Greatest XI (performances)

[Vrock]

This isn't the typical 'greatest XI' sides that can be debated over weeks, and could potentially have seven or eight different players fill one position.

I thought we could do something similar, but based upon one single match performance since the year 2000 (January 1st).

I think this is the fairest way as the highest majority of members of this board will have been viewing cricket since the year 2000 and member's recollections will be much clearer than of times previous to this date.

The final XI will be made up of:

Opening Batsman
Opening Batsman
Middle Order Batsman
Middle Order Batsman
Middle Order Batsman
All Rounder - pace/spin - batting/bowling dominant
Wicket Keeper - I think it best to stick mainly with batting performances, but I'm not ruling out perfect takes and catching.
Spin Bowler
Pace Bowler
Pace Bowler
Pace Bowler

So bring forward your nominations for places, and we'll see if we can all agree on a final XI.

P.S. There is no need to name a whole XI, any specific places will be fine.

[Karthik]

My XI:

Sachin Tendulkar
Chris Gayle
Ricky Ponting
Rahul Dravid
Shoaib Malik
Andrew Flintoff
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Muttiah Muralitharan
Agit Agarkar
Glenn McGrath
Chaminda Vaas

I chose these because it has experienced players like Tendulkar,Dravid,Ponting,Muralitharan and McGrath,mid-experienced players like Vaas,Agarkar and Flintoff and young players like Gayle,Malik and Dhoni.

It has attacking players like Gayle,Malik,Dhoni and match savers like Tendulkar,Dravid,Ponting and Flintoff.

[Rachael]

You've not got the idea here: the thread was to select the best one-off performances in each playing position since January 2000. Your players might be in contention... but you need to indicate which match... and say why a perticular performance was so great.

Many of the best players might not make it... as being consistently better than someone else doesn't count: it's one off performances that matter.

I'm going for a sure-fire winner: Laxman as a middle order bat. As is written in his profile "In March 2001, all the dreams he had had as a wannabe medical student came true when he tormented Steve Waugh¹s then-invincible Australians with a majestic 281 at Calcutta - one of the greatest performances of all time".

I'd also like to nominate Kirsten for his 14.5 hour 275 at Kingsmead.. but that ended on 30th December of 1999

[Maranello]

Shoaib Akhtar against Australia at Colombo in Oct 2002 - truly ferocious fast-bowling, took 3 cheap wickets in the first innings and then 5 for 21 in the second, thus single-handedly (all bowled/LBWs) demolishing a very strong batting line-up, that included Langer, Hayden, Steve & Mark Waugh, Ponting and Gilchrist. What made it remarkable was that he had limited or no help from the pitch; this was a match in which all other pacemen, including Waqar, McGrath, Lee, Sami, Razzaq and Gillespie, were useless in comparison and the other wickets were taken by Warne (11 wickets) and Saqlain (8 wickets).

McGrath at Lord's 2005, one of the better exhibitions of seam bowling, though aided by one of the more inept demonstration of batting. This was possibly bettered by M. Asif at Kandy in April 2006 - 11 wickets in only his fifth Test, including 6/45-ish in the first innings and 5/25-odd in the second. Again, the other six pace bowlers (Malinga, Maharoof, Kulasekera, Iftikhar Anjum, Umar Gul, Razzaq), managed nine wickets between the lot of them!

Kamran Akmal against India at Karachi, 2005 - excellent, technically correct and attacking batting in very difficult batting conditions, and under tremendous pressure - India v Pakistan is tense enough anyway, this was a series decider and Pakistan were tetering on the brink of complete collapse. Under the circumstances, even a Dravid or a Inzi would have been proud of this performance. Kamran came in at 39/6, and left at 236/8, having scored 113. Oh, and he also had 6 dismissals in that Test.

[mudney]

I like the idea of this thread! I'll do the whole 11 to see if people agree or not. One of my selections is from 1999 which technically means it shouldn't count but oh well. It was close to 2000 haha.

Ok here goes.

