I had no idea that he would still be available at this point and it would be criminal to let him go now. My first pick will be
Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman to have ever played cricket.
But would he make sense as a T20 batsman pick especially with him taking an overseas slot?
Absolutely yes. Do not let the incredible average of his and his ability to stay at the crease unperturbed for long periods distract you from the fact that Bradman had a strike-rate of 61 in his test career. With some era adjustment courtesy of the excellent statistician Charlie Davis (who has added the number of balls each batsman has faced for loads of tests in the 19th and 20th century), Bradman ranks ninth among all batsmen to have played test cricket. A staggeringly good achievement given the players that he has alongside him on that list, few of whom have proved their mettle in T20 cricket already.
But his playing style was remarkable for minimizing risk taking and scoring on the ground?
A valid point given the importance of sixes in T20s. However, Bradman was not shy to hit big in matches when he needed to. His biggest strength was the sheer mental fortitude to switch into the mode where he never means to lose his wicket and the adaptability to switch gears whenever required to hogging the strike, rotating it and hitting out. The rational calculation of staying as long as possible to score runs in test cricket would always lead to a batsman preferring to score on the ground to minimize risks of a catch. In a situation where he needed to hit out or was free to, Bradman could be very aggressive indeed as evidenced by him scoring a triple century in a single day and
that century in just three 8 ball overs.
Where does he fit in my side?
Every T20 side benefits the most by having a batsman who can manipulate the strike and remain in there while striking boundaries consistently. This player often bats in the powerplay to get the side off to a quick start by hitting over the top of fielders to settle in with a flurry of boundaries. The biggest issue with this type of player is them getting out before they can capitalize on the time they've spent at the crease. And who better than Bradman at capitalizing on starts? This is a man who has crossed 50+ in every other innings that he plays and is almost never bound to lose his wicket once he gets a start and has his eye in. Your best bet would be to dismiss him before he settles himself in. In addition, Bradman's biggest weakness was the sticky wickets while he feasted on the more normal pitches of those days. In T20s, you are almost never likely to get anything other than a flat pitch. Bradman was also a superb cover fielder who has nine run-outs to his name, an excellent record for someone with just 52 tests to his name.
He shall open in my team and play a role similar to that of a Rahul or Buttler by scoring quickly in the powerplay, consolidating in the middle overs with a boundary every over or two before gearing up for a big finish.
@CerealKiller to pick next.