Tell us about your ultimate fantasy team. Who would you pick from the cricket hall of fame? Would it be from a certain era or from a certain type of cricket ? Would any women make the team, or would you team just be all women or all men?
Which countries would be represented and why? Make a case for that ultimate all time fantasy team.

Over to you!

__________________
I have a dream.... (Martin Luther King)

Hmmm.. so you want is to avoid being boring and going for the "strongest ever".. and go for a team that we'd somehow find inspiring... whether flawed characters who made good.. or ambassadors for the game.. or gentlemen. .or awesome fielders.. or (in Zainub's case) "deplorable blobs" carrying several stone too much and keener on a lunch of scrambled egg than on launching themselves from the crease for a scrambled single :-)

It's your team! you could even have an ultimate fantasy team of bad/ugly/lazy/fat/bald/ world-a-team icons ('d make that one at least!) etc; I know that several past attempts have been undertaken to get that mixture of excitment and buzz in other threads; lets distill it here!

__________________
I have a dream.... (Martin Luther King)

WAT Icons Fantasy XI

1. Ernest- Our dashing opener, ever the optimist. Would bat on a wet pitch.
2. Rachael- Our more defensive opener. Picking off the right balls. Vice Captain
3. Mike- Our Rock; holds the innings together. Captain
4. DaveGillespie- Only contributes when there's something of worth to be said.
5. Maranello- The model Moderator. Does his job with everyone around him in awe.
6. R W S- Coming off the big back operation, speculation as to whether he'll be fit to play. Usually not afraid to show a bit of enterprise.
7. Zainub Razvi- Allrounder. Plays the perfect game, gets the ball ticking at a run a ball, no more, no less. Known to take a wicket or two with her straight offies.
8. Beny- Sole Aussie in the lineup, gets the gig on the back of his Moderating role and his recent spat which showed he isn't afraid to rough the batsman up.
9. flanflinger- Has shown he is not afraid to intimidate and will use his presence.
10. vvvrulz- Conservative medium pacer. Always on the mark, no bouncers, the odd enticing chance to the batsman.
11. Milo- Puts as much thought into each ball as Flemming did creating the cure for Penicillin. Would aim to outsmart the batsman.

12th Man- Richard Jenkins. Created the latest WAT craze in Fantasy Cricket. Deserves a mention.

Some lineup.

After much deliberation.. a team for all sorts of different reasons!

1. Atherton
2. B. Richards
3. Kirsten
4. Ramprakash
5. Hooper
6. Rhodes
7. Russell
8. Hadlee
9. Bedser
10. Underwood
11. Fraser

Fraser is in there because he was a bit of hero of mine and I would love to give hima chance to play as part of a decent attack. Atherton, likewise, is a hero I'd like to have seen opening without feeling he had to carry his entire team as passengers. Russell's another long term favourite, close on the heals of my all-time favourite, Johnty Rhodes: I love the idea of that pair scurrying audacious singles with the bat and setting a glorious example in the field.

Bedser is in because I'd love to see Russell standing up to him as Evans once did... and Barry Richards (of whom only an opponent could surely see to much) and Hadlee (ambassador for the sport in general and for older players in particular) are in as exemplary partners for Atherton and Fraser - though I'd be as happy with Gavaskar and Imran Khan or Hutton and Wasim Akram.

Ramprakash is perhaps the player I could most identify with from the entire history of cricket... and in to have a chance to thrive in quality side.

I guess Kirsten embodies so much that I admire in a cricketer that he just cruises in at three: a player who ought to have got into (or at least close to) most world Xis for a large part of his career... he's a somewhat unsung hero... unreasonably eclipsed by "dashers". Kumble is unlucky to miss out for exactly that reason.. but against that.. I have an ever growing facination with Underwood's ability to do just about anything with a ball on pretty much any surface and against any opponent - another bonus for Russell as well :-)

Hooper grabs my final spot. Not sure quite why he always appealed.. but like Ramps he remains a player who both could and should have done far more with incredible talent. The thought of the two of them getting going together (or with Richards) on a true pitch should also placate those who couldn't abide watching the likes of Gary Kirsten :-)

Nicely balanced side.. Hooper as the second spinner.. excellent variety to the specialist bowling (though a master of variation like Wasim Akram might compliment Fraser better than Hadlee). Sharp in the field as well... a fact that would be aided by my specialist 12th man: I'd go for Benaud's man Miller.

A team simply comprising my favourite cricketers of all time


WG Grace - for just being him
Sunil Gavaskar - as a boy found him fascinating scoring mountains of runs and defying the Windies when everyone around him failed
Don Bradman - the ultimate, how could anyone be that much better than everyone else?
Dean Jones - a genius, always wondered what he couldn't achieved if wasn't cruelly dropped.
Graeme Hick - a test average of 31, but 130 tons, why not just play forever and break every record going, you will always be in Wisden
Steve Waugh - the most defiant cricketer I have seen, mate just stay with me and I will get us home
Adam Gilchrist - Gilly's batting dear, i'm not moving from that couch
Imran Khan - the lion of Pakistan, had it all
Richard Hadlee - what would NZ been without him
Fred Spofforth - the Demon of the 19th century
SF Barnes - must have been totally unplayable

Roger Harper - couldn't go without a West Indian and not a bad twelth man

Sunil Gavaskar - run machine
WG Grace - the master
Viv Richards - coolest man ever
Don Bradmen - the best
Douglas Jardine - would love to see him and Bradmen in same team!
Imran Khan - elegent, stylish, lovely!!
Ian Bothem - bulldog
Jack Russell - mad as a hatter!
Ashley Giles - King of Spain
Alec Bedsar - unplayable
Gus Fraser - work horse

Not aiming for the 'best team' just a team I would LOVE to see play together!!!

My "Fantasy" All-Time team

1. Sunil Gavaskar- Unstoppable
2. Barry Richards- Showed to the world what he had in four tests
3. Sir Donald Bradman- Now who was that British journalist who suggested Grace was a better cricketer?
4. Sachin Tendulkar- Undoubtedly the post World War II Bradman; even the new version of Sachin is poles better than most other cricketers.
5. Brian Lara- I'd love to see him flourish even more with less pressure.
6. "Iron" Mike Atherton- Many will dispute my choice of him at No.6, but I'd just love to see Iron Mike in a top side. As for him at No.6, well, I've always wanted to see how openers would do down the order.
7. Andrew Flower- No pressure. The best wicketkeeper-batsman of his day, love to see him under no pressure.
8. Sir Richard Hadlee- Would love to see him as just "another" bowler; not NZ's prime man.
9. Jason Gillespie- I don't know why; I just think of him as one of the best bowlers that I've seen.
10. Anil Kumble- One of the masters of spin bowling.
11. Sydney Barnes- Richie Benaud said he was one of the best, be my guest Mr. Benaud, I'd love to see him play.
11

"don´t know much about history..."

1- kirsten
2- anwar
3- +dravid
4- *ranatunga
5- lara
6- inzi
7- flintoff
8- cairns
9- gough
10- mushtaq
11-ambrose

(butcher just misses out after much diliberation)

no zimbos - they´re already in my team

Haynes
Gavaskar
Bradman
Tendulkar
G. Pollock
Sobers
Gilchrist
Kapil Dev
Warne
Marshall
Lillee

Sobers as Captain with Bradman as Vice-Captain.

Lillee and Marshall in full flight would make most batsmen tremble. Sobers could bowl whatever he felt like.

Can you imagine Tendulkar and Pollock batting together and blasting the bowling around the ground?