I didn’t think Flintoff was good enough to clean Botham’s boots.
Best ever England Cricket Team
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denislawsbackheel
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denislawsbackheel
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How about the best ever England team of English born players?
I'd maybe have Thorpe over Gower (root up to 3) and Gooch over trescothick (right hand opener) but that's close enough for me. I'm much too young to have seen boycott and the like.
Brightwell’s left peg
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Indeed. He was getting hit in very painful areas, though everything is painful at those speeds with little padding to speak of.
Nothing scarier in sport (in my experience) than a genuinely quick and hostile bowler steaming in, knowing that if they bowl it in the right spot, you’re getting hit. Anything over 80mph feels dangerously rapid as an amateur. Even now with helmets and far better padding it still hurts.
Alan Harper's Tash
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I only saw the very end of Botham’s career, so that’s why I probably underrate him.
Alan Harper's Tash
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One of my first England cricket memories was Gooch’s 333. He was close, but like Botham, I didn’t see enough of him.
I’d definitely have Thorpe in a ODI team as he was a superb finisher. Could swap for Gower too. Both superb players.
Vienna_70
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And the West Indies had four of the best in the world - Roberts, Holding, Garner and Marshall - in the same side for a while.
It must have been really scary, when there were four genuinely quick and hostile bowlers coming at you all the time.
Vienna_70
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David Gower, in his prime, was absolute class, and better than Thorpe at his best, IMHO.
Gower was also a brilliant cover fielder; one of the best I’ve seen.
Saddleworth2
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There cannot be a greatest ever England team without Freddie in it. Botham too. Anderson, Willis. Derek Underwood for spin. Gooch. Gower. Alan Knott. Joe Root. Stokes. Atherton.
Vienna_70
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Bob Willis was fucking quick.
In the 1981 Headingley test, during the Aussies' second innings, he was concerned about no-balling running down the hill.
Mike Brierley told him, "Just bowl as fast as you can, and I’ll worry about the no balls".
He took something like 8-32.
Tough from my 'limited' knowledge of 2005 onwards.
Had to put Gower in my team despite never having seen him play. Bell in for Pietersen, replaced Stokes for a proper keeper in Foakes who is a brilliant keeper but just doesn't bat quite fast enough for Bazball..
Duckett
Cook
Gower
Root
Bell
Botham
Flintoff
Foakes (w)
Swann
Broad
Anderson
Gaylord du Bois
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My post was to DBH about players he'd seen.
dazzlerblue
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Matt Prior seems to be a forgotten man. He was a great player in that era. Averaged over 40 and hit some seriously good 50s/tons
Vienna_70
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I think both Knott and Stewart were better batsmen than Prior.
Pubteam Lomas
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Gooch
Cook
Gower
Root
Pietersen
Botham
Knott
Underwood
Broad
Anderson
Willis
Cook
Gower
Root
Pietersen
Botham
Knott
Underwood
Broad
Anderson
Willis
Alan Harper's Tash
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Looking at the stats, Stewart was the best batsman out of the three and the weakest at keeping.
Prior has slightly better batting stats than Knott and their keeping stats are on a par.
M18CTID
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Loving seeing some of these mash up teams.
However, I’m not saying he should be in that first eleven but I’m a little disappointed that not a single poster so far has included the one who has over 8000 test runs to his name at an average of just under 40 despite only making his test debut just shy of his 27th birthday, started out as an opener only to get shoved down the order when he became our main wicketkeeper, and was still playing test cricket at the age of 40.
Step forward Alec Stewart
Edit: I see @Vienna_70 and @Alan Harper's Tash have mentioned him since I started typing this out!
However, I’m not saying he should be in that first eleven but I’m a little disappointed that not a single poster so far has included the one who has over 8000 test runs to his name at an average of just under 40 despite only making his test debut just shy of his 27th birthday, started out as an opener only to get shoved down the order when he became our main wicketkeeper, and was still playing test cricket at the age of 40.
Step forward Alec Stewart
Edit: I see @Vienna_70 and @Alan Harper's Tash have mentioned him since I started typing this out!
Lovebitesandeveryfing
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Saw him decimate Australia at the Oval after a short, sharp shower and then quite fierce sunshine that seemed to make the ball fairly unplayable. Early seventies, I think. My memory might be playing tricks but I think he took about 5 for 20 or 30.
