Draft: Budget Draft: ODI Nations
- Thread starter Aislabie
- Start date
qpeedore
SOTM Winner - July 2014
Hope everything is okay @Yash.
Rashid Khan was one of the first picks snapped up, but he's hardly the only talented spinner from Afghanistan. Now, there can be excellent arguments for a certain someone else to be picked, due to better batting ability, instead of who I'm going to name. But I wanted an attacking spinner, and if I can't have Rashid Khan, I'll go with Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Call him Rashid Khan 2.0, if you want. He can bowl regular off spin and leg spin. And, for what it's worth, he almost always has a spell with the new ball and still manages to maintain an economy under 4 in his 40 ODI games to date. Add in his 63 wickets at an average of 22 and you've got a promising attacking spinner.
I mean, there is another Afghan spinner who has more experience and a MUCH better batting average at the expense of a higher bowling average, and I considered that player for a long time. A very long time, actually. But then when I checked the wicket breakdown, I knew I had to pick Mujeeb. Of his 63 wickets, more than two-thirds (68% actually) have been bowled or LBW. There is something about me that loves to see spinners attack the stumps and not bowl defensively and expect a mistimed shot for a catch. My opinion, of course, and nothing against it. I just like attacking spinners more.
In my lineup, he completes the 9, 10, Jack of the tail. As for bowling, I'd start with one of the quicks and have him at the other end, giving the faster guys short opening spells where they can go all out.
1.
2. Calum MacLeod
3.
4.
5.
6. Kevin O'Brien
7. Tatenda Taibu
8.
9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman
10. Mustafizur Rahman
11. Ali Khan
Minus 2 points.
Points remaining - 15
@Aislabie I think?
Rashid Khan was one of the first picks snapped up, but he's hardly the only talented spinner from Afghanistan. Now, there can be excellent arguments for a certain someone else to be picked, due to better batting ability, instead of who I'm going to name. But I wanted an attacking spinner, and if I can't have Rashid Khan, I'll go with Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Call him Rashid Khan 2.0, if you want. He can bowl regular off spin and leg spin. And, for what it's worth, he almost always has a spell with the new ball and still manages to maintain an economy under 4 in his 40 ODI games to date. Add in his 63 wickets at an average of 22 and you've got a promising attacking spinner.
I mean, there is another Afghan spinner who has more experience and a MUCH better batting average at the expense of a higher bowling average, and I considered that player for a long time. A very long time, actually. But then when I checked the wicket breakdown, I knew I had to pick Mujeeb. Of his 63 wickets, more than two-thirds (68% actually) have been bowled or LBW. There is something about me that loves to see spinners attack the stumps and not bowl defensively and expect a mistimed shot for a catch. My opinion, of course, and nothing against it. I just like attacking spinners more.
In my lineup, he completes the 9, 10, Jack of the tail. As for bowling, I'd start with one of the quicks and have him at the other end, giving the faster guys short opening spells where they can go all out.
1.
2. Calum MacLeod
3.
4.
5.
6. Kevin O'Brien
7. Tatenda Taibu
8.
9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman
10. Mustafizur Rahman
11. Ali Khan
Minus 2 points.
Points remaining - 15
@Aislabie I think?
Aislabie
Test Cricket is Best Cricket
No worries - hope your studies go well.
It's a little bit of a shame to see a team that had started so well with Kohli, Garner, Tendo and Odoyo come to nothing, but real life comes first. As always with drafts like this, those four players remain unavailable.
Aislabie
Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Wasim AkramODI stats: 3,717 runs @ 16.52 (SR: 88.33, best 86) and 502 wickets @ 23.52 (6 5WI, best 5/15) in 356 matches
List A stats: 6,993 runs @ 18.90 (SR: n/a, best 89*) and 881 wickets @ 21.91 (12 5WI, best 5/10) in 594 matches
Batting VARP (lower order):
5.84%Bowling VARP (seam):
45.61%Wasim Akram is an interesting case study for the VARP stat: at +45.6% he's undeniably excellent, but not to as great an extent as Shaun Pollock. To explain why, we must look at who his "replacement" is modelled off: among those with more than 1,000 balls bowled in matches alongside Wasim are: Shoaib Akhtar, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop, Imran Khan, Malcolm Marshall, Glenn McGrath, Abdul Razzaq, Courtney Walsh and Waqar Younis. So what the stat is saying here is that compared to a replacement player calculated from the performances of those players and others, Wasim is still nearly 50% better.
