The Dark Knights, whose quench for their next championship was finally eased after 10 years, KKR are the defending champions of the upcoming season. A campaign that had contributions from every department and one in which they were on the losing camp only thrice, it is now being discussed amongst the most dominating ones that we have seen in the 17-year history of the tournament.
With confidence and pride running at an all-time high, the City of Joy has her eyes set on the 3 Peat to catch up with a couple of old rivals.
With this year’s season having an update in the retention policy, which allowed teams to retain as many as 6 players, Shah Rukh’s men made full use of it.
Along with the multiple-time West Indian MVPS, Rinku Singh and Varun Chakravarthy were retained, and Harshit Rana and Ramandeep were kept as the uncapped retentions. This was by far the strongest retained core alongside Mumbai Indians.
Come the auction day, it was evident that Venky Mysore had decided to keep the squad similar to that of 2024.
Angkrish, Vaibhav Arora, Manish Pandey, Anukuk Roy, Gurbaz, and Venkatesh Iyer were among the players who were bought back. The latter’s purchase amount of 23.75 crores made him the third-costliest player of the 2025 auction.
The next big auction story for the team was the purchase of Ajinkya Rahane. He was purchased within his base price but has been given the captaincy reigns, a move not predicted by the majority. KKR has also secured the services of Quinton De Kock and pacemen Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson.
Top Finishers: KKR retained Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep, batters who are expected to take care of the business end of their batting, and hence, there’s no surprise as to why they have by far the most stacked in this phase. Russell and Ramandeep’s career strike rates are amongst the best in tournament history, whereas Rinku showed tremendous potential in the 2023 season.
Given that Russell and Ramandeep have no issues in taking on the spinners either, it’s hard to find a weakness against the entire trio.
Mystery Spinners: Sunil and Varun have been playing together ever since the 2020 season, and each year, at the very least, one of them has risen up to the occasion. The pair was at its best in the 2024 season where both of them were clearly the best spinners of the series and were probably also the 2nd and 3rd best bowlers.
Whereas Varun is a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs with his multiple variations, Narine has mastered the art of run-stopping and is a potential option at the death.
Shaky Middle-Order: Apart from the marquee purchase of Venky Iyer, the Knight’s middle order isn’t as solid as the rest of the team.
On one end, you have Raghuvanshi, who has immense potential but hasn’t yet proven himself at the big stages and also someone who is used to the opening spot in youth games. Whereas on the other hand, Captain Rahane has age on his side, but his only good IPL season in the past five years has been the 2023 one.
Even someone like Rinku has had his issues with strike rotation, so the onus seems to be on Venkatesh to keep the ship bonded together.
Top-order struggles against spin: De Kock and Narine are the most likely opening pair, at least for the starting few games, and both have had their issues against spin (See the Matchup Sheet for better understanding)
De Kock’s overall numbers take a plunge against them, and although Narine can decimate a spinner on his given day, he is equally volatile against them, averaging 14,11,15 and 5, respectively, against the various types of spin.
A nation whose genesis was a burning experience for all parties involved, Pakistan’s baptism with pandemonium has become a diagnostic feature of the nation as years have gone by. Raging inflation, army coups or be it the ever-evolving pop culture scene, capriciousness has been the dominant conduct of the Islamic Republic for the past 77 years. Moreover, this volatile nature has seeped into and has now become an identity of Pakistan sports too. Be it their sporting dynasties of hockey and squash or snooker maverick Muhammad Yousuf, the Pakistanis could be celebrating unbeaten streaks in one moment whereas in the very next instant, they would be the victims of agonising upsets. And the generalisation is also applicable for the Pakistan Cricket team.
Starting their journey in 1952, Pakistan showed promise with red-ball straight away, and by the late 70s, Imran’s tigers could go toe-to-toe with any other nation. But when it came to the more unpredictable ODIs, Pakistan’s consistency in being inconsistent was on display. Although the team possessed a win-loss ratio of <1 in the 70s and 80s, the team secured 3 semi-final finishes in the 4 World Cups held during this period. In fact, this whole blabber of “unpredictability” finds a beautiful authentication in the form of the 87′ and 92′ World Cups.
Pakistan entered the 1987 Cup as favourites playing on home soil but succumbed to a less fancied England side in the semis. Whereas in the 1992 edition, Pakistan were 2nd last at the half-way stage but defeated the same Englishmen to lift their first World Cup. The subsequent years saw them domineering the scene with the 3rd best win-loss ratio in the following two decades, but they couldn’t get hold of another ICC trophy. And when things looked bleak with the side ranked 7th in the World, Pakistan pulled off their maiden Champions Trophy triumph in 2017. Even currently, the side is embroiled within whimsical controversies and possesses the most uncertain future.
Without further ado, let’s celebrate the side that made our game more interesting. Here’s our All-Time Pakistan ODI XI.
Saeed Anwar
Saeed Anwar’s flicks and slashes in the 90s comprise yet another chapter in cricket’s ultimate love-affair with dashing left-handed openers since time immemorial.
Matches: 247
Runs: 8,824
Average: 39.21
Strike Rate: 80.67
Although his batsmanship is associated with adjectives such as “elegant” and “graceful”, Anwar was one amongst the initial pioneers of making hay while the ball was new, in certain ways, preceding even Jayasuriya.
When Anwar completed his 1000 ODI runs as an opener, he had a strike rate of 85.03. The second-best strike rate for an opener until then was 74 (min. 10 inns).
Additionally, Anwar’s explosiveness also holds its weight against time and era. In our article about the best ODI openers, Anwar had the 6th best adjusted strike-rate amongst openers with min. 5000 ODI runs.
Harbouring explicit hand-eye coordination and deceptively powerful wrists, a common feature amongst many Asian greats, Anwar is Pakistan’s finest batter at the big stage, averaging 63.36 across 25 World Cup and Champions Trophy matches.
Anwar’s ODI shortcomings were his poor performances against the two toughest bowling attacks of his era, South Africa and Australia, against whom he averaged 17.3 and 23.55, respectively.
Fakhar Zaman
The first of 3 non-retired players on our team, Fakhar had competition from fellow opening partner Imam but the former’s superior strike rate coupled with his better ICC tournament track record meant Fakhar would be our 2nd left-handed opener.
Matches: 82
Runs: 3,492
Average: 46.56
Strike Rate: 93.44
Cut from the cloth of the previous era’s swashbuckling left-handed openers, Zaman announced himself to the world after scoring a century against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, which was just his 4th ever ODI. Though since then, consistency against top teams has been missing for the Fauji.
Nevertheless, his away record has been on par with his overall numbers, averaging 46.33 in all matches outside Pakistan, and his scoring rate across 16 ICC tournament matches has been 104.61 so far. However, there’s no denial that his overall numbers are padded by his 172.33 average across 6 innings against Zimbabwe.
Zaman currently is 34 while Imam is 28, thus a few years down the line and we might need to update this section by exchanging the roles of both opening mates.
Babar Azam
A 9 year-old career which is yet to see many more twists and turns, Babar’s competitors had played nearly thrice the amount of ODIs than him has so far, but the stability with which he has achieved his accolades so far has given him the edge over the past greats.
Matches: 117
Runs: 5,729
Average: 56.72
Strike Rate: 88.75
Possessing the 2nd best average amongst players with minimum 50 matches, his average increases to 60.32 while batting at 3 and here too, Babar is second to only Virat Kohli. A textbook anchor in an age where the game is breaking inadvertent boundaries, Babar has maintained solidity in this format, a solidity which is often associated with his technique.
Out of his 9 years, Babar has finished 7 of them with an average above 45.
Although Babar’s numbers are heavily boosted by his performances in Pakistan and UAE, where he averages 73.55 and 64.47 respectively, his away average of 49.4 is the 10th best amongst players with min. 35 matches. Arch-rivals India have been the only major foe who have got the better of Babar on a consistent basis, with him averaging 31.14 against them.
Preferring to the spinners over the fastmen, only Dhoni and Kohli have scored more runs against the former with a better average than Azam’s 68.11 since 01 Jan 2002.
Babar was stereotyped in his youth career as someone who isn’t made for the big matches, but at least in ODIs, this conjecture doesn’t hold strong claims, with Babar averaging 51.5 across 22 ICC tournament matches.
Javed Miandad
It was probably Jarrod Kimber who presented consistency in the ever-changing landscape of ODIs by drawing a similarity in approach between Miandad, Dean Jones, Ponting and Kohli and I believe this is the proper statement to capture Javed’s ODI career.
Matches: 218
Runs: 7,381
Average: 41.70
Strike Rate: 67.01
Although there were contemporaries such as Richards and Abbas (more to him later) who were more effective, Miandad proved to be the prototype for the majority of future middle-order greats. Soft hands, quick running between the wickets, strike rotation and piercing the gaps with minimum risks; Miandad’s shrewd tactics and the number 4 position seem a match made in heaven.
To give better context to his career numbers, following are Javed’s adjusted stats in the 2-ball era:
Average: 47.18 Strike Rate: 85.44
Only 5 batters in this period had a better average and strike rate than the above numbers (minimum 3000 runs).
Miandad was the first person to play in 6 different World Cups in which he again stood out, averaging 43.32. Miandad’s struggle against the top bowling attack of his time, the Windies did put us in a dilemma, but his 22-year career skewed the selection in his direction.
Mohammad Rizwan
Another non-retired player, and even though we do believe there are many better batters than Rizwan but much like our Windies ODI XI, we were bound by keeper availability. Even here, Rizwan had competition from Umar and Sarfaraz, but Rizwan’s terrific 2023 tipped the scales in his favour, given that his competitors themselves have had lukewarm careers.
Matches: 74
Runs: 2088
Average: 40.15
Strike Rate: 89.8
The current vice-captain of the national team, he was a slow starter, averaging 28.75 for his first 25 games, but Rizwan grabbed his 2nd chance in 2019 and is now one of the key members in all 3 formats for his nation. Though ODIs have so far been the format where he has been at his weakest.
With terrible performances against top sides, coupled with below-par production away from home, Rizwan wouldn’t have made it if not for 2023. 1000+ runs at an average of 63.93, more importantly Rizwan shone at the World Cup. 395 runs @65.83, Rizwan was Pakistan’s highest run-getter, similar to the preceding Asia Cup.
With both age and form on his side, we hope Rizwan excels so we can update this section of our article in the future.
