by Akseli Pitkanen 1950s - Fred Trueman Frederick Sewards Trueman opens the bowling innings alongside Malcolm Marshall. It will be a fiery combo to face, opening batsmen watch out! Fred’s active career dates from the late 1940s to the late 1960s. His Test debut was in 1952. His Test and FC bowling averages are the class of the West Indian fast bowling greats to follow. Fred was the first bowler to take 300 wickets in a Test career. In his early days, Trueman possessed very fast pace but also a tendency to be wayward and was liable to be punished accordingly. His natural hostility in that period earned him his famous nickname of "Fiery Fred". As time went by, much of the belligerence and raw pace faded being replaced by a growing mastery of the bowling arts. Strength, determination and stamina were always among Trueman's greatest attributes and with maturity came a control of both seam and swing. (Wikipedia) A classical easy action, a mop of unruly jet-black hair and a menacing scowl were the trademarks of Freddie Trueman, the Yorkshire fast bowler who was the first man from any country to take 300 Test wickets, a landmark he reached at The Oval in 1964. Since then many have gone past his overall figure of 307, but few have matched his average (21.57) and strike rate (a wicket every 49 balls). On his day Trueman was fast and frightening: in his first Test series, in 1952, he helped reduce India to 0 for 4 (only instance in Test cricket) on his debut, and took 8 for 31 - the best Test bowling figures by a genuinely fast bowler at the time - in the third match. (Steven Lynch) 1960s - Garfield Sobers Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, also known as Garry Sobers, influenced many. He was always making my team. In my team he comes at number 7, though he is superb with the bat. He could bat as number 4 and 5 but with the batting depth in hand, and a man who can bat well at number 7, I pushed him back. If he is needed to bat, I reckon he’ll be as explosive as he was to Malcolm Nash hitting six sixes in an over in a FC match as the 1st ever cricketer. Sir Garfield can bowl some overs if required. After all, he’s got over a thousand wickets in FC cricket. 1958 A record-breaking day for 21-year-old Garry Sobers, who turned his maiden Test century into a stunning 365 not out at Sabina Park - beating by one run the previous highest score in Tests, Len Hutton's 364 against Australia in 1938. It remained a Test record until 1994, when Sobers was in Antigua to witness Brian Lara move the bar up 10 runs. Sobers batted for 10 hours and 14 minutes, and added 446 for the second wicket with Conrad Hunte, who himself made 260. West Indies ended day three on 504 for 1. With Pakistan bowlers dropping like flies - only two of them finished uninjured, and they bowled 85.2 and 54 overs apiece - West Indies went on to a mighty 790 for 3, their highest total and the fourth-highest in Test history. Unsurprisingly, they won the match by an innings. (ESPNCricinfo) A cricketing genius, Garry Sobers excelled at all aspects of the game, and few would argue his claim as the finest allround player in modern cricket. His exceptional Test batting average tells little about the manner in which he made the runs, his elegant yet powerful style marked by all the shots, but memorably his off-side play. As a batsman he was great, as a bowler, merely superb, but would have made the West Indies side as a bowler alone. He was remarkably versatile with the ball, bowling two styles of spin - left-arm orthodox and wrist spin, but was also a fine fast-medium opening bowler. His catching close to the wicket may have been equalled but never surpassed, and he was a brilliant fielder anywhere. He was an enterprising captain - at times maybe too enterprising, as when a generous declaration allowed England to win a decisive match at Port-of-Spain. (Dave Liverman) 1970s - Vivian Richards Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is my number 4 batsman right after the Don. Viv belongs there too. When the team is 40-2 in the worst case scenario, we need a man who can change the momentum in favour of our side-and he’s the man to do so. In 2002 he was chosen by Wisden as the greatest ODI batsman of all time, as well as the third greatest Test batsman of all time, after Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. (Wiki) -That itself automatically means that there are runs coming and plenty. If Garfield was explosive, then you need a new, better word for Vivian’s batting. Crownbet made a video in 2018 called “Fielding Bat Pad To Viv Richards”. It’s a classic and we’ll give you the most important sentences, and we’re pleading you to watch it yourself: Dean Jones: “I’ll give you the date, April, 1984. It was at Antigua, Viv Richards home ground. And as he walked out to bat, the way he chewed the gum, the gold on the neck, the white teeth, the growl, the swagger. I looked at the scoreboard, he hadn’t even faced a ball and I thought he’s 44 not out. He got to a flier...Tom Hogan was introduced and captain Kim Hughes wanted pressure with a bat pad, Dean Jones sent in there. As Hogan comes into bowl, Viv stops him...Viv says: “Deano, Deano man, open your eyes. I’m not trying to hurt you man. Look on top of the hill, the guy next to the palm tree with a yellow shirt. I’m bloody gonna hurt him!”