This year-long series has finally come to an end, with a ranking of the twelve sides by strength. Dissenting opinions are very welcome- noting that none of us can prove any other Roarer wrong.
If the exercise proved anything, it was the sheer randomness of birth dates. Despite each team having more than 200 eligible players to choose from, the strongest of them appear almost unbeatable, while others seem uncompetitive.
Even with 132 places to fill, some exceptional cricketers missed out simply by virtue of having been born in a strong month – and in relatively weaker ones, some lesser players gained selection, Steven Bradbury-like.
When selecting each team I tried to create balanced sides that included five genuine bowlers, of whom ideally two were spinners, and one of those a wrist-spinner.
In ranking them I looked for teams containing proven big-match players, who regularly excelled against strong opponents.
One enjoyable quirk was the combinations created. Bill O’Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett were reunited in the December-born side, and Bob Simpson and Bill Lawry in the one for February.
Australia’s first-ever gloveman, Jack Blackham, got to keep to Pat Cummins in the May team.
All of the great West Indian pace quintet of the 1980s gained selection, but in five separate sides. Nine exceptional cricketers of the past 50 years were able to share a July-born team changeroom with the legendary WG Grace.
The Champions:
Team of the Month: A July-born World Cricket XI
Barry Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, WG Grace (vc), Stan McCabe, Gary Sobers, Allan Border, MS Dhoni (c, wk), Shaun Pollock, Richard Hadlee, Dennis Lillee, Harbhajan Singh.
In my opinion, this side is the strongest of the dozen. Two members lift it above all other contenders.
Sobers is the greatest cricketer of all time, a quintuple threat with three different bowling styles complementing his superb batting and fielding.
Grace is the most influential player the game has ever seen, with the potential to dominate any era just as he did in the 1870s and ‘80s.
Every batsman has been successful against pace, and the side’s fast-bowling trio is superb.
While Harbhajan’s away record for India is a weakness, it is mitigated by his peer Dhoni’s presence as captain and ‘keeper, and the spin-bowling support of Sobers, Grace, McCabe and Border.
Unlucky eligible candidates included Graham Gooch, James Anderson and Alec Bedser.
Allan Border. (Credit: Ben Radford/Allsport via Getty Images)
The runners-up:
Team of the Month: A November-born World Cricket XI
Victor Trumper, Herbert Sutcliffe, Dudley Nourse, Younis Khan, FS Jackson (c), Keith Miller (vc), Adam Gilchrist (vc), Ian Botham, Harold Larwood, Waqar Younis, Nathan Lyon.
This team is a worthy grand-finalist, and may well defeat the July-born side four times in every ten contests. It is packed with match-winners and batting and fast-bowling depth.
Any of Trumper, Miller, Gilchrist, Botham or Larwood could decide a game in a session.
The team’s only significant weakness is the absence of a wrist-spinner and second slow bowler, to complement Lyon when conditions don’t suit pace bowling. However, that’s a minor quibble.
Ken Barrington, Virat Kohli, Mitchell Johnson and Charlie Turner are waiting on the bench, to play if required.
The semi-finalists
Team of the Month: An October-born World Cricket XI
Virender Sehwag, Matthew Hayden, Neil Harvey, Jacques Kallis, Billy Murdoch, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Imran Khan (c), Richie Benaud (vc), Ray Lindwall, Wilfred Rhodes, Allan Donald.
This XI is a worthy semi-finalist, even if not quite strong enough to make it as far as the decider. It boasts superb leaders in Imran and Benaud.
Six high-quality bowlers crucially include a pair of outstanding spin bowlers, one of whom is a wrist-spinner. Kallis’s presence has created a pace quartet, to be deployed when conditions suit fast bowling.
While it bats all the way down to ten, the absence of aggression in the middle order to follow Sehwag and Hayden is a minor shortcoming.
The month’s playing depth was sufficiently strong to keep out champions of the calibre of Tony Greig, John Snow and Anil Kumble.
