A gradual but inevitable descent into cricket-based loathing and bile.

Launching the Alphabet XIs

Posted on December 11, 2011 by in Opinion

Much like the average man and sex, or Rob Key and biscuits, the average 51allout writer thinks about cricket a lot*. I almost missed the bus once because I was distracted by Joey Benjamin’s Test match bowling average being precisely 20.00 and it is not unknown for us to dream the day away with cricket-related reveries. Often we devise fictional matches. Would eleven Mark Ealhams defeat eleven Ronnie Iranis? Who would win a match between Test Match Special and Sky? If each member of England’s current Test side lost a leg, would they beat a team of one-armed Australians? Would they beat Michael Clarke’s present mob?

One day last week during a rain break at the ‘Gabba, someone asked which initial letter produces the best cricketers? This inevitably got us thinking. Bradman and Boycott against Warne and Walsh; Lillee and Lindwall bowling to Gooch and Gavaskar. And how many players have names beginning with Q, X or Z?

So we have dug out copies of Playfair Annuals, blown the dust from our Wisdens and fired up a particular website with cricket information. And soon we will be launching the first of 26 teams in a bid to settle this irrelevant debate once and for all – or more likely generate bitter arguments that never get settled. If nothing else, this gives us an excuse to list lots of cricketers that we like. In the meantime, why not comment below- or tweet @51allout if that’s your bag- and let us know which letter you think can create the best team.

 

 

 

 

 

*Every six minutes, excluding T20s. Or excluding digestives in the case of Rob Key.

3 Comments

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1

Clyde

20 Dec 2011 09:24

Matt, by the way I was wrong there are actually six “H’s” with 100 centuries, although you are probably right that only three of them are likley to make the test team

2

Matt H

19 Dec 2011 21:47

As an H myself, I concur.

However I’d have thought some of those five (I had to check on two of them) are unlikely to make a Test XI. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough!

3

Clyde

19 Dec 2011 12:45

I’ve been doing this with various letters for a few months to pass the time walking the dog (actually doing this, not a euphemism!) and I have concluded that the H’s will take some beating with 5 batsmen with over 100 centuries each!

Can’t wait for the discussions to start!