All-Time World Twenty20 XI

[Agent Nationaux]

Wouldn't disagree there, with Sidebottom/Gul they were basically the stars of the last 2 T20 world cups. So hard as to whether you go death bowler or opening bowler wen you already have Malinga in there.

Must admit i forgot Hussey.

Now that you mention it, with Malinga being a death bowler, I might have to go with Sidebottom. Is there another new ball bowler (apart from Steyn) who is very good in T20I.

 

[weeman27bob]

There are plenty of players who've done what Pollard has at domestic level and gone on to be more than a complete failure when attempting anything else.

Mike Hussey can guide you through a tricky low scoring match as well as clear the ropes when required, Shahid Afridi can give it just as much humpty but he's also a good bowler, for examples.

The reason why Pollard has such a good strike rate is because he never attempts anything but blitz, even when that's not what's required. It's a complete myth that he performs any more regularly than anyone else, or that when he does it's anything that plenty of others haven't done.

The one way that Pollard could have impressed me doing what he does would be to show he's utterly dominant at the level he operates at and put together some truly remarkable innings in those situations - examples would be things like Yusuf Pathan's mental 34-ball hundred. I don't rate Pathan all that highly but it's with exploits like that that he can at least show his superiority to at most other IPL tonkers.

Pollard has never even scored a limited overs ton. At any level. Ever. There is absolutely no reason to rate him.

I think whilst really I agree with you, in an all-time team it's highly likely that the No.6 batsman is only going to come in for the purpose of blitzing, rather than holding an innings together.

And as awful as he may be, people like big sixes and my gosh can he hit them. Which is obviously the most important thing in a team.

 

[Howe_zat]

I think whilst really I agree with you, in an all-time team it's highly likely that the No.6 batsman is only going to come in for the purpose of blitzing, rather than holding an innings together.

Fine. If you're going to pick someone for that job, make it someone better at it than Pollard. There's about a dozen or so to choose from. Start with actual international cricketers.

 

[Burgey]

Slightly OT, but can't help thinking how ****ing great it would have been had Viv Richards played T20.

 

[Migara]

tbf, KP has a good T20 record, better than Pollard's

Pollard is a better T20 PLAYER than KP could ever be.

 

[Howe_zat]

Pollard is a better T20 PLAYER than KP could ever be.

Must be why the West Indies are winning so many world T20 tournaments these days.

 

[Dan]

Taking on the Martians again, are we?

1. David Warner
Is in the form of his life currently, and has the ability to make big scores very quickly. Can't say I'm a huge fan of him or his style of batting, but he is talented and his recent results speak for themselves. Can take the game away from you in a matter of minutes.

2. Chris Gayle
Does the same thing as Warner - if he comes off, you get a ton of runs in no time. He can also turn the course of a match within a couple of overs, and his bowling adds value to the side.

3. Mahela Jayawardene
Has proven himself time and again as a player who can adapt to anything. He is capable of anything, can bat anywhere in the order and has a wealth of experience from 500+ international matches during his career.

4. Suresh Raina
With the short ball having less of an impact in T20, and Raina's boundary-clearing ability, he is seen as one of the best batsmen in the world at this format. When he's on-song, anything can happen and the game can turn in an instant. Plus his off spin could be handy, with only 4 specialist bowlers in the side.

5. AB de Villiers
Top class batsman that can score quickly without taking any risks. Plays proper cricket shots beautifully and effectively, can hit out when needed and is a fantastic fielder. Would also take the gloves if it weren't for the next man.

6. Jos Buttler (wk)
Left field selection of the side, based more on intuition and prodigious talent than pure statistics. Buttler has a tendency to play the big innings when it matters and, with time on his side, should develop into a brilliant T20 player. His List A stats are ridiculous too. Plus the Martians wouldn't likely know who he is.

7. Michael Hussey
Mussey is the ultimate player to have on your side. He can read a game perfectly - knowing when to consolidate and when to attack, how to bat with the lower order, rotate strike, clear the boundary and do almost anything in the field. His experience and knowledge of his own game would be vital in the side.

