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Just read this interesting article and can agree with the man in the middle's view on many of his choices. I suppose with these things you can choose a team from the people you've seen play in some form - or one by repute, reading and anecdote.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/10002282/Dickie-Bird-names-his-greatest-all-time-Test-XI-in-pictures.html?frame=2539636

Here is Dickie's team. It's a very balanced one but there are one or two notable omissions for me possibly.

1. Sunil Gavaskar (India)

2. Barry Richards (South Africa)

3. Viv Richards (West Indies)

4. Greg Chappell (Australia)

5. Graeme Pollock (South Africa)

6. Garfield Sobers (West Indies)

7. Alan Knott (England)

8. Imran Khan (Pakistan) Captain

9. Shane Warne (Australia)

10. Dennis Lillee (Australia)

11. Lance Gibbs (West Indies)

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Thats a brilliant selection,forgot about Barry Richards until a friend of mine mentioned him yesterday,great player.............as regards Botham Lizzie,certainly made his mark,but think he was lucky with his bowling,and tried to be too flash with the Bat,read alot of biography's and was'nt very well liked by many other players,

However saw him play centre half for Scunthorpe against Peterborough late 70s i think,and give the man his due hung around after and sighned Autographs for all the kids,one of mine included.

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I do think he arguably has the greatest modern era wicket keeper-batsman there in Alan Knott. Perhaps Rod Marsh would have something to say about that though!

For pure wicket keeping ability alone, disregarding batting, then I'd say that Derbyshire's Bob Taylor was the very best I saw. Such a great clean technique - pretty well perfect.

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Ian Botham was blessed with great natural ability but I often felt his bowling was all over the place. He'd often get people oit with rank bad deliveries, ironically

As a batsman he had great timing and immense power. He was also very brave ar rhe crease. What spoilt him I felt was thar believing his own publicity, he'd try to knock the skin off every single ball bowled at him. It seldom came off but when it did it was spectacular indeed. He had the patience of a three year-old!

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One of my sons is a dead ringer for Shane Warne,........anyway he went to Goa on holiday last year and was mobbed wherever he went the Indians being cricket mad,..............he went along with it in the end,even signing autographs,..........and he hates cricket.

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There was nothing clever, and certainly not sportsmanlike, about bowling a very fast delivery that if the batsman missed it would hit him high up and hurt him, probably seriously. Just because he bowled like this against the Australians, and just because he was a local chap does not make what Larwood did acceptable. Have you seen the film of him striking the batsman on the head - frightening to watch?

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The Aussies would do it to us in similar circumstances.

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Love picking Cricket Teams,.........hows this for Englands finest, (from 50s on)

Hutton Yorkshire

Boycott Yorkshire

Barrington Surrey

May captain Surrey

Cowdery Kent

Close Yorkshire

Knott Kent

Lock Surrey

Laker Surrey

Trueman Yorkshire

Tyson Northants

Just realised most of em from the 50s.

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There was nothing clever, and certainly not sportsmanlike, about bowling a very fast delivery that if the batsman missed it would hit him high up and hurt him, probably seriously. Just because he bowled like this against the Australians, and just because he was a local chap does not make what Larwood did acceptable. Have you seen the film of him striking the batsman on the head - frightening to watch?

Sorry Chulla, respectfully cannot agree at all with that assessment. It was well documented that Harold Larwood's deliveries did not have to be particularly short in length for them to rear up off the pitch. This was because of his near-perfect action and the fact that he was arguably the fastest bowler of all time. Pace bowlers have been bowling deliveries that would reach a batsman at a 'high up' level since the time bowlers first graduated from bowling underarm.

A decade before, in 1921/22 Australia had a pair of fearsome bowlers, MacDonald and Gregory, who terrorised the English batsmen in that series. and so it has gone on in history and yes, been accepted for this game is not 'rounders'. For those and other reasons I think it is inappropriate for you to vilify a great local sporting hero and ordinary working class man with an immense talent as Larwood was.

Only in this country do we see that happen, for some reason. Even the Australians came to love Harold Larwood.

It should also be said that Harold was most certainly under orders to bowl leg theory at the Australian batsman and was unceremoniously dumped by the old boy MCC cricket authorities when the heat came on them for something their England captain and officials devised and were party to.

Go on the Nuncargate lad.

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I'll bow to your superior knowledge, Stu, But when I see that film of the batsman being struck on the head, to me I cannot see why people would celebrate this style of bowling - without any protection.

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Simpson

Hardstaff

Broad Chris How about this for a great Notts Team.

Robinson

Randall

Dooland

French wkt

Hadlee

Rice capt.

Broad stuart.

Hemmings

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Fancy forgetting Gary..............Bolus also very good (played football against him)......you could go on Redbowen.........

