Choosing a greatest, all-time cricket team is always a subjective process, open to much scrutiny and debate. I've decided to choose my best test match cricket XI's using the post World Series Cricket (WSC) era as a defining factor. There are a number of reasons for this. One is that this period covers my lifetime so I'm able to best judge the players I've seen in this period of time. Most importantly though is the legacy left on the game of cricket since the WSC truce was formally announced on 30 May 1979. Things like the advent of full time professional cricketers, modern protective equipment such as helmets, night cricket, fielding circles and drop in pitches to name but a few have transformed cricket more so than any other single event in the history of the game.
Post WSC test cricket World XI
Opening Batsmen
The choice of an opening partnership for my lineup in the end did not pose too many difficulties. There is one player in the last 30 years who is one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time and picks himself, that man is Sunil Gavaskar. In a career at the highest level spanning 16 years (1971-87), he built his game around two of the most important attributes required of an opener, a near impregnable defence and limitless amounts of concentration. His impeccable technique allowed him to score 13 of his 34 test centuries against the team who dominated cricket for the majority of his career, theWest Indies . He averaged 65 vs the West Indies and 70 in 13 tests in the Caribbean . Making full use of the crease either forward or back, the diminutive right hander seldom failed to punish the bad ball. The first time I was able to witness Gavaskar at the test match level is etched in my memory. During the 1985/86 tour of Australia Australia Australia ended the 27 match undefeated run of the mighty West Indies by an innings on the back of the ageless leg spin bowling of Robert Holland. Australia Australia
Videos of Sunil Gavaskar:
221 vs England The Oval 1979
ESPN Legends of Cricket
The man I chose to partner Gavaskar in the end chose himself based not only on his achievements in the game but by the type of aggressive, domination of all bowling he has encountered throughout his career. This type of player would make for the ideal opening partnership with Gavaskar. There were a number of players to choose from who I've seen at the test match level who deserve honourable mentions. Players such as Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Mark Taylor, Virender Sehwag & Saeed Anwar all argue a strong case for inclusion but the player I chose to take on the new ball in my dream team is the tall left handed Queenslander, Matthew Hayden. He casts an imposing shadow on the cricket field, using brute strength, power, attitude, high levels of concentration and a technique for all conditions to dominate all bowlers who take up his challenge. Hayden is a powerful driver on both sides of the wicket and is merciless on anything short of a length. A high class catcher in the slips and gully add to this skill set. After a number of aborted attempts to kick start his test career in 1994 & 1996/67, Hayden came of age in the new millennium during the memorable 2000/01 series in India, establishing his place in the all conquering Australian test team with 542 runs during the 3 match series. His 203 in the deciding 3rd test at Chennai was an innings of rare class. He was able to successfully take on Harbhajan Singh who himself was destroying all who stood in his wake on his way to 32 wickets and a man of the series performance. Hayden showed peerless concentration and wonderful shot selection mastering the sweep shot in trying conditions to giveAustralia Australia South Africa who were vying with Australia Australia
In 2003 he formed a potent opening combination with Justin Langer, later that year he hammered 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth, briefly borrowing the Test record from Brian Lara. Hayden has continued his prolific run scoring in all forms of the game and with Gavaskar as the perfect foil, they form the ideal partnership at the top of the order to get my World XI on to the front foot whilst being well equipped to handle all bowlers in all conditions.
Videos of Matthew Hayden:
India vs Australia 2001 3 test match series extensive highlights, Hayden 119 in 1st test, part 1 & 2, Hayden's 203 in 3rd test Part 9 & 10
part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8 - part 9 - part 10 - part 11 - part 12 - part 13 - part 14 - part 15
197 vs England Brisbane 2002
153 vs England Melbourne 2006
181* in ODI vs NZ 2007
124 vs India Melbourne 2007
123 vs India Sydney 2008
103 vs India Adelaide
Middle Order Batsmen
Things got much tougher when it came to selecting 4 batsmen for my team. With so many fine players to choose from, one of the deciding factors for me was the fact that I was choosing a team, so having seven guys who bat like Adam Gilchrist might sound wonderful in theory, I don't believe it's going to bring together a team who would beat all comers in all conditions.
No.3 and 4 slots in my batting order are without doubt the two finest batsmen to stride to the wicket for theWest Indies in the past 30 years and few could argue with their selection.
The 'Master Blaster' fromAntigua , Sir Issac Vivian Alexander Richards had an aura and presence about him on the field that is unmatched during this era. He could destroy any bowling attack on his day with such perfect timing and potent shot making that meant he practically could never be tied down. He often attacked from the very first ball, backing himself on all occasions. More often than not the final outcome was Richards being the match winner. It's because of this ability to win games off his own blade, being able to turn to course of a game so dramatically and so successfully that he earns the spot at no.3. Richards was imperious in every sense of the word, his driving through the off side, hooking anything short and his ability to hit the full delivery anywhere through the leg side made him impossible to bowl to when he was going. It often took a moment of genius from a bowler to dismiss him when he was in full flight, such as the Murray Bennett arm ball in the Sydney test of 1984/84.
His run a ball 146 vs the Australians at Perth in 1988 was very memorable for me due to the manner in which he was able to take away any possible initiative from the opposition in a session of carnage and devastation It was this appetite for destruction and his game changing ability that set him apart from his contemporaries. His strength was an wonderful asset, not to mention his natural ability as an all round fieldsman usually close to the wicket or in the covers, setting such high standards which would have easily seen him at home in today's game. Richards was a more than useful slow to medium paced off spin bowler who often played an important role as the 5th bowler in ODI's, sending down his overs quickly and accurately. His greatness was confirmed when in 2000, Richards was selected as one of the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Century.
Videos of Viv Richards:
146 vs Australia Perth 1988
110* vs England Antigua 1986 Fastest 100 in test history (56 balls)
Highlights package of his 208 vs Aus Melbourne 1984 & 146 vs Aus Perth 1988
package of Richards vs England
189* vs Eng in ODI
ESPN legends of cricket
Brian Lara comes in second wicket down for my team. During his time at the top, this left hander showed an appetite for runs that is matched by few in the history of the game. He left the game in 2007, his barrow overflowing with records. He achieved the multiple feats of being the all-time leading aggregate run scorer in test cricket (11953), holding the records for the highest individual scores in test cricket (400*) & first class cricket (501*).
Many other superlatives and skills come to mind immediately when I think of Lara and his innings I have witnessed. His appetite for the long innings draws comparisons with Bradman. It's the style and panache of his strokeplay that few modern day batsmen can match. Lara's wrists of steel, excellent footwork and an ability for unerringly accurate placement must have been so demoralising for all bowlers, it's no wonder he so frequently made large scores. 18 of his 34 test match centuries being scores over 150 with 7 double centuries, 1 triple century and of course his world record 400 not out in 2004 vs England to reclaim the test record from Matthew Hayden.
Having made his test debut vs Pakistan in 1990, Lara was unable to gain regular selection in theWest Indies test team until the retirement of Viv Richards. In his 5th test match, he made his maiden test match century, 277 against Australia at the SCG during the famous Frank Worrell trophy series in 1992/93. His side were already 1-0 down coming into the 3rd match of this series with Australia Richardson
At the age of 24 he had scaled cricket's Mount Everest by breaking Sir Garfield Sobers 36 year old world record for the most runs in a test innings scoring 375* vs England at St John's. Seven weeks later he broke the world record for the highest score in first class cricket blasting 501* for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston. With these feats came the massive weight of expectation from the Caribbean, especially now that he was seen as the only hope forWest Indies cricket to maintain it's dominance in world cricket. Despite this enormous pressure, add into the mix 3 largely unsuccessful stints as captain, he still continued to make large scores in all corners of the globe. In those 47 tests as captain, he averaged 57.83. Lara single handedly defied Muttiah Muralidaran on his home turf in a series in 2000/01 where the Windies were comprehensively defeated 3-0. Murali took 24 wickets but Lara couldn't be stopped, scoring 688 runs in 3 tests including 221 and 130 in Colombo that the West Indies remarkably lost by 10 wickets. Muralidaran, Test cricket's highest wicket-taker, rates Lara as the greatest batsmen he has ever bowled to. Brian Lara once went for more than eight years (1997 to 2005) without being dismissed by Shane Warne in a Test. Lara was also not dismissed by Muttiah Muralidaran from 1997 to 2001, two of the very best bowlers he was to encounter during his career.
