Dream Teams: My Favourite XI

This team is largely drawn from the county players I have had the pleasure of watching through the years, along with some who played for or against England. The majority of these are players I have watched “live” as opposed to on TV, and I make no apologies whatsoever for the Sussex bias!

1. Marcus Trescothick – The discovery of Banger back in 2001 was a happy time for England fans who still missed Graham Gooch. Finally an opening batsman who just stood there and biffed it. I was lucky enough to see Trescothick score 219 against South Africa in 2003.
2. Richard Montgomerie – Whilst Murray Goodwin was the star at the top of Sussex’s batting order during their glorious run of trophy-winning, Montgomerie was equally as effective. A personal highlight was watching him smash the Essex attack all around Hove one evening during a Norwich Union 40 over match.
3. Chris Adams (c) – Grizzly turned Sussex from also-rans into the dominant county for five years. His leadership was a key factor in three county championship titles, not to mention his aggressive batting. Proved to be not quite good enough for England, which was Sussex’s gain.
4. Graham Thorpe – When Thorpe scored his comeback Test century on his home ground against South Africa in 2003, I was there to see it. Received the most rousing ovation I’ve ever heard in a cricket ground, and that includes Trescothick’s aforementioned double century and Alec Stewart’s farewell test innings, all three events occurring on one glorious day.
5. Mike Yardy – Yardy is not a glamorous cricketer, but he is an effective one in all formats and has been a good captain for Sussex. Played an important role in England’s World Twenty20 triumph mainly as a bowler, but in my team he plays as a batsman, adding grit to the middle order. Vice captain to Adams.
6. Chris Cairns – I once watched Chris Cairns win a match single-handedly for Notts against Sussex at Arundel, and the Kiwi gets into my team on the basis of the most astonishing fast bowling performance I have ever seen first hand. And, boy, could he bat too…
7. Keith Brown (wk) – My first ever live cricket match was Middlesex against Surrey at Lord’s in 1993, and wicketkeeper Keith Brown played the vital knock in the 4th innings to win it for Middlesex. Initially, Brown often played just as a batsman, but by the early nineties he had become 1st choice with the gloves.
8. Franklyn Stephenson – Sussex had a handy one-day side in the early-mid ’90s, and the Barbadian was the heart of their bowling attack. Fast, with a lethal slower ball, Stephenson was almost unplayable at times, particularly in one-day cricket. And he could bat, as twelve 1st class centuries testify. It was a shame that he missed out on international recognition, probably because of his involvement with the rebel West Indian tours to South Africa during the eighties.
9. Curtly Ambrose – Yes, I know he terrorised English batsmen for years, but Ambrose was the most fearsome fast bowler in my living memory – at least 150 of his test wickets were “glared & bowled Ambrose”. The spell he produced to bowl England out for 46 in 1993/4 is the best I have ever seen.
10. Mushtaq Ahmed – No self-respecting Sussex fan could leave Mushie out of their team. The Pakistani leg-spinner is a legend at Hove, having taken the wickets that fired the county to their first ever County Championship successes.
11. Simon Jones – KP and Freddie may have been the media favourites in 2005, but I enjoyed the performances of Simon Jones the most. Great pace, late reverse swing, Michael Clarke getting bowled leaving one outside off. Brilliant. It’s just a tragedy that injuries have ruined his career – imagine if the Welshman had played 70 tests.

So there you have it, a good balanced XI featuring some of my favourite players from the last 20 years.

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