8. Shahid Afridi
Was originally going to leave Afridi out in favour of a third seamer (or someone less insane), but instead decided that he could play an important role in the side. He can be counted on to add a few runs to the total in very little time, and then take wickets and restrict runs simultaneously. Only question is to whether he could slot in to the team without ego getting in the way.

9. Daniel Vettori (c)
Vettori has a crazy-low T20I economy rate (under 6 IIRC) and is a fantastic limited overs bowler in general. Experienced, capable and able to restrict even the biggest Martian hitters.

10. Lasith Malinga
As if a Martian could understand his action. Jamming yorkers onto middle and leg at pace, he's the first name on the team sheet.

11. Umar Gul
5/6. Late conventional swing. Reverse in 9 overs. Fantastic death bowling. Need I say more?

Honourable mentions: Muttiah Muralitharan, Brett Lee, Dale Steyn, RtD, Yuvraj .etc

 

[hang on]

Slightly OT, but can't help thinking how ****ing great it would have been had Viv Richards played T20.

not to mention, cairns, dev, botham, and sobers.

 

[Howe_zat]

Didn't Botham end up being significantly not as good in limited overs as Tests though, despite theory?

would nominate Waqar Younis for would-be-awesome-at-T20 award.

 

[Furball]

Pollard is a better T20 PLAYER than KP could ever be.

Nonsense.

 

[Uppercut]

Taking on the Martians again, are we?

1. David Warner
Is in the form of his life currently, and has the ability to make big scores very quickly. Can't say I'm a huge fan of him or his style of batting, but he is talented and his recent results speak for themselves. Can take the game away from you in a matter of minutes.

2. Chris Gayle
Does the same thing as Warner - if he comes off, you get a ton of runs in no time. He can also turn the course of a match within a couple of overs, and his bowling adds value to the side.

3. Mahela Jayawardene
Has proven himself time and again as a player who can adapt to anything. He is capable of anything, can bat anywhere in the order and has a wealth of experience from 500+ international matches during his career.

4. Suresh Raina
With the short ball having less of an impact in T20, and Raina's boundary-clearing ability, he is seen as one of the best batsmen in the world at this format. When he's on-song, anything can happen and the game can turn in an instant. Plus his off spin could be handy, with only 4 specialist bowlers in the side.

5. AB de Villiers
Top class batsman that can score quickly without taking any risks. Plays proper cricket shots beautifully and effectively, can hit out when needed and is a fantastic fielder. Would also take the gloves if it weren't for the next man.

6. Jos Buttler (wk)
Left field selection of the side, based more on intuition and prodigious talent than pure statistics. Buttler has a tendency to play the big innings when it matters and, with time on his side, should develop into a brilliant T20 player. His List A stats are ridiculous too. Plus the Martians wouldn't likely know who he is.

7. Michael Hussey
Mussey is the ultimate player to have on your side. He can read a game perfectly - knowing when to consolidate and when to attack, how to bat with the lower order, rotate strike, clear the boundary and do almost anything in the field. His experience and knowledge of his own game would be vital in the side.

8. Shahid Afridi
Was originally going to leave Afridi out in favour of a third seamer (or someone less insane), but instead decided that he could play an important role in the side. He can be counted on to add a few runs to the total in very little time, and then take wickets and restrict runs simultaneously. Only question is to whether he could slot in to the team without ego getting in the way.

9. Daniel Vettori (c)
Vettori has a crazy-low T20I economy rate (under 6 IIRC) and is a fantastic limited overs bowler in general. Experienced, capable and able to restrict even the biggest Martian hitters.

10. Lasith Malinga
As if a Martian could understand his action. Jamming yorkers onto middle and leg at pace, he's the first name on the team sheet.

11. Umar Gul
5/6. Late conventional swing. Reverse in 9 overs. Fantastic death bowling. Need I say more?

Honourable mentions: Muttiah Muralitharan, Brett Lee, Dale Steyn, RtD, Yuvraj .etc

I quite like this side but Afridi should be captain and there's not really any excuse for not including Ajantha Mendis.

 

[hang on]

Didn't Botham end up being significantly not as good in limited overs as Tests though, despite theory?

would nominate Waqar Younis for would-be-awesome-at-T20 award.

yeah, thought about that but chose him on the reasoning that he would have less time to eff up in 20-20 and his big hitting plus bowling (and priceless ability to get wickets with absolute pies) and excellent catching would come in handy.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Waqar would have been the greatest T20 bowler ever if he played.