With so many epic innings to choose from that I have seen Lara play in a career glittering with highlights, it's extraordinarily difficult to decide on one as the very best. His 132 on an ugly WACA wicket in 1997 was courageous. The 182 at Adelaide in 2000 was sublime. The Prince's counter-attacking brilliance came to the fore in his amazing 213 at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1999 along with the sheer inevitability of his glorious 226 at Adelaide in 2005 to surpass Allan Border as the leading run scorer in test history were all masterpieces to be savoured.
In the end for me it will be the one that is etched in my memory so vividly for many reasons that it will never be forgotten. Lara's match-winning epic 153 not out at Bridgetown,Barbados Australia South Africa Jamaica
Two further wickets fell early on the final day which left seeming only Lara and Jimmy Adams standing inAustralia Adams grinding away at the other end, Lara saw his side to 5/161 by lunch, himself on 44 and Adams 20.
Steve Waugh in his first test series as captain went for his trump card after the interval, the colossus, Shane Warne. The leg spinner had just returned to the test side from reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder that he had suffered from the wear and tear of bowling. Having taken 3 wickets at an average of over 100 in those preceding games, Lara could smell the blood in the water and his savage attack on Warne in the post lunch session was one to behold. He smashed a Warne long hop for 6 to bring up his fifty, putting the ball onto the grandstand roof. The carnage continued with his second 50 coming up in 51 balls. It took a Glenn McGrath gem to removeAdams ' off stump. The human metronome followed this up 10 runs later with two LBW decisions in successive deliveries to leave Australia Australia
With Gillespie back into the attack and 7 runs still required, Lara almost succumbed when trying to glide one past 1st slip. He edged but Healy grassed the chance and with it seeminglyAustralia
I'll finish with a quote from someone who I have enormous respect for, Steve Waugh. "Lara is a good player against average bowling sides and a great one against formidable attacks but when harassed into a corner by his own brinkmanship or if he's targeted, he elevates himself into a genius."
Videos of Brian Lara:
277 vs Australia Sydney 1993 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
375 vs England St John's 1994 part 1 part 2
World Record 501* for Warwickshire vs Durham Edgbaston 1994
179 vs England The Oval 1995
153* vs Australia Barbados 1999
400* vs England St John's 2004
226 vs Australia Adelaide 2005
130 vs Pakistan Barbados 2005
202 vs South Africa Johannesburg 2003
196 vs South Africa Port of Spain 2005
Sachin Tendulkar is another obvious choice for my lineup, coming in at no.5. No batsman in the modern era has captured the imagination of the cricketing public quite like this right hander from Mumbai. On the sub continent he is a cricketing deity, to the rest of the world a genius in flannels. He has demonstrated a superiority over his contemporaries that has rarely been seen since Bradman. Making his test debut at 16, he made an impact immediately scoring his first hundred on his first tour ofEngland Australia
While Tendulkar throughout his career has played many glorious innings, knocks where he tore attacks apart in the blink of an eye, no doubt everyone had their favourite. I'll choose an occasion where I was privileged to be at the ground to watch a Sachin masterpiece unfolding ball by ball before my eyes. His 241 not out against Australia at the SCG 2004 was an innings that right from the moment he strode to the crease, you could tell he was looking for a big score. He added an extra helping of patience to his batsmanship from on a first day wicket, leaving numerous balls that on other occasions he would have flashed through the off side off both front and back foot. Once he and Laxman settled into their 4th wicket 353 run partnership, the hosts had little answers with all bowlers being dispatched to all corners and the Sydney crowd calling out for suspended leg spinner Shane Warne. Tendulkar was chanceless, he refused to be baited by balls bowled outside his off stump, biding his time making the bowlers bowl to him. It was a perfectly crafted innings, implementing a well thought out plan to perfection and in doing so taking away any chance Steve Waugh had of a fairytale victory in his final test match with the irony being that it was an innings straight out of the Waugh playbook.
Statistically, barring injury he will end his career with the highest total runs scored in test cricket. He already has the most test centuries (39) not the mention the most ODI runs and 100's. He perhaps doesn't have the voracious appetite for the long innings that Brian Lara has but he scored more hundreds than Lara and has a slightly better conversion rate once he passed 50. This invariably leads to the question who is better, Lara or Tendulkar. They are both geniuses and have dominated all attacks from the same era. If I had to make a decision I would give it to Lara by a hair's breadth. They are so close to each other in all categories that the only thing that enables me to rate Lara slightly higher is the fact that Lara for the majority of his career has played for an inferior, fractured team with a declining bowling attack while being required to carry a relatively weak West Indian batting lineup on his shoulders. Tendulkar has had the benefit of playing in a high quality test lineup featuring batsmen including Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Navjot Sidhu, VVS Laxman & Virender Sehwag. Lara's team has not had anyone of the bowling quality of Ambrose and Walsh since 2000 yet the Indian side throughout Sachin's career has always had someone of the likes of Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath & Harbhajan Singh. This is in no way a detraction from Sachin Tendulkar's ability or magnificent achievements throughout a stellar career, he has just had the benefit of playing in a much stronger team. I believe the pressure of having to perform in a weak team is greater than the expectations of a billion Indians because the very same Indians give Tendulkar undying support every time he takes the field. Tendulkar is a talented and underutilised bowler who often delivers a variety of off breaks, leg breaks and googlies with excellent partnership breaking effect.
Videos of Sachin Tendulkar:
119* vs England Manchester 1990
148* vs Australia Sydney 1992
177 vs England Nottingham 1996
113 vs New Zealand Wellington 1998
116 vs Australia Melbourne 1999
155 vs South Africa Bloemfontein 2001
169 vs South Africa Cape Town 1997
126 vs Australia Chennai 2001
241* vs Australia Sydney 2004 part 1 part 2
154 vs Australia Sydney 2008
153 vs Australia Adelaide 2008
ESPN Legends of Cricket
The number 6 position in my batting lineup caused me much angst and there are a number of great batsmen who cannot find a place in my team. Players of the quality of Greg Chappell, Martin Crowe, Allan Border, Javed Miandad, David Gower, Jacques Kallis, Aravinda de Silva, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Rahul Dravid & David Boon all must be considered but in my opinion the batsmen required in this position is Steve Waugh. I believe to perfectly round out the top 6 and have an ideally balanced lineup, Steve Waugh is the one who deserves the nod.
Waugh has seen it all throughout a career that saw him finish as the most capped test match player (168). First picked forAustralia Sri Lanka
Australia Australia Australia
With limited opportunities at test level in the following 18 months, he set about discovering what it would take for him to succeed at the highest level. Waugh removed the hook shot from him game completely, eschewing risk of dismissal and forcing bowlers to bowl to his strengths. The results speak for themselves, prior to his recall for the West Indies home series of 1992/93, Waugh had played in 44 tests, scored 13 50's 3 100's at an average of 37. For the remainder of his career he averaged almost 56 and scoring a further 37 fifties and 29 test centuries. But Waugh's career is much more than mere statistics. Possessing mental determination, resolution and persistence, these attributes made him the man best suited to weather any storm and save his team during a crisis. He consistently displayed the highest levels on patience and concentration that help set him apart from the other contenders for the final spot in the middle order. He still ruthlessly punished anything loose but had complete confidence in his technique having molded himself into a truly classical batsman.
He played many epic innings throughout his career, both match winning and match saving against all attacks under all conditions but to me it was his efforts during the 1995 Frank Worrell Trophy series in theWest Indies that set the standard for the Australian team that was confirming itself as the best team in world cricket. During the 3rd test in Trinidad, with the Aussies 1-0 up and trying to secure their holy grail for the first time in 20 years, they were sent in on an extremely grassy, moist pitch at the the Queens Park Oval. Waugh came to the wicket at 3-14 and it's during this innings where he had the famous confrontation with Curtly Ambrose. His account of this incident in his autobiography "Out of my comfort zone" is riveting, eye opening stuff. Waugh remained undefeated by the Ambrose and Walsh juggernaut scoring 63 as Australia were rolled for 128, remembering it as one of his finest test knocks. Eventual defeat in this game left Australia needing victory in the final test in Jamaica to win the series. West Indies won the toss and gained first use of the wicket but the Australian attack were up to the task, dismissing the hosts for 265 by stumps on Day 1. Waugh himself chipped in with two wickets late in the day. At 3/73 in reply, the game was about to be defined one way or the other and the Waugh brothers took up the task, both posting hundreds during a 231 run stand. Steve showed all of his defining characteristics during the 3rd day's play to be the final man dismissed on 200, having willed his side into an impregnable position and put the elusive series victory within reach. The Windies resistance had already been crushed losing 3 wickets before stumps with the Australians completing an innings victory the next day, the first series defeat for the home side since 1973. Waugh was judged man of the match, man of the series and officially ranked as the no.1 batman in world cricket.