1. Trescothick - Scored 180 in no time to help set up the win in Jo'burg last winter.
2. Sehwag - 170 odd against Australia in Australia 2003-2004.
3. Ponting - 150 odd to save the test in Manchester.
4. Laxman - Obviously for his 281
5. Pietersen - 158 v Aus last summer. What an innings!
6. All Rounder - Flintoff - The Edgebaston test. Simply brilliant. THAT over to Ponting stands out, as does the towering sixes off Brett Lee.
7. (this was 1999) - Gilchrist v Pakistan in 1999 when he scored 149 not out to win a test when they needed something like 300+ to win and were 150 or so for 5.
8. Harbhajan Singh - The whole India - Australia series. He took something ridiculous like 29 wickets, when no other India bowler took more than 4.
9. McGrath - Lords 2005 as mentioned above
10. Harmison - His 7-12 against the West Indies, and then following it up with a 6 fer would count as a pretty damn good performance.
11. Hoggard - 12 wickets in the Jo'burg test last winter. What a performance!

Honourable mentions
Nathan Astle - 222 off something stupid like 170 balls against England back in 2002.

[Collyisamackem]

Opening Batsman - Michael Vaughan* (197 vs India 2001/02)
Opening Batsman - Graeme Smith (Double hundreds vs England 2003)
Middle Order Batsman - Rahul Dravid (whole series vs England 2001/02)
Middle Order Batsman - Ricky Ponting (any of the last year)
Middle Order Batsman - Jacques Kallis (Massive innings vs England to save the Durban test 2003/04 IIRC)
All Rounder - Andrew Flintoff pace/bowling dominant (hundred at Trent Bridge 2005, and his over to Langer and Ponting at Edgbaston, plus his consoling of Brett Lee in the same test)
Wicket Keeper - Adam Gilchrist (Can't remember specifics, but this guy has been way ahead for so long)
Spin Bowler - Shane Warne (The Ashes 2005 - he was a one-man bowling attack)
Pace Bowler - Glenn McGrath (Lords 2005)
Pace Bowler - Steve Harmison (Sabina Park, 2003/04)
Pace Bowler - Shoaib Akhtar (last test vs England 2005)

Hoggy runs Shoaib damn close thanks to Jo'burg and his hat-tricks at some point, but I don't want to appear biased and Shoaib was different gravy last year.

[Andy Mellon]

How's about Mohammad Ashraful for his century in the Cardiff one-dayer versus the Aussies. Not only away from home in alien conditions to him on his first tour of England, but against one of the best cricket teams to ever take the field. 100 off 101 balls. Not only an outstanding innings for the man, but a highly important innings for his country.

[Aussie-Yank]

Surely you can not go past Dizzys double ton against Bangladesh as one of the middle order batsman spots.

[greg]

1 Michael Vaughan - Ashes in Australia
2 Graeme Smith - 2 x Double hundreds in England
3 Ricky Ponting - Old Trafford 2005 and many more
4 Kevin Pietersen - Oval 2005
5 VVS Laxman - That double ton
6 Andrew Flintoff - Trent Bridge 2005
7 Adam Gilchrist - many occasions
8 Matthew Hoggard - Jo'burg 2005
9 Steve Harmison - 7-12 v West Indies
10 Muralitharan - Trent Bridge 2006
11 Glenn McGrath - Lords 2005

Obviously i will be biased towards England as i see more of them than anyone else and individual performances will remain in the mind more from your own players.

[sittingduck]

I dont think performances against bangladesh should count unless its 300+

I'll put more thought into this tomorrow but Astle has to make it for his 222 off 168 against england in 2001/2002.

NJ Astle:
50 in 74 minutes, from 54 balls, 10x4;
100 in 148 minutes, from 114 balls, 16x4, 2x6;
150 in 185 minutes, from 136 balls, 25x4, 3x6;
200 in 217 minutes, from 153 balls, 27x4, 9x6.

His second century was off just 39 balls


p.s. Ponting at 3 for more reasons than i care to mention