World-renowned cricket statistician Philip Bailey, the editor of Cricket Archive, was tasked with assembling the best England XI of the past 50 years based on the numbers alone. Here is the side he came up with, and how he got there...
Left to right: Kevin Pietersen, Bob Willis and Jimmy Anderson
I have only looked at complete series starting with Australia in 1968, and ignored the recent India series due to research deadlines. Players who also played before 1968 only have their stats from 1968 counted.
I started by just looking at batting and bowling averages. There was the possibility of having some weighting factor for batsmen and bowlers who appeared in the early part of the process, and a similar consideration to the opposition.
The problem with the latter is that all sides have poor periods, admittedly some more than others but still (for example) runs made in Bangladesh on England's last tour there would definitely have full value as against early Bangladesh tours to England.
Having looked at the numbers it is easier to go by the averages and not focus too hard on adjustments for batting and bowling, as what looks to me to be a sensible result is achieved.
Tony Greig, right, gets into our statistician's side ahead of Sir Ian Botham
I used minimum aggregates of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets respectively but as it happens all the batsmen had many more runs.
Thus I get for opening batsmen Geoffrey Boycott and Dennis Amiss (although some early Amiss innings were not as opener), and for the other three batsmen Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen and Graham Thorpe. Alastair Cook has a slightly higher average than Thorpe, but I am sticking to two openers only.
The four bowlers - Bob Willis, John Snow, Jimmy Anderson and Derek Underwood - fit with the three seamers and one spinner combination.
The allrounder spot (also using the 1,000 and 100 qualification) saw me go for Tony Greig on the basis of the difference between batting and bowling average, ahead of Ian Botham.
For the wicketkeeper it makes sense to also keep to the minimum 1,000 runs as the keeper would be expected to be a batsman. Of the qualifying keepers, Alec Stewart and Jonny Bairstow have not always been in possession of the gloves, and since Matt Prior has the highest average ad also most dismissals he should be picked.
Thus my stats XI is as follows, and does interestingly differ in some cases from many of the teams selected upon opinion alone...
PHILIP BAILEY'S ALL-TIME ENGLAND STATS XIG Boycott (batting average 48.69); DL Amiss (47.76); JE Root (52.28); KP Pietersen (47.28); GP Thorpe (44.66); AW Greig (40.43/bowling average 32.20); MJ Prior (40.18/c 243, st 13); JA Snow (26.87); DL Underwood (25.60); RGD Willis (25.20); JM Anderson (27.23)
Lord's Taverners are hosting a dinner to determine England's Legendary Test XI from the last 50 years at Hilton Park Lane on Thursday, September 27
Posted by ray sutton on 14/06/2020 at 23:17
Slight change to that one. My XI would be Gooch, Boycott, Gower, Pietersen, Thorpe, Botham, Stewart, Swann, Gough, Harmison, Anderson.
Posted by Manas Shukla on 27/04/2020 at 23:54
My team Graham Gooch Geoffrey Boycott David Gower Joe Root Kevin Pietersen Alec Stewart (wk) Ian Botham Derek Underwood John Snow Bob Willis Jimmy Anderson
Posted by Zeeshan Shaukat on 06/10/2019 at 16:35
It is actually preposterous to think of an English team without Ian Botham (Be it an all time or last 50 years). Even I would replace Cook or Gooch with Amiss. My favoured team will be: Cook Boycott Gower Root Pieterson Stewart Botham Willis Snow Underwood Anderson
Posted by Alan Wright on 04/10/2018 at 23:28
I'd rather have Gooch and Botham for Amiss and Greig, numbers surely aren't everything...always ask yourself who the opposition would prefer you to pick! A case could also be made for Swann but Deadly was very good...….