Former Australian Captain, spinner and commentary icon Richie Benaud. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Team of the Month: A June-born World Cricket XI
Len Hutton (vc), Charlie Macartney, Wally Hammond, Steve Smith, Javed Miandad, Steve Waugh (c), Avinash Dickwella (wk), Wasim Akram, Alan Davidson, George Lohmann, Derek Underwood.
This side will narrowly claim the last-available top-four spot, thanks to its combination of ruthlessness and genius.
Leaders Waugh and Hutton won’t take a backward step. Macartney and Akram will provide the natural aggression. Hammond and Macartney will be more-than-useful change bowlers.
While Dickwella might not be an all-time-great ‘keeper, he’s the best-credentialled one so it must suffice.
Should bowling conditions not suit Lohmann or Underwood, then Dale Steyn and/or Frank Tyson can play instead.
Kevin Pietersen will serve as the twelfth man, just for the pleasure of watching him deliver fresh batting gloves to Steve Smith every 15 minutes.
Middle of the table
It’s difficult to separate the next six teams.
Each has its own strengths, and its fair share of all-time great and match-winning cricketers. Accordingly, each of them will be very hard to beat, on its day.
Team of the Month: a February-born World Cricket XI
Bob Simpson (vc), Bill Lawry, Graeme Smith (c), Graeme Pollock, Everton Weekes, Mohammad Azharuddin, AB de Villiers (wk), Jim Laker, Fred Trueman, Michael Holding, Glenn McGrath.
This superbly-balanced team will be desperately unlucky to miss the semi-finals. Its major strength is a trio of pacemen each of whom ranks among the greatest to have ever played the game.
The side’s top-order will score plenty of runs, even against strong opposing bowling line-ups.
Unfortunately, the absence of a world-class wrist-spinner, and the lack of batting ability below number seven, will prove the difference against its strongest opponents.
Unlucky players to miss selection included Michael Slater, Desmond Haynes and Bill Johnston.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
CB Fry (c), Arthur Shrewsbury, David Gower, Sachin Tendulkar, Michael Clarke (vc), Andy Flower, Alan Knott (wk), Malcolm Marshall, Craig McDermott, SF Barnes, Muttiah Muralitharan.
This is another XI with an outstanding bowling attack. Barnes, Marshall and Murali will ensure that reasonable totals are defended, especially with a ‘keeper of Knott’s calibre behind the stumps.
Should a fifth bowler ever be required, then Vinoo Mankad can replace either Gower or Knott without unduly weakening the side’s batting.
Additionally, Jason Gillespie is ready to step in should conditions warrant another paceman.
Unfortunately, the team’s first three batsmen and lower order won’t be as collectively prolific as those of most other sides.
As a result, Tendulkar, Clarke and Flower will need to regularly play big innings. In addition, the side lacks the fielding brilliance of many of its opponents.
West Indian legend Brian Lara in action. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
Team of the Month: a May-born World Cricket XI
Gordon Greenidge, Herbie Taylor, George Headley, Brian Lara, Warwick Armstrong (c), Denis Compton, Maurice Tate, Hugh Trumble (vc), Jack Blackham (wk), Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada.
This team is especially hard to rank. While superbly balanced by virtue of its players’ wide skill set, it may actually struggle to take full advantage of more extreme match conditions that clearly favour either pacemen or spinners.
In such circumstances, Cummins and Rabada would benefit from the presence of a third express bowler, or Trumble from the support of a specialist wrist-spinner.
In addition, the side risks the occasional lower-order collapse following the loss of its fifth wicket.
However, there’s no certainty that the team’s overall strength would be increased by the inclusion of Jeff Dujon, Bob Willis or Bhagwath Chandrasekhar.
If a genuine game-breaker is required, Armstrong could call on Gilbert Jessop.
Team of the Month: a September-born world Cricket XI
Saeed Anwar, KS Ranjitsinhji, Ian Chappell (c), Martin Crowe, Allan Steel, Denis Lindsay (wk), Mike Procter, Shane Warne (vc), Fred Spofforth, Curtley Ambrose, Bishan Bedi.
