AT Fine Feathered XI ... (hop over this one if you hate these)

The Fly Guys

1. Aaron Finch
2. Wayne Larkins
3. Martin Crowe*
4. Robin Smith
5. Mahela Jayawardene +?? (Prasanna J may actually be a better bet for the gauntlets)
6. "Stork" Hendry
7. Neil Hawke
8. Fred Titmus
9. Jackson Bird
10. Umar Gul
11. Mason Crane

12 Graeme Swann, or Matt Henry (two hens, though?)

Bit of a long tail ... but it might wag.


The man at 3 gets the captaincy on grounds of being doubly qualified. #6: VC, same reason.

Fielding/catching coach: James Faulkner


Nearly made it - but disqualified on grounds of sheer cringe factor:

Anybody called Bill, e.g. Woodfull
Glenn Terner
Stephen Flemingo
Tealkaratne Dilshan
Paul Starling
Goose Logie
Carl Hoopoe
Bertie Owlfield
Kitely Ambrose
Ben Cootting
Andy Beakel
Jeremy Snipe
Neil Adcock, Jack Badcock ... and several other -cocks.

Shane Warne (aka "Shag") might be a chance, but then probably he'd be straight out for a d-uck.
(Jayasuriya was suspended.)


Any others/better?

Who is your keeper?

Adam Gulchrist?

Rodney Marshbird?

Jackdaw Russell, or Bruce French Hen.

George Duckworth
Graeme Fowler

Guess David Warner also fits. He is a bit of a cock.

Ben Duckett
Alastair Cookoo
Andrew Grouse
Mitchell Stork
Jermaine Blackbird
Mark Woodpecker
Chris Housemartin
Ellyse Peregrine
Alex Quails
David Warbler

Coach: Peter Moorhen
Umpire: (obviously!) Dickie Bird

Geo Duckworth is a good un, Trike. Fits right in.

The Second XI would be the team where you have to change the names/spellings a bit. (But now there's pretty much a Third XI there too!)

Joe Partridge?

Paul Collingwood

horrie's fave Bannie

Ajit Aquacker

Ivan Barrow to open with Ali Cook

Ball-tampering implement: Sandpiper

The minute oz cricketers can get take it...……whu

Did Brad McNamara get a mention?

Graeme Cawling

Neil Hawke (one of my favourite bowlers)

Chief FB muse for the team would be Myna.

horace wrote:Neil Hawke (one of my favourite bowlers)

See #7 in the team. He's a natural.

Batting a bit high in the order, but I said that already.

embee wrote:horrie's fave Bannie

Ajit Aquacker

Probably enough chances for ducks there already.

PeterCS wrote:

embee wrote:horrie's fave Bannie

Ajit Aquacker

Probably enough chances for ducks there already.

C'mon Pete. Aquacker made a stunning ton against your mob (at Lords?).

And woops I missed your nomination of Neil Hawke.

Eddie Hemmingbird?

horace wrote:

PeterCS wrote:

embee wrote:horrie's fave Bannie

Ajit Aquacker

Probably enough chances for ducks there already.

C'mon Pete. Aquacker made a stunning ton against your mob (at Lords?).

And woops I missed your nomination of Neil Hawke.

Was speaking merely jestingly (on the level of puns).

I gave first priority to players whose names need no tweaking/tampering to qualify as prima facie birds. Hence e.g. Hawke (despite -e, not pronounced) is a "natural".

Whereas e.g. Jackdaw Russell and Aquacker, good jokes, maybe suffered enough already ... and sticking them in a Bird team is just adding insult to injury.

horace wrote:Eddie Hemmingbird?

We're getting towards the outer limits now, perhaps - on a wing and a prayer.

Next up might be Albatros Morkel (Morne's bro) and even Dodon Bradman.


But it's not my team, we can all choose our own ... just a bit of nonsense to try liven up an ailing forum a wee bit, in some daft way ...


PS: I'm shocked you didn't nominate Don Tallon, Horace ...

Matt Wrenshaw?

rofl...of course I should have thought of Don

could not resist mangling Chubby Eddie's name and hummingbirds struck me as apt.

2.00 am here Pete and sleep calls.