East. That is no mean feat. A great achievement indeed. Contrast it to the ugly days of Gavaskar /Kapil/ Wadekar all and sundry you get the picture.
Let us now pick the team
Openers
The contenders : Gavaskar, Greenidge, Haynes, Barry Richards, Marsh, Boon, Hayden, Kirsten.
My choice
Greenidge
Barry Richards.
They share a good understanding having played for Hampshire for a number of years. They are devastating at their best and entertaining every time they go in to bat.
Sorry Haynes for just missing out. Boon & Marsh were effective but not half as entertaining.
Gavaskar-Kirsten would have made a good right left combo. Their mental strength probably the best. But my prerequisite is that they should play both versions of the game. So that disqualifies them. And entertainment at best was a by product in their game.
All Rounder
There is one place up for grabs from among Kapil, Imran, Hadlee, Botham, Razzaq, Kallis.
Imran & Hadlee can be considered as mere bowlers. Razzaq has potential but still someway to go. That leaves us with Kallis, Kapil & Botham.
Kapil may get the spot in a one-dayer but where tests are concerned Kallis would be a better bet if you want to bolster your batting. But Botham with his sheer presence can take away the game from you.
So Botham is my choice.
Wicket Keeper
APE Knott, Rod Marsh, SMH Kirmani, Gilchrist, Bari, Healey, Boucher.
Here the toss up is between Knott for his uncanny ability to chip in when the side is in danger with his unconventional batting, Rod Marsh with his aerobatic dives and Kirmani keeping up to the spinners. As our side would be pace oriented , Kiri losses the spot. Healey and Warne are like the Gemini twins but will Warne make it?
Gilchrist is still not technically sound. I am pumping for Marsh for sheer keeping ability. ( Readers don’t remind me that Healey was voted above Marsh in the Australian dream team but for me in a contest between the two Marsh will win it six days a week)
Marsh
Bowlers
Pacemen
Michael Holding is the king. He is poetry in motion. He will be the leader of the pack.
Can there be a better left hander than Wasim Akram. He walks in as well. The sultan of swing Hadlee would make any captain happy so he gets in as well. Tough luck Thomo, Lilee & Garner. How I would like to fit in the Plato of fast bowlers. I imagine him to be always in a convocation gown. The ultimate sportsman , the Horatio of the burning deck the one & only Walsh. Sorry, sir I can’t fit you in.
Holding
Akram
Hadlee
Spinner
Do I need an off spinner or a leg spinner.
If it is off the choice is clear. No not Murali but the greatest offie India has produced. Ok he will drop a couple of catches. He will come in No 11 , but when he bowls the world will stop and watch him cast a web of pure magic. He will out fox the batsman have him stumped or lure him into a lull of complacency and see his intended drive ending up in cover. Salute to thee Erapalli Prasanna. This generation should know about you..
If it is a leggie it is Warnie with a warning! No mobiles when you are out playing.
Batsmen
Batsmen there are a plenty but none as good as this trinity. Lara- Richards and Gower would make batting look magical.
I will touch upon the people I’ve left out.
Azza- pure magic (match fixing or otherwise). His bat came upon the ball as if an asp was swallowing an unsuspecting prey. Is it black magic but Azza on song.
Vishvanath . It is a pity I couldn’t fit you in . But Holding & co needs somebody like you to hold them at bay.
Greg Chapell master technician.
Lloyd: Brutal force can also be artistic
Zed :who proved that Pakistan batsmen are stylish too.
I was playing games so before you cast your ire , do look below sire I have added the name which the whole of India wants to see. Sachin for sure is there.
Sachin
Lara
Richards
Gower
I have now thirteen men and not one of them is king.
So I have to do some chopping
A bowler & bat w’d go hopping
Before the team can go out & sing.
The heir apparent is now the king .
Sir Viv will lead the show.
My preference is for an offie
so warnie off you go.
There is no place for sentiment so
Gower is off to the commentator’s box.
Or shall I make believe Lara B has Hep- b
He is out and David is back like a bumble bee.
My Team
Gordon Greenidge
Barry Richards
David Gower
Sachin Tendulkar (vc)
Viv Richards (c )
Ian Botham
Rod Marsh (wk)
Wasim Akram
Richard Hadlee
Michael Holding
Erapalli Prasanna
Twelfth man Jonty Rhodes
They are all worth their weight in gold & more.
Coming back to the title .
God is supposed to be fair
He isn’t supposed to be playing favourites
But the talent of all these men
Makes me wonder is it all their hard work
Or was there a hidden hand?
And if there was some hocus-pocus
Where is God , my friend!