Succeeding Mark Taylor as test captain in 1999, Waugh led his all conquering side to series victories against New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, England, Pakistan and Zimbabwe (home and away) and triumphs against India & Bangladesh at home . Success as a leader on the sub continent proved elusive for Waugh as a world record 16 consecutive victories was abruptly ended at Eden Gardens, Kolkata during the 2nd test of the Border/Gavaskar trophy series. Having led by 274 runs on first innings, Waugh failed to recognise the momentum built by VVS Laxman early on the 3rd day during his 1st innings half century. Enforcing the follow on proved to be disastrous as Laxman made a 2nd innings century, punishing the bowling for over 10 hours in his innings of 281 while India compiled a massive 657/7 dec. He also failed to drop Ricky Ponting when it was painfully obvious that he was without a clue against Harbhajan Singh while one of the best players of spin bowling inAustralia India went on the recover and win one of the greatest test series' ever 2-1, with Martyn producing a man of the series performance on Australia 's 2004 tour of India
Any summation of Steve Waugh's career would be incomplete without recounting his famous century against England in Sydney 2003. As someone who was at the ground, it truly is a day I could never forget. Waugh came into the last test of the series under intense media scrutiny and speculation that this could be his final game forAustralia England Dawson India
Videos of Steve Waugh:
152* vs England Lord's 1989
134* vs Sri Lanka Hobart 1989
147* vs New Zealand Brisbane 1993
112* vs Pakistan Brisbane 1995
200 vs West Indies Jamaica 1995 plus highlights of 2nd, 3rd and final day
131* vs Sri Lanka Melbourne 1995/96, 170 vs Sri Lanka Adelaide 1995/96
122* vs England Melbourne 1998
157* vs England The Oval 2001
102 vs England Sydney 2003 Last Over of this innings, hundred off the last ball
ESPN Legends of Cricket No.23 part 1 part 2 part 3
Wicket Keeper
A select group of individuals have had such an impact on the game of cricket that their feats and actions have literally changed and shaped the very game being played by their contemporaries. Adam Gilchrist is one such player, redefining what is required of a wicket keeper to be successful in the modern game. Due to his swashbuckling, game altering stroke play, all of Australia's opponents realised that having an attacking and competent batsman in this position was a prerequisite with players in the mold of Kumar Sangakkara, Brendon McCullum, Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Kamran Akmal seen as essential to success in international cricket since they all at a minimum average over 30 with the bat and could find their way into the top 6 if necessary.
He initially made his first class debut for NSW in 1992/93 as a left handed batsman before moving toWestern Australia Pakistan Australia
Gilchrist made this type of innings seem commonplace. Coming in at no.7 in the vaunted Australian batting lineup, invariably on the few occasions where Australia were 5 down and perhaps could have been bowled out cheaply, Gilchrist took control of the game and posted a quickfire century. Three very special innings of his immediately come to mind when I contemplate his achievements in the test arena.
His 122 v India at Mumbai in 2001 was one of the signature moments of what has been dubbed by many the greatest test series ever. Combining with Matt Hayden, the pair tookAustralia Australia South Africa
Gilchrist also captained the Australian side on 6 occasions in a variety of replacement roles with the crowning achievement being his leadership of the side asAustralia Australia India Australia
videos of Adam Gilchrist:
149* vs Pakistan Hobart 1999
152 vs England Birmingham 2001
133 vs England Sydney 2003
113 vs Pakistan Sydney 2005
162 vs New Zealand Wellington 2005
102* vs England Perth 2006
149* vs Sri Lanka World Cup Final 2007
All Rounder
We have been privileged to have witnessed many great all-rounders during the past 30 years. Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee, Shaun Pollock and Imran Khan all deserved lengthy consideration for a place in this XI. For mine I've decided to go with someone who is rated by many as the finest left arm fast bowler of all time, Wasim Akram. For the ideal balance of this team, having such a left arm bowler with his ability to move the ball both ways with swing and seam, with the new and old ball complements this attack perfectly. With a very deceptive ball-concealing action, he could bowl equally well from both sides of the wicket. His batting record does not stack up against the other contenders, probably an area which Akram would freely admit that he perhaps underachieved during his career. Since we already have another genuine all-rounder at No.7, I believe this gives you room for Wasim, rounding out the batting lineup and bowling attack ideally. As I said earlier, it's all about picking the best XI, not necessarily the eleven best players during this era.
Wasim Akram first came into prominence on the world stage as an 18 year old being picked for a tour ofNew Zealand Australia
There have been numerous highlights including the four hat-tricks he took in international cricket, two each in Tests and ODIs. He only scored 3 test match centuries but I will always remember him blazing 123 vs Australia at Adelaide in 1990, thrilling and booming straight hitting was always his trademark and he showed it to full effect in this innings, where he shared a wonderful 6th wicket partnership with his mentor Imram Khan. In the first test of this series he took a match double of 6/62 & 5/98 which left a lasting impression on me showing that he truly was a world class all rounder.
While he formed a highly successful opening partnership with Imran, this was to be superseded by his famous union with Waqar Younis during the 1990's. They wonderfully complimented each other, forming a potent combination that terrorised all batsmen during this period as the pioneers of reverse swing bowling. They were at the peak of their powers against New Zealand in Hamilton in 1993 where the duo were able to bowl Pakistan to a famous victory by 33 runs, dismissing the home side for 93 in the 4th innings. Wasim taking 5/45, Waqar 5/22.
For me, the pinnacle of his achievements came during the 1992 World Cup final against England in Melbourne where his late flurry of an innings, 33 off 19 balls, pushedPakistan
Since he is going to bat at No.8, it's also worth noting that Wasim has also achieved the highest score by a number eight batsman in Test cricket - 257 not out from 363 balls against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura. The innings contained 12 sixes which is also a world record for Test cricket.
He also captainedPakistan Australia , two Test match wins in India in 1998-99 and in 1999 when Pakistan Pakistan
Videos of Wasim Akram:
5/21 vs Australia Melbourne 1985
1992 World Cup Final 33 & 3/49
Test Hat Trick vs Sri Lanka
Test hat trick vs Sri Lanka
ODI Hat trick vs Australia 1990
ODI Hat trick vs West Indies
Wasim Akram Wickets highlight package
Wonderful sequence to Rahul Dravid vs India Chennai 1999
Magic ball vs England The Oval 1996
ESPN Legends of Cricket
Wasim Akram Pioneers of Cricket Part 1 Part 2
Spin Bowler
No player has made more of an impact on the game of cricket in the past 30 years than Shane Warne. Much has been written about the man during his career so leaving all incidents and controversies aside, he is simply the greatest leg spinner the game has ever seen, quite possibly the greatest bowler ever. Such is Warne's preeminence that half way through his career, he was selected as one of the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. His success' revived the dying art of spin bowling in the early 90's after a period where fast bowlers were the dominant force in world cricket bringing a much needed balance back into bowling attacks.
Warne was a fiercely competitive and attacking bowler, always looking for a way to weave his magic, disorienting many opponents with his wizardry. Warne had multiple variations of his leg break, he had the top spinner, the flipper and the googly along with his many subtle differences in speed and flight. He also got wonderful shape on his deliveries getting large amounts of drift to leg to the right hander before like a spitting cobra, the ball would pitch and turn sharply across the batsman, often producing many memorable dismissals along with numerous near misses that would leave everybody gasping. What has always set Shane Warne apart from all that have come before him was not only his prodigious turn but his unnerving accuracy and control of all these variations. It was this combination that made him a marvelous attacking weapon in the one day game when until his time, it was unheard of to regularly play a leg spinner in an ODI. This paved the way for the successes of many fine spin bowlers in both forms of the game and we have been privileged to witness a number of world class spinners during the last 15 years including Muttiah Muralidaran, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Stuart MacGill, Saqlain Mushtaq, & Harbhajan Singh.
