| It's unfair to judge the current WI youngsters so harshly... and unwise to dismiss Test journeymen: you could easily build a world class XI without resorting to World XI contenders. Great players help but aren't vital. I'd suggest most other Test nations, for instance, would actually be very happy to have access to Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Pedro Colllins and Collymore... and I suspect any one of them would LOVE a prospect as promising as Bravo.
I'm not particularly interested in the pyjama game... but I maintain you could put together a very reputable Test Xi of journeymen as follows: Tresco, Gayle, Butcher, Ganguly, Chanderpaul, Streak, GO Jones, Giles, Hoggard, Vaas, Bond.
With the right coach in charge, the organisation and team morale / discipline in good order and everyone fit that side would be right up there in the mix of teams chasing Australia: you would hope that England and India would have the slenderest of edges over them... and Murali might give SL an edge... but I'd back that crew to acquit themselves well against pretty well anyone and I think they would expect to get series wins if faced with SA, WI, Pak or NZ.
Just becase the WI teams of the past had World-XI batsmen at their centre doesn't mean such playerrs are necessary! | 
23-05-2005, 07:43 PM
in reply to rineet's post starting "Only Chris Gayle is good enough to play..." 
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