Posted by David Rimmer on 02/10/2018 at 23:24
I am interested by the research of Philip Bailey and the team that he has picked. He is a respected cricket historian and statistician. The great thing about his selection is that it looks at quality and NOT aggregates with the latter favouring the modern generation (post 1990) when more Test Matches have been played. I would pick Botham above Greig in any team over the last 50 years but I am not surprised that the latter has better figures. Greig's Test career took place only over his prime whereas for the post 1986 era, Botham declined as his bowling average crept up and his batting went down until his last Test against Pakistan in 1992. One has to remember that Botham's Test carer spanned from the age of 21 to 36 whereas Greig's (excluding the Rest of the World series in 1970) was from the age of 25 to 30. It is easier to keep up a performance over a shorter period of time than a longer one. Having said that Greig did score two Test tons versus the West Indies over 13 Tests whereas Botham got nil over 20 Test Matches versus the West Indies. However, Botham's defenders would say he faced a more fierce West Indies attack than Greig. Peter Willey (with two tons in 1980 and 1980/1), was the only English batsmen to score tons against the West Indies, batting below number five in the era between 1980 and 1991. Botham's supporters would also rightly point out that his Ashes record should be the deciding factor with him scoring three against the old enemy (two in 1981) and (one in 1986). He also scored another ton against the Aussies in the hastily arranged 1979-80 three match series when the Ashes were not at stake. Greig got one ton versus Australia in a losing cause (at Brisbane in 1974/5). Greig's bowling had its moments not least in the West Indies in 1973-4 but Botham's dynamism with the ball over a longer period should surely earn him a spot. I agree with the comments about Alan Knott and I would have him in. Knott played when players had no rest and apart from 1969-72, a lot of his England career was played in an average team where bowlers did not create so many chances for catches as they did in Matt Prior's time. Prior was a better batsman than Knott but the latter played on uncovered wickets and the Sussex player played in better teams where more of a platform has been set before he went in to bat than in Knott's time. Prior also had more rest time. I know this is being pedantic but after the 1983 or 1984 season, no balls were no longer just extras. They were debited against a bowler's analysis. In this respect I wonder if someone like Bob Willis' s average might have gone up by two or three runs per wicket for all the no balls he used to bowl.
Posted by Mandar tannu on 30/09/2018 at 18:23
Missing botham. Gooch
Posted by Leslie Bone on 30/09/2018 at 10:55
Must include Ian Botham! And Alan Knott also as the best wicketkeeper. Has there ever been a better one?
Posted by Edmund on 29/09/2018 at 17:16
I agree with Peter. Botham is possibly the greatest all rounder of all time although many would argue for Sobers. The difference for me is that Botham was genuinely feared by his opponents, in particular, the Aussies who in those days took no prisoners - I know they were the prisoners :) Some have also talked about the x factor and here again I would pick Botham above all others - I remember being at Lords for a one-dayer when Somerset played against Middx and Botham cleared the bars
Posted by ed barnett on 29/09/2018 at 15:01
should go for the best wicket keeper i.e. alan knott - not an inferior keeper who has a higher batting average - and ian botham's continued performances and match winning potential places him above tony greig - not sure about amiss and his new ball performances - cook or gooch seem a better choice
Posted by Peter Riches on 29/09/2018 at 08:42
Surely the nature of the wicket is a factor. Boycott, Amiss and Underwood played on the legendary ‘uncovered pitches’.
Posted by Peter on 29/09/2018 at 05:46
For me it’s a must to see Botham in side for Greig he is probably England’ Best all rounder ever that’s what I thought
Posted by Graham Gould on 28/09/2018 at 20:25
It was pointed out recently in a discussion on TMS that bowlers who played before no balls counted against a bowler's analysis are at an advantage in a process like this. Would Snow and Willis still get in if their averages were adjusted accordingly?
Posted by Martin Haselup on 28/09/2018 at 20:21
A very good team but in my opinion only goes to prove statistics aren’t everything. There has to be an element of “x” factor added.
Posted by Alec Dytham on 28/09/2018 at 20:15
Would certainly need to bat down to seven with the length of the "tail".
Posted by L.Freeman on 28/09/2018 at 20:03
Numbers and people are two very different things. Imagine this lot (all in their prime) together on a team bus!
Posted by Tim Mason on 28/09/2018 at 18:07
Not a lot to argue with but where are Botham and Swann? I understand that this is chosen on stats, but it would be nice to know what there stats were and how close they would have been to the team.
Posted by n.j.holdsworth on 28/09/2018 at 17:05
Pietersen and Greig in the same side would be interesting + Snow to stir things up.
Posted by Michael Booth on 28/09/2018 at 17:01
That side looks very good. My only query would be whether Graham Gooch would be in instead of Denis Amiss?
Posted by azaro on 28/09/2018 at 16:57
Why do wicket keepers have to be batsmen? Perhaps a proper keeper has been responsible for some of these bowlers averages!
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.