Imran Khan
The quintessential bad-boy athlete who went on to become the President of Pakistan, Kaaptan’s cricketing ride was much smoother than his personal endeavours, though bumps are a part of any journey.
Matches: 175
Runs: 3709
Average: 33.41
Strike Rate: 72.65
Wickets: 182
Average: 26.61
Economy: 3.89
Part of Pakistan’s 2nd ever ODI game, Khan was the World’s 6th most capped player, 17th highest run-getter and 2nd highest wicket-taker in ODIs at the time of his retirement in 1992. This is a display of the multiple aspects in which Imran had an impact on Pakistan throughout his 19 years in the format. Classified by the majority as an all-rounder, Imran’s bowling numbers took a bad hit in his later years.
Till 1988, Imran averaged 22.7 with the bowl whereas in his last 4 years the average rose upto 36.15. Though these are the years which were his most prolific batting years, during which Imran scored 47% of his career runs at an average of 40.53.
Hailed amongst the best all-rounders of the sport, Imran had a -ve average difference only against India amongst his 10 opponent teams. In fact, his career average difference of +6.79 is the 8th best in ODIs (min. 1500 runs and 75 wickets).
Imran’s bowling was a notch above when it came to the World Cups. With 34 wickets across five editions, only McGrath, Lee, and Shami have taken more wickets at a better average than Imran’s 19.26.His phenomenal average difference of +15.78 is the sixth-best at the grandest stage (min. 300 runs and 15 wickets).
As if this wasn’t enough, Imran was also Pakistan’s greatest skipper and his journey to the 92 World Cup Trophy is etched in cricketing folklore.
Shahid Afridi
A player with one of the most contrasting legacies in front of his fans versus that of in front of foes, Afridi’s bowling and batting averages don’t invoke adulation, but that didn’t stop Lala from being the face of Pakistan cricket for a big part of his 20-year career.
Matches: 393
Runs: 8027
Average: 23.81
Strike Rate: 116.94
Wickets: 393
Average: 34.53
Economy: 4.62
Spending his initial years as an opener, he had an underappreciated stint over there, though it’s a unanimous fact that his best came at the lower order. Afridi’s strike rate of 116.94 is the 3rd best for any batter with a minimum of 50 innings, and this figure rises to a stupendous heights of 131.3 and 145.36 when he batted at number 7 and 8 respectively. Consistency was always an issue with boom-boom, especially in batting, though he managed to maintain a 90+ scoring rate against each of his opponents (min. 3 innings).
As a bowler, he was more on the defensive schemes of approach, with open mixing 120 kmph bullets with his already flat leg-spin. A bowling average of 34.53 is certainly an ordinary figure, which was only amplified by his terrible performances in his last 4 years, though just prior to his late career slump came his finest performance, the 2011 World Cup. The joint-highest wicket-taker, where he picked his wickets @12.85, his overall numbers too improved in the grand stage, averaging 27.7 over 5 World Cup editions.
Afridi’s 32 Man-of-the-Match awards is the joint 4th most for any player in ODIs.
The most prolific pacer of the format, averaging below 30 in 19 out of the 20 consecutive years he played ODIs, the Sultan of Swing has a good claim upon the tag of the “Greatest ODI Bowler”.
Matches: 356
Wickets: 502
Average: 23.52
Economy: 3.89
Strike Rate: 36.2
The 2nd most prolific wicket-taker of the format, Akram surprisingly struggled at home. An average of 31.12 across 67 matches in Pakistan; it’s evident he was excellent in away conditions. Akram’s away average of 22.5 is the 3rd best for bowlers with a minimum of 200 career wickets. Akram’s versatility with both conventional and reverse-swing made him potent for any phase of the 50-over innings. England was the only side out of Akram’s 14 opponents against whom Wasim had a 30+ average.
A deceptive bowling stride which left people amazed that he could generate 145 kmph cannons consistently with that bowling action, it was probably this very run-up and numerous other shrewd adjustments which saw Akram picking up 502 ODI wickets across 3 decades.
The joint 5th highest wicket-taker in World Cups, he was the highest wicket-taker in 92′, where he picked his 18 wickets at an average of 18.78.
Waqar Younis
The bowler whose partnership at the top with Wasim remains the most prolific fast-bowling pair in ODIs, there are few individuals who have had a bigger impact on the format right from their debut when compared to Waqar Younis.
Matches: 262
Wickets: 416
Average: 23.84
Economy: 4.68
Strike Rate: 30.5
Picking up 70 ODI wickets even before he turned 20, he achieved this with an average of 16.34, a figure only bettered by Rashid Khan under this specific age barrier. Those 70 wickets include the 47 scalps he picked up in 1990 at a bewildering average of 12.63, the 5th best bowling average in a calendar year (min. 25 wickets).
A fast bowler in the term’s truest sense whose natural length was a few metres fuller compared to other expressmen of his time, Waqar’s toe-crushing yorkers remain one of the sport’s most iconic set of deliveries. It also reflects upon the fact that 36.29% of his career wickets were bowled dismissals, which is only behind Mitchell Starc’s tally of 37.28%. Mostly sharing the new ball with Wasim, with whom he picked 588 wickets together, Waqar was also productive as a first change option, picking up 84 wickets @19.96 at this position.
Waqar’s late swing was venomous to all of his opponents except for Australia, the only team against whom he possessed an average in excess of 27. He got to participate fully in only 2 World Cups, though he made most of the limited opportunities, picking up his 22 World Cup wickets at an average of 21.18.
Shoaib Akhtar
Among Pakistan’s glorious line of fast bowlers, controversies have been a common link, and amidst them, Akhtar’s storied 14-year career might take the cake for the most controversial pacer in our sport.
Matches: 163
Wickets: 247
Average: 24.97
Economy: 4.76
Strike Rate: 31.4
Be it drug scandals, scuffles with teammates and fans, or ball-tampering accusations, Akhtar’s foremost legacy, despite his notoriety, will be that of being one of the fastest bowlers recorded in history.
Making his debut during Wasim-Waqar’s fag years, Akhtar’s 5 year stretch from 1999-2003 is one of the most effective quinquennial stints for a pacer in ODIs. Exactly 150 wickets at an average of 20.75, including his 99′ and 03′ World Cup campaigns. Overall, he picked up 37 wickets in all ICC tournaments, with an average of 23.76.
A person who continues to wear his heart on his sleeves, Akhtar’s wicket-taking ability stands the test of time with his strike rate of 31.4 being the 7th best for bowlers with min. 200 wickets. Hardly receiving the new-ball in his younger years due to established pacer teammates, his numbers while coming as the first change or later are phenomenal. 72 wickets @19.04, this is the 3rd best average for all bowlers in the matches they bowled at the aforementioned bowling positions.
Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain’s second-half of his own career was much less celebrated compared to the “doosra” which he himself popularised in the 90s but the impression he imparted in his limited stay is enough to cement his legacy as one of the greatest spinners of the ODI format.
Matches: 169
Wickets: 288
Average: 21.78
Economy: 4.29
Strike Rate: 30.4
Making his debut in 1995, Saqlain picked 65 and 69 wickets in his second and third year, respectively. Both performances still hold the record of being the most prolific wicket-taking years in ODIs by an individual. In fact, within 4 years from his debut, Saqlain had picked 176 wickets at an average of 18.71. And despite his steep decline, which was largely due to horrible knees, which eventually saw him playing his last ODI at the age (official) of 26, Saqlain’s average went above 30 in only 2003, his last year in ODIs.
Additionally, the myth that he turned ineffective against Asian opponents in later years is also false, mostly stemming from his below-par accomplishments in tests. Out of all his opponents, only South Africa was the team against whom he had an average in excess of 25 (36.87). Amongst all spinners, only Rashid Khan has a better average away from home than Saqlain (22.05).
He only played 2 World Cups, including the 1999 edition, where he was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker.
Zaheer Abbas and Abdul Razzaq: Two individuals who can be rightfully termed as better ODI players than quite a few players mentioned above, let’s start with Asia’s Bradman. Playing only 62 ODIs, Abbas was terrific in those 11 years, averaging 47.63 with a strike rate of 84.8, which is a massive outlier for the 80s. Though the issue was his competition was against Babar who himself has been brilliant is his short stay and the fact that Zaheer played only in 70% of the matches available to him compared to Lloyd’s figure of 98%, who we had picked in our Windies All Time XI, despite the later scoring less than 2K ODI runs.
Leaving out Razzaq too was a tough choice given his deceptively long career though Afridi’s mammoth strike rates when both were competing for a finisher’s role coupled with Imran’s superior bowling career meant Abdul misses out.
Saeed Ajmal: Amongst the last great off-spinners of the white-ball format, Saeed would have been a surety in this side if not for his sudden career halt in 2015. We decided to keep him aside due to his 8-year career compared to Akhtar’s 14-year stint and his lack of World Cup achievements, which shouldn’t be mixed with World Cup failures, for he played only 2 World Cup games against test-playing nations. Additionally, we already have 2 spinners in the side and felt Akhtar’s death bowling exploits provide better balance to our side though if one wished to go with a different combination, then both Master and Apprentice would have played along in this dream team.
The unofficial Third Wheel of ICC Cups, the Champions Trophy, makes a comeback after a hiatus of 8 years, particularly capturing the chaos of subcontinental cricket, which seemed to lay dormant for the past decade.
For starters, this will be the first ICC tournament hosted by Pakistan in 28 years. As soon as the above was announced, the cricketing world knew that changes would be made eventually, and thus, we have UAE as Co-hosts for the upcoming tournament, which starts on 19th February.
Pakistan have lived up to their capricious identity over the past 12 months, and what better way to continue this tradition than replicating its heroics in Cardiff? Or will it be their neighbours who are probably the favourites, yet the wounds of November 19 are afresh?
One, of course, cannot overlook the SENA nations, with 3 of them being cluttered in the so-called “group of death”. Or will the 21st-century test debuting Nations spring the surprise of this century?
To find out more, check our detailed preview of the tournament.
Venue Report
UAE has been the 2nd hosting plan of every tournament host if there’s some emergency issue within the initial hosting country, the same goes here. Since Nov 2021, when ICC announced that Pakistan would host the Champions Trophy, almost everyone knew it would never happen, at least not fully in Pakistan. The saga happened as anticipated by almost everyone; from Dec 2024 to Jan 2025, rumours were floating around the hosts, but in the end, UAE was announced as the co-host for the tournament.
