CRICKET CHAMPIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10536, 10 August 1912, Page 6

CRICKET CHAMPIONS.

THE WORLD'S BEST ELEVEN.

In an article in "Pearson's Magazine" Mr H. Hesketh Prichard chooses what he regards as the best world's team, and he chats about some of his selections. They are:— Armstrong Jessop Barnes King or Brearley Faulkner Macartney Foster Sherwell Fry Trumper Hobbs

Ho adds:—"There is batting enough, and a sufficient diversity of bowling, good out-fielding and slitMiatching. . . . Team-choosing is a difficult affair. I myself have lain awake at night trying to get Bardsley, Gregory, Spooner, Tarrant and George Gunn into my eleven." Some well-known players also have written down an eleven they would choose to represent the world:— FAULKNER'S LIST. Fry Bardsley Trumper Foster Sherwell Barnes Hobbs Hordern Brearley Spooner Armstrong CAPTAIN WYNYARD'S LIST. Fry Armstrong Foster Faulkner Barnes Sherwell Hobbs Bardsley Trumper Brearley Macartney R. E. POSTER'S LIST, Fry Barnes Hobbs Trumper Faulkner Spooner Sherwell Jessop Armstrong Brearley Foster ■SNOOKE'S LIST. Noble Faulkner Fry Trumper Sherwell Spooner Foster Armstrong Barnes Hordern Hobbs DR BBNGRAITS LIST. Fry Foster Sherwell Armstrong Faulkner Trumper Hobbs Hordern Barnes Spooner Tarrant Mr Prichard remarks that it was his wish to get some of the views of the great Australian cricketers as to whom they would 6elect to represent the world. He adds:—"But this was impossible, as one of their most stringent rules isthat no member of the team may write anything whatever for publication during the tour. However, the twelve names given under the title ' Australian list' would, I think, meet with the approval of the Australian team in council."

AUSTRALIAN LIST. Sherwell Brearley Faulkner Bardsley Hobbs Macartney Spooner Gregory Barnes Hordern Foster Whitty In justifyihg his selection Mr Prichard writes:— «

"Fry, Faulkner, Trumper and Hobbs I would pick as the world's four best batsmen, and as absolutely first choice for a World's Eleven. I cannot see any claim to approach Faulkner's. As a batsman ho has no superior, and on his wicket there is no living bowler who is quite his equal in his own style. . . . The three best bowlers in the world—that is, the best in their respective styles—are not so easy to select as the premier batsmen, but we have Foster, Blythe, Macartney, Whitty, Barnes, Brearley, Buckenham, Fielder, and King, of Philadelphia. Foster, Barnes and Brearley, or King, are my choice. If recovered from his strain, and able to bowl as he used to, I would pick King, who is one of the very best bowlers of all time, quite in the class with Lockwood and Richardson. Long experience as a baseball player has taught him the art of swerving to perfection. Besides the ordinary right to left, or leg swerve, he cultivates an extraordinary ball, which, after coming almost to the batsman outside the off stump, swerves suddenly from left to right, and has an awkward habit of bringing down the leg stump. . . . Without any hesitation at all, I add Sherwell to keep wickets and captain the side. He has made 100 in a test match at Lords, and is ono of the finest judges of the game. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the finest wicketkeeper to googly bowling that has appeared up to the present. My next choice, Jessop, will be a popular one. Many a scribe has written of the value of Jessop; we have 'heard all about the runs ho saves, and how no team can declare and leave their opponents to get at the rate of a hundred an hour if Jessop is against them. This is all true, too true to labour now. . . ." As slow left-hand bowler Mr Richard prefers Macartney to Rhodes. The last place, he states, should be filled by either Bardsley, Hill, Armstrong, Gregory, Gordon, White or Spooner, and, thinking it best to have an allround man, he prefers Armstrong to White.