There's not a lot to be said about his bowling that hasn't already been written: slippery, skilful reverse swing that even the world's best batsmen couldn't understand, let alone score from. His lower-order hitting was also excellent - he retired from the game as the third all-time six hitter, and the leader from seven or below in the batting order; the game has since evolved and he's slipped back a bit, but those numbers are still exceptional. Again, his VARP suffers from comparisons to Mansoor Elahi, Moin Khan and Abdul Razzaq among others in a Pakistan team packed to the gills with all-rounders.
@Aislabie's XI
Rohit Sharma
|15| |Top-order hitter| |-
Viv Richards
|2| |Top-order hitter| |Stock spinner?
Michael Bevan
|28| |Dynamic accumulator| |-
Shaun Pollock
|11| |Stock seamer| |Firefighter
Wasim Akram
|33| |Death bowler| |Lower-order hitter
Muttiah Muralitharan
|22| |Attacking spinner| |-@CerealKiller
qpeedore
SOTM Winner - July 2014
We're about halfway through the selections, and if @Aislabie will allow me to comment on what has taken place thus far, I'd be highly honoured. This is my first draft, and after having been too late for most of the others and the newer ones being a bit too complex for my simple mind, I think some thoughts would be in order on my part.
If he doesn't, well I'll comment anyway.
- First of all, Aislabie has created yet another excellent draft thread. Reading the others, I'm definitely in awe of your knowledge of cricket and also the ability to come up with the topics for the drafts and follow through with them. I think that (correct me if I'm wrong) your own semi-patented VARP analysis is actually pretty good, and to come up with something that's helpful as that is damn cool. I believe (again, correct me if I'm wrong) that the only draft that wasn't completed was the Rabbits draft...and for good reason. I loved reading through the One Test draft and still am reading through the Best to Never Play Tests Draft.
- To all members who have participated, you guys have gotten me looking at YouTube so much more. And for the people playing cricket who were before YouTube, there are articles, interviews, stories, and so much more online. Cricketers who were only on the edge of my memory, cricketers who haven't been in my memory at all...it's great.
- We started with 7, Yash has withdrawn due to his reasons and I wish him well. Aislabie mentioned studies, so if that's what it is...Yash...you're gonna do well, man.
- There was/is a cyclone hitting India for a few days now. I know there are a lot of members from India, draft or otherwise, and I wish you and your loved ones well. You'll be in my thoughts.
Okay, the thoughts about this thread in particular...
- I think so far, only CerealKiller and myself have yet to pick a 3-point player. Except his team is probably better than mine so far. He did have the advantage of grabbing Shakib first, of course. We are going to have to get a couple or six 3-point players soon though.
- Aislabie having all 6 of his picks being 3 points...he only has 7 points to be spread out among 5 other players. Technically speaking, he can't pick another 3-pointer. I wouldn't be surprised if the last name of one of his next picks starts with a T.
- There are actually pretty decent players in the Associate teams who will go overlooked, but they do play First Class/List A cricket in England or Australia. Problem is, that won't show up on their ODI profiles. Statsguru on Cricinfo is your friend, trust me.
- We all (Aislabie aside) wanted to grab some 2 and 1 point picks early on before anyone else. At what cost? I myself boasted I was going to do this with as few points as possible. But Michael Bevan was in that side that I had in my head. Now that I've committed, and Bevan is taken...what now? How does one recover? That, I've quickly come to realise, is what a draft is about and why I really shouldn't be making statements like what I did. @ahmedleo414 had 3 top picks AND his reserve pick taken away from him. How do you recover from that? I think that's what's good about drafts and makes for good banter.
