Rogue

I tend to think that the coverage is probably going to be better if it sticks on Channel 9. However, if Ten forces a split in the deal and we see more cricket on FTA I think that'll be good for the game. I remember watching the domestic ODIs on TV when I was a kid and that helped fuel/maintain my interest in cricket.

Australia, England, NZ and South Africa are also beholden to the BCCI to a fairly large extent; they all want series' versus India because that's where the money is.

I rate Seinfeld and Seinfeld co-creator Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm as my top sitcoms, but I found Comedians In Cars pretty pedestrian (no pun intended). That moment with Richards did stick in my mind though.

Without further ado, I present Rogue's Best XI... In constructing my team I based my decisions upon the following objectives, which I felt were all required in order to create a strong, balanced team: - To have six batsmen averaging around 40 or above with the bat, with two bona fide openers - To have a wicketkeeper who was a bona fide gloveman - To have four bowlers averaging 30 or less, with a strike rate of under 60 and an economy rate of under 3.5 - To have a legitimate fifth bowling option When drafting players I looked for cricketers who seemed to posess an ability to succeed in different conditions and/or against quality opponents, and I wanted to ensure that their recent form - last year or two, depending on how much Test cricket their team played - was good. This meant overlooking some players who appeared strong prospects at first glance, but struggled against quality opponents and/or away from home, or had records that were based on past achievements rather than current day form. I also wanted to ensure I had at least two players with legitimate leadership claims, preferably established at national level. 'The Invincible Whites' 1. Chris Gayle (WI) //96 caps Batting average of 42 @ 60 strike rate, with 14 100s and 34 50s. Bowling average of 42 @ 86 strike rate, 2.6 RPO; 2 4-wicket hauls, 2 5-wicket hauls. An attacking opening batsmen who has averaged over 50 in the last couple of seasons, Gayle's explosive talents need no introduction - since 1999 they've been on display all over the world. Gayle's also more than handy with the ball and provides a good part-time spinning option. 2. Taufeeq Umar (Pak) //43 caps Batting average of 39 @ 45, with 7 100s and 14 50s. An opening batsmen bereft of opportunities to show his wares due to Pakistan's lack of Test cricket, Umar has nonetheless shown he can succeed as an opener not only on the slow, dusty tracks of Pakistan but also on wickets that take bounce and seam. In addition to providing an excellent partner for Gayle, Umar provides a back-up wicketkeeping option. 3. Phil Hughes (Aus) //23 caps Batting average of 33 @ 54, with 3 100s and 6 50s. After a torrid time in India his average has dropped significantly, but Hughes averaged 37 in 2012 and far better players than he have failed in India. He's also scored tons in Sri Lanka and South Africa, and having six genuine batsmen and a wicketkeeper who averages above 40 means I can carry a developing batsmen. 4. Jacques Kallis (SA) //162 caps Batting average of 56 @ 46, with 44 100s and 58 50s. Bowling average of 32 @ a strike rate of 69, with 2.8 RPO; 7 4-wicket hauls, 5 5-wicket hauls. A cricketing colossus, Kallis is one of the best batsmen of his era and has averaged over 50 each year since 2009. In addition to his prolific run-making, his bowling is good enough to merit a position as a paceman in most sides and gives me a fantastic fifth bowling option. 5. Virat Kohli (Ind) //17 caps Batting average of 44 @ 47, with 4 100s and 6 50s. Kohli is one of the most talented young batsmen in world cricket. He's made runs - and 100s - at home and away and forms part of a strong middle-order. Apparently an India Test captain-in-waiting, he gives me a developing leader. 6. Misbah Ul-Haq (Pak) © //39 caps Batting average of 43 @ 40, with 3 100s and 18 50s. One of the most successful Pakistani captains of recent times, and not just for being able to keep the team unified for more than a series, Misbah has averaged 40 or above in the last three years. Like Umar, he's a victim of Pakistan's lack of Test cricket, but takes the toss for my 11. 7. Dinesh Chandimal (SL) (wk/vc) //7 caps Batting average of 58 @ 48, with 2 100s and 4 50s. A genuine wicketkeeper who, he says, wouldn't have made more than ~30 with the bat until his late teens, is now one of Sri Lanka's most promising young batsmen. Although his current batting average is inflated, a series average of 37 in South Africa against a formiddable fast bowling quartet shows he is much more than a flat track bully. Chandimal - who could bat as high as four in time - has been appointed Sri Lanka's T20 captain and provides another developing leadership option. 8. Graeme Swann (Eng) //50 caps Batting average of 24 @ 77, with 5 50s. Bowling average of 29 @ 60, 2.9 RPO; 12 4-wicket hauls, 14 5-wicket hauls, 2 10-wicket hauls. Since replacing Panesar in 2009 Swann has been the most consistent premier spinner in world cricket, As his figures indicate he can both take wickets and contain runs, as well as chiming in with some handy runs of his own - an average of 24 at a very healthy strike rate of 77. 9. Mark Gillespie (NZ) //5 caps Batting average of 11 @ 57. Bowling average of 29 @ 39, 4.4 RPO; 1 4-wicket haul; 3 5-wicket hauls. Gillespie is the Ryan Harris of NZ cricket. Although boasting a strong first-class record - 77 games, 326 wickets at an average of 27 @ 47 with a RPO of 3.4 - and an even better strike rate in Test cricket (39), he has struggled to stay on the park and risks being overlooked for younger competitors. His Test economy rate is misleadingly inflated but he can be more expensive than ideal - fortunately this can be overlooked given his lethal wicket-taking abilities and the fact my 'fifth' bowler is Jaques Kallis. 10. Peter Siddle (Aus) //40 caps Batting average of 14 @ 47. Bowling average of 29 @ 59, 3 RPO; 5 4-wicket hauls, 7 5-wicket hauls. On the back of a fantastic 2012, in which he led the Australian attack with an average of 23 @ 47, Siddle has shown he can be successful in completely foreign conditions with a commendable effort in the current series in India. He is just as determined with the bat, and can provide some lower-order grit. 11. Kemar Roach (WI) //22 caps Batting average of 10 @ 34. Bowling average of 27 @ 51, 3.2 RPO; 1 4-wicket haul, 5 5-wicket hauls; 1 10-wicket haul. Roach is another quick who leads his country's attack, despite being only 24 years old. An excellent strike rate paired with an economy rate of 3.2 made him the ideal choice to pair with Siddle, and he's no Chris Martin with the bat. I'm confident this team can more than match the opposing line-ups, with strong all-rounders in Kallis and Chandimal means I have an ideal balance of batsmen and bowlers. Two genuine openers are followed by a #3 that's weaker than ideal, but a strong middle-order, with players capable of holding down a Test batting role all the way down to #7 (and a very handy #8), mean that's a minor issue. Roach, Siddle, Gillespie and Kallis provide me with a fantastic quartet of quicks and I'm well positioned to cover any deficiency in Gillespie's bowling, while Gayle provides solid back-up to the very strong Swann. Good leadership rounds out what is, in every meaning of the phrase, my best XI.

