pick your world test 11

[The Hound]

Its time to choose the best 11 in the world. Here's mine.

1.A Markram
2.D Elgar
3.S.Smith
4.ABD
5.V Kholi
6. Q de kock
7.J Bairstow
8. V Philander
9. P Cummins
10.KG Rabada
11. R Herath

Trent Boult replaces Bairstow if conditions require it.

 

[Borges]

1. JA Raval
2. TWM Latham
3. KS Williamson (c)
4. LRPL Taylor
5. HM Nicholls
6. BJ Watling †
7. C de Grandhomme
8. TG Southee
9. IS Sodhi
10. N Wagner
11. TA Boult

 

[Bolo]

Markram hasn't really played enough in my mind. Not too sure who else belongs.

Smith out (banned), Root in.

Bairstow or De Kock out. Kane in

 

[Daemon]

1. JA Raval
2. TWM Latham
3. KS Williamson (c)
4. LRPL Taylor
5. HM Nicholls
6. BJ Watling †
7. C de Grandhomme
8. TG Southee
9. IS Sodhi
10. N Wagner
11. TA Boult

I know this is in jest but don't ever put Southee at 8.

 

[Flem274*]

elgar
warner
kane
smith
abcd
southee
bairstow
philander
rabada
broad
boult

 

[slippy888]

This thread is kinda strange

 

[S.Kennedy]

I might want Pandya in there considering Stokes is going through a bit of a period right now, and the only way Smith will make a world best eleven right now is on his Playstation.

 

[Daemon]

Minus those banned I think the following pick themselves. Question mark on that #6 spot. Dunno whether it should go to an AR (Stokes hasn't been bowling of late and probably can't take a big workload, Pandya is an option I guess, Woakes/Ali have been dire, CdG an option) or an extra batsman, or even an extra bowler given everyone in this XI can bat.

I think I'd just take Root though to make it a stupidly strong batting lineup.

Elgar
Azhar
Kane
Kohli
AB
Root
QdK
Philander
Cummins
Keshav
Rabada

 

[Shri]

Markram
Elgar
Smith
Kohli
Abdv
Stokes
QdK
Philander
Cummins
Rabada
Lyon

 

[OverratedSanity]

Elgar
Azhar
Kane
Kohli
ABdV
Shakib
Bairstow
Philander
Cummins
Rabada
Herath

Azhar being ignored in this thread is utterly unsurprising but still a bit depressing. Been the best opener in the world for a couple of years now. Been ages since he played a test so it's understandable I guess. Same for Shakib, And on current form, Bairstow>>>>>>>>>>QdK.

 

[Mike5181]

Markram
Elgar
Williamson
Kohli
Root
Stokes
de Kock+
Ashwin
Philander
Cummins
Rabada

 

[Daemon]

Bairstow's got 2 hundreds and 0 fifties in his last 10 tests so ">>>>>>>" is excessive but yeah, fair point. QdK's been poo for a whole year now, even if he was showing signs of a comeback this series. Completely forgot about Shakib as well, he probably deserves to come in ahead of Stokes.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Hadn't actually realized how relatively unspectacular Root's stats over the last 4 years are. He's averaging 53 which is excellent by most standards but significantly behind the rest of the Fab 4.

 

[Zinzan]

Hadn't actually realized how relatively unspectacular Root's stats over the last 4 years are. He's averaging 53 which is excellent by most standards but significantly behind the rest of the Fab 4.

Pretty sure Root plays proportionately more Tests against top opposition & for that reason I have him slightly ahead of KW for now. Plus I think his poor conversion rate to hundreds is over done around here. The other way to look at it is that his consistency of getting past 50 is amazing.

Mine:

Markram
Elgar
Kohli*
Root
ABDV
de Kock+
Shakib
Ashwin
Philander
Cummins
Rabada



I still rate Ashwin slightly ahead of fat-so too, with both being close to unplayable at home.

Edit: If Warner and Smith were available, Smith replaces Root at 4, and Kohli goes to 3 and still captains the side. Warner to replace Markram.

 

[Prince EWS]

I know this is in jest but don't ever put Southee at 8.

He just copy/pasted NZ's lineup from their last Test. Southee at 8 not only really happened in the first innings, but he hit an important fifty. We live in crazy times.

 

[Dan]

1. Dean Elgar
2. Azhar Ali
3. Kane Williamson
4. Virat Kohli *
5. AB de Villiers
6. Shakib al-Hasan
7. BJ Watling +
8. Colin de Grandhomme
9. Vernon Philander
10. Neil Wagner
11. Kagiso Rabada

12. Trent Boult

 

[Prince EWS]

1. Dean Elgar
2. Azhar Ali
3. Kane Williamson
4. Virat Kohli *
5. AB de Villiers
6. Shakib al-Hasan
7. BJ Watling +
8. Colin de Grandhomme
9. Vernon Philander
10. Neil Wagner
11. Kagiso Rabada

12. Trent Boult

Colinnnnnnnnn

 

[Dan]

Any World XI not including CdG is inherently flawed and should be ignored.

 

[morgieb]

Ignoring Smith/Warner for obvious reasons:

1. Elgar
2. Azhar
3. Williamson
4. Kohli
5. de Villiers
6. Bairstow
7. Shakib
8. Philander
9. Cummins
10. Maharaj
11. Rabada

Most difficulty I had was picking the spinner and the third seamer.

 

[Prince EWS]

Elgar
Azhar
Kane
Kohli
ABdV
Shakib
Bairstow

1. Elgar
2. Azhar
3. Williamson
4. Kohli
5. de Villiers
6. Bairstow
7. Shakib

Yeah I'm completely sold on this as a top seven. There's an argument for Root, but with him and Williamson being so similar in quality and Williamson being the only one of the top bats to regularly bat three, I think that's an obvious sort of differentiating point.

Bowling is a bit of a toss-up for me though. Rabada's probably better than anyone else at being a first change bowler, but I've got about five candidates to open the bowling and about five spinners that I can't split, for the other three spots.