This side has much in common with the October-born one, thanks to a superb captain and a quintet of outstanding bowlers.
Chappell will lead by example, and the combination of express speed, nagging fast-medium cut, and wrist- and finger-spin will be a challenge for opposing teams to overcome.
The team will be a very watchable one, especially when in the field.
Where the side will be disadvantaged is in batting depth. Few of its top-order were noted for regularly playing long and substantial innings, while the team also lacks proficient lower-order batsmen.
In some circumstances, Bedi would find his place under threat. He could be replaced by Wes Hall in pace-friendly conditions, or Ravi Ashwin in India.
Team of the Month: an August-born World Cricket XI
Bill Woodfull (vc), Eddie Barlow, Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Frank Worrell (c), Clive Lloyd, Jack Gregory, Godfrey Evans (wk), Jeff Thomson, Tom Richardson, Iqbal Qasim.
Unusually for any side containing Bradman, this one won’t dominate its opponents.
While it will amass large totals regularly, in good batting conditions it will sometimes find it a challenge to take 20 wickets cheaply. In addition, should the top order ever fail, the side’s tail won’t provide much resistance.
The team’s three express bowlers will relish fast and bouncy pitches. Thomson and Gregory will intimidate lesser opponents, while Richardson plays the workhorse role.
However Qasim, especially without the support of another slow bowler, will struggle to have an impact except on spin-friendly pitches.
For that reason, Shoaib Akhtar should replace him whenever one has the slightest tinge of green, a strategy that would create the series’ best quartet of sheer pace.
Sir Donald Bradman. (PA Images via Getty Images)
Team of the Month: A December-born World Cricket XI
Jack Hobbs, Alastair Cook, Ricky Ponting (vc), Peter May (c), Joe Root, Les Ames (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Tim Southee, Joel Garner, Bill O’Reilly, Clarrie Grimmett.
This side will not be consistently successful against the series’ very best teams, despite boasting a handful of all-time great players.
Certainly, Hobbs and Ponting with the bat, and O’Reilly and Grimmett with the ball, are exceptional players. Most of their teammates might, however, be described as merely very good.
The remainder of the top order is likely to prosper only inconsistently, or by batting cautiously. The pace attack will lack penetration in dry conditions, increasing May’s reliance on his champion pair of spinners.
Notwithstanding those limitations, the team’s intimate familiarity with English conditions will stand it in good stead for any match played there.
Attacking cricketers of the calibre of Archie MacLaren, Doug Walters, Rohan Kanhai and Jasprit Bumrah are also eligible for selection, should the team’s early results be poor.
Making up the numbers:
Team of the Month: a January-born World Cricket XI
Arthur Morris, Bruce Mitchell, Rahul Dravid, Clyde Walcott, Kim Hughes, Monty Noble (c), John Waite (wk), Kapil Dev (vc), Andy Roberts, Arthur Mailey, Hugh Tayfield.
Sadly, January wasn’t a fertile source of truly outstanding cricketers.
In fact, Cricinfo revealed in 2020 that January had produced fewer Test players, who had collectively scored fewer Test runs, than any of the other 11 months.
While many members of this side might have produced Test match-winning performances, they would struggle to replicate them on a regular basis against the quality of their eleven opponents.
Should the team’s attack prove to be lacking in penetration, then it might be necessary to find room for one of Frank Foster, Josh Hazlewood, Ted McDonald or Mitchell Starc.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
Andrew Stoddart (c), Hashim Amla, Viv Richards, Clem Hill (vc), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shakib-al-Hasan, George Giffen, Wasim Bari (wk), Colin Croft, Neil Adcock, Jack Cowie.
This team is likely to claim the wooden spoon, despite boasting a more-than-useful middle-order.
Unfortunately, the occasional large innings by Richards, even when supported by Amla and Hill, would generally be offset by slim returns from the tail, and an inability to regularly take 20 wickets cheaply.
While the inclusion of Rangana Herath and Graeme Swann might improve the bowling stocks, it would also weaken the batting.
It could prove to be a long season for the men from March.
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