Dream ODI XI: Choose THREE fast bowlers

[bagapath]

Here are the top 30 bowlers in terms of average with at least 100 wickets in ODI matches against the top ten teams. Please choose THREE of them to lead the bowling attack.

Bowling records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | Cricinfo.com

 

[Noble One]

Gone with Garner, McGrath and Akram.

Garner I consider the greatest ODI bowler of all time. McGrath simply awesome for such a long period of time. The last choice for me was between Akram and Donald. Hard to split the two considering how destructive both could be, picked Akram based on extra batting ability.

 

[bagapath]

went for garner, wasaim and hadlee; three of the most accurate attacking fast bowlers ever; two of them could hit the ball a long way too.

 

[vcs]

Went for Garner, Wasim and Waqar. I'd give the new ball to the first two as I believe they'd keep it tighter and then bring Waqar on from the 30th over onwards to destroy teams with reverse swing.

 

[andyc]

Went for Garner, McGrath and Pollock. Feel so dirty not voting for Wasim, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't go for McGrath, and Pollock's so underrated as an ODI player IMO.

 

[Himannv]

Went for Garner, McGrath and Imran

 

[Blakus]

Garner, Akram and Pollock are my choices.

 

[jondavluc]

McGrath
Akram
Pollock

 

[Matt79]

McGrath
Garner
Imran (as one of the bowling allrounders)

 

[Cruxdude]

Akram, McGrath, Bond

 

[Avada Kedavra]

I missed Pollock somehow and voted for Mcgrath,Akram and Hadlee,I thought Pollock would be one of the all rounders.Bagapath when you tally the votes could you please change my vote from Mcgrath to Pollock?

 

[bagapath]

I missed Pollock somehow and voted for Mcgrath,Akram and Hadlee,I thought Pollock would be one of the all rounders.Bagapath when you tally the votes could you please change my vote from Mcgrath to Pollock?

sure... if it would make a difference

 

[Ikki]

McGrath and Akram are a given IMO, dunno about the third though.

 

[Athlai]

Hadlee, Polllock and Waqar

Hadlee and Pollock to strangle and Waqar to blow you away when you swing at him in frustration. Just think it makes a nice combination personally. Plenty of excellent options.

 

[four_or_six]

Went for McGrath, Akram and Lee. Wanted a mixture of accuracy and pace, and to have a lefty. Lee's incredible SR gets him in imo since I think taking wickets is critical (went for Lee over Bond for fitness), and Akram's batting also handy.

 

[Cevno]

Ambrose,Wasim and Mcgrath for me.

Ambrose had a incredible economy rate as compared to his contemporaries.

 

[analyst]

Dizzy, Imran, and The Big Bird.

 

[zaremba]

Garner, Akram and Pollock are my choices.

Same here.

McGrath, Hadlee and Ambrose both very unlucky.

Garner cannot be omitted given the unique proposition he offered.

Akram is an all-time ODI great and likewise cannot be left out.

Pollock gets in because of his fine record and is also a potentially destructive batsman. But I'm feeling a bit uneasy about having preferred him to Hadlee.

 

[stephen]

IMO the best three ODI fast bowlers ever to grace the cricket pitch were Garner, Akram and McGrath.

These three stand out as being the best of the best.

Garner's sheer statistics and dominance over his contemporaries highlights his value to the team.
Akram's sheer volume of wickets and abilities with the ball were unparallelled. He was a lefty to boot.
McGrath is arguably the greatest fast bowler of all time when both forms of the game were taken into account. Relentlessly accurate and statistically the greatest World Cup bowler ever, you can't go past him to lead the attack.

http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=12;type=trophy

McGrath in World Cups -
16 more wickets than the next highest wicket taker
Behind only Warne and Bond in WPM for bowlers who have taken 25 or more WC wickets
Best bowling average of any WC bowler to bowl 1000 balls or more
Best strike rate of any WC bowler to bowl 1000 balls or more
Best bowling figures in a WC match (7 overs, 4 maidens, 7/15 vs Namibia)
One of only 4 bowlers to take five wickets in an innings twice
Most wickets in a WC series (26 in 06/07) (he was also sixth on the list for his 02/03 performance)

 

[Matt79]

And he did that in a time when powerplays etc had come in and scores were generally getting bigger.