With a new Ashes series about to launch, it must also be time to look back and select my England and Australia fantasy teams from the past forty years, based on performances in Tests between the two on these shores.
For the home team, Graham Gooch may have scored the most runs in Ashes series from 1975 onwards but that owes more to longevity (25 matches) than dominance with the bat. Terry Alderman left his mark in the '80s and so my openers are Geoff Boycott and Andrew Strauss. They belong to very different eras, which makes the Yorkshireman's average of 64 in ten matches even more remarkable.
The middle-order comprises David Gower, Kevin Pietersen and Tim Robinson. Gower's 1445 runs at 45 speak for themselves, while KP's impact in recent seasons also earns him a place. Robinson may be a surprise but he averaged just over 50 in the 1985 and 1989 series either opening with Gooch or at number three. He served Nottinghamshire well for two decades but his finest international moments came against the Aussies.
Unusually I've gone for two all-rounders but of course both have their careers defined by their achievements in two Ashes series in particular. Ian Botham went from zero to hero in 1981, especially with the bat but throughout his career it's the 79 wickets at under 27 apiece which stand out. Andrew Flintoff is another whose legendary status owes more to one summer than a decade's service to his country. Strangely, while 2005 saw him bowl superbly alongside Jones, Hoggard et al but across nine Ashes Tests, his batting record of 602 runs at 37.62 eclipses his bowling stats. My wicketkeeper is not Alec Stewart, whose Ashes record is modest, but Alan Knott. Back in the '70s and early '80s, Knotty combined supreme tidiness behind the stumps with an excellent average of 40.82, beefing up the late-order when it mattered.
Opening the bowling with Botham (1981 vintage) has to be Bob Willis, who also starred in that summer as well as others. His average in 11 games is a mighty 21.42, including four 'five-fours'. Simon Jones played only in the 2005 contest but his 18 wickets at 21 are too impressive to ignore, and so there's no room for Gough, Caddick, Dilley, Hoggard or Anderson, although I wouldn't mind betting the latter will come into the reckoning in 2013. My spin option is John Emburey. The Middlesex offie contributed 43 wickets back in the '80s.
I found selecting the Aussie XI much easier, although I had to leave out skippers past and present Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke. Not because they have been rubbish in England, but owing to superior performances from the embarrassment of batting riches Australia have enjoyed in the past thirty years or so.
Mark Taylor (1584 runs in 18 Tests) and 1970s star Rick McCosker open the innings, followed by another ex-captain Allan Border. His 2,082 runs at more than 65 apiece are spread across 25 Tests, bridging the last Aussie fallow period in the early '80s and the world-leading age which emerged a decade later. Dean Jones was in prolific form in 1989 but the Waugh twins were even sharper thorns in English sides for many years. Mark averaged almost 50 but Steve's record is second to none: seven centuries, an average approaching 75 and a deserved reputation for brilliant leadership. He is my captain just ahead of Border, and he and his brother can share 'filler' roles with the ball, too.
Ian Healy beats Adam Gilchrist and Rod Marsh to the gloves but thye four frontline bowlers are automatic choices. Shane Warne claimed an amazing 129 Ashes wickets in England alone and it is easy to forget how good he was for the losing side in 2005. His partner in crime Glenn McGrath stands second in terms of wickets (87 in 14 Tests) and also for his average. Anything under 20 at this level is incredible but Mac's 19.34 is narrowly outshone by Terry Alderman's 19.33. In 1981 and 1989, the Perth swing and seam merchant weaved magic on English pitches, taking at least 40 wickets in both series, still a record. The line-up would not be complete without Dennis Lillee. He may not have been as fast as in the 1972 series (outside the scope of this exercise) but in 1981 he was still a master of his craft and was unlucky to finish on the losing side, as Warney did in 2005.
If I had to pick a combined Ashes superteam, I reckon only Boycott, Knott and Botham would represent England but let's hope Boycs and Beefy wouldn't have to bat together....
England: Boycott, Strauss (*), Robinson, Gower, Pietersen, Botham, Flintoff, Knott (+), Emburey, Jones, Willis.
Australia: Taylor, McCosker, Border, M Waugh, Jones, S Waugh(*), Healy(+), Warne, Alderman, Lillee, McGrath
And after the forthcoming clash, might these sides need adjusting? Time will tell, but more likely to be Cook, Prior, Root or Anderson than Hughes, Watson, Starc or Lyon, methinks!
