Best England Cricket XI - 1978 to 2020

[Paddingtonwolf]

We all already eliminated the best English player full stop! (unless he sneaks in as the third quick...)

 

[Johnny75]

We all already eliminated the best English player full stop! (unless he sneaks in as the third quick...)

Not even you're old enough to have seen W.G. Grace play. (Parkin maybe)

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Not even you're old enough to have seen W.G. Grace play. (Parkin maybe)

Jack Hobbs maybe......

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Denis Compton you philistines

 

[Parkins left foot]

Not even you're old enough to have seen W.G. Grace play. (Parkin maybe)

'How very dare you' - even I didn't get to see his career (unless I have a picture in the loft ALA Dorian Gray)

 

[Doctor Doog]

Anderson
Broad
Willis
Gough
Fraser

 

[Sniffer]

Anderson
Willis
Botham

Threw the rest of the names up in the air and got....

Flintoff
Broad

 

[Sniffer]

Bowlers Result

Jimmy Anderson 56
Stuart Broad 33
Ian Botham 22
Bob Willis 22
Darren Gough 17
Andrew Flintoff 10
Simon Jones 7
Matthew Hoggard 7
Steve Harmison 5
Gus Fraser 2

Botham takes the third spot due to the most top votes.

 

[Sniffer]

TWF England XI (1978 to 2020)

1. Cook
2. Gooch
3. Trott
4. Gower
5. Pietersen
6. Stokes
7. Stewart
8. Botham
9. Broad
10. Swann
11. Anderson

Captain next...... 3 picks

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Graham Gooch
David Gower
Alastair Cook

Don't really remember Gower as captain but I'm stuck for choices! I thought some of the criticism of Cook as skipper was a bit OTT but he was a definite downgrade from all of Hussain, Vaughan and Strauss.

KP was a shite captain, Botham even worse by all accounts and Stewart has the 99 World Cup on his record.

Oh and I'd have Swann batting above Broad, not that it matters too much as we're going to declare at 600/7 every game

 

[Tony Towner]

Graham Gooch
David Gower
Alec Stewart

Any credible challenger to Gooch - Brearley, Hussain, Vaughan, Strauss didn't make the team

 

[Sniffer]

I thought some of the criticism of Cook as skipper was a bit OTT but he was a definite downgrade from all of Hussain, Vaughan and Strauss.

..and there lies the problem.

 

[Sniffer]

If I could make two changes to the team it would be.

1. Cook
2. Gooch
3. Vaughan (capt)
4. Gower
5. Pietersen
6. Stokes
7. Stewart
8. Botham
9. Swann
10. Anderson
11. Willis

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Graham Gooch
David Gower
Alec Stewart

Any credible challenger to Gooch - Brearley, Hussain, Vaughan, Strauss didn't make the team

I thought Athers was a decent captain too in difficult circumstances. Imagine a situation now where the coach/selectors pick a bowling attack and tell the skipper to get on with it. Would never happen.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If I could make two changes to the team it would be.

1. Cook
2. Gooch
3. Vaughan (capt)
4. Gower
5. Pietersen
6. Stokes
7. Stewart
8. Botham
9. Swann
10. Anderson
11. Willis

I wanted Root ahead of Gower, Prior ahead of Stewart and Gough ahead of Botham (two of them only because of my age).

I think Root is a better captain than Cook.

For all the captaincy debate, I just can't have Vaughan over Trott. He only averaged 36 with the bat when he was leading the team. Almost 51 before that. So you'd have to extrapolate that on so that if you want him as captain here, you have to assume he's going to have the same diminished returns.

 

[Tony Towner]

From my picks I would have had:
In Willis, Gough, Russell, Root
Out Stokes, Stewart, Broad, Trott
Botham and Gower would have been selected at different positions

Looking at that it would have strengthened the bowling and keeping but weakened the batting

 

[darlowolf64]

Gooch
Gower
Stewart

 

[Johnny75]

Gooch
Gower
Stuart

Vaughan has been the best Captain my lifetime and I think his below par acerage was made up for in his captaincy. The baseball statisticians use wins of replacement as a stat and I wonder what Vaughan's would be.

 

[Tredman]

Gooch
Stewart
Cook

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Gooch
Stewart
Gower