A T20 draft...cricket_icon & swacker's picks

[sifter132]

To me Yusuf Pathan is almost the ultimate guy to throw up the order at #3 or #4 - Afridi would be another - just see what they can do. Majority of the time they'll fail, but when they succeed they are fantastic. And of course Shane Warne famously said that Yusuf's 100 for Rajasthan Royals was the "best innings he'd ever seen", which he copped some grief for.

Good pick, only his horror technique made me doubt picking him. Also I hate him greatly.

Well Fenil is right about technique...who cares in T20? But hating a player greatly is an underrated reason for not picking him - I admire you for not picking a player you hate


Andrin is on the clock now, and I'm straight after him. I'm feeling good because there are 2 players I can't decide between - guaranteed to get one!

 

[cricket_icon]

Just thought I'd go back to a pick sifter posted of that 70s homage game between Australia and New Zealand, just goes to show gow far t20 cricket has come, from being a bit of a giggle to being a much sought after version of the game. I think the IPL and the final that India and Pakistan produced in the inaugural world cup have gone a long way to solidifying the game. Players like Gul, Ajmal and Swann have shown that their is still space for artistry in the shortest form of cricket around.

 

[Bevab]

Well Fenil is right about technique...who cares in T20? But hating a player greatly is an underrated reason for not picking him - I admire you for not picking a player you hate


Andrin is on the clock now, and I'm straight after him. I'm feeling good because there are 2 players I can't decide between - guaranteed to get one!

Hehe, Raina never ever has impressed me apart from his decent power hitting.

 

[Andrin Issac]

My Pick Is MS.Dhoni

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MSD is one best cricket player of India...He is also known as Mahi...He is in top 30 in T20 rating
He is a good captain...He Has Proved His T20 Captaincy In many T20 Cricket Leagues

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	69	109	13	3692	148	38.45	6153	60.00	5	26	395	66	194	30
ODIs	211	188	53	6908	183*	51.17	7812	88.42	7	46	531	139	199	66
T20Is	32	30	11	565	48*	29.73	513	110.13	0	0	32	17	15	5
First-class	110	175	16	5854	148	36.81			8	40			302	49
List A	268	241	64	8911	183*	50.34			13	57			269	81
Twenty20	125	112	37	2607	73*	34.76	2012	129.57	0	10	191	91	56	30

• Full name Mahendra Singh Dhoni

• Born July 7, 1981, Ranchi, Bihar (now Jharkhand)

• Current age 31 years 60 days

• Playing role Wicketkeeper batsman

• Batting style Right-hand bat

• Bowling style Right-arm medium

• Fielding position Wicketkeeper

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1.Mohammad Hafeez
2.Gautam Gambhir
3.Virat Kohli
4.Jonathan Trott
5.Ross Taylor
6.MS Dhoni
7.
8.
9.
10.Ravi Rampaul
11.

 

[VC the slogger]

Good pick there. BTW I'm surprised that MSD hasn't scored a 50 yet in T20Is.

 

[CG123]

^Are there any better Kiwi T20 keepers out there? Hopkins maybe? But yeah on the face of it, I've not blown away with awesomeness

No one really stands out, but tactically he would've been much better off to get a better New Zealand player, and then go for a keeper in another round.

Watling's our back-up international keeper atm. He's got an alright average of 25, but his S/R of 103 is pretty poor.

 

[Fenil]

Hehe, Raina never ever has impressed me apart from his decent power hitting.

Spot on! But the thing is T20 is mostly about power hitting.

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Good pick there. BTW I'm surprised that MSD hasn't scored a 50 yet in T20Is.

Not to forget his relatively dismal strike-rate as well.

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No one really stands out, but tactically he would've been much better off to get a better New Zealand player, and then go for a keeper in another round.

Watling's our back-up international keeper atm. He's got an alright average of 25, but his S/R of 103 is pretty poor.

Is Luke Ronchi a valid NZ player now? He has got very good strike-rate and an okay average. By valid NZ player, I mean is he back in NZ playing the domestic cricket after leaving Australia?

 

[sifter132]

For this draft Ronchi's an Aussie only - it's the only nation he's represented. But generally yes, he could play for NZ right now if they wanted to pick him.