After an inauspicious debut against the touring Indians during the 1991/92 season, his first performance of note came the following summer during a test series in Sri Lanka that is remembered for Mark Waugh scoring 4 consecutive ducks. During the first test having trailed by 291 on first innings, the Australians managed to set home side a modest total of 181 runs to win the game.Sri Lanka
Warne was again the predominant figure on his first Ashes campaign. He led all bowlers taking 34 wickets in the series and formed an attacking spinning duo with Tim May. It's impossible not to mention Warne's first delivery of the series, dubbed the 'ball of the century' which drifted well outside leg stump, spun back sharply and clipped the top of Mike Gatting's off stump. A remarkable ball which set the tone forAustralia
Perhaps Warne's most extraordinary bowling sequence was his 5 for 5 off 22 balls against South Africa at the SCG in 1993/94. And it wasn't a case of 'running through the tail'; his victims included, Jonty Rhodes, Gary Kirsten and Kepler Wessels. What made this even more remarkable was that this occurred on the first day of the test on his way to figures of 7/56, his match analysis of 12/128 was a career best.
From that breakthrough 7/52 effort against theWest Indies , Warne became a phenomenon, taking 203 wickets at 22.1 in his next 40 Tests, until a finger operation interrupted his career in 1996. Though still a potential match-winner, Warne was not quite the same bowler when he returned. In 40 Tests from late 1996 to 2000, interrupted again by a shoulder operation in 1998, he took 159 wickets at 29.2. Eventually, Warne began to make up for the technical limits imposed by injury through smarter and more mature bowling. After recovering from a broken finger and a knee operation in 2000, he then took 125 wickets at 25.0 in his next 23 Tests, before a drug misdemeanor sidelined him again. The final phase of his career came when he returned from suspension in 2004, reinforcing his place among the great bowlers with 211 wickets in 37 Tests at 25.1. Warne ended his career after Australia Australia v South Africa test matches (130), in Australia v Pakistan tests (90), in Australia v Sri Lanka
So much more can be said about Shane Warne and such a fabulous career, you could go on forever recounting glorious tales about many of those 708 test & 293 ODI wickets. One of my favourite memories for me is when he claimed the world record for the most Test wickets as he overtook Muttiah Muralitdaran's tally of 532 in the 2nd test vs India at Chennai in 2004. The Chennai crowd are renowned in India as being the most thoughtful and knowledgable cricket watchers and I was privileged to be at the MA Chidambaram Stadium watching one of the great test matches unfolding as Warne took his only 5 wicket haul against the Indians. On the previous two tours he was carrying injuries - the shoulder in 1998 and trouble with his spinning finger in 2001. But he was at his best during this four test tour, troubling all batsman in the first 3 tests before injury ruled him out of the last test in Mumbai. This second test was the best game of the whole tour despite it ending in a draw as rain ruined the 5th day when India were required to chase 220 to win. The game ebbed and flowed each and every day, the Aussies batting first with Hayden and Langer adding 136 for the first wicket in good time. After Harbhajan Singh removed both openers in the same over, Kumble took control with a 7 wicket haul to dismiss the tourists for 235. He bowled without luck during the first test loss on his home ground and thoroughly deserved each and every wicket. Warne broke the record when Irfan Pathan tickled one through to Matthew Hayden midway through the morning session on the 2nd day but Virender Sehwag then stole the limelight. He rode his luck with a number of sharp chances on his way to a breathtaking 155, keeping the crowd at fever pitch the entirety of his innings. When Viru was the 6th wicket to fall on 233, the game was delicately balanced butIndia
Australia West Indies when he was only 21. But after being cruelly made the scapegoat for the debacle at the SCG against a Fanie de Villiers-inspired South Africa in January 1994 - in only his seventh Test - he spent 74 months on the outer. On this day there was much more to Martyn's innings than the elegance and beauty of his strokeplay. The manner in which he tackled India
We missed out on a wonderful finale to this test as no team has successfully overhauled more than 155 to win a Test at Chepauk so it would have made for a gripping 5th day. Could another match winning chapter have been written into the annuals of Shane Warne's career? In the end we will never know.
Videos of Shane Warne:
3/11 vs Sri Lanka Colombo 1992
7/52 vs West Indies Melbourne 1992
1st Ashes Test 8/137 vs England Manchester 1993
8/159 vs England Lord's 1993
3rd & 4th Ashes Test 1993
12/128 match figures vs South Africa Sydney 1994
11/110 match figures vs England Brisbane 1994
6/64 & 3/16 Vs England Melbourne 1994 including hat trick
9/110 match figures vs England Manchester 1997
6/46 vs England Birmingham 2005
World Cup Semi Final 1996 4/36 vs West Indies Mohali
World Cup Semi Final 1999 4/29 vs South Africa Birmingham
World Cup Final 1999 4/33 vs Pakistan Lords
King of Spin wickets package part 1 part 2
Wickets package
Warne dismisses Basit Ali Sydney 1995 0'23"
Warne dismisses Chanderpaul Sydney 1996
Warne dismisses Strauss Birmingham 2005
Fast Bowlers
Deliberating over the final two fast bowling spots in this World XI were the toughest decisions I had to make in selecting this team. This era is littered with many great fast bowlers who all deserve mention and came into serious contention. Curtly Ambrose, Dennis Lillee, Joel Garner, Richard Hadlee, Michael Holding, Waqar Younis, Allan Donald, Courtney Walsh, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee are ranked here in my order of preference. Ambrose and Lillee were on a knife edge during the entire selection process but eventually found themselves on the outer by the barest of margins as I went for two quicks who I believed could do it better and with more consistently. With that said my last two selections for this team are Malcolm Marshall and Glenn McGrath. Both of these bowlers are counted amongst the very best to have ever played for their respective countries.
Marshall India Marshall
Once given this opportunity,Marshall England in 1984 where he took 24 wickets including three 5 wicket hauls leading the West Indies to their infamous 5-0 blackwash. In the 3rd test at Leeds, he produced his most astonishing performance: he broke his left thumb in the field early on the 1st day and was assumed to be out of the game. He returned to bat one-handed long enough for Larry Gomes to score a century. Then, with his lower arm in plaster, Marshall took what was at the time his test best 7 for 53 in the England
My favourite memory of Malcolm Marshall was during his man of the series performance inAustralia Marshall Marshall Marshall
Success continued unabated forMarshall Natal before taking up coaching roles with both over the coming years as well as a stint with the West Indies national team. He was tragically cut down by colon cancer in 1999. He was 41.
Videos of Malcolm Marshall
2/39 & 5/82 vs Australia Brisbane 1984
6/32 & 4/60 vs England Lords 1988
Malcolm Marshall highlights package 1
Malcolm Marshall highlights package 2
ESPN Legends of Cricket
Glenn McGrath stands alone in my opinion as the best fast bowler Australia has ever produced. Dennis Lillee is the only genuine contender for that mantle but I will take McGrath based on his ability to overcome injuries and comeback just as effective as he ever was. His accuracy and consistency were unfailing, a constant nagging off stump line and additional bounce were his modus operandi, making him extremely hard to face as a batsman. One characteristic of McGrath's that helped separate him from a healthy list of contenders was the fact that due to those qualities I just mentioned, he would bowl more deliveries to a batsman that he doesn't want to face, more balls than any other bowler in areas that force the batsman to make a tough decision. Curtly Ambrose had similar qualities but I rate him just behind because I believe Glenn McGrath was always going to turn up for you day in and day out with 100% commitment and determination to defeat batsman and win the game for his team. Ambrose sometimes lacked that hunger so if I want my World XI to beat any opposition in any conditions, I need players who I am sure will be switched on to play no matter what the circumstances.
Selected for the test team after making his first class debut in the previous season (1992/93) having played only eight first-class matches, McGrath made an impressive impact without taking a large haul of wickets. He played three tests that summer against the touringNew Zealand and South African sides before being selected for the subsequent tours of South Africa and Pakistan West Indies tour when injuries gave him the opportunity to lead the Australian attack. The result was their first series victory over the West Indies in 20 years. His 17 wickets included his first two 5 wicket hauls in test cricket, 5/68 in the first test in Barbados helping to secure a 10 wicket win for his side, and 6/47 in the 3rd test on an extremely helpful Queens Park Oval deck.