If you are a person who does not believes in data, you may conclude that as both of the hosts are Asian countries, the pitches would almost be the same, although that’s not even true by a millimetre; Pakistan has the worst bowling average of all countries since 2023, whereas the co-hosting nation has the best, and if you go particularly by the spin bowling average, the case remains exactly the same though with a significantly higher difference between the averages.
Squad Changes: Harshit Rana in place of Bumrah, Varun Chakarvarthy in place of Jaiswal
India are all set to kick off their Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. Unlike the past decade, where they often entered the tournament with the best squad but no title to show, this time, they carry newfound optimism of finally breaking their World Cup jinx. However, their preparations have been anything but ideal, with a humbling home series loss to New Zealand followed by a disappointing tour of Australia, where the team looked toothless and struggled for answers.
To make matters worse, the dressing room dynamics have been more turbulent than in recent years. The futures of two stalwart Indian cricketers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir, are expected to be heavily influenced by the outcome of this Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma is set to lead the Men in Blue, and while the squad is largely as expected, one major omission stands out—Mohammed Siraj. Despite being India’s second-best pacer after Jasprit Bumrah, the captain has opted for Arshdeep Singh instead, believing that Siraj’s impact diminishes significantly after the new ball loses its shine.
Another major concern for India is its unsettled middle order. The combination of Shreyas Iyer at No. 4 and KL Rahul at No. 5 was instrumental in India’s World Cup campaign, allowing Iyer to play with freedom while Rahul provided stability. However, the inclusion of Rishabh Pant could disrupt this balance. It remains to be seen whether Pant will replace Iyer, who now only features in ODIs, or if he will take Rahul’s spot at No. 5. Rahul’s ability to build an innings and anchor the middle order has been a crucial dynamic for India.
Following them, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya will take their places as all-rounders, but another pressing issue is the lack of a designated finisher. Pandya and Jadeja seem more comfortable pacing their innings rather than taking on the finisher’s role, leaving India searching for a player who can take the game on in the latter stages.
The biggest question mark, however, remains the form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rohit appears to be in trouble, struggling to find rhythm despite trying different approaches to regain form. Conversely, Kohli has become a predictable target for bowlers, with familiar weaknesses being repeatedly exposed.
Bowling at the death: India has been the most successful team at the death since 2023 with an economy of just 6.55 in the death overs; the side has been consistently able to restrict oppositions to low scores by blocking out the final phase of the game, where teams tend to go hard and make full use of their range and t20 experience.
Rock solid middle order: While many might question the management’s decision to have Pant on the bench and the lack of an LHB in the top 5, the middle order has undoubtedly been one of India’s major strengths. With an average of 48.79 between overs 11-40, the likes of Kohli and Shreyas, followed by Rahul, have been both able to rack up high scores with a softer ball and easing field restrictions while also having enough force to up the ante and take the game on or keep up with an asking rate. With Hardik Pandya back in the team, along with Axar Patel potentially being another option, this middle order is stronger than ever.
Lack of LHB in Top 5: Wrist spinners will look to make full use of the helpful conditions they are handed, and team India is making things easier for the opposition with no left-handed batsmen in the top 5. With Rahul being picked over Pant and a top 5 that is unlikely to change, teams will not need to look well past their wrist spinners for solutions to India’s formidable middle order. While Axar Patel is an option, his uncertainty in whether he cements a starting spot and other spinners competing with him would mean that Jadeja at 7 could be the first and only left-handed batsman for this otherwise formidable batting lineup.
Unsettled Bowling Lineup: While losing the best bowler of the present would hurt any team, India is in a trickier situation with their untested pace lineup. Siraj, who has taken a bulk of the responsibility in the absence of Bumrah, is also not there. Harshit Rana, who is far from a like-to-like replacement, will have to cover up.
Coming back from a long injury, Shami has proven to be inconsistent at best, with his recent bowling all over the place. He might not maintain his place as a second-change bowler, where he found immense success in the World Cup and might have to start with a new ball this time. Arshdeep and Harshit Rana have shown immense potential and ability to adapt and deliver to the situation but have been largely untested, which is always a sign of worry when going into an overseas tournament. However, the return of Hardik Pandya would put some minds at ease, as the team will have a dependable face to rely on.
Squad Changes: Cummins, Hazlewood, Marsh, Stoinis and Starc Out Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Jonhson In
That night of 19 November still aches the hearts of over a billion Indian fans. The absolute carnage produced by Australia in each department (be it batting, bowling or fielding) was more than enough to stop the winning trot of the men in blue.
Kangaroos is the best team to have played this format, already winning 8 titles, including 6 ODI World Cups and 2 Champions Trophies (the only team to defend their title as they won in consecutive tournaments in 2006 and 2009).
Australia has played 11 ODI games since the final in Ahmedabad and has won 7 of them. Although they recently lost the ODI series against Pakistan, they have won the other two bilaterals. Just a week before the Champions Trophy, they also have an ODI series scheduled against Sri Lanka.
Coming to the squad, Australia is yet to find a perfect opening partner for Travis Head. Matthew Short opened in the 3-match series against Pakistan but was able to aggregate just 42 runs.
The core strength that gives them an edge over other teams is the quality of the rounders they have. Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell are their primary all-rounders, alongside Aaron Hardie. Marcus, Head and Smudge can bowl spin whenever needed, and Captain Cummins’s batting abilities have also been proven. His role in the match against Afghanistan (Maxwell’s masterclass) was clear evidence of this.
Nathan Ellis played his last ODI game before the World Cup but was named in Australia’s squad for the upcoming tournament. Adam Zampa (their only spinner) is the highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps post-World Cup 2023.
Multidimensional Bowling Unit: The Australian captain will face the problem of plenty while opting for the bowler for each over. They have many options (even of various kinds) in the bowling department. Australia might play with 4 proper bowlers, along with Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie and Matthew Short playing the role of 5th bowler. Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and Travis Head can also roll their arms whenever required.
Travis Head: The man behind Australia’s heroics in their previous 2 championship wins, Travis Head is the major individual strength for Australia. He will give you explosive starts (he has the best strike rate of 107 in powerplay), will take the game forward and will win you matches on his own. Head is also a handy bowler, and his fielding needs no introduction.
Weaknesses
Injury Concerns: Australia’s fast-bowling trio is considered the best across formats. They have the Pacers, who can bowl in any phase of the game and change the match’s momentum in just a few overs. However, losing their star bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to injury may prove to be a major setback for Australia. Also, their star all-rounder will miss the tournament due to a lower back injury. Marcus Stoinis was also named in the 15-member squad but announced his retirement later, and to add more drama to all these, Mitchell Starc took his name out of the Champions Trophy.
Middle Order Batting: The game boasts in the powerplay, and the finishing touches are provided in the death, but the role of middle overs is quite crucial too. Australia’s middle order comprises Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis and others. This might look good on paper but is not backed by the data, as Australia averages the worst (28.09) in the middle-overs phase since Jan 2023. (graph shown in the India section)
15/06/2017 was a day when Bangladesh was completely outplayed by its neighbours and knocked out of the 2017 Champions Trophy. Despite the humiliating loss, the date also marked the first time Bangladesh reached the Semis of an ICC tournament.
It was another stepping stone in Bangladesh’s journey of breaking the shackles of the term underdogs. However, that journey has turned into a trainwreck this decade, with them having the 2nd worst W/L ratio amongst the participating nations since 2020.
Moreover, for the first time in what feels like an eternity, Bangladesh won’t be with their face of the sport, Shakib Al Hasan, for the upcoming ICC tournament, with the official reason stated to be his inability to bowl due to a ban on the basis of illegal action. Accompanying him will be players such as Liton Das and Shoriful Islam, who once seemed to be amongst the few promising white ball cricketers of the country but are now out of the top 15 ODI players of the country.
Shanto is back in the team as captain after missing the previous five ODIs due to a hamstring pull. Soumya Sarkar, who has been brought back into the scheme of things due to his ball-striking ability, has been indirectly confirmed as one of the openers in Pakistan. Veterans Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah retain their spots; however, it seems as if the pace contingent may just be their brightest hope. Taskin and Mustafizur have been around for a long time, whereas Tanzim Hasan impressed everyone in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The country’s overall instability over the past few months seems to be reflected in the nation’s national side. At such a crossroad, this just might be the most important tournament in Bangladesh Cricket’s history.
Pace Attack: Spearheaded by the duo of Mustafizur Rahman and Taksin Ahmed, along with the young madcap Tanzim, the current pace corp is by far the finest in Bangladesh’s history. Bangladeshi Pacers have the 3rd best average and 2nd best economy in this decade among the participating nations of CT25. Although conditions may favour the spinners as the tournament progresses, a good pace unit is lethal in any whatsoever circumstances.
Experienced Campaigners: Other than the recurring presence of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur, bowling spearheads Mustafizur and Taskin have also been in the ODI circuit for over 10 years. This is reflected in the fact that the Bangladeshi Probable XI has the most List A games played amongst the CT 25 squads.
Weaknesses
Fragile Top Order: Not only have Bangladesh been unsuccessful in utilising the Powerplay field restrictions, but they have also failed to safeguard their wickets. Their powerplay average of 22 since 2023 is the worst. Even more concerning is the fact that this average falls to 13 when there’s a left-arm angle. With Shaheen and Arshdeep in Group B, Bangladesh would hope the re-inclusion of Soumya Sarkar may bring a change in fortune at the top.
Inefficient with the bowl in middle overs: One of the major reasons for Bangladesh’s inability to contain their opposition despite an improved pace attack is their lack of wicket-taking bowlers in the middle overs, especially the 11-25 overs phase. The team’s average of 61.94 in this phase is the worst since 2023.
Lacklustre Finishing: Former assistant coach Nic Pothas generated a buzz with his comments circling how genetics limit the Bangladeshi batter’s ability to hit sixes. Now, the cause could be true or not, but his diagnosis of the issue was correct, which has led to inefficient finishes at the death.
With a Strike rate of 111.78 since 2023 in overs 41-50 (2nd worst), they also have the worst six/match ratio in this period.
“One minute down, next minute up” sums up the team we are talking about; Pakistan cricket team, amid all the chaos and controversies, will be a strong contender for the Champions Trophy. Defending champions will also host this elite competition this time; they will be hosting an ICC event after a long, long time. In the recent past, Pakistan has won 2 series, which were very unlikely to be won by them vs South Africa and Australia at their respective home conditions. Mohammad Rizwan has been leading the team brilliantly off-late, with the team looking reunited under him. Pakistan will have one problem: to outscore big teams like New Zealand and India. Pakistan will be among the top 3 favourites to win the tournament. The last time Pakistan played for the Champions trophy, they won it by upsetting their arch-rivals at the oval against the odds; this time, we will also see them competing hard to retain the trophy.
