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World Xl

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
Strauss is debatable for sure. Pietersen, okay, not everyone would have him in, but I would, and Flintoff , recent form is shaky, but is without peer as the world's #1 all-rounder IMo (and I've batted him at 7). I said I considered read but thought better of it, because he doesn't deserve to be close tbh.
Flintoff was possibly in my selection but chose the better batting instead in Kallis. I wouldn't have any problem with Flitnoff in there, but three just seems too many. Strauss is decent, and there is a dearth of openers in world cricket, so I suppose he has a chance but I'll take a Smith who is showing signs of form again.

Wouldn't have Pieterson in there though, not with some great middle order bats in the world today. I mean, of the newcomers, Hussey is better. And Pieterson is not yet better than Ponting, Dravid, Kallis or Yousuf. So there is your middle order.
 

adharcric

International Coach
Test XI
Rahul Dravid
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting *
Mohammad Yousuf
Jacques Kallis
Mike Hussey
Kumar Sangakarra +
Andrew Flintoff
Makhaya Ntini
Muttiah Muralitharan
Mohammad Asif
 

Dasa

International Vice-Captain
Three Englishman, out of eight main nations, deserve to be in a World XI?


Hayden
Smith (coming back to form now)
Ponting*
Dravid
Yousuf
Hussey
Kallis
Gilchrist+
Clark/Asif
Ntini
Muralitharan
Kallis has been bowling well of late, but not good enough to be one of the four bowlers IMO. You could have Pollock in there instead of Kallis, he's been doing well recently.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
There's basically five batsmen that need to fit in from 3-6, and it's more or less impossible to leave any of them out. Could open with Dravid or Hussey, but neither of them really do it for their nations, so I left out Kallis. Pretty harsh on him though. Same goes for Pietersen, but there's no way he can displace any of those four. Ditto Sangakkara.

Cook
Hayden
Dravid
Ponting (c)
Yousuf
Hussey
Gilchrist (k)
Clark*
Ntini
Muralitharan
Asif*

Asif and Clark could be left out based on a lack of experience, but I think that realistically they'd in the top four bowlers in the world at the moment. If they aren't picked (and tbh I can't really see the justification for picking one and not the other), I'd throw in Pollock and, err, Hoggard? Hard to pick the last one.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
I think KP deserves to be in the side personally. He is ranked #3 after all, and we all know the rankings are the most important thing :p
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Pretty ridiculous that Chanderpaul still can't get into an ODI World XI when he's been outperforming most of the world in ODI cricket for some time now.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Not quite as ridiculous as putting Cook in a World XI test team
As opposed to who? India, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa (though possibly Smith) have no one in their top order who evokes a certain confidence and calmness at the crease. Had a poor tour of Australia yes but four centuries before your twenty second birthday is pretty good going and there is little competition for an opening slot aside from Hayden and Strauss.
 
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Mr Mxyzptlk

Request Your Custom Title Now!
As opposed to who, India, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa (though possibly Smith) have no one in their top order who evokes a certain confidence and calmness at the crease. Had a poor tour of Australia yes but four centuries before you twenty second birthday is pretty good going and there is little competition for an opening slot aside from Hayden and Strauss.
Psssht. Daren Ganga averages more in than Cook in their last 10 Tests respectively.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah, Cook is in there due to a lack of other options. Basically, it was Cook, Strauss or Smith for the second opening spot. Strauss is in worse form than Cook, and Cook had a better year than Smith, and at least did something against Australia, if not much. Fairly close between the three, though.

Regarding Pietersen, there's just no room for him. Who do you leave out? Dravid, Ponting, Yousuf or Hussey? And then there's Kallis, who's also got his bowling in his favour. Pietersen's a fine batsman and all but he isn't ahead of any of those five yet.
 

Fiery

Banned
As opposed to who, India, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa (though possibly Smith) have no one in their top order who evokes a certain confidence and calmness at the crease. Had a poor tour of Australia yes but four centuries before you twenty second birthday is pretty good going and there is little competition for an opening slot aside from Hayden and Strauss.
Smith, Sehwag, Tharanga, How, Papps, Cumming, Pocock, Hartland, Ronnie Hart, Franklin...Ken Rutherford Hahahaha...just josh'n
 
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Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Smith, Sehwag, Tharanga, Ronnie Hart, Pocock, Hartland, Franklin, Bell, Papps in that order would be far more worthy
If Cook were available for NZ they would have him stand at one end and open the innings by himself rather then bat the random list of openers NZ have used in the last 6 months.
 
No way someone like Cook or Strauss is getting anywhere near my 11, just can't justify it.

I'd open with a better player, even if they aren't necessarily regular openers for their country. No body's getting into it by default if there are others who could do a better job.

For instance, I'd have no qualms with somelike like Hussey in that role, certainly when compared to those two.

This move would also free up another middle order slot for the large volume of quality candidates in those positions.
 

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