Rogue

Given Ashwin went at 22, I think Panesar at 58 is a good value get.

Fwiw, players don't need to be in a team's best XI.

I was wondering when Bell would go. I wasn't very keen because his recent form is pretty poor, but he's not a bad get at this late stage and I would have considered him before the end of the draft. Unfortunately Southee is already gone, though. (I also PM'd titan).

Titan is trying to figure out who Nasher was referring to.

Me three. You sure can. However, I think the bottom was scraped from the NZ barrel by H_T :D

I do think it's best that we don't have poster suggesting players. Maybe the next person is going to pick X player anyway, but you'd be annoyed if you had your eye on players who keep getting pulled out from under you because of recommendations. Feel free to comment once they've been picked up, though!

Haha, boom! H_T, I have to agree with 45's sentiment. That said, Guptill is probably performing slightly better than Tendulkar is these days Come in spinner indeed...

Ooh, I had Chandimal in mind from the beginning and wasn't sure how long I could leave it; sounds like I wasn't the only one with my eye on the exciting young keeper batsman from Sri Lanka. Wade's a solid get though; I was curious to see how far he'd fall and still might have picked him up later on if no one else had snapped him up.

No prolems, Biffen. Solid Pakistani choice.

The suspense is killing me

Haha, he'll probably come out and smack us around in the upcoming series now.

Right now I reckon they both win about the same number of Tests (Just in case you're considering it, Biffen, the Don is ineligible).

Tendulkar was a great player, but I actually thought you went a little early on him. I had a look and he averaged just 24 from 15 bats in Tests last year (two 50s; no 100s). I've liked most of your picks, but I think I would have rated Trott and even Dilshan - your round four and six picks - more highly than Sachin in this draft. Tendulkar's record certainly is stellar though. India follow the money, sadly, so they don't play a great deal of Test cricket. It's a shame.

I don't see that it's necessary to take two keepers; I'm pretty sure we haven't always done so and I don't see the need to change that. 17 is a large squad; is there anyone who should feel aggreived at missing out? We seem to have an unlimited battery of quicks, but the spinning stocks seem a bit depressing. I think our batting prospects seem as disappointing as I can remember, but that can change fairly quickly. The only thing is that there aren't too many guys ripping the Shield apart. I agree re: Rogers, Biffen. He'll feel as unlucky as guys like Law, Hodge, etc.

I couldn't overlook Kallis in the first round, but Steyn is a great bowler; I'm a fan.

Pick 48 - Misbah-ul-haq (PAK) Captaincy material. Pick 49 - Chandimal (SL) Every team needs a promising young player or two. A good time to tick some countries off the list while I still liked what was left...

I might comment on that after he makes his two picks. Anyone watching the ODI game at the moment? If you still need a player from the Caribbean, you might want to pick up Extras (WI) - top scorer at the moment.

No problems. I don't mind your picks so far, H_T. Our teams are balanced a little differently so far - I have a spinner, you have an extra batsman - but it's shaping for an interesting match-up. Now it's titan 'on the snake' with two picks.

He's been a very good player over the years and I picked up Khan last time we did the Best XI game. (Sadly, the thread has disappeared).However, I think Khan's recent form has probably played a part in him lasting so long in the draft; he averaged 36 last year, passing 50 only twice in 10 innings. Still a solid pick at this stage though - he was on the shortlist for my next pick.

Definitely. I think there'll be some decent players left at my next two picks (48/49) but after that it may be slim pickings.

It must be tough being such a good player in such a poor team.

It's the eight mentioned in the original post.

Pick 32 - Kemar Roach (WI) I almost took Roach at #17, so I'm very happy to see he slipped to #32. Pick 33 - Chris Gayle (WI)

I see his current predicament as being similar to someone who has been out with an injury. He's back playing for NZ in a side versus England in the lead-up to the Tests and wouldn't be surprised if he's selected for the upcoming series.

I'll hold off on my picks until this is resolved. Fwiw, I was about to pick Taylor. Talking of NZers, it's interesting to see how far Vettori's stocks have fallen in the Best XI game.