Pakistan announced their squad late among all the teams in the competition, and as per the sources, it is due to the lack of clarity regarding Saim Ayub’s injury, the batter who has looked the best of the lot in Pakistan currently.
The combination of the Pakistan team will be built on Pacers, i.e. Shaheen, Naseem and Haris, alongside many part-time spin options as they have gone only with 1 one-out spinner in Abrar. Babar Azam will most likely Open for them, and this can be a pretty good move because Pakistan pitches won’t have that much juice in them, especially in a 50-over game, and Babar Azam has a very good game of finding gaps and hitting fours along the carpet, Babar averages 56 in ODIs nothing more to say about him in the format though his form off-late has been pretty concerning as it’s been around 2 1.5 years since the ace batter has got a ton. Mohammad Rizwan will be the key accumulator. Fakhar is back on the side and will bring explosiveness to the top. Kamran Ghulam will control the middle order as he has since his debut recently. Salman Agha has got the vice-captaincy and will work as an all-rounder for them. Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah are pretty surprising picks by the team, especially Faheem Ashraf, as he has been totally average in the last 20-odd matches for Pakistan and last appeared in 2023.
Pace Trinity: Pakistan from the eternity is known for having ‘Fast bowlers’; the modern Pakistan attack has 3 very quick and sharp fast bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, the pace Trio of Pakistan. All three of them have different skill sets and bowling styles; Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of those threatening left-arm new ball bowlers that every team want at the front, the inswingers, the yorkers, and the bouncers all along with a 3/4th seam ball going away from the righty, on the other side Naseem Shah is also a very fine prospect who has got swing with pace and can also reverse the ball at times, fitness has been major concern for him and the fastest of them Haris Rauf known for generating extra bounce and pace who can bowl at death with his sharp yorkers.
Home Conditions: As the host nation, Pakistan will get the clear-cut advantage of playing at their den as they will be known to all the conditions, pitches and the crowd support will also be amazing. The host nation has a W/L Ratio of 2.800 this decade and a phenomenal win percentage of 70.
Weaknesses
Spin Bowling: As the conditions will be flat, dry, slow, and ultimately, all the games are to be played in Asia only so, it will be very important for the spinners to perform, but what if a team chooses only 1 specialist spinner in their squad, that’s what the Hosts have done, though they have got plenty of Part-timers in their Squad or XI, the role of specialist in ODI Cricket is very important nowadays also. A good wicket-taking spinner can change the course of action anytime.
Lack of Batting Depth: As we have seen, modern-day ODI or white-ball cricket wants the lower order to contribute and win games or create some impact, giving the team momentum. Pakistan has Naseem and Shaheen as two batters who can hold the bat in the lower order, but the probability of them working as batters is almost negligible. They have a reliable batter at 7, where their whole batting ends.
It took 23 years for South Africa to win their first-ever World Cup knockout game and another 8 years to reach their first-ever World Cup final. Although the historical relevance of the Champions Trophy is smaller and the fact that Proteas were inaugural winners of this tournament, the desire and hunger, or should I say the desperation to end starvation, will stay the same for the ever-evolving Green and gold-wearing rainbow nation.
Cricket South Africa has shown some enormous improvisation since 2023, World Cup semis, SA20, T20 World Cup final and qualification to the World Test Championship. However, these recent developments came at a serious cost of disaster fast bowling fitness. At present, there are 3 three-line line South African fast bowlers out of contention due to injury: Anrich Nortje, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams and Gerald Coetzee, in doubt for the tournament, while Lungi Ngidi will be making a comeback after a long duration.
South Africa is also placed in a group of death for this event, along with Australia, England, and Afghanistan, which recently defeated them in a bilateral ODI series for the first time.
The overall team setup looks similar to the last World Cup, and the team will also play its games in batting-friendly conditions that suit its strengths. Most experts and fans also expect the Proteas to go further than the group stages, but in the end, the question mark will stay afloat unless and until a South African skipper lifts the trophy in his hands.
Fine Finish: Start slow, Finish harder has been a template for recent one-day success of Proteas. It’s an old-school one-day method but works effectively for a lineup that has some of the most modernised whiteball players. This form of batting display has given them double the results when batting first. South Africa has a win/loss ratio of 2 while batting first since 2023, with an average of 41 and a scoring rate of 6.31. While batting second, the W/L ratio drops to 0.7, the batting average drops to 29, and the RPO is 5.7, showing what difference the ability to be able to finish on your own terms brings to this team. Some notable performances of their strong finishes include scoring 428 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup, with 222 of those runs coming in the last 20 overs; 416 versus Australia in centurion, where South Africa tripled their 25th over a score by the 48th over and added 56 runs further!!
Powerplay Bowling: Despite having a depleted bowling attack, South Africa still holds the best powerplay bowling attributes in One Days. Their new ball bowlers from the red ball format also pair up in the 50-over games. Averaging close to 30 runs and 35 balls per wicket in powerplay, South Africa is second only to India in this phase of bowling. At times, they’ve gone for tremendous amounts of runs, but the ability to produce wickets from anywhere in the first half of innings has done wonders for Proteas. In some games in the recent past, especially while defending totals, South Africa pulled the balance in their favour within just the first 15-20 overs of the innings. The World Cup games against England and New Zealand & the one-day series against Australia just before that are some examples of the Powerplay havoc South Africa can produce.
Chasing: Switch the result on the toss, make Proteas bat 2nd and watch all their strength polarise. England and Ireland are the only test-playing nations with worse W/L ratios than South Africa while chasing in ODIs since 2023. Even the Netherlands and Bangladesh have performed better in chases than the men in Green and Gold. The nation that holds the record for the highest-ever one-day chase, highest-ever t20i chase and 2nd second-highest test run chase can no longer hold their nerves even in the simplest of targets, which was evident even in the T20 World Cup. The problem is simple: South African batters are just unable to break the fielding team’s momentum once they have halted their top order. The likes of Klaasen and Miller do possess the temperament to deal with it, but they have often been left alone. South Africa has a history of top-order batters who were unable to deal with big games in the past, and it needs to be broken. The inclusion of Ryan Rickelton as an opener, who seems to follow free-flowing cricket even in crunch moments, as we saw in the SA20 final, can be a ray of hope.
Pace Bowling Depth: South Africa has undoubtedly the most insane amount of depth in Fast bowling that can be possible, but the injury scars that have hit them over the last 8 months are also some of the worst that could have happened to any team. Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams, Ottniel Baartman and even Lungi Ngidi coming off from long breaks. The current bowling attack consists of Jansen and Rabada alongside newcomer and All Rounders Corbin Bosch and Wiaan Mulder. One more concern could unofficially knock them out of the tournament on its own. The event being a short one helps their cause to some extent, but still, they currently stand on a thin sheet of ice.
The underdogs are no longer the same, and they have done a lot of hard work to achieve the status they are currently in. Qualifying for the Champions Trophy ahead of England isn’t as easy as Afghanistan made it look. They will play in their first-ever Champions Trophy, but they will certainly perform beyond their limits and provide some entertaining results throughout the tournament.
Afganistan’s start to CWC 23 was the same as their country’s suffering. They lost to Asian nations Bangladesh and India but defeated defending champions England in their next game. Lost to New Zealand but won their next 3 games consecutively. Had they not dropped the catches of Glenn Maxwell (which later on went out to become the best innings ever played in ODI), they would have easily won against Australia and maybe qualified for the knockouts, too.
Their World T20 campaign was even better. Afghanistan defeated New Zealand in group stages and Australia in Super 8, and it was the very first time that they reached the Semifinals of a World Cup, but South Africa ended their fairy tale with an incredible bowling performance.
Afghanistan’s batting lineup’s primary burden would be on the opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. Gurbaz is their highest run-getter post-World Cup, with over 500 runs, averaging nearly 50. Their new batsman, Sediquallah Atal, has also shown promise, scoring 50 and 100 in the six games he played.
Azmatullah Omarazai began to show promises in the World Cup itself, and since then, there has been no turning back for the right-hander. Post that tournament, he is their second highest run-getter and wicket-taker too. Omarzai is averaging over 52 with the bat and under 21 with the ball in this period.
Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Mohammad Nabi and Allah Ghazanfar. Each one of them is a match-winner in itself, and it will be very tough for the opposition to find a way to score against these quality spin bowlers. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan will also perform the role of finishers as batsmen in death overs.
Quality Spin Bowling: As we mentioned above about the spin bowling calibre, Afghanistan has the best spin bowling unit across the globe in limited-over formats. 3 of them will play most of the matches, and they can even field their 4th spinner (Noor Ahmed) if needed. This quality in spin bowling is backed up by the data that Afghanistan spinners have the best bowling average (28.7) across all the teams playing in the tournament.
Astonishing Starts: We always need early breakthroughs to generate a great powerplay and thus set the tone for the match moving forward. Afghanistan’s bowling attack is very good at doing this, as they have the second-best bowling strike rate in the powerplay after South Africa.
Weaknesses
Slow Starts: The role of powerplay is critical in setting the tone of the match. The initial 10 overs provide you with the momentum that if you score big in this, a higher score/chase looks achievable. Afghanistan is quite good in the bowling department (in powerplay), but that’s not the case in their batting. Their strike rate of 61.92 is the worst among the participating nations. To understand how low it is, even the second worst (New Zealand) has a strike rate of 74.08.
Fast Bowling: Afghanistan has been the home for some of the best spinners in the recent era, but its fast bowling department still needs a lot of work. Fast bowling was never their weapon, and Naveen ul Haq’s retirement brought them more problems. Spinners can take charge in the powerplay and middle overs, but the pacers’ role in death is crucial, and their pacers have been horrible in this phase of the game, giving almost 10 runs per over, much worse than the 2nd worst.
3 Semifinals, 2 Finals and 1 time lifting the mace, 9 years have gone by, and New Zealand will kickstart a new era as their greatest-ever captain, Kane Williamson, passes the baton to Mitchell Santner. Williamson, without a doubt, outperformed and improvised from where Brendon McCullum left; therefore, the expectations from Santner and his men would be to at least match the same intensity and competitiveness that Kiwis have built their reputation around.