. Deano reveals that he’s faced the West Indies, and the great Pakistani bowlers, but he’s never been so scared of fielding at bat pad to Viv. 1980s - Malcolm Marshall Malcolm Denzil Marshall has the best Test bowling average of my XI. He and Fred will steam in early on. The tactic is pretty obvious. Bowl fast, fast and fast! Marshall was a sensational speedster. There were the four horsemen - Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Colin Croft and Joel Garner - before him. When Malcolm started to fire at the batsmen, the West Indian era of dominance was at its cusp. Marshall averaged by just a bit the best of the lot, 20.94. When his 81-match Test career ended, he had picked up a splendid 376 Test wickets, 22 5-wicket hauls and 4 10-wicket hauls with a BBI of 7/22. He was not to be underestimated with the bat with a best score of 92. Marshall was part of the team that successfully scripted an away whitewash against England 5-0, and the West Indians were practically the superior team in all facets. Just to name the WI wins shortly: An innings and plenty of runs, 9 wickets, 8 wickets, an innings and runs and WI win yet again, this time by 172 runs at the Oval to top off the humiliation. In the 1988 tour of England a great Marshall performance was seen at Old Trafford on a wicket prepared specifically for spinners where he took 7 for 22. 35 wickets at an average of 12.65 were the astonishing bowling figures that he ended on. In seven successive Test series from 1982/83 to 1985/86 he took 21 or more wickets each time, in the last five of them averaging under 20. His most productive series in this period was the 1983/84 tour to India, when he claimed 33 wickets as well as averaging 34 with the bat and making his highest Test score of 92 at Kanpur. A few months later he took five in an innings twice at home against Australia. In 1991, at the age of 33, Marshall retired from Test cricket after the Oval Test match of the tour to England, having taken 376 Test wickets at an average of 20.94. (Barbados pocket guide) 1990s - Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne has taken the most Test wickets of my XI, 708 altogether (only behind Muralitharan in Test cricket). Shane will be my main spinning weapon. I rely on him to bowl aplenty on day 1, he usually gets spin right from the outset-and why wouldn’t he, with that technique. As a leg spinner he generates so much spin, that this crafty guy can run through a batting team in no time. Shane Warne, an Australian cricketer, who was one of the most effective bowlers in history, with good disguise on his top-spinner and fine control on two or three different googlies (balls bowled with finger spin that break unexpectedly in the opposite direction from that anticipated). His success promoted the almost-forgotten art of leg-spin and brought variety to a sport that had been dominated by fast bowling. In 2006 he became the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets. (Britannica) Warne brought so much to the game-people enjoyed watching him show his class from match to match-he definitely was an entertainer. He enjoyed success on Australia’s dominant days when Australia won 16 straight Tests in a row-twice! In that team Warne with McGrath were a bowling duo that saw Australia bowl the opposition out twice often between them, with a little aid from the other fast bowlers. Australia at the time had the most brilliant Test batting team one can imagine, for that you need someone to rip through the line-up to ensure the victory-and in many cases Warne was the man for the answer. 2000s- Jacques Kallis Over 25,000 international runs and almost 600 international wickets - the legendary allrounder Jacques Henry Kallis’ numbers speak for themselves. The Capetonian is truly the complete package, and that in itself is quite the understatement. As a batsman, he exudes a stately presence as well as his unwavering concentration and resolute approach. His bowling can produce the vital breakthrough, and his agility and reflexes in the slip cordon are second to none! Regardless of the format, his adaptability and calm demeanor have done wonders for the game. Kallis debuted in Test cricket in 1995, and after six tough games came his first century. His successes are a testament to giving the nervous up-and-coming youngsters the backing they deserve. Even towards the falling edge of his Test career, he stroked a tenacious 115 against a rising Indian team. It might've been the last game for him in the format at Newlands, but he's left behind a massive positive impression. Skill, endurance, and temperament: Jacques Kallis had all of the above in abundance. The man could bat for long periods of time and could bowl long spells with the ball as well. Kallis stood as a rock for the major part of his career around which South African cricket thrived. Technically sound with the bat, absolutely lethal with the ball and had a safe pair of hands on the field. Kallis was a complete cricket package who earned massive respect and appreciation from the cricketing world. Apart from being recognized as the leader of all-round cricket, Jacques Kallis came close to 300 wickets and still managed to become an only player to score 