Waking the dead...

Complete speculation, but fun nonetheless - lets say for arguments sake Australia picked this team at Sydney. I am assuming Katich is fit again and the rest of them currently are not injured? Have put their current age in brackets.

Hayden (39)
Langer (40)
Ponting (36)
Hussey (35)
Katich (35)
Watson (29)
Gilchrist+ (39)
Warne* (41)
Lee (34)
Siddle (26)
McGrath (40)

How do we think they would do?

Vote in the poll, the team they are compared to is the current team, save for Beer in for Harris, as he's the 12th man and Harris is injured. So Watson, Hughes, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Smith, Haddin, Johnson, Beer, Siddle, Hilfenhaus.

Bearing in mind that bowling takes its toll on the body more than batting I have chosen 5 bowlers and included a couple of the younger players (Siddle and Watson) to shoulder a bit of the burden. If you think this is cheating swap them out for Symonds and Clark.

You have players like Hayden, Gilchrist and Warne who have still been playing a bit of IPL, Lee is still in FC cricket. You also have the advantage that none of the England bowlers are out and out pacemen, so the batting wouldn't be exposed as much as if Broad was fit. It would be a complete one-off, they wouldn't be expected to string 2 or 3 matches together. They were told in advance and have been secretly training for the last few weeks to prepare.

So serious question - would they get hammered, as they're all too old - or would they pull a performance out from somewhere as they are all time greats? Vote in the poll and add your views below the line.....

They'd win, then possibly never walk again afterwards.

Time waits for no man.... they'd lose horribly.

They'd highly likely lose, but would put up a fight. The batting would probably do OK, and at least show how it should be done when facing adversity. The bowling, at current ages, would be spanked. Big time.

I'd probably enjoy watching it a bit more than the current mob though.

Bring back Warney.

With his walk-in, he could bowl all day.

Warney for Sydney. You read it here first.

Where is Bradman in that team btw??

PeterCS wrote:Bring back Warney.

With his walk-in, he could bowl all day.

Warney for Sydney. You read it here first.

We've been reading it ever since Adelaide Pete!

As I mentioned previously, an imaginative captain such as Mike Brearley would have coaxed Warney back for a one-off at the Oval last year when the pitch was a complete burner.

If the Ashes were at stake at Sydney there would be an incentive for Warne, but they won't so the temptation will be gone. Plus he's probably too old now.

He could use nuggets on the ball, for a special "chickenmcgreaser" and send England sliding to defeat.

I mis-read the title of this thread for a microsecond and thought the blumpkin was getting another run. Close - you've got Brett Lee there. In Sydney I'd have MacGill or Miller in his place and suspect we might do OK with that lot.

why would warne want to come back for a probable spanking and a team loss when he rerired with a 5-0 ashes win? there is zero incentive for him to play again for australia

it's just a fantasy, TO, like comparing Tendulkar to Bradman

or Muralitharan to a bowler

lardbucket wrote:it's just a fntasy, TO, like comparing Tendulkar to Bradman

Tendulkar to who?

Hard to believe I know. Not just fancy (eg comparing Tendulkar to the more able Lara) but actual fantasy, trying to compare players from entirely different eras ...

Sometimes I think we would be better off comparing Tendulkar to Laxman.

Bradman - stuck up arrogant git who captained Australia back in the middle ages. Apparently he was good with the bat, but that's mostly hearsay now as we can only see it through a TV or articles. And surely that doesn't count.

Topbottom.

'hearsay' and 'topbottom' in one post. Impressive.

Phurt, how did you miss the 'apparently'?

Missed it? I hereby serve you with this photograph of an NSR clause ... you have been pwned

NSR? Cheaping this thread lardy.

It wasn't real NSR, just a photo. Fool.

I'll say I'm sorry though, anyway. Qunt.

I don't get it.

Doremi missed out "allegedly".