A team for the ages..

I think every cricket fan has fantasized about their ideal All-Time XI at some point or another, and now Cricinfo is giving readers the chance to pick their ideal side from a shortlist of the best eleven players from each of the Test playing nations.

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/magazine/world_alltime.html

Naturally, I jumped at the chance.

Some of the players in my XI required almost no thought at all. Bradman, Tendulkar and Warne were all obvious inclusions, while Gilchrist was the only wicketkeeper on the list to catch my attention. The openers, all-rounders and fast bowlers required a little more consideration.

Overall I like to think I picked an aggressive side that would take the attack to the opposition, with both bat and ball. My bowling attack was picked for variety. Marshall for his pace, Wasim for the left-arm factor and - with Imran - his ability to reverse swing the ball, and Warne for his many and varied tricks. A couple of players were not necessarily picked because of their superior stats or because they are unquestionably the best in their particular position, but because of their immense stature within the game. For instance, Richards’ average of 51 is not all that overwhelming, but the fear he struck in opposition bowlers both as an aggressive middle-order batsman and as a symbol of West Indian dominance, makes him a must-have. 

There are a few notable omissions. I favoured Sobers and Imran as all-rounders over the likes of Hadlee, Botham and Kallis for a number of reasons. Sobers fits into this side as perhaps the most over-qualified number six in the history of the game. His batting average is colossal (second in this side only to Bradman’s) and his variety with the ball makes him an ideal fifth bowler. Imran makes the cut – narrowly pipping Hadlee – because of the aura that surrounds him, even now, and also for his ability to forge a champion side out of a group of wayward individuals. For this reason, he would also be my captain. Brian Lara also narrowly misses out. In my mind, the 1990’s battle for dominance between Lara and Tendulkar has all but been decided by the latter’s current renaissance. 

Gilchrist makes the side for the way in which he changed the role of the wicketkeeper in Test cricket, and Sehwag for the similar effect he is currently having on openers. The second opening spot was perhaps the hardest the pick. My eventual choice, Sir Len Hutton, basically sneaks in on the strength of his incredible stats (both in tests and first class cricket.) Sadly, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka are not represented in my final XI, rather it reflects the sustained dominance of Australia and West Indies at different points.

My All-Time World XI:

Sir Len Hutton (England)
Virender Sehwag (India)
Sir Don Bradman (Australia)
Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Sir Viv Richards (West Indies)
Sir Gary Sobers (West Indies)
Adam Gilchrist†(Australia)
Imran Khan* (Pakistan)
Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
Shane Warne (Australia)
Malcom Marshall (West Indies)