 

[Prince EWS]

There are plenty of players who've done what Pollard has at domestic level and gone on to be more than a complete failure when attempting anything else.

Mike Hussey can guide you through a tricky low scoring match as well as clear the ropes when required, Shahid Afridi can give it just as much humpty but he's also a good bowler, for examples.

The reason why Pollard has such a good strike rate is because he never attempts anything but blitz, even when that's not what's required. It's a complete myth that he performs any more regularly than anyone else, or that when he does it's anything that plenty of others haven't done.

The one way that Pollard could have impressed me doing what he does would be to show he's utterly dominant at the level he operates at and put together some truly remarkable innings in those situations - examples would be things like Yusuf Pathan's mental 34-ball hundred. I don't rate Pathan all that highly but it's with exploits like that that he can at least show his superiority to at most other IPL tonkers.

Pollard has never even scored a limited overs ton. At any level. Ever. There is absolutely no reason to rate him.

It depends which way you look at it. Being successful as a hired goon for cashed up franchises has always been as big a part of top-level T20 cricket as being successful internationally has been, if not more. It's not quite like picking a modern Test XI where the focus is almost completely on Tests.

 

[Furball]

I quite like this side but Afridi should be captain and there's not really any excuse for not including Ajantha Mendis.

Lacks a top quality opening bowler (Gul and Malinga both do their best work at the end of an innings) and the lack of a proper 5th bowler isn't particularly smart. T20 isn't a game where you can rely on fill in bowlers keeping it tight for a few overs each, bowlers like that tend to get smashed when teams get the opportunity.

 

[Prince EWS]

Lacks a top quality opening bowler (Gul and Malinga both do their best work at the end of an innings) and the lack of a proper 5th bowler isn't particularly smart. T20 isn't a game where you can rely on fill in bowlers keeping it tight for a few overs each, bowlers like that tend to get smashed when teams get the opportunity.

Yeah, proper batting depth is also a vastly over-rated commodity in a twenty over contest. As long as you don't have more than one absolute rabbit you can definitely get away with a non-frontline batsman in at seven. Bowlers who can hit are more valuable than batsmen who can roll the arm over, quite unlike ODIs. You should always be looking to pick five bowlers.

That said, what constitutes a bowler in T20 is quite different to what constitutes one in cricket. The T20 bowling records of Raina and Gayle suggest it may be harsh to not classify them as proper frontline bowlers, in the right conditions at least.

 

[Furball]

Yeah, proper batting depth is also a vastly over-rated commodity in a twenty over contest. As long as you don't have more than one absolute rabbit you can definitely get away with a non-frontline batsman in at seven. Bowlers who can hit are more valuable than batsmen who can roll the arm over, quite unlike ODIs. You should always be looking to pick five bowlers.

That said, what constitutes a bowler in T20 is quite different to what constitutes one in cricket. The T20 bowling records of Raina and Gayle suggest it may be harsh to not classify them as proper frontline bowlers, in the right conditions at least.

Raina in particular has a much better record than I expected, but I still say that a side who's relying on Raina and Gayle to regularly get through 4 overs is going to run into a bit of trouble. They're bowlers you want to give the ball to for an occasional over and ask them to go for 6 or less, not guys you should be regularly chucking the ball to.

On a seperate note I think it's amusing how much some England players are under-rated in T20 cricket, probably because they tend to miss most of the domestic T20 season and because few of them play in the IPL or the Champions League. Swann, KP and Morgan should certainly be in the discussion for a World XI.

 

[Jacknife]

Pollard is a better T20 PLAYER than KP could ever be.

****ing hell, KP averages 36 at a s/r of 143, the other averages 12 at a s/r 124, yes sure mate Pollard is tons better.

 

[pskov]

After some comments on the last couple of pages, a possible all-time T20 XI that never played T20?

Don Bradman
Gilbert Jessop
Viv Richards
Garry Sobers
Colin Bland
Ian Botham
Kapil Dev
Don Tallon
Waqar Younis
Joel Garner
Sonny Ramadhin

 

[Furball]

Waqar has played Twenty20