New Zealand has definitely been punching above its weight for the last decade, but at some point, the underdog status revokes and the fighter has to start establishing a Heavyweight legacy of its own.
Placed alongside hosts Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, the journey to Knockout seems straightforward: beat either of the 2 rivals and go ahead, but the conditions will pose an extreme challenge for them. With the pitches expected to be good and scoring like usual in ICC events, Kiwis will depend heavily on their young pace attack as they lack a wicket-taking spin option apart from the part-time spin of Glenn Phillips. The continuous bad form of almost all their Wicketkeepers brings in another selection doubt.
Batting Depth: New Zealand is historically known for bowling all-rounders Chris Cairns, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori & Mitchell Santner from the modern-day team. Top batting efforts from players with the primary role of bowling have been a sight to behold from Kiwi fan’s point of view. Even out and out Fast Bowlers like Tim Southee, Adam Milne & Matt Henry showed us their batting skills while representing the Blackcaps.
The current Champions Trophy squad suggests that New Zealand will head into the tournament with a playing XI that will have a minimum of 5 All-rounders, potentially being Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell. Having one of the best All-rounders of the world, captain Mitchell Santner, batting at no. 8 suggests the batting depth privilege of this team. The depth further allows players like Glenn Phillips to play their natural game and someone like Kane Williamson to pace his innings as per will.
Countering Spin: Contrasting to the expectations given their home conditions, New Zealand have statistically emerged as one of the best batting sides against spin in recent ODIs. Since 2023, only India has a better batting average against spin than New Zealand, and only England has a better Strike Rate/Scoring rate than them. The new-age Kiwi batters like Chapman, Young, Conway, Phillips and experienced Tom Latham are all renowned as good players of spin bowling, which was even evident in Test Cricket. Given that the tournament takes place in Pakistan and UAE and the fact that New Zealand will face 3 Asian sides in the group stage, this quality spin batting may make a clear difference for them.
Middle overs Conundrum: For all teams participating in the Champions Trophy, New Zealand has the worst bowling average (44.21) in the middle over phase in ODIs since 2023. Moreover, they will most likely field a playing XI that will not have any wrist spinner or even a proper frontline spinner. Mitchell Santner & Michael Bracewell will be two-finger spinners with some part-time off-spin of Glenn Phillps. So, even to get breakthroughs in the middle, the Kiwis will depend upon their young pace attack led by Matt Henry, who is more of a powerplay bowler.
Wicketkeeper Selection: The second conundrum or something even worse is that Tommy Latham, who was once their vice-captain and one of the pillars of the middle order as a wicketkeeper, is no longer performing. In fact, he not so shockingly scored three ducks in a row recently in 3 different ODIs, but the problem is if you drop him and bring in Mark Chapman, who is in unbelievable form in the middle order, you will have to handover the gloves to Devon Conway, the other wicketkeeper who is himself fighting for an opening slot with Will Young, yet another in form batter. Glenn Phillips, the part-time wicketkeeper, cannot keep wickets because his part-time spin will be much more needed than ever before. So, to accommodate a Wicketkeeper, at least one in-form ODI batter out of Young or Chapman has to be benched, and maybe Devon Conway has to keep wickets for 50 overs while opening the batting alongside. New Zealand will need a strong solution before it is too late.
Squad Changes: Tom Banton comes in place of Jacob Bethell
Captain Jos Buttler, alongside Joe Root, are the only 2 players from the current squad who played in the 2013 Champions Trophy final, in which England lost to India in a thriller, and now both will be hoping to lead their team to their first-ever Champions Trophy title.
England’s tourney in the 2023 ODI World Cup didn’t go as they wanted. They played the tournament as defending champions and won just one in their initial 7 games. They won the final 2 games (against Pakistan and Netherlands) to ensure their qualification for Champions Trophy 2025.
They lost to West Indies in their latest ODI series. Moreover, they are unable to win an ODI series after the major tournament in India. Seeing this record, it seems like England is not in the best form but would like to boost their confidence in the ODI series against India just before the Champions Trophy.
The rise of Ben Duckett as an ODI opener has solved many problems for England. He, alongside Phil Salt, will be the key for England in the powerplay. Joe Root will play the role of an anchor as the middle order of England is pretty good and can change gears at any moment.
Harry Brook is the highest scorer for England since the World Cup 2023. He has struck 427 runs, averaging over 71 with a Strike Rate of 116. Liam Livingstone has also scored 348 runs, averaging around 50 with a Strike Rate of 120. He is also their second-highest wicket-taker in this period, with 8 scalps in the 11 games he played. Tom Banton came as the replacement of Bethell, and Captain Buttler needs no introduction.
Although they have bowlers who can bowl at a very high pace, their bowling still looks a bit rusty as Jofra Archer is not in the best form, and Mark Wood played his last ODI game in World Cup 2023. The role of Adil Rashid in the middle overs will be important from England’s bowling point of view.
England Probable Playing XI for Champions Trophy 2025
Strengths
Injury-Relieved Squad: This isn’t one of the more conventional virtues that is usually used; however, given how teams such as Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Australia, etc. have been plagued with injuries to key members, England is lucky to be heading into the tournament with their full-strength XI baring just one minor change with Banton coming in place of Bethell.
Explosive in the Middle: With batters like Duckett, Root and Buttler in their ranks, opposition spinners will always need to be on their toes against the English side. Although the batting lineup is prone to collapses in dicey pitches, in tracks conducive to batting, their philosophy in overs 11-40 can prove to be the difference. This is backed by the fact that they also have the best scoring rate in the middle-overs.
Spin Woes: Although this may seem contradictory to the previous point, it is what it is. England not only has the worst average against spinners (29.87) but also the second-worst among participating teams (Afghanistan), is a distant second-last (33.13).
One-Dimensional Batting line-up: Ever since their white-ball revolution, England is well-known for their attack-first mindset, but given the decline of Joe Root in this format, the side now lacks an anchor. Brook has been disappointing in his short ODI career, and thus, the side may face issues in bridging the explosive openers with the long line of finishers.
A nation whose stereotypical image is that of one obsessed with sports, it seems when it comes to cricket, it is more appropriate to term Australia as a country obsessed with winning. Be it the men, women or the youth teams, Australia has carried an air of excellence that can be dated as far back as “The Invincibles” of 1948.
However, when it came to the ODIs, the baggy greens had to take a backseat to the Windies’ domination in their initial years. It becomes ironic against the backdrop of consistent Aussie dominance that Australia’s first of 6 World Cup trophies came in a tournament where they were ranked outsiders in 1987. Things remained quiet for the subsequent years, but come the turn of the century and Australia’s reign of dominance was established through their 2nd World Cup victory in 99′. A reign which saw 2 World Cups and 2 champions trophies being adjusted into the Australian trophy cabinet. And despite the comforts of the tag of favourites, the Aussies have never lost their alternative ability of fighting against the odds evident in their 6th World Cup triumph in 2023.
Hereby, we present Australia’s All-time ODI XI to you, celebrating cricket’s villains yet, more importantly, the ultimate winners.
Adam Gilchrist (WK)
Picking up the mantle of chaotic left-handed openers from Sanath and Saeed, Gilchrist added a touch of reliability to his destructive style throughout the early 00s.
Matches: 287
Runs: 9,619
Average: 35.89
Strike Rate: 96.94
Dismissals: 472
From 1998-2008, Gilly’s strike rate never went below 88 and the lowest his average stooped down was 31 (filtered by year). So, although he never had an iconic calendar year such as Jayasuriya 97 or Anwar 96, Adam’s uniformity both behind and in front of the stumps meant he was a part of the winning podium for all 3 of his World Cups.
His overall World Cup numbers resemble his career statistics; however, when it comes to exclusively knockouts, Churchy’s 3 fifties in consecutive finals are a part of cricketing folklore. Additionally, his strike rate of 109.87 across all ICC knockout games stands as the 3rd highest figure (min. 150 runs).
And to combine with his slog sweeps, was his nimble glovework. Gilchrist’s dismissal/innings ratio of 1.65 is the best for any wicketkeeper in ODI history.
David Warner
The most stacked position of this XI, with the other takers being Mark Waugh and Matthew Hayden, “the Bull” was our choice for the 2nd opener spot, given he edged them by a small yet definite margin in the Z-Factor metric, which you can check out in our article about ODI Openers.
Matches: 161
Runs: 6,932
Average: 45.3
Strike Rate: 97.26
Recently announcing his retirement following his 2nd World Champions medal, Warner is an integral component in each of those wins, finishing his career with the 6th most runs in the tournament’s history. He has been able to infuse a method of consistency within his rugged jabs, evident in the fact that only Tendulkar has a better average and a better strike rate amongst openers with min. 5k runs in the article mentioned above.
A batter with a penchant for bigger scores; this is evident in his conversion rate of 40.00 (6th highest) and 7 150+ scores (2nd most). A man who isn’t shy of controversies but whose temper has been watered down over time, Warner’s 5-year stretch from 2015-19 is when he was at the peak of his powers, scoring 3,451 runs @57.52 with a scoring rate of 102.13.
Ricky Ponting (C)
The 4th highest run-getter of the format, Ricky was the quintessential middle-order anchor of his time, personifying the attitude that became synonymous with the Australian side of the 2000s.
Matches: 375
Runs: 13,704
Average: 42.03
Strike Rate: 80.39
An 18-year career that saw him transform from the French beard to the now world-famous clean-shaved look, Ponting’s away average of 45.04 is the 15th best in ODIs (no neutral games and min. 1000 runs), which also triumphs over his home average of 39.17. Having the 4th most centuries, he had a hundred against each of the test-playing nations he faced and his gross performance against them was up to the mark too, with his lowest average recorded against them being 35.9 vs the Windies.
Accumulating 1,743 runs (3rd most) across 5 editions, Ponting finished as a winner in 3 of them. 2 of the later ones were where he led the nation as a captain. Despite all of the batting accolades that we listed, the fact that Ponting’s legacy as a captain at times overshadows his legacy as a batter is a testament to his achievements as a leader. 2 World Cups and 2 Champions trophies, Ricky’s win% of 71.74 is the 2nd best in ODIs (min. 50 matches).
Dean Jones
One of the few batsmen to have “quick runs stolen” included in their highlight reels, Jones wasn’t only one of the best white-ball batters of the 80s but also someone who revolutionised the art to an extent.
