Dream Team: A XI of legendary knights

Folklore is full of tales of gallant knights and fair maidens.

Folklore is full of tales of gallant knights and fair maidens. In cricket, there are those who inspire almost as much — if not more — awe as King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. Here is a list of XI Test players who were knighted either for their contributions to the game, or for their philanthropy.

 

A compilation by Shiamak Unwalla.

 

1. Sir John Berry Hobbs:

 

Sir Jack played 61 Tests for England, scoring 5,410 runs at a staggering average of nearly 57 with 15 tons. Apart from being the very first cricketer to be knighted, Hobbs was also one of the sport’s most prolific batsmen between the eras of the great WG Grace and the genius of The Greatest — No 3 on this list. Sir Jack, who scored a staggering 199 hundred in First-Class cricket, will be one of the two openers, and likely a very solid one at that.

 

2. Sir Leonard Hutton:

 

One of the greatest openers in the history of the game, Sir Len played in the years leading up to and after World War II, where he also served as a commando. A severely broken arm — a possible career-ending injury — in 1941 did not stop him in the least; he was back to playing competitive cricket a couple of years later. He finally retired in 1955, at the ripe age of 39, with close to 7,000 runs at 56.67 against his name. Sir Len and Sir Jack will be arguably the most stylish opening combination of all time.

 

3. Sir Donald Bradman (captain):

 

Sir Don Bradman was statistically the greatest batsman of all time. Anecdotes and statistics about the great man tell a tale themselves: an overall Test average of 99.94, a lowest series average of 56, perhaps the most famous duck of all time in his final appearance; the list is endless. Sir Don will captain the side, and be the rock at the top.

 

4. Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards:

 

King Viv, as he was popularly known, showed scant respect to bowlers. His stats, however, alone don’t tell the real tale: 8,540 runs at an average of 50.23 are excellent figures, but his true worth comes through in the manner in which he scores his runs. After being ground to the dust by Hobbs, Hutton and Bradman, the bowlers would wilt under the prospect of bowling to a man whose strokeplay is pure mayhem. An ideal man to come in at No 4, Sir Viv would be the bludgeoner-in-chief of the line-up.

 

5. Sir Garfield Sobers:

 

Undeniably the greatest-ever all-rounder, he could walk into any side on the strength of his batting, bowling or even fielding alone. Over 24,000 runs and over 1,000 wickets in First-Class cricket tell the tale all by themselves. Batting at No 5 and performing the role of leading spinner, Sir Garry is the first of the three great all-rounders in this line-up.

 

6. Sir Everton Weekes:

 

One of the three iconic Three “Ws” of West Indies, Sir Everton retired with 4,455 runs in 48 matches at a staggering 58.61 which included a run of seven consecutive 50-plus scores in as many innings. Sir Everton was the last of the three Ws to be knighted.

 

7. Sir Clyde Walcott (wicketkeeper):

The wicketkeeper of the side, Sir Clyde Walcott is another W — Sir Frank Worrell being the third. Walcott was the man who started the Ws in the original order, coming in to bat at No 3. However, playing as a specialist ‘keeper in this line-up, Sir Clyde — with 3798 runs at 56.68 —will make for a torrid No 7 to the opposition bowlers.

 

8. Sir Ian Botham:

 

The only man on this list to be knighted for reasons other than cricket. It was his philanthropic work which got him the knighthood. Sir Ian Botham could well have been knighted for his tremendous contribution to cricket. If Sobers was the all-rounder of the first half of the century, Botham was the man who stole the next half. The first man on this list to have played over 100 Tests (102), Sir Ian finished with a 5200 runs at a very respectable average of 33 and 14 tons to his name. He also captured 383 wickets at an average of 28.4 and a healthy strike-rate of less than 57. Quite a decent prospect to have at No 8 and bowl first-change!

 

9. Sir Richard Hadlee:

Sir Richard was not quite in the same league as Botham with the bat, but was on a completely different plane with the ball. One of the most successful fast bowlers of all time, Hadlee was the first man to take 400 Test wickets. That he did so in way under 100 Tests speaks volumes for his strike-rate and consistency. Hadlee snared 431 wickets in just 86 Tests with 36 fifers and best figures of nine for 52. A strike-rate of less than 51 and an average of merely 22.3 make him statistically one of the greatest bowlers of all time. With the bat, he was reliable without being talismanic, with 3124 runs at 27.

 

10. Sir Alec Bedser:

 

When one thinks of English fast bowlers, the top names that would come to mind are perhaps Sydney Barnes, Fred Trueman, Bob Willis, and Sir Alec Bedser.

 

Sir Alec was England’s first great fast bowler since World War II. The War took away what could have been his most productive years as a young fast bowler, but with 236 wickets in 51 Tests at an average of less than 25, he did not do too shabbily. He was a reasonably good batsman as well.

 

11. Sir Curtly Ambrose:

Sir Curtly Ambrose was about as fearsome a West Indian pacer as they came. Towering over the others at 6”7,’ he was well-known for his silent, menacing stares and ability to bowl ferocious spells. Australian fans will never forget his mind-numbing spell of seven for one. Perhaps the only man on this list who is a genuine tailender, Ambrose nonetheless has a Test 50 to his name. With the ball though, he blew apart many a side en route to his 405 Test wickets in 98 games. An average of a cut under 21 and a strike rate of 54.5 speak volumes of the great giant.

Let’s look at what the bowling would be like: Sir Curtly Ambrose and Sir Alec Bedser would probably open the attack with Sir Richard Hadlee and Sir Ian Botham as first change. Sir Garry Sobers would come in with his spin bowling, with the captain knowing that he can rely on him as a fifth fast bowling option a well! And Sir Viv Richards could be more than an handy off-spinner.

 

To handle a collection of such incredible geniuses requires a special person to manage the team. And who better that the great statesmen, Sir Frank Worrell!

 

(Shiamak Unwalla is a proud Whovian and all-round geek who also dabbles in cricket writing as a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)

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