- I'm actually sort of surprised that the current ODI World Cup finalists haven't been represented more. One pick for NZ, and zero for England, thus far. Weird. Actually, even ODI powerhouses like India and Australia are barely represented thus far. Zimbabwe, strangely enough, has been the team picked the most, with 4 picks. Then there's a tie between South Africa and Scotland with 3 picks each. Even weirder. And only one Pakistani pick, which was above this post of Akram, who...I admit you did the VARP on bowling, so I'll give you that.
Again, only my thoughts. But it's my first Draft (EDIT: Forum Draft, not draft of this post), and like I said, we're around halfway through. I felt it...I dunno...thoughtful...
(EDITx2...or...since I happen to have 15 points and 5 players to pick...maybe I should use all my 3 point picks now...)
If he doesn't, well I'll comment anyway.
- First of all, Aislabie has created yet another excellent draft thread. Reading the others, I'm definitely in awe of your knowledge of cricket and also the ability to come up with the topics for the drafts and follow through with them. I think that (correct me if I'm wrong) your own semi-patented VARP analysis is actually pretty good, and to come up with something that's helpful as that is damn cool. I believe (again, correct me if I'm wrong) that the only draft that wasn't completed was the Rabbits draft...and for good reason. I loved reading through the One Test draft and still am reading through the Best to Never Play Tests Draft.
- To all members who have participated, you guys have gotten me looking at YouTube so much more. And for the people playing cricket who were before YouTube, there are articles, interviews, stories, and so much more online. Cricketers who were only on the edge of my memory, cricketers who haven't been in my memory at all...it's great.
- We started with 7, Yash has withdrawn due to his reasons and I wish him well. Aislabie mentioned studies, so if that's what it is...Yash...you're gonna do well, man.
- There was/is a cyclone hitting India for a few days now. I know there are a lot of members from India, draft or otherwise, and I wish you and your loved ones well. You'll be in my thoughts.
Okay, the thoughts about this thread in particular...
- I think so far, only CerealKiller and myself have yet to pick a 3-point player. Except his team is probably better than mine so far. He did have the advantage of grabbing Shakib first, of course. We are going to have to get a couple or six 3-point players soon though.
- Aislabie having all 6 of his picks being 3 points...he only has 7 points to be spread out among 5 other players. Technically speaking, he can't pick another 3-pointer. I wouldn't be surprised if the last name of one of his next picks starts with a T.
- There are actually pretty decent players in the Associate teams who will go overlooked, but they do play First Class/List A cricket in England or Australia. Problem is, that won't show up on their ODI profiles. Statsguru on Cricinfo is your friend, trust me.
- We all (Aislabie aside) wanted to grab some 2 and 1 point picks early on before anyone else. At what cost? I myself boasted I was going to do this with as few points as possible. But Michael Bevan was in that side that I had in my head. Now that I've committed, and Bevan is taken...what now? How does one recover? That, I've quickly come to realise, is what a draft is about and why I really shouldn't be making statements like what I did. @ahmedleo414 had 3 top picks AND his reserve pick taken away from him. How do you recover from that? I think that's what's good about drafts and makes for good banter.
- I'm actually sort of surprised that the current ODI World Cup finalists haven't been represented more. One pick for NZ, and zero for England, thus far. Weird. Actually, even ODI powerhouses like India and Australia are barely represented thus far. Zimbabwe, strangely enough, has been the team picked the most, with 4 picks. Then there's a tie between South Africa and Scotland with 3 picks each. Even weirder. And only one Pakistani pick, which was above this post of Akram, who...I admit you did the VARP on bowling, so I'll give you that.
Again, only my thoughts. But it's my first Draft (EDIT: Forum Draft, not draft of this post), and like I said, we're around halfway through. I felt it...I dunno...thoughtful...
(EDITx2...or...since I happen to have 15 points and 5 players to pick...maybe I should use all my 3 point picks now...)
Last edited:
CerealKiller
Staff Member
My next pick is Hamid Hassan from Afghanistan, who would've been one of the best fast bowlers in international cricket had he not suffered a serious knee injury, and had Afghanistan played more matches. He averaged 22 with the ball in ODIs, taking 59 wickets in 36 matches.