Those successes in theWest Indies had now cemented McGrath as the first choice opening bowler in both forms of the game and he lived up to the billing for the rest of his career. Australia achieved consecutive series triumphs over Pakistan , Sri Lanka , West Indies at home and South Africa Australia Australia Australia
In 1999, he returned to theWest Indies with an even better performance than last time. Australia Australia Australia Australia secured their famous series victory becoming the first Australia England England England England South Africa Australia Australia
In a career full to the brim with highlights, it's difficult to narrow it down to one favourite in my mind from McGrath. Securing his 500th test wicket at Lords during the 2005 Ashes tour on an unforgettable 1st day's play had to be seen to be believed. His career best performance of 8/24 at Perth against Pakistan in 2004 was amazing in the manner in which he completely outclassed and dominated his opponents, doing so after returning from injuries that could have ended his career. His match haul effort of 10/27 verses the West Indies at Brisbane in the 1st test 2000 has many of those qualities I've just mentioned Matching wits with his old foe Brian Lara, whom he dismissed 15 times in test cricket, he deliberately (and publicly) targeted the opposition's best batsmen prior to the series in an attempt to distract them, a ploy which regularly worked. He dismissed Lara both times in this game. McGrath embarrassed the West Indies on this occasion, taking 6/17 off 20 overs & 4/10 off 13 overs asAustralia
It's McGrath's feats in the 2nd test in Perth which stand alone in my mind as his signature moment. Coming into this match, he was on 298 test wickets and boasted that he would get both Sherwin Campbell and Brian Lara as his 299th and 300th Test wicket. Steve Waugh had sent the opposition into bat on an even but grassy WACA surface. Within the first hour, McGrath removed Sherwin Campbell, caught at first slip by Ricky Ponting with a lovely good length off cutter. Very next ball he bowled an unplayable leg cutter to secure the prize wicket of Brian Lara again, caught by Stuart MacGill at 4th slip to bring up his 300th test wicket. The players were ecstatic, the crowd in raptures with the theater being played out before their eyes. With Jimmy Adams coming to the crease at 3/19 to face the hat trick ball, could McGrath conjure up something to secure his place in cricket folklore? He delivered a sharpish, short of a length ball toAdams which was straight at the batsman's ribs, forcing him to play. He fended it off with his glove to Justin Langer at short leg to complete the catch. McGrath proved on this day what an intelligent bowler he was, but essentially he was doing what he had been doing for his entire career. Not trying to bowl too quickly but instead knowing that he must allow the batsman to play most of the time. To do that, he had to slow down slightly, enough to allow the ball on pitching to 'grip' a bit more than usual. Therefore it was no surprise that McGrath, master that he was, managed to get the ball to 'dance around' regularly. This goes a long way to explain why he was such a successful bowler in English conditions as well.
Videos of Glenn McGrath
6/47 vs West Indies Trinidad 1995
4/77 vs South Africa Johannesburg 1997
7/76 vs England The Oval 1997
3/44 vs Pakistan Perth 1999
4/49 vs Pakistan Perth 1999
6/17 & 4/10 vs West Indies Brisbane 2000
Hat Trick vs West Indies Perth 2000
61 vs New Zealand Brisbane 2004
5/53 & 4/29 vs England Lords 2005
Glenn McGrath highlights tribute on retirement
Glenn McGrath's last over in ODI's in Australia
Glenn McGrath's last over in test cricket
Final team & Captaincy Selection
My post World Series Cricket Test Match World XI is a wonderfully balanced side. The batting lineup has two contrasting openers who will complement each other perfectly with stout defence and aggressive shot making. The middle order is chock full of batsmen who are all match winners but will also save you a game if necessary. The bowling cupboard is full of variety. Three genuine options with the new ball and capable of match winning performances in all conditions, accompanied by each other, enhancing the overall strength of the attack. You have the best spin bowler to ever play the game in Shane Warne making for a very potent attack. Steve Waugh is a genuine fifth bowling option with his aggressive medium pace with Richards and Tendulkar providing contrasting part time spin options, give this team an overall attack that I would back to bowl out any team twice in test match conditions.
This team has 8 players who have captained their country at international level but my choice as skipper for this team will be the only one who was never given the opportunity in test matches. If it wasn't for his personal & public indiscretions, Shane Warne would no doubt have been remembered as one of the best captains to ever grace the game. The Australian cricket authorities in their own wisdom chose not to give him the honour to captain the test team. Put simply Shane Warne was the best captainAustralia
Final XI
Sunil Gavaskar
Matthew Hayden
Viv Richards
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Steve Waugh
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Malcolm Marshall
Shane Warne (c)
Glenn McGrath
Post WSC test cricket World XI
Opening Batsmen
The choice of an opening partnership for my lineup in the end did not pose too many difficulties. There is one player in the last 30 years who is one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time and picks himself, that man is Sunil Gavaskar. In a career at the highest level spanning 16 years (1971-87), he built his game around two of the most important attributes required of an opener, a near impregnable defence and limitless amounts of concentration. His impeccable technique allowed him to score 13 of his 34 test centuries against the team who dominated cricket for the majority of his career, the
Videos of Sunil Gavaskar:
221 vs England The Oval 1979
ESPN Legends of Cricket
The man I chose to partner Gavaskar in the end chose himself based not only on his achievements in the game but by the type of aggressive, domination of all bowling he has encountered throughout his career. This type of player would make for the ideal opening partnership with Gavaskar. There were a number of players to choose from who I've seen at the test match level who deserve honourable mentions. Players such as Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Mark Taylor, Virender Sehwag & Saeed Anwar all argue a strong case for inclusion but the player I chose to take on the new ball in my dream team is the tall left handed Queenslander, Matthew Hayden. He casts an imposing shadow on the cricket field, using brute strength, power, attitude, high levels of concentration and a technique for all conditions to dominate all bowlers who take up his challenge. Hayden is a powerful driver on both sides of the wicket and is merciless on anything short of a length. A high class catcher in the slips and gully add to this skill set. After a number of aborted attempts to kick start his test career in 1994 & 1996/67, Hayden came of age in the new millennium during the memorable 2000/01 series in India, establishing his place in the all conquering Australian test team with 542 runs during the 3 match series. His 203 in the deciding 3rd test at Chennai was an innings of rare class. He was able to successfully take on Harbhajan Singh who himself was destroying all who stood in his wake on his way to 32 wickets and a man of the series performance. Hayden showed peerless concentration and wonderful shot selection mastering the sweep shot in trying conditions to give
In 2003 he formed a potent opening combination with Justin Langer, later that year he hammered 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth, briefly borrowing the Test record from Brian Lara. Hayden has continued his prolific run scoring in all forms of the game and with Gavaskar as the perfect foil, they form the ideal partnership at the top of the order to get my World XI on to the front foot whilst being well equipped to handle all bowlers in all conditions.
Videos of Matthew Hayden:
India vs Australia 2001 3 test match series extensive highlights, Hayden 119 in 1st test, part 1 & 2, Hayden's 203 in 3rd test Part 9 & 10
part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8 - part 9 - part 10 - part 11 - part 12 - part 13 - part 14 - part 15
197 vs England Brisbane 2002
153 vs England Melbourne 2006
181* in ODI vs NZ 2007
124 vs India Melbourne 2007
123 vs India Sydney 2008
103 vs India Adelaide
Middle Order Batsmen
Things got much tougher when it came to selecting 4 batsmen for my team. With so many fine players to choose from, one of the deciding factors for me was the fact that I was choosing a team, so having seven guys who bat like Adam Gilchrist might sound wonderful in theory, I don't believe it's going to bring together a team who would beat all comers in all conditions.
No.3 and 4 slots in my batting order are without doubt the two finest batsmen to stride to the wicket for the
The 'Master Blaster' from
His run a ball 146 vs the Australians at Perth in 1988 was very memorable for me due to the manner in which he was able to take away any possible initiative from the opposition in a session of carnage and devastation It was this appetite for destruction and his game changing ability that set him apart from his contemporaries. His strength was an wonderful asset, not to mention his natural ability as an all round fieldsman usually close to the wicket or in the covers, setting such high standards which would have easily seen him at home in today's game. Richards was a more than useful slow to medium paced off spin bowler who often played an important role as the 5th bowler in ODI's, sending down his overs quickly and accurately. His greatness was confirmed when in 2000, Richards was selected as one of the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Century.
Videos of Viv Richards:
146 vs Australia Perth 1988
110* vs England Antigua 1986 Fastest 100 in test history (56 balls)
Highlights package of his 208 vs Aus Melbourne 1984 & 146 vs Aus Perth 1988
package of Richards vs England
189* vs Eng in ODI
ESPN legends of cricket
Brian Lara comes in second wicket down for my team. During his time at the top, this left hander showed an appetite for runs that is matched by few in the history of the game. He left the game in 2007, his barrow overflowing with records. He achieved the multiple feats of being the all-time leading aggregate run scorer in test cricket (11953), holding the records for the highest individual scores in test cricket (400*) & first class cricket (501*).
