So here we are at the MCG, the date is the 15th of March 2037 and the two captains are about to make their way out to the middle for the toss.
This 100,000 capacity crowd is eerily quiet as the players warm up on the outfield. I don’t think they can quite believe their eyes. This is the first sell out at the MCG since the Boxing Day Test Match of 2010, the last time Australia won an Ashes encounter.
Hello and good morning, I’m Richie Benaud and I’ll be guiding you through this extraordinary sporting event.
Now if you’ve been in a cave for the last year, no worries, here’s an update...
One year ago after extensive behind the scenes research and development, the ICC announced that they would be commemorating the 150th anniversary of Test Match Cricket with a mouthwatering clash between an All-Time 1st and 2nd XI. How could this be done? Well, because of new technological advances the creation of these ‘clones’ has been made possible. The technology on show here is simply incredible, the sight of Bradman knocking up with Lillee is a sight every cricket fan around the world must have dreamed about. This truly is a remarkable achievement from all involved and I would just like to take a moment to thank the ICC for bringing me back to commentate on this incredible sporting event.
The teams have been selected from ESPNCricinfo’s All-Time 1st and 2nd XI which was selected back in 2010. There have been a couple of changes from these teams as Virender Sehwag takes his place in the 1st XI at the expense of Len Hutton who drops down to the 2nds with Barry Richards the unlucky player to miss out. But who could say this change wasn’t justified? Sehwag’s achievements after 2010 are extraordinary, the first Test Match 500 (in 467 balls), during this innings he also scored the fastest ever century (from 49 balls), he also ended his career as second only to Tendulkar in the Test Match run charts.
The decision to allow a global vote (of which nearly 500 million people participated in) to select one player that was originally omitted from the sides saw Glenn McGrath come into the 2nd XI at the expense of Bill O’Reilly. McGrath sneaked in ahead of Anil Kumble, who gained masses of votes from Indian voters. In my view, the correct decision was made as I believe it was a mistake to omit McGrath from the 1st XI, never mind the 2nd XI.
I have been granted the honour of choosing the captains for the two sides and here they are now in the middle, ready for the toss. Shane Warne, the 1st XI skipper will flip the coin and Imran Khan will call. The coin goes up... and it’s Khan who’s called correctly. There are no surprises as he elects to bat on this pristine looking MCG pitch.
Here are the teams in batting order:
J Hobbs S Gavaskar
V Sehwag L Hutton
D Bradman G Headley
S Tendulkar B Lara
V Richards W Hammond
G Sobers I Khan
A Gilchrist A Knott
M Marshall F Trueman
S Warne M Mularitharan
W Akram G McGrath
D Lillee SF Barnes
Official Sub Fielder: Jonty Rhodes
As the umpires, Dickie Bird and Billy Bowden, lead out the players onto the field every single person in the crowd is on their tip-toes, trying to get the best view of this momentous occasion.
Here come Gavaskar and Hutton, followed by the 1st XI lead by Warne. It really is quite a sight seeing an opening batsman walk out without a helmet again and I for one cannot wait to see how the likes of Hutton, Bradman, Hobbs and Headley will cope against the more modern bowlers. Surely this pitch will be of a big help, there is no doubt this is the best any of them will ever have played on.
The tension is really starting to build now as Gavaskar marks his guard. Lillee is bowling a few to Tendulkar at mid-off. In just a few seconds the most amazing event in sporting history is about to take place... finally the debates about how Bradman would play Murali, how Tendulkar would fare against Barnes can be settled.
Okay... Lillee is beginning his run-up. Here we go!
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