CerealKiller’s XI
1. Ed Joyce
2. Anshuman Rath
3.
4. Andy Flower
5. Shakib Al Hasan
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.Sandeep Lamichhane
11. Hamid Hassan
Points used 10/25
@ahmedleo414
@Aislabie I suppose we can't pick the players Yash picked before withdrawing?
CerealKiller’s XI
1.
Ed Joyce 2.
Anshuman Rath 3.
4.
Andy Flower 5.
Shakib Al Hasan 6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Sandeep Lamichhane 11.
Hamid Hassan Points used 10/25
@ahmedleo414
@Aislabie I suppose we can't pick the players Yash picked before withdrawing?
ahmedleo414
The Butcher
My next pick is Canada's Anderson Cummins
Stats|Matches|Wkts|BBI| Ave|Econ|4w/5w
List-A |136|181|5/16|28.39|4.41|6/3
ODI |76|91|5/31|31.61|4.58|2/1
Here is his bio from cricinfo:
"Allrounder Anderson Cummins is best known for a match he didn't even play in. In South Africa's first Test back - in Barbados in 1992 - West Indies gave a debut to Kenny Benjamin, instead of the local boy Cummins. The match was boycotted as a result, and one banner - "No Cummins, no goings" - summed up the mood. Cummins, who later played for Durham, did eventually play five Tests. He did better in the one-day arena though, and his pyjama strike rate - a wicket every 40 balls - put him above the likes of Curtly Ambrose and Malcolm Marshall.
In 2006-07 he made a dramatic and unexpected return when he was drafted into the Canadian national side at the age of 40, 11 years since his last major outing. Unsurprisingly, he was a shadow of the player he had been, and in eight matches in Kenya he managed only five wickets at 48.60 with an economy rate of 6.39. The surprise of he recall was only exceeded by the amazement when, despite this poor return, he was included in the World Cup squad. But he turned in three distinctly average performances and there were few surprised when he announced his retirement at the end of the tournament. This time, there was no way back."
If not for his career in Canada, he may have gone in history books a what if. It's quite unfortunate that he started playing for Canada well past his peak.
With Cummins, this concludes my cost 1 picks. Although I do still have a reserve cost 1, if needed
My playing XI:
Ave|Econ|4w/5wList-A |136|181|5/16|28.39|4.41|6/3
ODI |76|91|5/31|31.61|4.58|2/1
"Allrounder Anderson Cummins is best known for a match he didn't even play in. In South Africa's first Test back - in Barbados in 1992 - West Indies gave a debut to Kenny Benjamin, instead of the local boy Cummins. The match was boycotted as a result, and one banner - "No Cummins, no goings" - summed up the mood. Cummins, who later played for Durham, did eventually play five Tests. He did better in the one-day arena though, and his pyjama strike rate - a wicket every 40 balls - put him above the likes of Curtly Ambrose and Malcolm Marshall.
In 2006-07 he made a dramatic and unexpected return when he was drafted into the Canadian national side at the age of 40, 11 years since his last major outing. Unsurprisingly, he was a shadow of the player he had been, and in eight matches in Kenya he managed only five wickets at 48.60 with an economy rate of 6.39. The surprise of he recall was only exceeded by the amazement when, despite this poor return, he was included in the World Cup squad. But he turned in three distinctly average performances and there were few surprised when he announced his retirement at the end of the tournament. This time, there was no way back."
If not for his career in Canada, he may have gone in history books a what if. It's quite unfortunate that he started playing for Canada well past his peak.
With Cummins, this concludes my cost 1 picks. Although I do still have a reserve cost 1, if needed
My playing XI:
- Sanath Jayasuriya (cost: 3)
- Sachin Tendulkar (cost: 3)
- ?
- Steve Tikolo (cost: 2)
- Richie Berrington (cost: 1)
- Khurram Khan (cost: 1)
- ?
- ?
- Anderson Cummins (cost: 1)
- ?