Many other superlatives and skills come to mind immediately when I think of Lara and his innings I have witnessed. His appetite for the long innings draws comparisons with Bradman. It's the style and panache of his strokeplay that few modern day batsmen can match. Lara's wrists of steel, excellent footwork and an ability for unerringly accurate placement must have been so demoralising for all bowlers, it's no wonder he so frequently made large scores. 18 of his 34 test match centuries being scores over 150 with 7 double centuries, 1 triple century and of course his world record 400 not out in 2004 vs England to reclaim the test record from Matthew Hayden.
Having made his test debut vs Pakistan in 1990, Lara was unable to gain regular selection in the
At the age of 24 he had scaled cricket's Mount Everest by breaking Sir Garfield Sobers 36 year old world record for the most runs in a test innings scoring 375* vs England at St John's. Seven weeks later he broke the world record for the highest score in first class cricket blasting 501* for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston. With these feats came the massive weight of expectation from the Caribbean, especially now that he was seen as the only hope for
With so many epic innings to choose from that I have seen Lara play in a career glittering with highlights, it's extraordinarily difficult to decide on one as the very best. His 132 on an ugly WACA wicket in 1997 was courageous. The 182 at Adelaide in 2000 was sublime. The Prince's counter-attacking brilliance came to the fore in his amazing 213 at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1999 along with the sheer inevitability of his glorious 226 at Adelaide in 2005 to surpass Allan Border as the leading run scorer in test history were all masterpieces to be savoured.
In the end for me it will be the one that is etched in my memory so vividly for many reasons that it will never be forgotten. Lara's match-winning epic 153 not out at Bridgetown,
Two further wickets fell early on the final day which left seeming only Lara and Jimmy Adams standing in
Steve Waugh in his first test series as captain went for his trump card after the interval, the colossus, Shane Warne. The leg spinner had just returned to the test side from reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder that he had suffered from the wear and tear of bowling. Having taken 3 wickets at an average of over 100 in those preceding games, Lara could smell the blood in the water and his savage attack on Warne in the post lunch session was one to behold. He smashed a Warne long hop for 6 to bring up his fifty, putting the ball onto the grandstand roof. The carnage continued with his second 50 coming up in 51 balls. It took a Glenn McGrath gem to remove
With Gillespie back into the attack and 7 runs still required, Lara almost succumbed when trying to glide one past 1st slip. He edged but Healy grassed the chance and with it seemingly
I'll finish with a quote from someone who I have enormous respect for, Steve Waugh. "Lara is a good player against average bowling sides and a great one against formidable attacks but when harassed into a corner by his own brinkmanship or if he's targeted, he elevates himself into a genius."
Videos of Brian Lara:
277 vs Australia Sydney 1993 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
375 vs England St John's 1994 part 1 part 2
World Record 501* for Warwickshire vs Durham Edgbaston 1994
179 vs England The Oval 1995
153* vs Australia Barbados 1999
400* vs England St John's 2004
226 vs Australia Adelaide 2005
130 vs Pakistan Barbados 2005
202 vs South Africa Johannesburg 2003
196 vs South Africa Port of Spain 2005
Sachin Tendulkar is another obvious choice for my lineup, coming in at no.5. No batsman in the modern era has captured the imagination of the cricketing public quite like this right hander from Mumbai. On the sub continent he is a cricketing deity, to the rest of the world a genius in flannels. He has demonstrated a superiority over his contemporaries that has rarely been seen since Bradman. Making his test debut at 16, he made an impact immediately scoring his first hundred on his first tour of
While Tendulkar throughout his career has played many glorious innings, knocks where he tore attacks apart in the blink of an eye, no doubt everyone had their favourite. I'll choose an occasion where I was privileged to be at the ground to watch a Sachin masterpiece unfolding ball by ball before my eyes. His 241 not out against Australia at the SCG 2004 was an innings that right from the moment he strode to the crease, you could tell he was looking for a big score. He added an extra helping of patience to his batsmanship from on a first day wicket, leaving numerous balls that on other occasions he would have flashed through the off side off both front and back foot. Once he and Laxman settled into their 4th wicket 353 run partnership, the hosts had little answers with all bowlers being dispatched to all corners and the Sydney crowd calling out for suspended leg spinner Shane Warne. Tendulkar was chanceless, he refused to be baited by balls bowled outside his off stump, biding his time making the bowlers bowl to him. It was a perfectly crafted innings, implementing a well thought out plan to perfection and in doing so taking away any chance Steve Waugh had of a fairytale victory in his final test match with the irony being that it was an innings straight out of the Waugh playbook.
Statistically, barring injury he will end his career with the highest total runs scored in test cricket. He already has the most test centuries (39) not the mention the most ODI runs and 100's. He perhaps doesn't have the voracious appetite for the long innings that Brian Lara has but he scored more hundreds than Lara and has a slightly better conversion rate once he passed 50. This invariably leads to the question who is better, Lara or Tendulkar. They are both geniuses and have dominated all attacks from the same era. If I had to make a decision I would give it to Lara by a hair's breadth. They are so close to each other in all categories that the only thing that enables me to rate Lara slightly higher is the fact that Lara for the majority of his career has played for an inferior, fractured team with a declining bowling attack while being required to carry a relatively weak West Indian batting lineup on his shoulders. Tendulkar has had the benefit of playing in a high quality test lineup featuring batsmen including Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Navjot Sidhu, VVS Laxman & Virender Sehwag. Lara's team has not had anyone of the bowling quality of Ambrose and Walsh since 2000 yet the Indian side throughout Sachin's career has always had someone of the likes of Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath & Harbhajan Singh. This is in no way a detraction from Sachin Tendulkar's ability or magnificent achievements throughout a stellar career, he has just had the benefit of playing in a much stronger team. I believe the pressure of having to perform in a weak team is greater than the expectations of a billion Indians because the very same Indians give Tendulkar undying support every time he takes the field. Tendulkar is a talented and underutilised bowler who often delivers a variety of off breaks, leg breaks and googlies with excellent partnership breaking effect.
Videos of Sachin Tendulkar:
119* vs England Manchester 1990
148* vs Australia Sydney 1992
177 vs England Nottingham 1996
113 vs New Zealand Wellington 1998
116 vs Australia Melbourne 1999
155 vs South Africa Bloemfontein 2001
169 vs South Africa Cape Town 1997
126 vs Australia Chennai 2001
241* vs Australia Sydney 2004 part 1 part 2
154 vs Australia Sydney 2008
153 vs Australia Adelaide 2008
ESPN Legends of Cricket
The number 6 position in my batting lineup caused me much angst and there are a number of great batsmen who cannot find a place in my team. Players of the quality of Greg Chappell, Martin Crowe, Allan Border, Javed Miandad, David Gower, Jacques Kallis, Aravinda de Silva, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Rahul Dravid & David Boon all must be considered but in my opinion the batsmen required in this position is Steve Waugh. I believe to perfectly round out the top 6 and have an ideally balanced lineup, Steve Waugh is the one who deserves the nod.
Waugh has seen it all throughout a career that saw him finish as the most capped test match player (168). First picked for
With limited opportunities at test level in the following 18 months, he set about discovering what it would take for him to succeed at the highest level. Waugh removed the hook shot from him game completely, eschewing risk of dismissal and forcing bowlers to bowl to his strengths. The results speak for themselves, prior to his recall for the West Indies home series of 1992/93, Waugh had played in 44 tests, scored 13 50's 3 100's at an average of 37. For the remainder of his career he averaged almost 56 and scoring a further 37 fifties and 29 test centuries. But Waugh's career is much more than mere statistics. Possessing mental determination, resolution and persistence, these attributes made him the man best suited to weather any storm and save his team during a crisis. He consistently displayed the highest levels on patience and concentration that help set him apart from the other contenders for the final spot in the middle order. He still ruthlessly punished anything loose but had complete confidence in his technique having molded himself into a truly classical batsman.
