Picking an all-time greatest One Day team

Roar Rookie

15th December, 2009

1570 Reads

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The Clint

Roar Rookie

15th December, 2009

1570 Reads

It’s been nearly forty years since the first ODI between Australia and England. We have seen brilliant Test players turn into brilliant one day players. And now, a lot of players start their careers in the limited overs format before moving into the Test arena.

Now, we have even seen brilliant one day specialists.

So I have compiled my selection of the greatest XI in ODI cricket that I think would be very hard to beat.

With different styles of batsmen and good variation of bowlers, it’s a well-balanced side. I didn’t just go by stats and performance, I went by value to the one day game.

Here it is in batting order:

Sachin Tendulkar
436 matches 17,000+ runs 44.50 Ave. 45 hundreds and 91 fifties at a strike rate of 85.79

Adam Gilchrist
287 matches 9,619 runs 35.89 Ave. 16 hundreds and 55 fifties at a strike rate of 96.94 and 472 dismissals

Ricky Ponting
330 matches 12,000+ runs 43.19 Ave 28 hundreds and 73 fifties at a strike rate of 80.50

Viv Richards(c)
187 matches 6,721 runs 47.00 Ave 11 hundreds and 45 fifties at a strike rate of 90.20

Dean Jones
164 matches 6,068 runs 44.61 Ave 7 hundreds and 46 fifties at a strike rate of 72.56

Michael Bevan
232 matches 6,912 runs 53.58 Ave 6 hundreds and 46 fifties at a strike rate of 74.16

Imran Khan
175 matches 3,709 runs 33.41 Ave 1 hundred and 19 fifties at a strike rate of 72.65
182wkts 26.61Ave 3.89economy

Wasim Akram
356 matches 502 wkts 23.52 Ave 3.89 economy

Shane Warne
194 matches 293 wkts 25.73 Ave 4.25 economy

Joel Garner
98 matches 146 wkts 18.84 Ave 3.09 economy

Glenn McGrath
250 matches 381 wkts 22.02 Ave 3.88 economy

Most people would question the selection of Dean Jones, but the reason I pick him is that he played in the days of ODIs where a good score was 210 to 220.

He changed the whole method of limited overs batting, with Viv Richards, in the eighties and used the technique of getting your eye in then going ballistic with all range of shots.

This team has a great mix of bowling, with McGrath line and length, Wasim Akram, left arm fast that can swing both ways, and the awkward Joel Garner, with great bounce and a toe crushing yorker – one of the best death bowlers ever.

Then there’s Imran, who was a top all rounder, with Warne to bowl spin.

With the batting, Tendulkar has a great technique at a quick rate. Gilchrist would keep hammering the bowling. Ponting would build and score heavily. Viv Richards would intimidate, and Jones would keep the score ticking over and hit heavy at the death.

Then there’s Bevan ‘The Finisher’ if top the five gets into strife. He would come to the rescue, like he always did for the Aussies.

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