Matches: 164
Runs: 6,068
Average: 44.62
Strike Rate: 72.57
Be it being fidgety around the crease or running like a lunatic across the pitch, Deano’s out-of-the-box perspectives seemed to have been forgotten as the pages have turned in the cricketing world over the years.
For the first 100 games of his career, he averaged over 50, the best in the world. And he wasn’t too far behind in the striking department, with only a handful (5) having a better scoring rate. However, him averaging 35 for the last 4 years meant his overall statistics took a hit.
The fact that no other Aussie batter averaged above 40 in the games Dean was part of, and the strike rates of the rest of his top order partners (65 and 55), show how important he was at a time when Australia were finding their footing in this format.
Andrew Symonds
Amongst the best athletes the sport has ever seen, Symonds’s unadulterated range hitting combined with his strategic off-spin/medium-paced wobblers are more than enough to secure a spot in the XI.
Matches: 198
Runs: 5088
Average: 39.75 (44.52 at no. 5)
Strike Rate: 92.44
Wickets: 133
Bowl Average: 37.2
Symond’s first 5 years didn’t do justice to his talent, with him averaging around 26 in this period. Given how competitive the national side was at the time, it’s highly impressive how the management persisted with him, and he repaid this faith in the 03 winning campaign, a tournament in which he started off with a 143(125)* against Pakistan when he entered at 86/4.
In fact, his average of 76.66 across 26 ICC games is the 3rd best for any batter who scored 100 runs or more. And this went up to 103 when it came exclusively to the World Cup matches. With only Ryan ten Doeschate simultaneously possessing a better average as well as a better strike during the 12-year period Symonds played in, another anomalous feature of Andrew’s career was his contrasting numbers in and out of Australia. Symonds scored 29 runs per dismissal at home, whereas this statistic shot up to nearly 50 in 115 games held outside of the country.
Michael Bevan
The ability to snatch victory from the jaws of death is something one can’t fully justify with statistics, yet it remains Bevan’s most celebrated ability.
Matches: 232
Runs: 6,912
Average: 53.58
Strike Rate: 74.16
Although Bevan had an average of nearly 60 at number 4, we couldn’t displace him from his perch at lower down the order. One of the first players to be established as a synonym for the term “finisher”. Averaging 56.72 at 6, no one else even averaged 50 (min. 30 innings) and moreover, his strike rate also saw a marginal increase over here.
Known for his iconic partnerships with lesser-talented batters, the lowest Bevan’s average went against any non-associate side was 44.73 against South Africa. Having batted at all positions from number 4-7, he had a 40+ average in each of them. To add to his acumen of versatility, he also averaged above 50 in games outside of Australia. Although one might say his mean was inflated through his 67 career not-outs, Bevan had an RPI of 35.26. For context, Ponting’s RPI stood at 37.54.
Shane Watson
Amongst the last breed of all-rounders who were able to sustain a career as long as 14 years while being a key contributor in both departments, Shane’s primary position was that of an opener, but due to team dynamics and a lack of a proper 5th bowler alternative, Watson will occupy position 7.
Matches: 190
Runs: 5,757
Average: 40.54
Strike Rate: 90.44
Wickets: 168
Average: 31.79
Economy: 4.95
To start off, Watson has 40 games at no. 6 or below, where he scored his runs at an average of 34 with a scoring rate of 90.55. Not bad right? Apart from this, it’s a shame how Watson’s batting mastery overshadowed his handy spells with the ball in the middle overs.
An away average of 30.81, although Watson didn’t achieve much with the ball in the World Cup, he was a key part of 2 champions trophy-winning squads, picking up 17 wickets @23.29. And to present how valuable an all-rounder he was, his average difference of 8.74 is the 4th best in ODIs (min. 1.5K runs and 75 wickets) and has gone under 0 against only 2 of his 15 opponents.
Cricketing trivia, such as Tendulkar having more fifers than Warne or Jayasuriya having more ODI wickets than Shane, have diminished the white-ball legacy of one of the sport’s enigmatic characters, but in our opinion, he has done enough to be a part of the all-time ODI side of the greatest cricketing nation.
Matches: 194
Wickets: 293
Average: 25.73
Strike Rate: 36.3
Economy: 4.25
Storming into the format with picking his first 100 wickets @20.47, the injuries from 97′ onwards took a toll on him, with his average in the period 1997-retirement rising up to 28.9. However, his most prolific year came during this slump when Warne picked up 62 wickets in the year 1999, including the 99′ World Cup winning campaign where he was the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament.
Part of only 2 World Cups, he was tremendous in both of them, picking up 32 wickets @19.5. He surprisingly struggled in Asia, with an average of 29.44 over there being the worst of his across the 5 continents.
Mitchell Starc
Keeping the thrill of fast-bowling alive amongst the younger audience in an era where such individuals are few and far between due to the white-ball game bending itself towards the batters, Mitchell Starc’s inswinging yorkers have etched themselves amongst the iconic images of his craft.
Matches: 121
Wickets: 236
Average: 22.96
Strike Rate: 26.4
Economy: 5.21
Talking about striking the timber, Starc’s 37.29% of career wickets coming as bowled dismissals is the highest in ODIs (min 150 wickets). Following Lee’s precedence regarding wicket-taking prowess, his career strike rate of 26.4 is the 2nd best under the same criteria.
The reason that pushes him down when it comes to the ATG status conversations is his ordinary performance against the top 3 opponents of his time, India, South Africa and England; averaging above 30 against each of them. However, the fact that he has been amongst the top bowlers of his era, with only 2 other players (non-associate) possessing a better average since his debut, combined with his unworldly World Cup campaigns, is enough for us to deem him as one of the greats of the format.
Highest wicket-taker of the 15′ and 19′ campaigns, Mitchell Starc, is the 3rd ever highest wicket-getter in CWCs, despite playing in what were by far the 3 most batting-friendly editions.
Brett Lee
The exact opposite of our no. 11 when it came to the importance of pace in their respective arsenal, this was also perhaps why both Lee and McGrath formed one of the most prolific yet effective bowling pairs of the format.
Matches: 221
Wickets: 380
Average: 23.36
Strike Rate: 29.4
Economy: 4.76
Though the latter overshadows the former when it comes to stature and legacy, Lee was superior when it came to wicket-taking abilities. His bowling strike rate of 29.4 is the 3rd best for anyone who debuted prior to the 2010s (min. 100 wickets). Moreover, only Shami and our previous bowler have picked more World Cup wickets at a better strike rate than Lee’s 23.57.
Despite minimal variations, Lee’s record in Asia supersedes even his own record in Australia. Only 5 other bowlers have a better bowling average in the subcontinent than Brett’s 22.72. As is the case with the rest of his bowling partners for today, Brett improved his statistics at the premier tournament, with only Shami picking more wickets at a better norm than Binga’s 17.87.
Glenn McGrath
A bowler whose name has become synonymous with the term “metronome” over the years, Glenn McGrath has also come to be associated with the tag of the “greatest ODI bowler”.
Matches: 249
Wickets: 380
Average: 21.98
Strike Rate: 34.0
Economy: 3.88
Glenn didn’t have express velocity nor did he possess a magical ability such as Akram’s reverse swing or Ambrose’s yorkers, yet his resume is as brilliant as anyone in both formats.
The highest his bowling average went against any opponent was 26.76 against India, and the highest in any country was 28.66 in India. In fact, in our article about era-adjusted numbers, Glenn McGrath was the one with the best era-adjusted average amongst bowlers with 300 or more career wickets despite having company from individuals such as Wasim, Waqar, and Muralitharan.
Lastly, no discourse is complete about the greatest bowlers without mentioning how they fared in the bigger matches, and McGrath ticked this box like the others. Highest wicket-taker in World Cups and 5th highest in Champions trophy with an average of 18.19 and 19.61 respectively, McGrath also picked up 70 wickets across knockouts of all multi-nation tournaments @18.25.
To summarise, perfection rather than consistency seems the better synonym for McGrath.
Given the sheer quality and quantity Australia has produced over the years, a second all-time Australia XI would give other nations’ first-string sides a run for their money.
As mentioned above, openers Mark Waugh and Hayden missed out since we felt Warner tipped them over in almost every category, whereas a strong case is made for Hussey and Maxwell. As great as both of these batters are, they couldn’t replace the “Pyjama Picasso” for us. Watson had to be picked owing to his superior skills as the 5th bowler of the side, whereas a case could have been made for replacing Symonds, more so for Maxwell, given the former’s lacklustre ICC record. In the end, it’s splitting hairs, and we felt Symonds had the more rounded resume.
The pace quadrant of Lillee, Mcdermott, Bracken and Johnson was a terrific mix, but it was improbable to dislodge any of our 3 pacers, whereas Chinaman Hogg had an outside shot at Warne’s position.
Pakistan cricket has never been short of on-field characters, may it be the over-animated yet skilled Javed Miandad, who although prolific to end, would not back down for a war of words (or actions, just ask Kiran More and a few others), or Sarfraz Ahmed’s crude yet crafty style of batting and captaincy that led him to multi ICC tournament wins or explosive yet controversial charades of Shahid Afridi over the first two decades of the 21st century.
Amidst all the chaos lies a rather sedate character like Shan Masood. Born in a somewhat privileged family, Shan is far from the archetype of a standard Pakistani cricketer. Unlike most of the Pak cricketers who usually abandon their studies in favour of pursuing their cricket dreams, Shan Masood is a rather fulfilled scholar, having completed schooling at the prestigious Stamford School in Lincolnshire and further at Durham University and Loughborough University.
The general environment at cricket in the subcontinent is often not meant for the subdued and well-minded nature of Masood’s kind, and understandably so, Masood has taken his sweet time to make it from the First-Class system to the Pakistan test team, only having played 33 tests for Pakistan from 2013 to 2023.
If the weight of criticism and a rather humble red-ball batting record wasn’t already quite a heavy one to carry, the captaincy of the red-ball team too has now fallen onto Shan Masood’s rather enterprising shoulders. His not-so-flattering red ball record is obviously putting in the firing line for the good old angry fans who don’t take too kindly to anyone replacing their favourite.
But Shan has been a bit of a unique character. Might not be as elegant or technically sound batter as his younger comrades, but his 52 off 42 against India at MCG in the T20 World Cup 2022 was the sign of the kind of fight and grit he brings to the table, surviving an opening spell of swing, bounce and chaos from Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, shepherding the tail to help take the score from 120/7 to a respectable 159/8.
