READ MORE - Last weekend's round five, day 1 wrap

PONDER this - a warm summer's day, a picturesque Queen Elizabeth Oval and Heath Behrens and Linton Jacobs making their way out to the centre to toss the coin.

Jacobs calls tails... but it's a head. Behrens has no hesitations in batting first on a pristine QEO deck in the battle of the Addy's BDCA Team of the 2000s vs the Team of the 2010s.

On strike at the Barnard Street end for the opening ball of the 85-over-a-side game for the 2000s is Tony Taig.

Opening the bowling for the 2010s is Adam Burns - Taig's Kangaroo Flat premiership teammate.

With the field in place, left-armer Burns begins his run-up from the city end and sends down a delivery just outside the off-stump that the watchful Taig lets through to wicket-keeper Jacobs.

And so begins what is a testing 85 overs in the field for the 2010s.

Because as talented as the 2010s bowling line-up is, when comparing the Addy's past two Team of the Decades it's the stacked top-order batting of the 2000s that immediately stands out.

How's this for a top six in the Team of the 2000s - Taig, Scott Johnson, Behrens, Phil Hetherington, Neil Williams and Andrew Price.

Between the six of them they batted 536 times through the decade and combined for 23,883 runs at an average of 52.7, with 61 centuries.

Check out these numbers from the 2000s "super six":

TONY TAIG

Runs: 5358 Avr: 51.5

HS: 187 100s: 18 50s: 26

SCOTT JOHNSON

Runs: 3583 Avr: 44.2

HS: 110* 100s: 4 50s: 29

HEATH BEHRENS

Runs: 6278 Avr: 62.2

HS: 249* 100s: 18 50s: 36

PHIL HETHERINGTON

Runs: 2412 Avr: 77.8

HS: 160* 100s: 8 50s: 12

NEIL WILLIAMS

Runs: 3179 Avr: 44.2

HS: 137 100s: 6 50s: 18

ANDREW PRICE

Runs: 3073 Avr: 48.0

HS: 190* 100s: 7 50s: 15

How do you contain that powerful batting line-up?

Perhaps the best chance of the Team of the 2010s putting some heat on the top order of the 2000s is for a turning deck given spin looks the biggest weapon in the 2010s bowling arsenal led by tweakers Cameron Taylor and Craig Howard.

No player during the 2010s took more wickets than leg-spinner Cameron Taylor's 279 for Strathdale, and being the fierce competitor that he is, I'm sure he'd relish the chance of bowling to the "super six".

The same goes for Howard (221 wickets for the decade), who during his days at Strathdale-Maristians formed a lethal spinning partnership with Taylor that was one of the cornerstones of the Suns' era of success before Howard crossed to Sandhurst.

The Team of the 2010s also features two other spinners with at least 100 wickets for the decade in Ben Gunn (127) and Scott Johnson (100) who could further benefit from a turning deck.

Mind you, the Team of the 2000s has a handy spinner themselves in the wily Nick Crawford (228 wickets) to complement a pace attack of Nic Balic (215 wickets), Ben DeAraugo (224), Burns (257) and Price (65).

In what's a remarkable testament to their longevity, Johnson is among four players - along with Behrens, Burns and DeAraugo - who have been picked in both Teams of the Decade.

So how do those doubling up from one decade to another compare?

For Behrens, who had the coveted No.3 slot in both teams, his 2000s average of 62.2 is significantly up on his 2010s 46.5.

Johnson, who is an opening batsman in both teams, averaged 44.2 during the 2000s compared to 37.1 in the 2010s.

Without doubt, Burns was the No.1 bowler of the 2000s, taking 257 wickets at an average of 14.3. His 2010 decade yielded 233 wickets at an average of 17.1.

And then there's DeAraugo, who was picked in the 2000s Team as a bowler, while it's his batting that was the catalyst for his 2010s selection.

Mind you, DeAraugo was no slouch with the ball during the 2010s, taking 179 wickets at an average of 19.5 compared to his 224 wickets at 19.9 during the 2000s.

DeAraugo has gone from No.10 in the 2000s batting line-up (977 runs at 18.1) to No.6 in the 2010s (3435 runs at 35.0).

DeAraugo of the 2000s bowling to DeAraugo of the 2010s would certainly be an enthralling contest between bat and ball.

While the top six in the Team of the 2000s is a bowler's nightmare, you could argue there's more depth in the Team of the 2010s given captain Jacobs at No.9 has a double century to his name and No.10 Burns scored five tons for the decade.

Meanwhile, with a combined average of more than 50 between them, how does the "super six" of the 2000s compare with the 2010s top order?

The 2010's top six that includes Ben Gunn (decade's leading run-scorer with 4890), Johnson, Behrens, Gavin Bowles, Taylor and DeAraugo batted a combined 705 times for 23,691 runs at an average of 38.9 with 47 centuries.

While there's a clear advantage to the 2000s in terms of the top six, batsmen 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 (Ben Devanny, Howard, Jacobs, Burns and Miggy Podosky) in the 2010s had a combined average of 138 compared to the corresponding 127 of the 2000s (Matt Fitt, Crawford, Burns, DeAraugo and Nic Balic) highlighting the 2010's extra depth.

And there's more depth in the 2010s bowling given there's eight players with at least 100 wickets for the decade (Jacobs, Behrens and Bowles the exceptions) compared to the 2000s, who have just four.

But matched-up against each other, I'm drawn back to the imposing top six of the 2000s and that's why I'd tip that side to prevail.

What about you?

Runs: 33,635 Inns: 980

Average: 42.41 HS: 249*

100s: 74 50s: 168

Wickets: 1146 Overs: 8427

Average: 20.10 Best: 8-38

Strike: 44.12 Econ: 2.73

5W Inns: 51 Flags: 21

Runs: 37,652 Inns: 1276

Average: 34.35 HS: 170

100s: 64 50s: 207

Wkts: 1613 Overs: 11,445

Average: 19.14 Best: 9-60

Strike: 42.53 Econ: 2.70

5W Inns: 66 Flags: 23

SANDHURST faces the biggest chase in the Bendigo District Cricket Association when round five resumes on Saturday.

The Dragons need 254 to defeat Bendigo at Weeroona Oval.

AROUND THE GROUNDS THIS WEEKEND:

BENDIGO DISTRICT:

Strathfieldsaye 9-213 v Eaglehawk

Huntly-North Epsom v Kangaroo Flat 181

Golden Square 0-10 v Strathdale 176

Sandhurst v Bendigo 253

White Hills v Bendigo United 241

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WOMEN'S:

Sunday

Bendigo Goers (3rd) v Strathdale Suns (4th)

Emu Creek (2nd) v Strathfieldsaye (8th)

Golden Square (5th) v Bendigo (7th)

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EMU VALLEY:

Spring Gully (3rd) v Marong (6th)

United (4th) v Mandurang (5th)

Sedgwick (1st) v West Bendigo (9th)

California Gully (8th) v Emu Creek (7th)

Axe Creek (10th) v Maiden Gully (2nd)

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NORTHERN UNITED:

Heathcote (4th) v Elmore (1st)

Colbinabbin (2nd) v Bagshot (3rd)

Goornong (5th) v Calivil (6th)

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UPPER LODDON:

Newbridge (1st) v Arnold (2nd)

Kingower (3rd) v Inglewood (6th)

Wedderburn (7th) v Boort-Yando (8th)

Serpentine (4th) v Bridgewater (5th)

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