Dhoni's T20I strike rate is an interesting one, it certainly caught my eye when I was looking through players. But he was always up there for me (MSD was the other guy I was considering taking). I think because a) Dhoni hasn't really had a proper role in the Indian T20I team - he's batted all through the middle order, and most of the time he seems to be the stabilising guy, but you're never sure what his role truly has been..., and b) his record for CSK and for India in ODIs is excellent and I find it hard to believe that his low strike rate in T20Is is a true indicator of his quality. Ross Taylor is a guy who has a fairly mediocre strike rate in T20Is as well (116), and it's similar in that your eyes tell you he's a much faster scorer.

Anyway...that's the joy of this particular draft, weighing up performances in T20Is, domestic T20s, even ODIs or Tests to ultimately pick your XI.


Oh, and I'm picking Rohit Sharma. Not the most trendy pick as we stand at September 2012, but he has a great T20 resume. More to come soon about Rohit...

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

I think it now looks like I have the choice between a 2nd tier batsman for india or a first class spinner. yeah, we already have narine, but twenty20 demands far more spin options and so I'm having Ravichandran Ashwin.

been hugely impressed by this guy recently, he's been one of the best IPL performers and now he's taking that form to the international stage. his average is a bit swollen at the moment but I've no worries about him, that's only heading down. he's settled now and both his ODI and test average are extremely good, his signature format will follow. plus, I like that he has a brain on him. twenty20 needs quick thinkers and I think he has that, plus a lot of mental toughness.

 

[Bevab]

There's still a great bowler who has not yet been picked out there.

Ashwin's got to be a nice pick. I could've picked him, but I already have McCullum occupying his role.

 

[cricket_icon]

There's still a great bowler who has not yet been picked out there.

Ashwin's got to be a nice pick. I could've picked him, but I already have McCullum occupying his role.

Zaheer Khan? I wouldn't call him great but he is one of the best India has definitely. Interesting, would've actually picked up but that would leave a huge batting gap in my side.

 

[Bevab]

Don't let the cat out of the bag.

 

[cricket_icon]

Don't let the cat out of the bag.

Might be Stinky's next pick

 

[CG123]

Is Luke Ronchi a valid NZ player now? He has got very good strike-rate and an okay average. By valid NZ player, I mean is he back in NZ playing the domestic cricket after leaving Australia?

For this draft Ronchi's an Aussie only - it's the only nation he's represented. But generally yes, he could play for NZ right now if they wanted to pick him.

He's got a Wellington contract for this season. He becomes available for New Zealand four years after he last played for Australia (which was January 2009), so he'll become available for us this coming January (2013).

 

[sifter132]

Just to catch up, here's my Rohit Sharma spiel...

Rohit Sharma

Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strikerate | 50s/100s T20I | 26 | 20 | 415 | 79* | 29.64 | 126.52 | 4/0 T20 | 127 | 117 | 3088 | 109* | 31.83| 130.35 | 20/2

Has a beautiful flowing style to his batting, it's a shame he's never conquered the longer formats at international level. T20 is the exception though, as his international T20 average and scoring rate are only marginally below his IPL stats. Very consistent scorer for Deccan and Mumbai in the IPL, and is the 4th highest run scorer in IPL history. Well, consistent in that he makes the same amount of runs every year, game-to-game consistency is not as good.

You might remember a rather astonishing innings at the 2010 World T20 against Australia. India were bounced out for 135 by Australia, relying heavily on short pitched bowling. But Rohit Sharma survived the whole innings, not just struggling but thriving with 79* off 46 balls - only one other Indian made it past 10! (Harbhajan-13). Another innings of note was his 109* vs Kolkata earlier this year. Played ruthlessly against the eventual champs, who own some pretty good international bowlers (Lee, Narine, Shakib, Kallis).

Rohit has such a high quality to his strokeplay, and plays good bowlers so easily that you wonder why he's not yet a star in all formats. Hard guy to set a field for in particular because he can play all the shots, including the short pitched stuff (relatively special for an Indian). In the end, Rohit's main weakness is himself as he finds frustrating or lazy ways to get out. In that way, he'll make a good partner with Umar Akmal in the middle order

Pretty good fielder. Can bowl a bit as well, but I won't need him to

1 Chris Gayle (vc)
2 Marcus Trescothick
3
4 Rohit Sharma
5 Umar Akmal (wk)
6
7 Daniel Vettori (c)
8
9 Jerome Taylor
10 Ajantha Mendis
11