Let's make some space on the table. A pen & a few papers. Mind, now uncluttered. Ready to jot down the best XI cricket players, playing 2015 World Cup. Not in an anachronistic order but in a chronological order. Its always has been an herculean task for picking up the best around the world. I may possibly get stuck somewhere & for that i might end up adding four more players, making it 15.
Pen in between my thumb & index finger. Sleeves rolled up. A clean sheet.
1) Hashim Amla- Have you lately noticed a beard guy of South African team, breaking fastest 2000, 3000,4000, 5000 runs in a short span of 108 matches? He is the epitome of consistency, breaking Ab's, Virat's & Sir Viv Richard's record. He is a run machine. He is my No.1 spot. He is irreplaceable.
Matches-108 Runs-5370 Avge- 55.93
Nick name: The Great African Wall.
2) Brendon McCullum- The New Zealander of the year,The Captain of the black caps,the man with tremendous fast hands & the only man from NZ scoring 300 in a test match. You need a slogger in the opening combination. The first 15 overs, scoreboard goes up adding 4s & 6s. Vulnerable to spinners, he isn't afraid of them. Fast bowlers, watch out. He's your nightmare.
Matches-242 Runs-5560 Avg-30.38
Nick name- Bazz.
3)Kane Williamson- I had a long long mental debate between Kane & Virat, whom to select as No.3. Before that let me introduce Kane. Young lad, prolific run scorer & his CV looks piled up with runs. Can you believe this lad is on a scoring spree in both formats, scoring a double century in test? Why not? His favourite cricketer is SRT. Idolizing him, many played cricket but only two are competing for the runs. One is Kane. A perfect first down-in-the-order-player who scores so steadily. Recent news, he has been bought by SRH(IPL). He's the future of NZ.
Matches-67 Runs-2547 Avg-46
Nick name: Kane Train.
4) Virat Kohli- Remember I told you in the previous stanza, two are competing. Second is this guy. He is professional at No.3 but he'd do no less damage in No.4. Strong on both sides, calm temperament & a spoilt brat(some OZs might say). He's now been given the test captaincy. Gee! He looks domitable, superior while chasing a behemoth target. The composure you looking for a 300+ target at 6 RPO is this Indian. If you ask his age, he wouldn't say 26, rather 22 centuries. The middle order is safe in his hands. In Kohli, we trust.
Matches- 151 Runs-6339 Avg- 51.96
Nick- Chiku.
5) AB de Villiers- Neither does he play for stats nor for his own pride. This is the South African Captain who recently bamboozled West Indian bowlers hitting 31 ball century. If you rummage deep down his cricketing career, i bet you will find many surprises. The way he moves around the stumps, dancing like Muhammad Ali in a battle ring. He truly is quintessential scooping over the top or paddling in the wrong side. Mr 360 has a wide variety of shots & if situation demands he invents one,abruptly out of nowhere.
Matches-180 Runs-7484 Avg-51.97
6) MS Dhoni- "Say hello to the Spartan."
Bowlers, he afflicts pain on them. His bat is the one of the heaviest of all. Now imagine why he has such brutal shots. With his acute honed captaincy skills, he is a messiah in management on the field. That is why his cupboard is filled with trophies(T20WC-1,ODIWC-1,Champions Trophy-1). Behind the stumps you wouldn't find any better. Truly an admirable captain who is equally respectable across all cricketing countries. With MS being out there, he will surely take the game away. A phenomenal finisher.
Matches-255 Runs-8280 Avg-52.08
Nick- Mahi.
7)James Faulkner- A Tasmanian young player of Australia, is quite handy at lower order scoring quick 30s. This position had to be the all-rounder's. He has just begun his international career & with that he has already amassed runs & wickets. I'm extremely content with line he bowls swinging either ways. Sometimes the slower ball from back of his hand. He's my fourth bowler & could give collateral damage to the bowlers while batting. Extremely talented at the outset of his career.
Matches-38 Wickets-50 Runs-771.
Nick- The Finisher.
8)Daniel Vettori- The rare guy with specs is an Italian origin. He is the most senior player of NZ. Considering this slot for a spinner, I found Vettori as the capable player. He is regarded as an all-rounder though a left arm orthodox spinner. At his age he still dives. Not a great spinner of the ball but his bowling variation is a key issue in suppressing the economy. He is the second NZ player to take 300 scalps after Sir Richard Hadlee & scoring 3000 runs in Test matches. He is a gentle,sober guy. He gives very few chance to get slogged. The flighted or the bouncer delivery is always special from him which makes him a deceptive spinner.
Matches 289 Wickets 296 Economy-4.12
Nick-Dan Harry Potter
9)Mitchell Johnson- The menacing, brutal, fiery bowler of this world cup & my best. His bouncers are the most dangerous in the world hitting on the helmets or body. At an avg speed of 145kph, if he gets going he can wreck the best of batsmen in the world. Such is the ferocious Johnson, Jonathan Trott got mentally traumatized during the Ashes. ICC test cricketer of the year accolade was given to him. He is a treat to watch. Not many bowlers can bowl like him. In this batting friendly ICC rules, he goes mad at the batsmen.
Matches-146 Wickets-226
Nick-Nodge, stomps.
10)Dale Steyn- Another heart-throbbing fast bowler, bowling above 145 kph. He is so precise in his line & length that he can rattle through the batting lineup. He's considered this era's best bowler in both formats. When you have a left arm fast bowler & right arm combination, just analyze how lethal can be your bowling unit. I'm not done yet. This guy holds the best economy in death overs. He is definitely a captain's choice.
Matches - 98 Wickets- 153
Nick- Steyn Gun.
11)James Anderson- We've been talking about line, speed, length. Its time we talked about swing. Hell yeah, jimmy baby. Jimmy an expert nowadays in swinging the ball in both ways. Deadly reverse swing, the most unconventional one. Hence, my bowling unit gets more mightier. After Waqar, Wasim & Imran we say Jimmy is the sultan if swing. Batsmen beware you might nick off to the slips. He maintains a pretty decent economy. His slower ball with slight swing does get the batter to stay in his comfort zone. In New Zealand conditions he is surely a formidable bowler.
Matches-191 Wickets-266
Nick- Jimmy.
This squad is heavily packed with tormentors and match winners. Even there are certain players who couldn't make it to the squad are the ones who might place a better position in the next world cup. Bravo, Narine, Corey, Hafeez, Gayle, Rohit, Broad,Morkel, Sangakarra, Jayawardena, Tim Southee. They all do deserve but somewhere along the line the above squad is truly a full-fledged who can give the scariest nightmare to any team in the world.
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