My One Day World XI

[sreepandiat]

Any 1 wanna play against my One day World XI?

1. S. Afridi
2. N. Boje
3. J. Kallis
4. S. Styris
5. A. Flintoff
6. Chris Cairns
7. J. Oram
8. Abdul Razzak
9. S. Pollock
10. H. Streak
11. B. Macllum

[Rachael]

A few on that list are worth including... but three completely different World XIs that would be just as good could easily be assembled:

Sehwag / Jayasuria / Smith
Gayle / Trescothick / Gibbs
Tendulkar / Ponting / Dravid+
Inzamam / Youhana / Clarke
Lara / Symonds / Pietersen
Sangakkara / Gilchrist / Shoaib Malik
Vettori / Warne / Giles
Vaas / Lee / Pathan
Ntini / Harmison /
Murali / McGrath / Naved-ul-Hasan

Somewhere in those four teams we should also have Attapattu and Collingwood: both absolutely world class ODI players.

[Paoli]

May I ask, Rachael, how did Ashley Giles get a look in in your team?

[Rachael]

He's a world top 20 ODI bowler and has 2000+ Test runs to his name... to say nothing of having a safe pair of hands, a great throwing arm and wonderful temperament. I could, of course, have put in Harbhajan, Kumble, Kaneria and doubtless others: my point was basically that in ODI cricket... there really are stacks of alternatives in every position.

To my mind an ideal XI would almost certainly have to include Symonds and Flintoff for the balance they bring... and Warne and Murali for sheer class... but the opening post of this thread ommited three of that quartet. I'd also go for Vaas as a great ODI bowler.. and perhaps for Lee... and might consider GAyle as an opener because he's actually got a superb record as a ODI bowler... but I wouldn't care to argue that those three had significantly better ODI credentials than Pollock, Ntini and Jayasuria...

There are too many players in world cricket.. including Giles, Collingwood and Attapattu.. who'd not loo out of place ina World XI.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Rachael

(Ashley Giles is) a world top 20 ODI bowler and has 2000+ Test runs to his name... to say nothing of having a safe pair of hands, a great throwing arm and wonderful temperament.

I'm going to have to argue with that last bit there Rachael.

He does have this tendency to throw his toys out of the pram when he is reasonably criticised in the media.
And you've only got to take one look at the state of his fingernails to spot precisely how neurotic he is.

Mind you, that could be levelled at several of England's current squad.

Nevertheless, there is a difference between keeping your nails short, and biting the entire things off.

He'll have to stop all that eating between meals... ruins the appetite.

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Oliver

I'm going to have to argue with that last bit there Rachael.

He does have this tendency to throw his toys out of the pram when he is reasonably criticised in the media.

I would say that Giles has had to take a bit too much unfair critisim. He had a great 2004, wonderful start to the county season, and then has one bad game against Australia at Lords and suddenly all of the media want him axed from the side (in favour of John Embury!! ). I think he had every right to be a bit annoyed! Plus he wasn't only defending himself - he was sticking up for his team mates as well.

And for me, if you exclude Warne, he is probably the spin bowler I'd be likely to select for a ODI XI, because he is a reliable sort of bowler mid-innings, and a useful lower order batsmen.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Kirsty Harris

I would say that Giles has had to take a bit too much unfair critisim. He had a great 2004, wonderful start to the county season, and then has one bad game against Australia at Lords and suddenly all of the media want him axed from the side (in favour of John Embury!!). I think he had every right to be a bit annoyed!

We're sliding off topic here Kirsty, but nevertheless, Lord's was not the only (or the first) time that Giles has received criticism from the media. And his response was not the first time that he's thrown his toys out of the pram.

Don't get me wrong here, I admire him, and I like to see him do well. And fortunately he's into his thirties now, so there's almost no chance of him being dropped until he retires; but if you've bowled with about as much skill as a wheelie-bin... not this year, necessarily, but certainly at times in the past, then you have to expect the odd comment.

[Colourful Chaddi]

sreepandiat,

It is suprising to see that you haven't included Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Inzimam-ul-Haq in you team. These batsmen are the best ODI batmen around and it makes a World XI look rubbish without them.

Your team has very attacking player but the negative aspect about that is there can be a batting collapse. Rahul Dravud would play excellently in the middle order as an anchor man, he would rotate the strike and allow the other attacking playesrs play around him. He would be a huge help to the team than the rest of your team players.

Sachin Tendulkar and Inzimam are legend in the ODI games, they both gone past the 10,000 runs barrier and not including them in your team is baffling. They both have the ability to bat long periods of time at a good strike rate.

Other noatble players who have missed out are Mohammed Yousuf he could play the anchoring role like Rahul Dravid, Sanath Jayasuriya who is a great opener and has changed the way cricket was played in 1996 world cup, Paul Collingwood is a brilliant fielder who can save the team 10-20 runs every game and is also a very good batsmen.

It is also suprising that you do not have any good bowlers in your team.

[vvvrulz]

I think that Jayasuriya is a little past his time after those '96 heroics.

Thats just my opinion though.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Waseem

It is also suprising that you do not have any good bowlers in your team.

That's the impression I got of the side initially listed: it would do well on a really slow and low pitch that wasn't fir for a game of cricket.... but the moment you get anywhere there's a chance of genuine contest between bat and ball.... it would lose out massively.

To my mind, 5 specialist bowlers and a batsman who can bowl a bit are a must... and for a world Xi that might mean a lower middle order and tail like this:

5. Symonds
6. Flintoff
7. 'keeper
8. Pollock / Lee
9. Warne
10. Vaas / Ntini
11. Muralitharan

My own choice for the top 4 might be

1. Trescothick
2. Tendulkar
3. Lara
4. Inzi

I accept, however, that aside from Warne, Flintoff and Muralitharan... every position has worthy rivals.