All-Time ODi XI

[Cricketman]

1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Adam Gilchrist +
3. Viv Richards
4. Brian Lara
5. Inzamam-Ul-Haq
6. Micheal Bevan
7. Lance Klusener
8. Wasim Akram
9. Shane Warne
10. Waqar Younis
11. Allan Donald

Rest of Squad:

• Sanath Jayasuriya
• Aravinda De Silva
• Mularitharan
• Rahul Dravid
• Saurav Ganguly
• Jaques Kallis
• Jonty Rhodes
• Ricky Ponting
• Matthew Hayden
• Glenn McGrath
• Saqlain Mushtaq
• Andrew Flintoff
• Chris Cairns
• Chaminda Vass

For a grand total of 25 players.

I truly think that team, and squad, is unbeatable.

Gilchrist and Sachin is a dream-team opening combination. Gilchrist is sure to get off to a fantastic start and paired with Tendulkar, the opposition will be sure to have a leather chase.

"The King" Viv Richards in at three, to continue the momentum after one of the openers are dismissed. Needs no explanation. Fellow West Indian Brian Lara is in at four to back him up, an absolute wizard of the willow and one of the greats of the game. Inzamam finishes up the middle order in at five, and he'll be the anchor. He's saved countless games for Pakistan and has the ability to turn it on, and along with Lara will make a deadly combination.

The lower order has the best finishers in the game - Micheal Bevan and Lance Klusener. Both are very intelligent cricketers, and have the ability to both clear the fence and steady the ship to an unlikely victory. Klusener is the allrounder, his steady seamers are more than handy, with him averaging under 30 with the ball.

Wasim Akram will take the new ball, and there is no better candidate for the job. The true Sultan of Swing, his ability to swing it both ways at speeds of up to 150kmph has earned him over 500 wickets for Pakistan. He is matched up with his partner in crime - Waqar Younis, who is as deadly with the ball. Waqar can bowl snorting yorkers at will, and get the ball to reverse sharply.

Allan Donald pips Glenn McGrath for the third seamers slot. His pace is phenomenal, added with his aggression and approach to the game, he is a devastating bowler. Shane Warne is the spinner, beating Mularitharan simply because I feel that Warne is a more threatening bowler and can perform in a wider array of conditions.

 

[shravi]

+Adam Gilchrist
Sachin Tendulkar
Sir Vivian Richards
Ricky Ponting
Jacques Kallis
Michael Bevan
Lance Klusner
Muttiah Muralitharan
Waqar Younis
Glenn McGrath
Allan Donald

Hmm, everyone seems to have the same team with the bowling attacks varying just a little bit. But noone seems to have 4 entirely different bowlers. I just thought I'd post my XI again as I think it pwns .

 

[Cricketman]

I don't like Kallis in there. =\ His bowling won't be needed anyways as we probably already have an absolutely awesome bowling attack.

 

[shravi]

I don't like Kallis in there. =\ His bowling won't be needed anyways as we probably already have an absolutely awesome bowling attack.

He averages 45 with the bat and it is imperative to have someone to have a slightly lower strike rate (and a good average ) as it indicates an ability to stay at the crease for a long time. Besides, the team already has a lot of firepower. Here are the strike rates for the first 7. Him and Michael Bevan provide me with two batsmen I can definitely count on when chasing.

Adam Gilchrist- 96.94
Sachin Tendulkar- 85.39
Sir Vivian Richards- 90.20
Ricky Ponting- 80.46
Jacques Kallis- 71.71
Michael Bevan- 74.16
Lance Klusner- 89.91

RED = Destructive
GREEN = Moderate
BLUE = Defensive

I've divided the batsmen into three separate categories according to their strike rates.

 

[Leicester Fox]

.....

Razzaq and Cairns over Flintoff. Are you loopy?

I hae other disagreements but that is just plain crazy.

 

[nightprowler10]

Just off the top of my head:

Sachin Tendulkar
Adam Gilchrist +
Sir Vivian Richards
Brian Lara
Inzamam-Ul-Haq
Michael Bevan
Lance Klusener
Wasim Akram *
Saqlain Mushtaq
Joel Garner
Glenn McGrath

I'll cop any flak thrown my way for picking Saqlain instead either of the modern giants, but in my mind there was no better spinner in the history of the format than Saqi.