- ?
Aislabie
Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Bevab
Staff Member
My next pick will be John Davison. He is one of those players whose stats do not do him justice. Initially starting out as a spinner despite being a middle order batsman in grade cricket due to the lack of domestic options, Davison struggled for proper playing time in Victoria and had to move to South Australia. It was here that he revitalized his career as a player who started to be relied on more and more for batting alongside the spin he offered. By then he had become a regular in the Canadian team and his finest moment would come in the 2003 World Cup as he scored the fastest century by an Associate player versus West Indies with six sixes included and another rapid fifty versus New Zealand which included three sixes off Oram. He ended up being Canada's highest run-scorer and wicket-taker. Future honours would arrive as he became the captain a year later and created history by taking 17 for 137 and scoring 84 in a first-class game versus USA. He played his last game for South Australia in 2005 as a pure all-rounder before becoming a full-time player for Canada. The impact of Davison on Canadian cricket is enormous and isn't easy to measure in just words. Further, many who watched him play and also played alongside him believe that he was one of the most naturally talented cricketers in Australian domestic cricket at that time. Had he been playing in the era after Warne and MacGill rather than during, he could have potentially represented Australia in test cricket as a spinner.
While he mostly played as a pinch-hitter for Canada at the top of the order, he will play at number seven in my team as a finisher given his ability to hit really big sixes.
Budget Used: 10/25.
@Akshay. will be next.
John Davison. He is one of those players whose stats do not do him justice. Initially starting out as a spinner despite being a middle order batsman in grade cricket due to the lack of domestic options, Davison struggled for proper playing time in Victoria and had to move to South Australia. It was here that he revitalized his career as a player who started to be relied on more and more for batting alongside the spin he offered. By then he had become a regular in the Canadian team and his finest moment would come in the 2003 World Cup as he scored the fastest century by an Associate player versus West Indies with six sixes included and another rapid fifty versus New Zealand which included three sixes off Oram. He ended up being Canada's highest run-scorer and wicket-taker. Future honours would arrive as he became the captain a year later and created history by taking 17 for 137 and scoring 84 in a first-class game versus USA. He played his last game for South Australia in 2005 as a pure all-rounder before becoming a full-time player for Canada. The impact of Davison on Canadian cricket is enormous and isn't easy to measure in just words. Further, many who watched him play and also played alongside him believe that he was one of the most naturally talented cricketers in Australian domestic cricket at that time. Had he been playing in the era after Warne and MacGill rather than during, he could have potentially represented Australia in test cricket as a spinner. While he mostly played as a pinch-hitter for Canada at the top of the order, he will play at number seven in my team as a finisher given his ability to hit really big sixes.
- Kyle Coetzer
- Neil Johnson
- ?
- ?
- AB de Villiers
- Mark Chapman
- John Davison
- Rashid Khan
- ?
- ?
- ?
Budget Used: 10/25.
@Akshay. will be next.
Akshay.
National Board President
Abdur RazzakStatistics
ODI- 207 wickets @ 29.29 (4 5W, BBI 5/29) in 153 Matches
List A - 412 wickets @ 25.98 (9 5W, BBI 7/17) in 280 Matches
First Bangladeshi bowler to pick 200 wickets in ODIs, also a fairly economical bowler. Picked up 13 wickets in the 2007 world cup including 3 in a historic win against India.
He would provide spinning option for my team.
@Akshay. XI
1.
2.
3.
Jacques Kallis4.
5.
Eoin Morgan6.
Ashish Bagai7.
8.
Heath Streak9.
Brett Lee10.
Shane Bond11.
Abdur RazzakPoints used 16/25
@Bevab back to you
Bevab
Staff Member
Akshay.
National Board President
Remembered him after nominating for IPL DraftNow that is a real power move.
Bevab
Staff Member
Now that the budget picks have all been completed, it is time to add some stardust to what is already looking like a decent line-up.
While my opening pair are good, they aren't as aggressive compared to the best in business. This means that my number three will not only have to be a consistent accumulator but someone who can get those runs rather quickly. And so I shall turn to the best ODI batsman of the 70s and 80s not named Viv Richards and that isZaheer Abbas.