Or you could just find it all on thesite: http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/ I've watched a fair few of the webisodes but didn't think it was anything too exciting.

I'll get onto it next time I post on Demonland.

On India, it was nice to see Tendulkar make some runs after being so very subpar for so long (hi, H_T). Dhoni also cracked his sixth century in 116 innings. How much of the result was India being pretty good, and how much was it us being pretty poor? I didn't watch any of the game.

A pretty disappointing result, but India is a tough place to tour. I'm heartened to see Henriques do well, but let's not jump the gun - he's one test in. It'll be very interesting to see what happens with selection, and I'll also be keen to see how much this tour impacts on selection for the Ashes etc given the conditions are so different.

If Ryder's out you should get to pick again a la 45 and Macca when they picked someone already gone.

"Jesse wants to keep to his original plan and the decision to take 12 months out of international cricket. That decision was made last June, so it is unlikely that he will deviate from his plan." Ryder, Klee added, would play the IPL if he was selected, given it was a "domestic competition" and he would be on a "short-term contract". Klee, though, said there wasn't a set timeline for Ryder's international return. "It would not be appropriate to try and put a date on a return to the Blackcaps. Many factors would have to align". http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-england-2013/content/story/602282.html While Ryder hasn't retired, he's unavailable for selection and not even Klee, his Manager, can say when he'll be back. Fair enough to pick Taylor, who had said he was returning imminently and was playing for a NZ XI, but Ryder is telling you he doesn't want to be picked...maybe next best XI (if I don't take him first ).

I don't know that Ryder is a legit pick. I was going to pick.him, but his manager had just come out and said he wasn't available to be considered for selection for the foreseeable future. Unlike Taylor, who had been chosen in a NZ XI and was on his way back in the immediate future, Ryder's issues apparently meant he had to play out the domestic season and then see how he felt before even being considered.

Sorry mate, he went at pick 22. Check HT's list on the previous page for a list of picks.

Averages 41 and is Sri Lankas best young batting talent. All this from a natural keeper who couldn't score until he was 17. Already captain of the T20 side. Oh, and I picked him rounds ago

That sounds fair to me. Definitely have to choose at least one player from each team, because that's one of the restrictions that makes these selections devilishly difficult at times.

I don't mind Watson but I can't ever imagine him being our captain. What do other people think? I agree with you on Hughes, though.

Pick 80 Taufeeq Umar (Pak) A good opener, Test average of ~39; he's a steal at 80. Pick 81 Mark Gillespie (NZ) Excellent strike rate (39) and an average under 30. NZ's Ryan Harris.

Good choices.

Haha, possibly.

Still some good batting talent left late in the draft with Kohli, Duminy and Samuels all going recently. I think TD is right on Matthews being more of a batsman who is handy with the ball, and his figures bear that out; Matthews has a bowling average of 70 (strike rate of 138)! In comparison, Gayle's bowling average is 42 (strike rate of 96). Matthews also has a pretty mediocre away record with the bat. Macca, since Watson himself has said that he wants to be selected as a batsman only I put him in that basket. I think you're right re: Watson over Matthews though, if/when Watson is available to bowl. PS. Bad luck with breaching the country cap, Django.

64 - Kohli. Crazy this guy is available at pick 64, and miles better than a bunch of Indian bats who have already gone. 65 - Hughes.

Because his name is Best? (I honestly don't know). you might get the last pick, but the snake means your last two are 73 and 88 - my last two will be 80 and 81.

Haha. Too late to add a 12th man now IMO but I think I was pick 7 last time so I'm happy to take a mid range pick in Best XI #3

This isn't a game based on points so it's quite possible a fringe player from one country will be a better choice for your team than a regular in a weak side.

I remember looking at his Cricinfo profile recently and the top news article for him was 'why England's spinners were better'. You might quibble that, but for a late pick Panesar isn't bad value. That said, Ashwin will be nearly as good a bat as batsmen people are selecting, so he's not a bad option at all when that's taken into account.

I reckon there's a bit of a gap after the top few spinners in the world so it's one of those cases where if you don't spend an early pick you may as well wait. A bit like rucks in the AFL draft, IMO - go early or late. On Panesar, he's probably improved a bit but it'd not be too surprising if his figures were reasonably comparable given that, as the second spinner, he's generally only selected if there are pitches particularly conducive to spin. I agree.