An International Test XI

[Line and Length]

How would you go about selecting a current International XI to play the longer format of the game if you were restricted to just one player from each Test playing nation?
A number of dilemmas occur. For instance should the Australian representative be Steve Smith or Pat Cummings or the New Zealand selection be Tom Latham or Neil Wagner? Then there's India. Who gets in, Virat Kholi or Ravi Ashwin?

In the end I named the three batsmen in my side but is the line-up top heavy?

Here is my International XI

Tom Latham (NZ) /
Dimuth Karunaratne (SL) /
Babar Azam (P) /
Steve Smith (Aus) /
Virat Kholi (I) (c) /
Ben Stokes (E) /o
Mushfiqur Rahim (B) wk/
Jason Holder (WI) o/
Rashid Khan (Afg) o
Kyle Jarvis o
Kagiso Rabada (SA) o

I initially had Brendan Taylor slotted in at #6 (hence my comment about a top-heavy line-up) but thought the bowling looked a bit thin so I swapped him for Jarvis.

I fought over who should bat at #4 - Smith or Kholi. In the end I gave Smith the spot and the captaincy to Kholi.

I welcome your thoughts and alternative selections.

 

[honestbharani]

I always want the more aggressive batsman at 4 and the more defensive crisis handler at 5. I would swap Kohli and Smith, otherwise, that is a very good side.

 

[Daemon]

I feel like class batsman are in short supply these days so Smith is a must. What he adds to the batting compared to the next best replacement (after filling up the rest of the order) outweighs what Cummins brings to the table over someone else.

I also think the weakest link should be somewhat hidden so I wouldn’t necessarily want him opening the bowling. So I’d swap Jarvis for Taylor, let him keep, and get Bumrah in for Kohli. Since Taylor can keep we can swap Mushy for Shakib as a back up for the untested Rashid Khan.

Latham
Karunaratne
Babar
Smith
Stokes
Shakib
Holder
Taylor +
R. Khan
Rabada
Bumrah

This also gives us a h4x tail with plenty of bowling options

 

[TheJediBrah]

I always want the more aggressive batsman at 4 and the more defensive crisis handler at 5. I would swap Kohli and Smith, otherwise, that is a very good side.

Nah get the better batsman in earlier. You want to give Smith as much time as you can.

 

[honestbharani]

Nah get the better batsman in earlier. You want to give Smith as much time as you can.

Then open with him.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Then open with him.

wouldn't be the worst idea tbh. Best spot for him would probably by 3 but depends on the team balance of course.

 

[Line and Length]

So I’d swap Jarvis for Taylor, let him keep

Taylor is definitely a versatile player. He opens and 'keeps in ODI and is also a part-time offie.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Latham obviously the dedicated opener, but I'd be tempted to just pick Williamson instead. Better player and more often than not faces the new ball from first drop given the quality of most of the openers he's batted behind.

 

[Line and Length]

The versatilty of Taylor leads me to picking a ODI International XI
Not surprisingly it is stacked with all-rounders.

Brendan Taylor (Z) wk/
Dave Warner (Aus) /
Kane Williamson (NZ) /
Virat Kohli (I) /
Faf de Plessis (SA) /
Ben Stokes (E) /o
Shakib al Hasan (B) /o
Mohammad Nabi (Afg) /o
Imad Wasim (P) /o
Jason Holder o/
Akila Dananjaya (SL) o

The problem I see with this line-up is there are too many proven #3 batsmen (Williamson, Kohli, du Plessis) but the list of all rounders that follows means the side bats right down to #10.

There were a few alternatives I considered. Sikandar Raza could be Zimbabwe's representative, opening in place of Taylor. Mushfiqur Rahim or Jos Buttler would then come in as 'keeper ahead of either Shakib or Stokes. Raza would give another bowling option to compensate the loss of the all-rounder..

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

The versatilty of Taylor leads me to picking a ODI International XI
Not surprisingly it is stacked with all-rounders.

Brendan Taylor (Z) wk/
Dave Warner (Aus) /
Kane Williamson (NZ) /
Virat Kohli (I) /
Faf de Plessis (SA) /
Ben Stokes (E) /o
Shakib al Hasan (B) /o
Mohammad Nabi (Afg) /o
Imad Wasim (P) /o
Jason Holder o/
Akila Dananjaya (SL) o

The problem I see with this line-up is there are too many proven #3 batsmen (Williamson, Kohli, du Plessis) but the list of all rounders that follows means the side bats right down to #10.

There were a few alternatives I considered. Sikandar Raza could be Zimbabwe's representative, opening in place of Taylor. Mushfiqur Rahim or Josh Buttler would then come in as 'keeper ahead of either Shakib or Stokes.

I like the depth of batting, but the attack is probably too spin-heavy. Starc and Babar in for Warner and Imad maybe would give a better balance?

 

[Tom Flint]

Test xi

Karunaratne
Tamim
Williamson
Smith
Babar
De kock
Obrien
Holder
Rashid khan
Anderson
Bumrah

 

[Daemon]

Anderson hasn’t been fit for ages now

 

[Tom Flint]

He had an injury in the last series we played. Otherwise he had taken 7 wickets in less than 40 overs, average 9 SR 31. So his form was good enough for me

 

[Jack1]

Karunaratne
Latham (wk)
Babar Azam
Smith
Kohli
Stokes
Shakib Al Hasan
Brendan Taylor
Holder
Rashid Khan
Rabada

 

[Line and Length]

Latham obviously the dedicated opener, but I'd be tempted to just pick Williamson instead. Better player and more often than not faces the new ball from first drop given the quality of most of the openers he's batted behind.

A fair point but Latham is the highest ranked opener on the ICC batting rankings.

 

[Line and Length]

Having listed a Test XI and an ODI XI it might be appropriate to list a current T20 International XI.

As a follower of the longer forms of the game I'm not as familiar with some of the credentials of current T20 players so I looked up the ICC rankings. This posed immediate problems. The leading batsmen comprised mainly openers, the two leading bowlers were from Afghanistan as was the leading all-rounder. To complicate matters, when I checked out the wicketkeepers, a number were also openening (the Gilchrist factor?).

After much deliberation here is a possible line-up.

International T20 XI

Babar Azam (P) /
Colin Munro (NZ) /
Quinton de Kock (SA) w/k /
Sean Williams (Z) /o
Glenn Maxwell (Aus) /o
Mohammad Nabi (Afg) /o
Mahmudullah (B) /o
Chris Jordan (E) o
Lasith Malinga (SL) o
Sheldon Cottrell (WI) o
Jasprit Bumrah (I) o

This line-up might be a light on specialist batsmen so one of the unlucky ones mentioned below could come in for the representative for their country who are specialist bowlers.

Evin Lewis (WI - opener)
Aaron Finch (Aus - opener)
Lokesh Rahul (I - opener) or Virat Kohli (I - #4) or MS Dhoni (I - wicketkeeper & # 5 or 6)
Dawid Malan (E - #3)

I also had reservations about including Malinga. Is he fit? A Sri Lankan replacement might be Kusal Perera who is an opener who 'keeps.

I think I need help in balancing this!

A thought from left field. Replace Jordan with Richard Barrington (Scotland) a medium-fast bowler averaging 22 (economy 7.4) with the ball and 28 with the bat.

 

[Jack1]

T20I
Lewis
Munro
Azam
Maxwell
Stirling
de Kock (wk)
Shakib
Rashid Khan
Archer
Malinga
Bumrah