Abbas' numbers seem good even in the current era as his strike-rate is better than players like Williamson, Ponting and Lara, players who are in the conversation for being the best number three their countries ever had. The likes of Root, Smith and Azam are only slightly better than him in terms of strike-rate and it is easy to see why given the unrestricted freedom to score and accumulate in the current era. Abbas did all of that and was aggressive enough to score quickly when no other batsman could even sustain a strike-rate in the 80s (apart from Viv of course who could only manage to be one above him, showing how difficult it was to be aggressive as a number three). His average is also godly for the time period he played in with only two players averaging more whilst one had a far inferior strike-rate and the other was the best ODI batsman ever. Had it not been for Kohli, there is no doubt that Abbas would be considered the greatest number three in ODI cricket without any doubt. As a batsman, Abbas was one of the most elegant and stylish players with a reliance on wrists for shots like modern batsmen. His concentration and appetite for runs was unmatched and it is a shame that the team politics of his time meant that he did not play an ODI after 1985 despite still wanting to play.
Budget Used: 13/25
@ahmedleo414 to pick.
While my opening pair are good, they aren't as aggressive compared to the best in business. This means that my number three will not only have to be a consistent accumulator but someone who can get those runs rather quickly. And so I shall turn to the best ODI batsman of the 70s and 80s not named Viv Richards and that is
Zaheer Abbas.Abbas' numbers seem good even in the current era as his strike-rate is better than players like Williamson, Ponting and Lara, players who are in the conversation for being the best number three their countries ever had. The likes of Root, Smith and Azam are only slightly better than him in terms of strike-rate and it is easy to see why given the unrestricted freedom to score and accumulate in the current era. Abbas did all of that and was aggressive enough to score quickly when no other batsman could even sustain a strike-rate in the 80s (apart from Viv of course who could only manage to be one above him, showing how difficult it was to be aggressive as a number three). His average is also godly for the time period he played in with only two players averaging more whilst one had a far inferior strike-rate and the other was the best ODI batsman ever. Had it not been for Kohli, there is no doubt that Abbas would be considered the greatest number three in ODI cricket without any doubt. As a batsman, Abbas was one of the most elegant and stylish players with a reliance on wrists for shots like modern batsmen. His concentration and appetite for runs was unmatched and it is a shame that the team politics of his time meant that he did not play an ODI after 1985 despite still wanting to play.
- Kyle Coetzer
- Neil Johnson
- Zaheer Abbas
- ?
- AB de Villiers
- Mark Chapman
- John Davison
- Rashid Khan
- ?
- ?
- ?
Budget Used: 13/25
@ahmedleo414 to pick.
Last edited:
ahmedleo414
The Butcher
I will continue my pick with Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim
Ave
|
Here is his bio from cricinfo:
"A wild-card inclusion for Bangladesh's maiden tour of England in 2005, Mushfiqur Rahim was just 16 when he was selected for that daunting trip - two Tests in May, followed by six ODIs against England and Australia - even though he hadn't been named in the preliminary squad of 20. Mushfiqur was principally selected as an understudy to the ever-present wicketkeeper, Khaled Mashud, but his inclusion was further evidence of Bangladesh's determination to build for a better future. He had done well on an A-team tour of Zimbabwe earlier in 2005, scoring a century in the first Test at Bulawayo, and also enjoyed some success in England the previous year with the Under-19s, making 88 in the second Test at Taunton. He showed more evidence of grit with the full team, with a maiden first-class half-century to soften the pain of defeat against Sussex, followed by a career-best 115 against Northamptonshire. That earned him a call-up - as a batsman - to become the youngest player to appear in a Test match at Lord's. He was one of only three players to reach double figures in a disappointing first innings, but a twisted ankle kept him out of the second Test. After captaining Bangladesh's Under-19s to fifth place in the Youth World Cup in February 2006, he also featured in Bogra's inaugural Test, against Sri Lanka the following month, but could make little of the spin of Murali and Malinga Bandara. He remained on the sidelines for the next few months but was recalled for the final two ODIs against Zimbabwe at home in December. He scored his maiden half-century at Harare in February 2007 and was picked as the first-choice wicketkeeper, ahead of Khaled Mashud, for the World Cup in the West Indies.
