World Men’s Day: An all-time “-man” XII

On November 19, celebrated as “World Men’s Day,” Abhishek Mukherjee and Shiamak Unwalla look at an all-time XI of players whose names either start with or end in “man.”

On November 19, celebrated as “World Men’s Day,” Abhishek Mukherjee and Shiamak Unwalla look at an all-time XII of players whose names either start with or end in “man.”

1. Charles Bannerman, Australia:

He may have played only three Tests, but with a score of 165 not out on debut — which also happened to be the first Test ever played — Charles Bannerman forever sealed his name in the history books as the man who scored the first Test hundred of all time.

2. WV Raman, India:

An elegant left-hander, WV Raman was perhaps a tad unlucky to play just 11 Tests and 27 ODIs for India. He had a distinguished First-Class career with Tamil Nadu, scoring almost 8000 runs at an average of 45.62 with 19 hundreds.

3. Don Bradman (captain), Australia:

Greatest batsman of all time, Test average of 99.94, 27 centuries in just 52 Tests, a highest score of 334, two triple-centuries and an unbeaten 299… the list can go on. The Don will also lead the side.

4. VVS Laxman, India:

At his best, more stylish than Sachin Tendulkar. At his absolute worst… still more stylish than Tendulkar. Laxman can bat anywhere in the top seven, and can be called upon to bat at No. 3 while — and if — the team was to follow on.

5. Percy Chapman, England:

One of the most popular cricketers of his generation, Percy Chapman could play only 26 Tests. He managed to play as many as 394 First-Class games though, scoring 27 tons and 75 fifties.

6. Barry Jarman (wicketkeeper), Australia:

The wicketkeeper of the side, Barry Jarman’s best years were behind him when he finally became a regular member of the Australian side (thanks to one Wally Grout). Jarman was safe behind the stumps, and hard-hitting in front of them.

7. Terry Alderman, Australia:

Before Muttiah Muralitharan was the smiling assassin Terry Alderman held the distinction of dismissing batsmen while maintaining a jolly disposition. A pace bowler of considerable skill, Alderman snared 170 wickets in a mere 41 Tests with 14 five-wicket hauls. He will be the perfect foil for Fred Trueman.

8. Abdur Rehman, Pakistan:

With 99 wickets in 22 Tests, it is a bit of a surprise that Abdur Rehman isn’t currently a part of the Pakistan side that is mauling their opponents from Down Under. Also a handy batsman, Rehman will be the backup spinner to Tich Freeman.

9. Fred Trueman, England:

The fact that his nickname is “Fiery” says a lot about Fred Trueman. Perhaps one of the first truly great pace bowlers, Trueman had an outstanding career: 307 wickets in 67 Tests, and 2304 wickets in 603 First-Class games. He will lead the attack.

10. Tich Freeman, England:

If Trueman’s record is intimidating, Tich Freemans’ is absolutely menacing. A phenomenal leg-spinner, Freeman picked up wickets by the dozens in First-Class cricket. While his Test record doesn’t do full justice to the man — this despite the fact that he took 66 wickets in 12 Tests — his First-Class record speaks for itself: 3776 wickets in 592 matches at an average of under 19.

11. Carl Rackemann, Australia:

With 11 wickets against Pakistan on Test debut, Carl Rackemann was off to a superb start to his career. He only manage to play 11 more Tests after that, though he played 52 ODIs in which he captured 82 wickets at a good average and strike rate. Rackemann would serve as the back-up pacers to clean out whatever Trueman, Alderman, Freeman and Rehman leave for him.

12th man. Craig Spearman, New Zealand:

Primarily a limited-overs batsman, Craig Spearman’s international record is less than distinguished — he averaged merely 18.72 in 51 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) despite being an opener. However, he had a productive time with Gloucestershire where he ruled the batting charts for years.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is an anatidaephobiac trying to perfect that Ashok Dinda leap. He pretends to be serious during his day job as Chief Editor of CricketCountry. He also tweets here.)

(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)