10,000+ runs with 250+ wickets in test cricket. In 2001, Jacques Kallis was at his career-best in test cricket, he was ranked first in the ICC Test Player Rankings. What makes Kallis stand out is his wicket taking ability with the ball. A bowler, who is predominantly an away swinger, and has the capability of surprising the batsman with pace and bounce. The hallmark for a great cricketer is his ability to perform in alien conditions and rarefied air. Kallis, over the course of his career, has proved his mettle in overseas conditions and has brought great laurels to South African cricket. Very early on in his cricketing career, Kallis played a match-saving knock of 101 against Australia at the MCG against the likes of Mcgrath and Warne and announced himself to the cricketing world. The swashbuckling batsman also has the most Test runs in Asia, for a Non-Asian batsman. Averaging 55.62 in 25 Tests, Kallis has amassed 2058 runs with 8 hundreds and 8 fifties to his name. His best bowling performance too came in overseas conditions against England at Headingley in 2003. With the absence of Pollock in the side, Kallis bowled his side to victory on the final day of the Test match with best figures of 6-54. (Sportskeeda) His match-winning ability: Jacques Kallis has always come up with the goods when his team was in trouble and has bailed them out on numerous occasions. The luxury of being an all-rounder is you can make up for it if you fail in any one of the departments. Kallis has the most number of man-of-the-match awards than any other player in Test cricket, which speaks volumes about his match-winning prowess. He won 23 of them in his splendid Test career. He also has the second most man of the series awards (9), only next to the Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan (11). In his career, Kallis has failed only six times in 26 innings when the score reading around 20 or lesser, but whereas Sachin failed on 15 occasions in 37 innings for single digit scores, which makes the South African better than the Indian great. Between January 1999 and December 2012, Kallis scored 11,961 runs in 136 Tests at an awe-inspiring average of 61.33, which included 42 centuries and 51 fifties.Based on a minimum requirement of 5,000 runs, no other batsman in the world during that time could boast either a better Test average or more hundreds than the South African great. 2010s - Kumar Sangakkara Multi-talented, astute, and dignified, Sangakkara has been the paragon of success and longevity in Sri Lankan cricket. A decade and a half of international cricket studded with a slew of records is just the tip of the iceberg. Sangakkara debuted in Tests and ODIs at the age of 22 in 2000, and from the outset, he put his burgeoning potential on full display. He enjoyed a nice early beginning in ODIs, but he’d soon translate the reliable ODI form to Tests, stroking his first Test ton the very next year at home against India. A Test batting average of 57 as well as the fact that he’s the third-fastest to cross the 10,000-run threshold, only behind Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, further underscores his tireless fulfillment of potential and beyond. We’ve seen a few hard-hitting left-handers over the years, but Sangakkara brought back the panache, skill, and grace - the cuts, the drives, and the pull shot were ingrained in his robust technique. In addition, his leadership qualities were apparent - he led his side to a World Cup final in 2011. While the Lankans lost, they exhibited great fighting spirit throughout the tournament. His indestructible partnerships with Mahela Jayawardene have been the bastion of prowess and dominance for the islanders. A tremendous 287 in a barnstorming 624-run stand against South Africa and his maiden triple-ton in 2014 against Bangladesh have been two of the memorable knocks from the legend himself. In the final stretch of his Test career, he stroked another imperious double ton at the Basin Reserve Arena, albeit in a losing situation. Most would’ve thought he’s past his prime at 37, but he was still in impactful touch, to little surprise. Interestingly enough, he’s the first non-British president of Marylebone Cricket Club, and he’s created a lasting impact on all forms of cricket. Even after his international retirement, he’s continued to prosper in the county circuit as Surrey’s overseas pro. He racked up the most runs (1,491) in Division One, boasting a tall average of 106.5. At the end, his team finished third on the overall standings and enjoyed a fairly productive first-class tournament. It’s more than safe to say that he rounded off his professional career on a very high note. The Battle of the Decades Team1. Jack Hobbs 2. Herbert Sutcliffe 3. Donald Bradman (c) 4. Vivian Richards 5. Jacques Kallis 6. Kumar Sangakkara (wk) 7. Garfield Sobers 8. Wilfred Rhodes 9. Malcolm Marshall 10. Shane Warne 11. Fred Trueman 12th man. William Grace AcknowledgmentsI'd like to thank Abhai Sawkar for writing a paragraph on Kallis and especially for writing Sangakkara’s description, and Hanno van Zyl for his major contributions on Kallis. For the most part, this text is original, but as you can see, it has been influenced by many.
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