On the same venue in the all-important final against England, Shan would again top score with 38 off 28 while the wickets fell around him and the score could not get moving.
“It’s the Pakistan way”, the term he used when Pakistan scored a 2-0 test series win over Sri Lanka where they adopted this far more aggressive approach in batting, Shan himself paving the way with 39 off 30 in the first test and a quick fire 51 in the second with Pakistan scoring at a scoring rate of almost 4 runs per over.
His stern test as a captain arrived down under in the form of a test series against the Aussie, where after the morale-crushing defeat worth 360 runs that also saw Pakistan collapse to 89 all-out in the 4th innings. At Melbourne, though, things had already changed a lot, as Masood himself showed a lot of signs of positivity.
His aggressive fieldsets were instrumental in keeping Australia down to just 318 in the first innings, and his twin 50s at a rather good clip with the bat that at one point meant Australia were pretty close to their first home test defeat against Pakistan in almost 29 years.
Shan has been a bit of the fall guy for Pakistan cricket recently. Between all the colourful on-field characters and dismissive administrators, Masood has had a tough job of being the middle man who has to tackle media, fan outrages and press conferences amidst the chaotic Pakistan set-up.
His plight almost reminds one of the character named Babu Bisleri from the 2003 movie Hungama, a funny and smart worker who, even though always troubled by the happenings of the welcome lodge that is Pakistan cricket, is always striving to do what’s best for business.
Acquiring associate member status in 1977, Bangladesh had to wait 9 more years before their first ODI and a further 12 years for their first victory. By then, cricket had overtaken football as the country’s staple sport, yet the team’s performance didn’t do justice to the support they were receiving from the fans, though things turned out with their win over Pakistan in the 99 World Cup. One of the biggest shocks of the format, that win actually served as a catalyst in Bangladesh gaining test status.
Subsequent momentous yet solitary victories over India and Australia in the next century, followed by another CWC upset over the former in 2007, meant Bangladesh was now in the sweet phase of contending, good enough to trouble any opponent in any given but not good for people to burden them with expectations of winning.
But the 2012 Asia Cup runners-up finish, followed by the golden year of 2015, when they reached the quarters of CWC 15 and secured series wins over India, Pakistan, and South Africa, meant Bangladesh was inching closer to the tag of contenders. Even though the rise is currently at a halt, proper leadership is the only requirement to resume it.
So here’s our Bangladesh All-Time ODI XI, celebrating certainly not the most loved but one of the more passionate sides of the sport.
Tamim Iqbal
The leading run-getter for the country in ODIs, Tamim was amongst the 6 Bangladeshi players in the 00s who made their debuts before turning 18, but he was the solitary member of that group who did justice on the career arc projected on them at the time.
Matches: 243
Runs: 8,357
Average: 36.65
Strike Rate: 78.52
However, the going wasn’t always easy, especially in the first half of his 17-year career. Till 2014, Tamim had scored 3,971 runs @29.86. He was still amongst the best batters in his land, but compared to what had been the vision of the fans towards him, the tag of ‘underachiever’ was attached to Iqbal. But a turnaround in 2015, which saw him scoring the rest of his 4,386 @46.17, which included a prime stretch between 2015-18 where his average shot up to 57.65, meant the under-achiever shouts were now dead and buried.
He started his CWC career with a match-winning 50 but failed to replicate such standards later on, averaging 24.75 across four editions. However, he was the third-highest run-getter in his solitary Champions Trophy campaign, with an average of 73.25.
Liton Das
Currently 29 years old, Liton has a lot of cricket left in him, and his current resume isn’t anything extraordinary. But him stepping up on the grand stage, a feature uncommon amongst the country’s batters, meant he edged past Imrul Kayes for the opening spot.
Matches: 91
Runs: 2,563
Average: 31.25
Strike Rate: 86.64
Part of 2 World Cup campaigns, he scored 468 @36 with a strike rate of 89.82. These numbers might not seem much, but none of the Bangladesh batters possess a better mean and a higher scoring rate than Liton’s figures. Having a poor record against top opponents, he turned up in his solitary ODI knockout match in the 2018 Asia Cup final. Scoring 121 runs out of the team’s total of 222, the team unfortunately ended up losing to India, though Das picked up the MOTM award.
Soumya Sarkar
Among the more trolled cricketers of the social-media era, Soumya’s poor performances in the ICC tournaments might be the major cause, but his erstwhile promise in the format makes him a part of the XI.
Matches: 69
Runs: 2,012
Average: 33.53
Strike Rate: 97.48
First of all, his career scoring rate of 97.48 is the best for any of the Tiger’s batters. In fact, only Sabbir Rahman possesses a strike rate in excess of 90 other than Soumya. He had even better numbers as an opener, but we had a dearth of number 3s, and since he is the 2nd most successful batter in that position (after our no. 5), he has been slotted at the anchor position.
He maintains an average in excess of 40 against the likes of Pakistan, South Africa, and Windies, and although his performance away from home does not replicate his home numbers (AVG:44.63 SR:105.86), his 169 in Saxton Oval, when the second-highest score was 45, ranks amongst the best innings played in a losing cause.
Mohammad Ashraful
Debuting at 16, the numbers below don’t do justice to the hopes that rose amongst the fans when Ashraful debuted. Well, he himself didn’t do justice to the potential and responsibilities he held during his heyday. But Ashraful remains Bangladesh Cricket’s first superstar.
Matches: 175
Runs: 3,468
Average: 22.37 (25.49 at 4)
Strike Rate: 70.10 (73.06 at 4)
Despite such ordinary statistics, Ashraful is the team’s fourth-highest run-scorer and sixth most capped player. All batters with a higher average and strike rate debuted a minimum of five years after Ashraful’s first ODI in 2001 (except Aftab Ahmed).
Described as someone with memorable rather than consistent showings, four out of his eight Man-of-the-Match awards came against SENA nations, including a century against the Australians in 2005. Such memorable matches bought him a cult following, but his spot-fixing ventures in 2013 cut his career short.
He marginally improved his performance during the World Cups, averaging 24.91 with a scoring rate of 74.75, which is still better than any other Bangla batter outside of our XI (adjusted with respect to Z-factor).
Shakib Al Hasan
3rd most runs and the most wickets for the men in green, Shakib has been the sole individual of the land who can be indeed regarded as an all-time great when it comes to the sport of cricket.
Matches: 247
Runs: 7,570
Bat Average: 37.29
Strike Rate: 82.83
Wickets: 317
Bowl Average: 29.52
Economy: 4.47
Batting in the top 5 for the majority of his career, he might be the best batter in the country. Statistically, he has batted better in matches held out of Bangladesh than his fellow countrymen and his own numbers at home. He also happens to be the leading run-getter in ICC tournaments with an average of 42.18, and only our number 7 has outperformed him in this metric.
The above accomplishments were more than enough to cement his place in the eleven. On top of them, he is also arguably the best bowler of the nation, debatable with only the pacer who spearheads our attack.
To provide context as to why Shakib is rated amongst the best all-rounders of the game, his average difference of +7.76 is the 5th best in ODI history (minimum. 1K runs and 75 wickets). Although this number falls to +5.55 when it comes to the CWC, his ranking doesn’t alter (minimum. 300 runs and 20 wickets).
Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur is one of the few current Bangladeshi players who still carries the attitude of maximising the minimal resources one possesses, which was much more customary in the earlier Bangladeshi sides.
Matches: 271
Runs: 7,792
Average: 36.92
Strike Rate: 79.74 (84.36 at 6)
Dismissals: 293
Standing at 5’3′, the term pocket-sized dynamite has been associated with him over the years, but when it comes to his actual batting methods, they’re anything but explosive. But hey! Explosive can indeed be used to describe his celebrations.
A clever extractor of the scoops and cuts, his record against various opponents is well-rounded, with New Zealand (27.31) and South Africa (29.09) being the only 2 non-associate teams against whom his average has gone below 30. Till 2013, his average stood at 26.33, and more importantly, he scored at a rate of under 70 runs per 100 deliveries. However, the transformation in the next 11 years has been extraordinary, with his average and strike rate in the period being 45.28 and 86.5 respectively. This period also includes 45+ average campaigns in the 15′ and 19′ CWCs.
Mahmudullah
The man of big occasions, there have been shouts as to why a batsman as good as Mahmudullah isn’t promoted up in the order throughout his career, and he indeed has been successful in the lesser opportunities he has received in the middle-order. However, a finisher’s task isn’t easy either, nor is it given the deserved value in these parts of the world. This is why Riyad is the perfect and, more importantly, the only man for this job.
Matches: 232
Runs: 5,386
Average: 35.66
Strike Rate: 76.92
The crisis man of his nation throughout his 18-year stint, 2 out of Mahmudullah’s 4 centuries came when the 2nd highest score was 40 and 22, whereas the 3rd one was when the team was reeling at 33/4. Devoid of brute power, unlike other finishers, his quick running between the wickets and ability to bat along with tail-enders made him the perfect candidate for such situations.
Bangladesh’s best batter in ICC tournaments, his numbers stack up pretty well against performers from the rest of the world. His average of 1,081 across 29 CWC and Champions Trophy matches ranks 10th among batters with at least 1K runs.
Mashrafe Mortaza (C)
A talisman in both leadership and fast bowling, Mashrafe’s record as a bowler is mediocre when judging it through the factors we have used throughout our all-time XIs series, but even we can’t deny the fact that he was the first and only pacer of the country who could pose a challenge to foreign bowlers up until 2015.
Matches: 218
Wickets: 269
Average: 32.65
Economy: 4.86
Strike Rate: 40.2
Mentored by Sir Andy Roberts, Mortaza regularly clicked late 130s-early 140 kmph speed in his earlier years, an ability he lost as his career progressed. He enjoyed his most prolific year in 2006, when his 49 wickets were the highest for anyone in the world.
After a 20-year career that saw him bowl 1,820 (the 18th most) overs, the last four years have seriously damaged his overall numbers, with him averaging 44.12 across 51 games in this span. A handy lower-order batter, Mashrafe is actually the 13th-highest run-getter of the nation, with only Soumya possessing a higher strike rate than his (87.56) amongst those with more runs.
Above all, he was the most successful skipper of the country, leading them in their most successful phase from 2014-20. Only Tamim has a win% >50 other than him.
Mustafizur Rahman
Erupting into the international circuit at a time when Bangladesh cricket was on the rise, Mustafizur provided the extra fuel to this journey with one of the most stupendous debut years, and although his stocks have damaged as quickly as his rise was, he is already debatable for the crown of Bangladesh’s best ODI bowler while also having age on his side to make things right again.
