Which Asian nation has the strongest all time ODI xi?

[subshakerz]

India has won more world cups which probably gives them the edge

It doesn't. Pakistan's team constitution is centered around a time when they better and more successful than India

 

[ma1978]

Malik? What?

Era adjusted, Saleem Malik was one of the best ODI batsman I’ve seen. The late 80s / 90s were a transitional time and I think batsman like him and Azharuddin get forgotten

 

[ma1978]

He has Irfan Pathan in his team too. Some wild thoughts.

Best team, not not best eleven players. The third pace bowler on bowling merits is Shami I don’t think Irfan is that far behind him on bowling and adds a strong lower order bat

 

[TheJediBrah]

For Sri Lanka

Jayasuriya
Dilshan
Sangakkara
Aravinda
Arjuna
Arnold
Mathews
Vaas
Mendis
Murali
Malinga

would be a pretty impressive team. Great opening pair followed by two ATG spinners and 5th bowling shared by two players who average mid 30s with the ball. Many more part time options too. Othodoxy of Sangakkara, Aravinda, Arjuna and Mathews with unorthodoxy of Jayasuriya, Dilshan and Arnold.

Russel Arnold? He was barely international standard let alone for an ATG team. Ranatunga not that good either. Very weak middle order, surely there are better options

 

[ma1978]

Malik? What?

Before Slim turned shady

The stigma of fixing will never go away, but Saleem Malik the batsman mustn't be forgotten

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[subshakerz]

Era adjusted, Saleem Malik was one of the best ODI batsman I’ve seen. The late 80s / 90s were a transitional time and I think batsman like him and Azharuddin get forgotten

Oh I thought Shoaib Malik.

 

[Migara]

Russel Arnold? He was barely international standard let alone for an ATG team. Ranatunga not that good either. Very weak middle order, surely there are better options

You have no idea of what you are talking about. Ranatunga was as good as Aravinda with the bat. Averaging 36 @ 78 from 1982-99 period is signs of a top class middle order bat. He was ahead of contemporaries like Steve Waugh, Boon, Salim Malik, Carl hooper, Larry Gomes etc. Only Richards, Abbas, Jones, Crowe and Azhar were better at the middle order than him. Arnold before his terminal decline averaged 40 with the bat and obviously was better than MJ.

 

[subshakerz]

You have no idea of what you are talking about. Ranatunga was as good as Aravinda with the bat. Averaging 36 @ 78 from 1982-99 period is signs of a top class middle order bat. Arnold before his terminal decline averaged 40 with the bat and obviously was better than MJ.

Ranatunga gets in due to captaincy and is the closest to a finisher that SL has.

 

[Migara]

Ranatunga gets in due to captaincy and is the closest to a finisher that SL has.

If Charith Asalanka ends his career well, he may replace Ranatunga, but there is not many who could replace his mastery in piercing gaps in the field.

 

[TheJediBrah]

You have no idea of what you are talking about. Ranatunga was as good as Aravinda with the bat. Averaging 36 @ 78 from 1982-99 period is signs of a top class middle order bat. He was ahead of contemporaries like Steve Waugh, Boon, Salim Malik, Carl hooper, Larry Gomes etc. Only Richards, Abbas, Jones, Crowe and Azhar were better at the middle order than him. Arnold before his terminal decline averaged 40 with the bat and obviously was better than MJ.

It was a relief when Arnold came in because he was so bog ordinary. Never threatened to do anything but keep losing the game when SL were already losing.

Maybe you're right and SL don't have anyone better but I just find it hard to believe that for a team that was decent at ODI cricket for 10-20 years couldn't find anyone better for their ATG team

 

[ma1978]

Ranatunga looked more like the Minister of Rural Development than a cricketer (and by temperament he was) but he was damn good in the middle and lower order and could score runs at pace and finish games. Remember him manhandling Warne to win the 1996 World Cup- was a pretty magical game at Gaddafi

 

[trundler]

Ranatunga was slyly gun in the 80s and early 90s. Great strike rate for the era and some clutch knocks. As good as De Silva, Saleem Malik or Azharuddin in that period. Obviously never threatened to be the best in the world but he's as good a lower order middle order batsman as you're getting in that era. I do think that's one area of the ODI game that's just gotten better skill-wise independent of batting getting easier tho. The modern #5/6 just has a better approach to finishing an innings.

 

[ma1978]

Saleem Malik looked like your uncle with a secret stash of buster magazines

 

[Daemon]

Never quite registered that India have never had a really good odi spinner

 

[honestbharani]

Never quite registered that India have never had a really good odi spinner

Kumble was very good tbf.

 

[Shri]

Kumble was very good tbf.

all i remember about kumble in odis is him getting smashed for 14 runs in his final over of the icc knock out trophy (2000) by chris cairns

nz needed 34 off 4 overs before he came on to bowl

it became 20 off 18 after his over

 

[subshakerz]

Never quite registered that India have never had a really good odi spinner

Yadav is getting there.

 

[Adorable Asshole]

all i remember about kumble in odis is him getting smashed for 14 runs in his final over of the icc knock out trophy (2000) by chris cairns

nz needed 34 off 4 overs before he came on to bowl

it became 20 off 18 after his over

@Fuller Pilch

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Russel Arnold? He was barely international standard let alone for an ATG team. Ranatunga not that good either. Very weak middle order, surely there are better options

Ranatunga was world class - debuted in early 80s yet averaged 36. That's superb.

 

[Jumno]

Sehwag
Sachin
Kohli
Pant
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Dev
Kumble
Ashwin
Nehra
Bumrah

Anwar
Sohail
Zaheer
Maindad
Babar
Imran
Moin
Wasim
Saqlain
Waqur
Sarfraz

Jayasuriya
Sangakarra
Gurunisha
De Silva
Jayawardene
Ranatunga
Matthews
Chandana
Vass
Malinga
Murali

Edited