He shows sound technique in his glovework and is Bangladesh's first-choice wicketkeeper after Dhiman Ghosh's departure to the ICL. A stodgy lower-order batsman, Mushfiqur has grown into one of the better players of spin in the line-up. After a slow start to his Test career, he found form in the 2008-09 season with stubborn knocks under pressure. He has under-performed as a batsman in ODIs, but his form picked up in 2009 and he narrowly missed out on a maiden ODI hundred on the tour to Zimbabwe. In January 2010 he cracked his maiden Test century, a notable achievement as it came against a strong Indian Test side and was the fastest by a Bangladesh player. And after Bangladesh's unexpected defeat in Zimbabwe in 2011, Mushfiqur was also elevated to leadership role, taking over as captain from Shakib Al Hasan."
My playing XI:
Stats
|
Matches
|
Runs
|
HS
|
Ave100s/50s
|
Cts
|
Sts
|List-A
|
299
|
9,191
|
145*
|
39.44
|
12/57
|
253
|
81
|ODI
|
218
|
6,174
|
144
|
36.31
|
7/38
|
181
|
44
|"A wild-card inclusion for Bangladesh's maiden tour of England in 2005, Mushfiqur Rahim was just 16 when he was selected for that daunting trip - two Tests in May, followed by six ODIs against England and Australia - even though he hadn't been named in the preliminary squad of 20. Mushfiqur was principally selected as an understudy to the ever-present wicketkeeper, Khaled Mashud, but his inclusion was further evidence of Bangladesh's determination to build for a better future. He had done well on an A-team tour of Zimbabwe earlier in 2005, scoring a century in the first Test at Bulawayo, and also enjoyed some success in England the previous year with the Under-19s, making 88 in the second Test at Taunton. He showed more evidence of grit with the full team, with a maiden first-class half-century to soften the pain of defeat against Sussex, followed by a career-best 115 against Northamptonshire. That earned him a call-up - as a batsman - to become the youngest player to appear in a Test match at Lord's. He was one of only three players to reach double figures in a disappointing first innings, but a twisted ankle kept him out of the second Test. After captaining Bangladesh's Under-19s to fifth place in the Youth World Cup in February 2006, he also featured in Bogra's inaugural Test, against Sri Lanka the following month, but could make little of the spin of Murali and Malinga Bandara. He remained on the sidelines for the next few months but was recalled for the final two ODIs against Zimbabwe at home in December. He scored his maiden half-century at Harare in February 2007 and was picked as the first-choice wicketkeeper, ahead of Khaled Mashud, for the World Cup in the West Indies.
He shows sound technique in his glovework and is Bangladesh's first-choice wicketkeeper after Dhiman Ghosh's departure to the ICL. A stodgy lower-order batsman, Mushfiqur has grown into one of the better players of spin in the line-up. After a slow start to his Test career, he found form in the 2008-09 season with stubborn knocks under pressure. He has under-performed as a batsman in ODIs, but his form picked up in 2009 and he narrowly missed out on a maiden ODI hundred on the tour to Zimbabwe. In January 2010 he cracked his maiden Test century, a notable achievement as it came against a strong Indian Test side and was the fastest by a Bangladesh player. And after Bangladesh's unexpected defeat in Zimbabwe in 2011, Mushfiqur was also elevated to leadership role, taking over as captain from Shakib Al Hasan."
My playing XI:
- Sanath Jayasuriya (cost: 3)
- Sachin Tendulkar (cost: 3)
- Steve Tikolo (cost: 2)
- Mushfiqur Rahim (cost: 2)
- Khurram Khan (cost: 1)
- Richie Berrington (cost: 1)
- ?
- ?
- Anderson Cummins (cost: 1)
- ?
- ?
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