What would Englands best XI be from 1997-2007?

The best XI of players to have played for England within that decade....

Trescothick
Atherton
Vaughan
Thorpe
Peitersen
Stewart
Flintoff
Caddick
S Jones
Hoggard
Panesar

Gough

I'd have Gough rather than Hoggard or Caddick, and be inclined to play Stewart at 3 and give Russell the gloves.

Leo wrote:I'd have Gough rather than Hoggard or Caddick, and be inclined to play Stewart at 3 and give Russell the gloves.

Gough for Hoggy Leo. He's been our best bowler consistently for the last 3 or 4 years from memory.

Although looking at Smerky's team I'd have to have Gough instead of Jones IMO.

Tresco
Vaughan
Thorpe
Hussein
Stewart
Pietersen
Flintoff
Gough
Hoggard
Panesar
S Jones

To squeeze Atherton in I'd need the criteria set back at least one Ashes series. He was pretty well past it by 1997. I considered Ramps and if I was picking a side specifically to play Australia he might well be in. I didn't look at Caddick. As far as Stewart goes, I don't like a keeper batting any higher than Gilly's spot but the alternatives aren't overwhelming.

Strauss
Vaughan
Hussein
Pietersen
Thorpe
Stewart
Flintoff
Harmison
Hoggard
S. Jones
Panesar

Some odd choices, maybe:

Andrew Strauss vs Marcus Trescothick - When push comes to shove, Strauss scored big against better opposition, and then didn't let the team down repeatedly in terms of dithering back and forth until nobody knew whether he was coming or going. Strauss oozed class against South Africa, scored two hundreds against Australia, and also scored hundreds on the sub-continent. His average and s/r mightn't be as good as Trescothick, but he's a better batsman for me, just in a bad patch currently.

Steve Harmison vs Darren Gough - I only really saw Gough as he was coming out of international cricket, and he was just a medium fast trundler to my eyes then. Harmison's got a bit of x-factor about him when he can be bothered, and there have been some memorable efforts from him in my cricket-aware lifetime, so I had to pick him over a player who I accept is probably better than him (was better than him, rather).

Did jones play enough test cricket to make a best of team?

As good as his 2005 ashes series was it's really his only series of note.

He did well against SAF, WIN and Australia.

Trescothick
Vaughan
Stewart (c)
Thorpe
KP
Flintoff
Russell (w)
Caddick
Gough
Hoggard
Panesar

Having Stewie as skipper would free Vawn up mentally and he'd score zillions.

Rob I wrote:Trescothick
Vaughan
Stewart (c)
Thorpe
KP
Flintoff
Russell (w)
Caddick
Gough
Hoggard
Panesar

Having Stewie as skipper would free Vawn up mentally and he'd score zillions.

Really think Stewart should have had a better go of it as captain. Should have had it instead of Athers...

This is about right except you have to pick Harmison at his peak over Caddy.

Stewart would've been Gooch Mk II as far as captaincy goes.

THICKEDGE wrote:

This is about right except you have to pick Harmison at his peak over Caddy.

I disagree. Caddy never went mentally AWOL like Harmi and could be just as nasty, only more often. He had a better fitness record too.

Didn't SWaugh make a comment about him wilting if the attack was taken to him and I know SRT targeted him a couple of times specifically because of this?

Rob I wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:

This is about right except you have to pick Harmison at his peak over Caddy.

Caddy never went mentally AWOL...

Only when it counted.

His last series in Australia was classic Caddick. Leading an inexperienced attack, he was expected to be the go-to guy and he totally vanished.

Turned up to the party in the final Test with the series lost, but the damage was already done.

Never played for England again.

But Caddy never completely fell to bits and bunged it at second slip and sprayed eight wides per over. And he bowled England out of a few holes too.

Tresco
Vaughan
Stewart
KP
Thorpe
Strauss/Hussain
Flintoff
Hoggard
Gough
Jones/Harmison
Panesar

Vaughan
Trescothick
Pietersen
Hussain
Thorpe
Stewart
Flintoff
Caddick
Gough
Hoggard
Paneasr

Not too many other choices really. Butcher and Strauss for batting positions and Harmison, Jones and White as bowlers. Gets trickier if you go back another 10 years or so. A fit Atherton, Gooch and Stewart can all be considered for opening spots and Gower, Lamb, Gatting and Robin Smith come into contention in the middle order. Russell can be considered as keeper and Fraiser,Cork, Malcom and Defraitas could be considered for the bowling positions.

As a 'terror of the tailend' Caddick put Lee, Botham, anybody else you might want to mention, straight back into the crowd. He was at least the match of Harmison in the whinging stakes. His effort at Trent Bridge in 2001 when he bowled a deliberate no-ball (two paces past the crease FFS) with the scores tied, was the action of a petulant 10-year-old.

But apart from that he was definitely England's best fast bowler since Larwood, and if he'd stayed at home in NZ Australia would right now be playing in the Chappell-Caddick (EDIT: Caddick-Chappell) Cup and we'd all now be struggling to remember there was ever a Kiwi quick called Hadlee.

The no-brainers are Thorpe, KP, Vaughan, Freddie and Gough.

Add the probables in Hoggard and Stewart (even if solely as a batsman) and you are fighting it between:

Jones/ Caddick/ Harmison (I'd take Jones)
Atherton/Thicko
Monte/Tuffnel {snigger}
Russell or Nasser/Strauss

Really makes you wonder HTF they won in 2005.

Vaughan
Strauss
KP
Fred
Stewart
Hoggy
Gough

are the certainties.

Whichever team you look at, the tail is pretty long.

No way is Strauss a certainty. Trescothick is more deserving of a place probably.

Looking at these England teams, I think most of the other major test nations, best teams for this period, would be stronger than England.

doremi wrote:No way is Strauss a certainty. Trescothick is more deserving of a place probably.

Certainly Thorpe is.

JGK wrote:

doremi wrote:No way is Strauss a certainty. Trescothick is more deserving of a place probably.

Certainly Thorpe is.

Yeah, he didn't type Thorpe's name either. :|

LLL - crap certainties list.