 

[Cricketman]

Razzaq and Cairns over Flintoff. Are you loopy?

I hae other disagreements but that is just plain crazy.

The Razzaq bit is a fair enough I guess. I think he's a bigger hitter/more consistent with the bat at the death, and is a HUGE proponent of reverse swing in the most dry conditions in the cricketing world - Sarjah and Pakistan. But I see where you are coming from.

I'm a huge Chris Cairns fanboy though. Big hitter, great with the ball. True talisman of New Zealand and one of the most flexible players of the game. He batted at every single slot in the lineup!

Flintoff in over Razzaq though, I guess.

Another change - Shane Bond leaves the squad for Chaminda Vass.

I'm forgetting a few Zimbabwean's here. Andy Flower, Heath Streak, and maybe even Grant Flower. Fantastic cricketers.

 

[Dare]

I'll cop any flak thrown my way for picking Saqlain instead either of the modern giants, but in my mind there was no better spinner in the history of the format than Saqi.

nobody should say anything to you about including Saqlain, I also have him in my squad because he was one of the best spinners in one day cricket and his record shows it.

 

[King Pietersen]

1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Adam Gilchrist +
3. Viv Richards
4. Brian Lara
5. Inzamam-Ul-Haq
6. Micheal Bevan
7. Lance Klusener
8. Wasim Akram
9. Shane Warne
10. Waqar Younis
11. Allan Donald

Rest of Squad:

• Aravinda De Silva
• Saurav Ganguly
• Jonty Rhodes
• Chris Cairns

Can't say I'd have any of those guys in my squad. There are easily 3 better batsmen than the top 3. Guys like Pietersen (how he's not in the squad is beyond me), Dean Jones, Ramnaresh Sarwan (higher average than Lara!), Zaheer Abbas, Desmond Haynes, Mohammed Yousuf and Gordon Greenidge would all get in my squad ahead of those 3 personally.

As for Cairns, he's a decent all-rounder, but nothing really special. I'd take Flintoff, Botham, Hadlee, Dev and Pollock ahead of him.

 

[Dare]

Can't say I'd have any of those guys in my squad. There are easily 3 better batsmen than the top 3. Guys like Pietersen (how he's not in the squad is beyond me), Dean Jones, Ramnaresh Sarwan (higher average than Lara!), Zaheer Abbas, Desmond Haynes, Mohammed Yousuf and Gordon Greenidge would all get in my squad ahead of those 3 personally.

As for Cairns, he's a decent all-rounder, but nothing really special. I'd take Flintoff, Botham, Hadlee, Dev and Pollock ahead of him.

even Ganguly?

Yousuf has scored allot of his centuries against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Thats probably the main reason why I don't have him in my team.

 

[Cricketman]

Ganguly was easily the best ODI batsman in the world for 5 years.

Rhodes is an absolute star, I'd have him in my team for his fielding alone.

Like I said before, I'm a Cairns fanboy and he's pretty far down the squad list anyways. I'd actually have Pollock over him, how he slipped my mind I don't know.

 

[shravi]

I'll cop any flak thrown my way for picking Saqlain instead either of the modern giants, but in my mind there was no better spinner in the history of the format than Saqi.

Nah, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having Saqi in there. He was a great ODI bowler.

 

[Gunner786]

who knows how many wickets saqi would have had today had he carried on playing odi matches

 

[Howsie]

1.Adam Gilchrist
2.Sachin Tendulkar
3.Ricky Ponting
4.Kevin Pieterson
5.Michael Hussey
6.MS Dhoni
7.Lance Klusener
8.Andrew Flintoff
9.Shane Warne
10.Wasim Akram
11.Glenn McGrath

Close:

Shane Bond
Sanath Jayasuriya
Chris Cairns
Jaques Kallis
Mularitharan
Shahid Afridiv

 

[shravi]

Why both Dhoni and Gilchrist?