**Official** 'My Current World XI' Thread

[Goughy]

I really can't see any other Test match attack than Clark-Ntini-Murali-Asif tbh. Bond seems to be making the Test sides on his ODI/WC form. Lee shouldn't factor in at all because he's injured and had an ordinary immediate past series and more or less the same with Flintoff. Really Ntini, Clark and Asif are the best Test fast bowlers in the world for mine without question and Murali is Murali.

I think you can sometimes factor in the selection of a certain player to a countries side into another format when they're doing great in the other one, selectors would be silly to neglect the form, but that's where any connection ends imo. They're completely different formats and Bond playing just two Tests since his comeback (albeit doing very well in the first one) means he shouldn't be near a world XI, imo. Especially since Ntini, Asif and Clark have been outstanding in recent times, imo.

"shouldn't be near a world XI"? We all know what he's capable of, he's fit and firing as we saw in the World cup so have to disagree with you on this pasag. He's more dangerous than all 3 of the bowlers you mentioned above imo.

Clark and Asif have played 9 tests each and neither have taken 50 Test wickets. Thats not enough games to generate any sort of form or credit to make a World XI.

Those numbers show them to be completely unproven, especially Asif whose 9 tests have come in 5 seperate series.

Though Bond isnt much better (only 16 tests and 74 wkts over 5 1/2 years)

Id be looking for more proven candidates than either of those 3 even if they were not the current fashionable choices.

Give me someone with a decent body of work rather than less than 10 games.

 

[Matt79]

So, who are these players with a decent body of form who are that good? Ntini, Hoggard, Pollock and Lee?

 

[Prince EWS]

So, who are these players with a decent body of form who are that good? Ntini, Hoggard, Pollock and Lee?

Flintoff isn't bad.

 

[cover drive man]

Hayden
Dravid
Ponting
Tendulkar
Pieterson
Gilchrist
Flintoff
Muralidaran
Hoggard
Kumble
Lee

 

[Prince EWS]

Hayden
Dravid
Ponting
Tendulkar
Pieterson
Gayle
Flintoff
Muralidaran
Hoggard
Kumble
Lee

Gayle looking decidedly random in there.

 

[Francis]

This will be difficult...

1. Matthew Hayden
Didn't have the Ashes he could have had. People forget that inbetween Ashes 2005 and 2006/7, he scored like five or six centuries, and of course I think he was the best player in the world cup. I know that's ODI's, but I think he's proven enough.

2. Sanath Jayasuria
Such a classy player. When he does well it just has a massive impact on Sri Lanka... he's key!

3. Ricky Ponting
Ponting, I think, is the best cricketer in the world right now... and one of the few easy picks.

4. Rahul Dravid
Yeah this was also fairly easy. He could play here without a worry.

5. Kevin Pietersen
Yeah he's also a fairly easy pick. There's a touch of genius about him, and an aura of confience that overwhelms most bowlers. You just sense it when a great bowler is bowling to him, they'll have a challenge here.

6. Andrew Flintoff
His recent poor form with the bat doesn't convince me he's still not world class. People say he's overrated, but his 2005 Ashes series ranks as good as any all-round performance ever. Why do I say that, only Kieth Miller could boast as having taken 20 wickets and made over 400 runs in one series before Freddie. Any good thing he does these days gets overlooked, like how hard he bowled in Adelaide in 2006 when England threw away that game. He's still a very good player and I have no reason to believe he can can't be world class.

7. Adam Gilchrist
Forget the Gilly backlash he gets everytime he has a poor innings. He's a class above the rest IMO.

8. Shane Bond
Overrated but still incredibly effective... his strong strike-rate gets him in easily.

9. Stuart Clark
Doesn't get the love he deserves. He was Australia's best bowler for last year easily. Perhaps his omission from the world cup means he's out of memory. But if we're picking a test side then it's easy.

10. Makhaya Ntini
Yeah I feel OK with this choice. I like how he troubles left-handers.

11. Muttiah Muralitharan
I don't think there's anybody challenging him as the best bowler in the world right now.

12th Man - Jaques Kallis

 

[cover drive man]

Gayle looking decidedly random in there.

At his best he is a great player.

 

[Francis]

I just realised I omitted Mohammad Yousuf without realising it... less than a year after he broke Viv's record... eh I'd probably have to take Flintoff out now. But then again, that's a lot of batting and not much bowling... and I do like having an all-rounder in there.

 

[Bob Bamber]

Right now -

1. Matthew Hayden
2. Alastair Cook
3. Ricky Ponting (C)
4. Kevin Pietersen
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Michael Hussey - I'd have him at 6
7. Kumar Sangakarra
8. Andrew Flintoff
9. Brett Lee
10. Monty Panesar - Just looks like getting wickets
11. Stuart Clark

Sorry if I've repeated something similar to others , but I've tried to keep it my own. Batting order picks itself. Bowlers , if Flintoff could handle the overs that a 4 man attack could handle.

 

[PhoenixFire]

1) ML Hayden
2) AN Cook
3) RT Ponting
4) Mohammed Yousuf
5) KP Pietersen
6) MEK Hussey
7) KC Sangakkara
8) A Flintoff
9) Mohammed Asif
10) SR Clark
11) M Muralitharan

 

[Fiery]

8. Shane Bond
Overrated but still incredibly effective... his strong strike-rate gets him in easily.

How can you be "overrated and still incredibly effective" at the same time? Slightly contradictory sentence there. You may have well just said, "I don't like him but he's bloody good"

 

[Magrat Garlick]

How can you be "overrated and still incredibly effective" at the same time? Slightly contradictory sentence there. You may have well just said, "I don't like him but he's bloody good"

Haha, you're more defensive than Smith over Watson.

 

[Fiery]

Haha, you're more defensive than Smith over Watson.

No, I don't have a photo of him under my pillow like Smith does with Watson. Just thought it was strange to consider someone "overrated" but then say they would make a World XI "easily" and are "incredibly effective" in the same sentence.

 

[silentstriker]

I'd have to say [reluctantly] that KP would make it. BUt I'd still take Dravid over Yousuf and even KP.

 

[adharcric]

Hayden
Dravid
Ponting*
Kallis
Pietersen (over Yousuf for his fielding, bowling)
Hussey
Sangakarra+
Clark
Ntini (Bond > Ntini but Bond might just break down after an over)
Murali
Asif

 

[Prince EWS]

1. Michael Hussey
2. Rahul Dravid
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Ricky Ponting
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Kevin Pietersen
7. Kumar Sangakkara
8. Andrew Flintoff
9. Mohammad Asif
10. Makhaya Ntini
11. Muttiah Muralitharan

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

1. Michael Hussey
2. Rahul Dravid
3. Jacques Kallis
4. Ricky Ponting
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Kevin Pietersen
7. Kumar Sangakkara
8. Andrew Flintoff
9. Mohammad Asif
10. Makhaya Ntini
11. Muttiah Muralitharan

Substitute Ntini for Bond, then I like that team, dear Oliver

 

[Jamee999]

AN Cook
MP Vaughan*
RT Ponting
R Dravid
Mohammad Yousuf
KP Pietersen
KC Sangakkara+
A Flintoff
SR Clark
M Muralitharan
M Ntini

 

[Prince EWS]

Substitute Ntini for Bond, then I like that team, dear Oliver

I'll do so next time Bond does something notable in a test match. It's been a while.

 

[pasag]

Wasn't too long ago that Ntini was more or less considered the best fast bowler in the world, this was while McGrath was still playing as well. Funny what some poor one-day form can do to your Test reputation around here.