He played many epic innings throughout his career, both match winning and match saving against all attacks under all conditions but to me it was his efforts during the 1995 Frank Worrell Trophy series in the
Succeeding Mark Taylor as test captain in 1999, Waugh led his all conquering side to series victories against New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, England, Pakistan and Zimbabwe (home and away) and triumphs against India & Bangladesh at home . Success as a leader on the sub continent proved elusive for Waugh as a world record 16 consecutive victories was abruptly ended at Eden Gardens, Kolkata during the 2nd test of the Border/Gavaskar trophy series. Having led by 274 runs on first innings, Waugh failed to recognise the momentum built by VVS Laxman early on the 3rd day during his 1st innings half century. Enforcing the follow on proved to be disastrous as Laxman made a 2nd innings century, punishing the bowling for over 10 hours in his innings of 281 while India compiled a massive 657/7 dec. He also failed to drop Ricky Ponting when it was painfully obvious that he was without a clue against Harbhajan Singh while one of the best players of spin bowling in
Any summation of Steve Waugh's career would be incomplete without recounting his famous century against England in Sydney 2003. As someone who was at the ground, it truly is a day I could never forget. Waugh came into the last test of the series under intense media scrutiny and speculation that this could be his final game for
Videos of Steve Waugh:
152* vs England Lord's 1989
134* vs Sri Lanka Hobart 1989
147* vs New Zealand Brisbane 1993
112* vs Pakistan Brisbane 1995
200 vs West Indies Jamaica 1995 plus highlights of 2nd, 3rd and final day
131* vs Sri Lanka Melbourne 1995/96, 170 vs Sri Lanka Adelaide 1995/96
122* vs England Melbourne 1998
157* vs England The Oval 2001
102 vs England Sydney 2003 Last Over of this innings, hundred off the last ball
ESPN Legends of Cricket No.23 part 1 part 2 part 3
Wicket Keeper
A select group of individuals have had such an impact on the game of cricket that their feats and actions have literally changed and shaped the very game being played by their contemporaries. Adam Gilchrist is one such player, redefining what is required of a wicket keeper to be successful in the modern game. Due to his swashbuckling, game altering stroke play, all of Australia's opponents realised that having an attacking and competent batsman in this position was a prerequisite with players in the mold of Kumar Sangakkara, Brendon McCullum, Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Kamran Akmal seen as essential to success in international cricket since they all at a minimum average over 30 with the bat and could find their way into the top 6 if necessary.
He initially made his first class debut for NSW in 1992/93 as a left handed batsman before moving to
Gilchrist made this type of innings seem commonplace. Coming in at no.7 in the vaunted Australian batting lineup, invariably on the few occasions where Australia were 5 down and perhaps could have been bowled out cheaply, Gilchrist took control of the game and posted a quickfire century. Three very special innings of his immediately come to mind when I contemplate his achievements in the test arena.
His 122 v India at Mumbai in 2001 was one of the signature moments of what has been dubbed by many the greatest test series ever. Combining with Matt Hayden, the pair took
Gilchrist also captained the Australian side on 6 occasions in a variety of replacement roles with the crowning achievement being his leadership of the side as
videos of Adam Gilchrist:
149* vs Pakistan Hobart 1999
152 vs England Birmingham 2001
133 vs England Sydney 2003
113 vs Pakistan Sydney 2005
162 vs New Zealand Wellington 2005
102* vs England Perth 2006
149* vs Sri Lanka World Cup Final 2007
All Rounder
We have been privileged to have witnessed many great all-rounders during the past 30 years. Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee, Shaun Pollock and Imran Khan all deserved lengthy consideration for a place in this XI. For mine I've decided to go with someone who is rated by many as the finest left arm fast bowler of all time, Wasim Akram. For the ideal balance of this team, having such a left arm bowler with his ability to move the ball both ways with swing and seam, with the new and old ball complements this attack perfectly. With a very deceptive ball-concealing action, he could bowl equally well from both sides of the wicket. His batting record does not stack up against the other contenders, probably an area which Akram would freely admit that he perhaps underachieved during his career. Since we already have another genuine all-rounder at No.7, I believe this gives you room for Wasim, rounding out the batting lineup and bowling attack ideally. As I said earlier, it's all about picking the best XI, not necessarily the eleven best players during this era.
Wasim Akram first came into prominence on the world stage as an 18 year old being picked for a tour of
There have been numerous highlights including the four hat-tricks he took in international cricket, two each in Tests and ODIs. He only scored 3 test match centuries but I will always remember him blazing 123 vs Australia at Adelaide in 1990, thrilling and booming straight hitting was always his trademark and he showed it to full effect in this innings, where he shared a wonderful 6th wicket partnership with his mentor Imram Khan. In the first test of this series he took a match double of 6/62 & 5/98 which left a lasting impression on me showing that he truly was a world class all rounder.
While he formed a highly successful opening partnership with Imran, this was to be superseded by his famous union with Waqar Younis during the 1990's. They wonderfully complimented each other, forming a potent combination that terrorised all batsmen during this period as the pioneers of reverse swing bowling. They were at the peak of their powers against New Zealand in Hamilton in 1993 where the duo were able to bowl Pakistan to a famous victory by 33 runs, dismissing the home side for 93 in the 4th innings. Wasim taking 5/45, Waqar 5/22.
For me, the pinnacle of his achievements came during the 1992 World Cup final against England in Melbourne where his late flurry of an innings, 33 off 19 balls, pushed
Since he is going to bat at No.8, it's also worth noting that Wasim has also achieved the highest score by a number eight batsman in Test cricket - 257 not out from 363 balls against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura. The innings contained 12 sixes which is also a world record for Test cricket.
He also captained
Videos of Wasim Akram:
5/21 vs Australia Melbourne 1985
1992 World Cup Final 33 & 3/49
Test Hat Trick vs Sri Lanka
Test hat trick vs Sri Lanka
ODI Hat trick vs Australia 1990
ODI Hat trick vs West Indies
Wasim Akram Wickets highlight package
Wonderful sequence to Rahul Dravid vs India Chennai 1999
Magic ball vs England The Oval 1996
ESPN Legends of Cricket
Wasim Akram Pioneers of Cricket Part 1 Part 2
Spin Bowler
No player has made more of an impact on the game of cricket in the past 30 years than Shane Warne. Much has been written about the man during his career so leaving all incidents and controversies aside, he is simply the greatest leg spinner the game has ever seen, quite possibly the greatest bowler ever. Such is Warne's preeminence that half way through his career, he was selected as one of the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. His success' revived the dying art of spin bowling in the early 90's after a period where fast bowlers were the dominant force in world cricket bringing a much needed balance back into bowling attacks.
Warne was a fiercely competitive and attacking bowler, always looking for a way to weave his magic, disorienting many opponents with his wizardry. Warne had multiple variations of his leg break, he had the top spinner, the flipper and the googly along with his many subtle differences in speed and flight. He also got wonderful shape on his deliveries getting large amounts of drift to leg to the right hander before like a spitting cobra, the ball would pitch and turn sharply across the batsman, often producing many memorable dismissals along with numerous near misses that would leave everybody gasping. What has always set Shane Warne apart from all that have come before him was not only his prodigious turn but his unnerving accuracy and control of all these variations. It was this combination that made him a marvelous attacking weapon in the one day game when until his time, it was unheard of to regularly play a leg spinner in an ODI. This paved the way for the successes of many fine spin bowlers in both forms of the game and we have been privileged to witness a number of world class spinners during the last 15 years including Muttiah Muralidaran, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Stuart MacGill, Saqlain Mushtaq, & Harbhajan Singh.
After an inauspicious debut against the touring Indians during the 1991/92 season, his first performance of note came the following summer during a test series in Sri Lanka that is remembered for Mark Waugh scoring 4 consecutive ducks. During the first test having trailed by 291 on first innings, the Australians managed to set home side a modest total of 181 runs to win the game.
Warne was again the predominant figure on his first Ashes campaign. He led all bowlers taking 34 wickets in the series and formed an attacking spinning duo with Tim May. It's impossible not to mention Warne's first delivery of the series, dubbed the 'ball of the century' which drifted well outside leg stump, spun back sharply and clipped the top of Mike Gatting's off stump. A remarkable ball which set the tone for
Perhaps Warne's most extraordinary bowling sequence was his 5 for 5 off 22 balls against South Africa at the SCG in 1993/94. And it wasn't a case of 'running through the tail'; his victims included, Jonty Rhodes, Gary Kirsten and Kepler Wessels. What made this even more remarkable was that this occurred on the first day of the test on his way to figures of 7/56, his match analysis of 12/128 was a career best.