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I'll bow to your superior knowledge, Stu, But when I see that film of the batsman being struck on the head, to me I cannot see why people would celebrate this style of bowling - without any protection.

Take your point, Chulla, the incident with Australian Bert Oldfield was harrowing to watch. However, I don't think anyone here is celebrating this style of bowling as you say? What is being celebrated is a by all accounts supreme and legendary sportsman.

Harold Larwood throughout his whole career bowled this style - under strict orders - for one winter tour of Australia only. To judge him by that is unfair in my view. Your point about protection stands of course and batsmen are protected nowadays - but this was 84 years ago.

In those days, 'professionals' like Harold, who was a good honest pitman, were treated as serfs and second-class citizens by the 'gentlemen' (amateurs). There was no room for a point of view if you were a professional - you just did as you were told or you were out.

It's interesting to note that Bert always maintained to Harold that he should not blame himself and that they remained friends. I too would uphold the honour of this man because I think he was hard done to and used as a pawn by the English cricket authorities who did not stand by him after setting him up in that way.

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Stu,

I agree you have to respect the views of someone who as an umpire has viewed the game from the closest viewpoint.

In picking the "best of" teams I think they should be qualified by a time frame or a statement like "that I have seen" otherwise where do you draw the line?

I cannot agree with the selection of Greg Chappell, as stylish, fluent batsman he was one of the best, but on the basis of that disgraceful underarm bowling incident vs New Zealand in an ODI in season 80-81 I would not include him. In one game he also grabbed a streaker that had invaded the pitch and swatted his bare a**e with his bat.

If it is an "All Time Test XI" then there are some obvious and glaring omissions, if it is a "modern era" team then it is not far from the mark except that Tendulkar and Lara are also contenders.

I seem to remember that the Aussies had the best female bowler ever..... "Lillian Thompson"

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I have no doubts,Stu, that Larwood was a nice man and a great bowler, and with Voce deserves his place in bowling's legends and Nottinghamshire's cricketing history. It is intimidatory bowling that I do not like. A cricket ball is like a cannon ball at those speeds. Even with today's protection I am against it. One poor chap was killed last year, and he was wearing a helmet. I am most definitely not an health and safety man, but some kind of care has to be taken when delivering a cricket ball at 100 mph.

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Your opening statement, Chulla, slightly contradicts your original point that Larwood was not to be admired and that his behaviour was unacceptable

It appears though from what you say that your beef is with an aspect of cricket that has been there for 150 years but one which you personally cannot accept. That's fair enough and your choice of course. That doesn't make Harold Larwood unworthy of respect or admiration though.

The cricket ball is like a 'cannon ball' - so what would the solution be, to play with a tennis ball - or a beach ball - or ask the bowlers not to bowl so quickly? Stop playing cricket perhaps?

Any serious injury or fatality in any sporting forum is sad and regrettable but that is hardly relegated to the game of cricket alone. One fatality is one too many but the amount of deaths from incidents on a cricket pitch is infinitesimal compared to the millions of deliveries that have been served up for a century and a half. Percentage-wise there are probably far more people killed crossing the road.

In comparison, fully seven people died on the football pitch or directly afterwards from an incident on the pitch in 2015 alone. Shall we ban footballers from running around too much in case of a clash of heads or sustaining a heart attack? i apologise for being facetious but I'm sure you take the point.

Within reason, people should be allowed to take part in the sport they wish, accept the risks that the activity has without attempting to wrap the sport up in cotton wool until it is totally impotent. For me, there is too much of that in life generally.

I respect your point of view Chulla, even though I don't share it. We probably won't come together on this one so happy to agree to disagree. :)

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#21

I agree with you regarding Greg Chappell, Oztalgian. Those incidents, particularly the underarm one, were despicable. Just as an aside, although he was a very talented and natural player, if I had to have he or his brother Ian to bat and make runs to save my life I'd go for his perhaps less naturally gifted brother!

I also agree that such a selection should have a qualifier. Otherwise greats from different eras such as Bradman, Trumper, Hammond, Larwood and so on would have to be considered.

Choosing fast bowlers is an interesting one from all the 'greats'. I could agree with Imran Khan as an opening bowler - great cricketer though he was. (Nor as the captain incidentally). From my time I would certainly pick Dennis Lillee who was probably the most hostile I witnessed. He had a vast array of deliveries and the perfect fast bowler's temperament. To partner him I would probably go for Michael Holding who had the finest action I ever saw and was probably as quick as anyone - all with great control.

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I, too, don't want to go on about this aspect of cricket, but we do not want soft balls or slow deliveries. Perhaps a rule that says no ball should pitch above waist height. Said all I want to now.

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