From that breakthrough 7/52 effort against the
So much more can be said about Shane Warne and such a fabulous career, you could go on forever recounting glorious tales about many of those 708 test & 293 ODI wickets. One of my favourite memories for me is when he claimed the world record for the most Test wickets as he overtook Muttiah Muralitdaran's tally of 532 in the 2nd test vs India at Chennai in 2004. The Chennai crowd are renowned in India as being the most thoughtful and knowledgable cricket watchers and I was privileged to be at the MA Chidambaram Stadium watching one of the great test matches unfolding as Warne took his only 5 wicket haul against the Indians. On the previous two tours he was carrying injuries - the shoulder in 1998 and trouble with his spinning finger in 2001. But he was at his best during this four test tour, troubling all batsman in the first 3 tests before injury ruled him out of the last test in Mumbai. This second test was the best game of the whole tour despite it ending in a draw as rain ruined the 5th day when India were required to chase 220 to win. The game ebbed and flowed each and every day, the Aussies batting first with Hayden and Langer adding 136 for the first wicket in good time. After Harbhajan Singh removed both openers in the same over, Kumble took control with a 7 wicket haul to dismiss the tourists for 235. He bowled without luck during the first test loss on his home ground and thoroughly deserved each and every wicket. Warne broke the record when Irfan Pathan tickled one through to Matthew Hayden midway through the morning session on the 2nd day but Virender Sehwag then stole the limelight. He rode his luck with a number of sharp chances on his way to a breathtaking 155, keeping the crowd at fever pitch the entirety of his innings. When Viru was the 6th wicket to fall on 233, the game was delicately balanced but
We missed out on a wonderful finale to this test as no team has successfully overhauled more than 155 to win a Test at Chepauk so it would have made for a gripping 5th day. Could another match winning chapter have been written into the annuals of Shane Warne's career? In the end we will never know.
Videos of Shane Warne:
3/11 vs Sri Lanka Colombo 1992
7/52 vs West Indies Melbourne 1992
1st Ashes Test 8/137 vs England Manchester 1993
8/159 vs England Lord's 1993
3rd & 4th Ashes Test 1993
12/128 match figures vs South Africa Sydney 1994
11/110 match figures vs England Brisbane 1994
6/64 & 3/16 Vs England Melbourne 1994 including hat trick
9/110 match figures vs England Manchester 1997
6/46 vs England Birmingham 2005
World Cup Semi Final 1996 4/36 vs West Indies Mohali
World Cup Semi Final 1999 4/29 vs South Africa Birmingham
World Cup Final 1999 4/33 vs Pakistan Lords
King of Spin wickets package part 1 part 2
Wickets package
Warne dismisses Basit Ali Sydney 1995 0'23"
Warne dismisses Chanderpaul Sydney 1996
Warne dismisses Strauss Birmingham 2005
Fast Bowlers
Deliberating over the final two fast bowling spots in this World XI were the toughest decisions I had to make in selecting this team. This era is littered with many great fast bowlers who all deserve mention and came into serious contention. Curtly Ambrose, Dennis Lillee, Joel Garner, Richard Hadlee, Michael Holding, Waqar Younis, Allan Donald, Courtney Walsh, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee are ranked here in my order of preference. Ambrose and Lillee were on a knife edge during the entire selection process but eventually found themselves on the outer by the barest of margins as I went for two quicks who I believed could do it better and with more consistently. With that said my last two selections for this team are Malcolm Marshall and Glenn McGrath. Both of these bowlers are counted amongst the very best to have ever played for their respective countries.
Once given this opportunity,
My favourite memory of Malcolm Marshall was during his man of the series performance in
Success continued unabated for
Videos of Malcolm Marshall
2/39 & 5/82 vs Australia Brisbane 1984
6/32 & 4/60 vs England Lords 1988
Malcolm Marshall highlights package 1
Malcolm Marshall highlights package 2
ESPN Legends of Cricket
Glenn McGrath stands alone in my opinion as the best fast bowler Australia has ever produced. Dennis Lillee is the only genuine contender for that mantle but I will take McGrath based on his ability to overcome injuries and comeback just as effective as he ever was. His accuracy and consistency were unfailing, a constant nagging off stump line and additional bounce were his modus operandi, making him extremely hard to face as a batsman. One characteristic of McGrath's that helped separate him from a healthy list of contenders was the fact that due to those qualities I just mentioned, he would bowl more deliveries to a batsman that he doesn't want to face, more balls than any other bowler in areas that force the batsman to make a tough decision. Curtly Ambrose had similar qualities but I rate him just behind because I believe Glenn McGrath was always going to turn up for you day in and day out with 100% commitment and determination to defeat batsman and win the game for his team. Ambrose sometimes lacked that hunger so if I want my World XI to beat any opposition in any conditions, I need players who I am sure will be switched on to play no matter what the circumstances.
Selected for the test team after making his first class debut in the previous season (1992/93) having played only eight first-class matches, McGrath made an impressive impact without taking a large haul of wickets. He played three tests that summer against the touring
Those successes in the
In 1999, he returned to the
In a career full to the brim with highlights, it's difficult to narrow it down to one favourite in my mind from McGrath. Securing his 500th test wicket at Lords during the 2005 Ashes tour on an unforgettable 1st day's play had to be seen to be believed. His career best performance of 8/24 at Perth against Pakistan in 2004 was amazing in the manner in which he completely outclassed and dominated his opponents, doing so after returning from injuries that could have ended his career. His match haul effort of 10/27 verses the West Indies at Brisbane in the 1st test 2000 has many of those qualities I've just mentioned Matching wits with his old foe Brian Lara, whom he dismissed 15 times in test cricket, he deliberately (and publicly) targeted the opposition's best batsmen prior to the series in an attempt to distract them, a ploy which regularly worked. He dismissed Lara both times in this game. McGrath embarrassed the West Indies on this occasion, taking 6/17 off 20 overs & 4/10 off 13 overs as
It's McGrath's feats in the 2nd test in Perth which stand alone in my mind as his signature moment. Coming into this match, he was on 298 test wickets and boasted that he would get both Sherwin Campbell and Brian Lara as his 299th and 300th Test wicket. Steve Waugh had sent the opposition into bat on an even but grassy WACA surface. Within the first hour, McGrath removed Sherwin Campbell, caught at first slip by Ricky Ponting with a lovely good length off cutter. Very next ball he bowled an unplayable leg cutter to secure the prize wicket of Brian Lara again, caught by Stuart MacGill at 4th slip to bring up his 300th test wicket. The players were ecstatic, the crowd in raptures with the theater being played out before their eyes. With Jimmy Adams coming to the crease at 3/19 to face the hat trick ball, could McGrath conjure up something to secure his place in cricket folklore? He delivered a sharpish, short of a length ball to
Videos of Glenn McGrath
6/47 vs West Indies Trinidad 1995
4/77 vs South Africa Johannesburg 1997
7/76 vs England The Oval 1997
3/44 vs Pakistan Perth 1999
4/49 vs Pakistan Perth 1999
6/17 & 4/10 vs West Indies Brisbane 2000
Hat Trick vs West Indies Perth 2000
61 vs New Zealand Brisbane 2004
5/53 & 4/29 vs England Lords 2005
Glenn McGrath highlights tribute on retirement
Glenn McGrath's last over in ODI's in Australia
Glenn McGrath's last over in test cricket
Final team & Captaincy Selection
My post World Series Cricket Test Match World XI is a wonderfully balanced side. The batting lineup has two contrasting openers who will complement each other perfectly with stout defence and aggressive shot making. The middle order is chock full of batsmen who are all match winners but will also save you a game if necessary. The bowling cupboard is full of variety. Three genuine options with the new ball and capable of match winning performances in all conditions, accompanied by each other, enhancing the overall strength of the attack. You have the best spin bowler to ever play the game in Shane Warne making for a very potent attack. Steve Waugh is a genuine fifth bowling option with his aggressive medium pace with Richards and Tendulkar providing contrasting part time spin options, give this team an overall attack that I would back to bowl out any team twice in test match conditions.
This team has 8 players who have captained their country at international level but my choice as skipper for this team will be the only one who was never given the opportunity in test matches. If it wasn't for his personal & public indiscretions, Shane Warne would no doubt have been remembered as one of the best captains to ever grace the game. The Australian cricket authorities in their own wisdom chose not to give him the honour to captain the test team. Put simply Shane Warne was the best captain
Final XI
Sunil Gavaskar
Matthew Hayden
Viv Richards
Brian Lara
Sachin Tendulkar
Steve Waugh
Adam Gilchrist
Wasim Akram
Malcolm Marshall
Shane Warne (c)
Glenn McGrath
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