Matches: 104
Wickets: 164
Average: 26.26
Economy: 5.16
Strike Rate: 30.5
Man-of-the-series in his debut contest against India, by his 17th match, Fizz had picked up 42 wickets at an average of 15.29. Everyone knew of his cutters, but none could counter them. It was like facing a finger-spinner, only that this spinner was bowling at 125 kmph.
Unfortunately, a shoulder injury along with batters adjusting to this dark art over the years has led to Mustafizur losing steam, but he still possesses the best career average for a Bangladeshi bowler (min. 35 wickets). Primarily known for his wicket-taking abilities in ODIs in contrast to his miserly tendency in T20s, he has the 12th best strike rate amongst bowlers with at least 100 wickets. He had a renaissance during the 2019 World Cup, where he was the 4th highest wicket-taker, picking 20 wickets at @24.20.
Abdur Razzak
In a country well known for its absurd number of left-arm orthodox spinners, we have already encountered one, and here is our second. Having individuals such as Enamul Moni and Mohammad Rafique (more to him later) to look up to, Razzak took the craft to a higher level and was Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker at the time of his last ODI.
Matches: 153
Wickets: 207
Average: 29.29
Economy: 4.56
Strike Rate: 38.4
Only the second spinner to take a hat-trick in the 50-over format, Abdur was different from other spinners of the country in his attacking approach of looking for wickets at all phases. At the time of his retirement, only 7 other spinners had a better strike rate than Abdur’s 38.4. Having minimal support in the bowling attack, Abdur’s performance in won matches is phenomenal, picking up 129 scalps at @16.18.
Part of 3 ICC tournaments, his performance was elevated by a small margin in these 18 contests, picking up 24 wickets at an average of 27.29. This looks more outstanding when one is made aware of the fact that no other Bangladeshi bowler averages less than 30 in CWCs and Champions trophies combined.
Taskin Ahmed
Before Mustafizur’s introduction in 2015, Bangla fans had touted Taskin as the fast-bowling sensation that the nation craved. Although he has been far away from fulfilling such prophecies, he has done enough to make it into the country’s all-time XI, but there’s no denying he had serious competition from senior compatriots.
Matches: 73
Wickets: 103
Average: 29.98
Economy: 5.41
Strike Rate: 33.2
A career average of 29.98 was the biggest advantage he had over them. Only 7 of the Tiger’s top 25 bowlers possess an average under 30, and Taskin is the 3rd latest amongst them in his debut date. He has had equal chances with both new ball and as a first change and has done equally well in both responsibilities. Since his debut, only 5 other pacers have picked more wickets at a lower average (29.41) when their bowling position has been 3 or greater.
Notable Omissions
Imrul Kayes was a contender for the top-order positions since he has a better-adjusted average than both Liton and Soumya, but a 24.62 CWC average and 23.97 away average forced us to think otherwise.
Habibul Bashar is one of the important individuals who have led Bangladesh Cricket to reach where it is currently, but his preferred format as a batsman was the tests, as evidenced by an ODI scoring rate of 60.44.
Mohammad Rafique is one of the first players to enjoy a cult following back home due to his all-round prowess, but a bowling average in the high 30s and just 2 fifty+ scores with the bat meant we limited ourselves to just the two slow-left armers.
It was a tough choice between Rubel Hossain and Taskin, but if the latter was bad in certain metrics, then the former was much worse. The same is true of Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Since we were picking a position lower than number 7, bowling was the major differentiating factor, and thus, Mehidy’s batting heroics didn’t help him much in this situation. A shoutout to Shoriful Islam, who has been impressive in his short stay and may replace his senior teammate in the upcoming years.
So, Our Bangladesh All Time ODI XI is:
Tamim Iqbal
Liton Das
Soyuma Sarkar
Mohammad Ashraful
Shakib Al Hasan
Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)
Mahmudullah
Mashrafe Mortaza (c)
Mustafizur Rahman
Abdur Razzak
Taskin Ahmed
12th Man: Imrul Kayes
Extras: Mohammad Rafique, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Associate nations in cricket function as the underdogs that all neutrals love to support, yet ICC hasn’t been kind to them in recent years. Although the decision to minimise the number of teams in CWC was taken from the point-of-view of financial profits, the absence of such nations means fewer opportunities for the sport to grow. CWC 23 participants; Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are evidence of how competition from premier sides is necessary for novice nations to progress, whereas the sole associate squad, The Netherlands, exhibited the thrill and climax such teams bring to the international stage. Well, Zimbabwe is one of the original sides that captured the very essence of such associate nations.
Battling it out in the South African domestic circuit under the name of Rhodesia, Zimbabwe gained ICC membership after their independence in 1980 and, in their first-ever ODI, secured the biggest upset of the format at the time by defeating Australia. Unfortunately, the team couldn’t build around this victory, with the gap between their 1st and 2nd wins being 3,205 days. However, a golden generation in the late ’90s saw the Chevrons on the rise, with a 5th-place finish in the 99 World Cup being the demonstration of their potential.
The 03′ edition in the African continent was supposed to be the next step in their progression, but rather, it turned out to be the start of a steep decline due to the surrounding political unrest. A decline that saw their test status getting revoked, a suspension from international cricket and consecutive failures in reaching the ultimate tournament. However, qualification for 2027 WC is sealed through host status, and with that note.
Here’s our All-time Zimbabwe ODI XI, hoping Zimbabwe has its redemption and completes the story left unfinished in 2003.
Alistair Campbell (C)
A child prodigy whose legacy within African cricket lies majorly around his administration achievements; although Campbell wasn’t able to achieve the career arc that was projected when he debuted as a 19-year-old in the World Cup, his rugged approach, along with leadership achievements, make him our captain for today’s article.
Matches: 188
Runs: 5,185
Average: 30.50 (34.78 as opener)
Strike Rate: 66.18
Averaging 16 after his first 15 innings, a 131(115)* against Sri Lanka got his career moving. A hard-hitting batsman whose intent couldn’t transpire into a high strike rate, Campbell was inconsistent with the willow. For example, he scored 2 centuries against the Australian side of the late ’90s, yet his average against them was a paltry 24.93. Another fact regarding his hundreds was that 5 out of his total 7 centuries came in losing causes.
He also captained Zimbabwe in 86 ODIs, with a W/L ratio only behind Craig Ervine. More importantly, he overlooked the team’s best years, including the 1999 World Cup, when they missed a semi-final spot only on the basis of net run rate.
Neil Johnson
It might baffle our readers that a player with an ODI career spanning just 3 years is occupying the second opening spot, but considering that Neil Johnson was amongst the best all-rounders in that period, along with his superior performances with the bat in the 1999 World Cup, we chose him as the partner to skipper Campbell.
Matches: 48
Runs: 1679
Average: 36.5
Strike Rate: 70.28
Wickets: 35
Bowl Average: 34.86
Economy: 4.87
Opening the batting and bowling (simultaneously) 25 times out of these 48 games gives us a glimpse of Neil’s importance in Zimbabwe’s most prolific period. Equally proficient against spinners and pacers, Johnson brought his A-game against the top competitors. His batting average against Pakistan, South Africa, and Australia stands at 50.83, 47, and 83, respectively, across 15 combined contests.
Ultimately, the foremost display of his ability was seen in the 99 CWC. The 6th highest scorer with a batting average of 52.43 along with 12 wickets, which he picked @19.42, Neil’s average difference of 33.01 is the 7th best in World Cup history.
Brendan Taylor
Making his international debut at the age of 18 amidst the backdrop of the “Death of Democracy” protest, Taylor’s career is mostly seen as one that was always surrounded by unfortunate circumstances. Yet, he managed to make the most of the limited opportunities presented to his country during his 18-year stay.
Matches: 203
Runs: 6,684
Average: 35.55 (43.37 at 3)
Strike Rate: 76.65 (82.11 at 3)
To give context as to how much dependent the Zimbabwean side was on him,
The ratio of Taylor’s batting average to Zimbabwe’s top 7 in the 203 matches he played in is 1.33. For reference, Kohli’s measure under this filter is 1.35.
Amongst the few 21st-century Chevron batters who were comfortable against quality spin, he was clever in his approach against the pacers, using the uppercut to great effect.
He underperformed in his first two World Cups but made up for it in his third edition, where he was the fourth-highest run scorer with an average of 72.17 and a scoring rate of 106.91.
Andy Flower (WK)
The highest-run accumulator for his nation, the elder of the Flower brothers was often viewed as the sole world-class player of his side. Although this notion was established largely due to his performances in the whites, Andy Flower still remains one of the best to wear the red and gold.
Matches: 213
Runs: 6786
Average: 35.34
Strike Rate: 74.59 (81.51 at 4)
Dismissals: 165
Announcing himself with a century in his debut, Flower would reach the 3 figure mark only 3 more times in his 12-year career. His conversion rate of 6.78 is the 7th lowest for batters with a minimum of 4K runs. He wasn’t the pioneer of the reverse sweep, but very few batsmen have used it as efficiently as Andy did against the spinners, which is evident in the averages of 40.56 and 38.29 against India and Sri Lanka, respectively.
Forced to retire after his armband protest in the 03′ World Cup, he ended his journey on a high, scoring 332 runs @47.43 in the tournament. Considering he also has the most dismissals in addition to his test experience, Andy will also do the gloves in this XI.
Grant Flower
The most capped ODI player in the country, Grant slid across the batting order throughout the 18 years that separated his first and last match. Although he played 62% of his matches at the top, his best performances came lower down the order, and thus, he would accompany his sibling in the middle overs.
Matches: 221
Runs: 6,571
Average: 33.52 (37.65 at 5)
Strike Rate: 67.58 (74.81 at 5)
Wickets: 104
Bowl Average: 40.63
Grant played the role of an anchor during his earlier years but got to showcase his strokeplay later on when he hovered around the number 5 position. Inheriting some of his elder brother’s most beautiful cross-batted shots, he was the first batsman to carry his bat in an ODI game, scoring 84* out of the team’s total of 205 against England in 1994.
Apparently, Grant wasn’t a stranger to waging a lone fight against the opposition, as evidenced by the fact that three out of his six centuries came when his team’s scorecard read 41/6, 39/3, and 7/2.
Sean Williams
In his three-decade journey, which saw him start as a temperamental teenager during his debut and become one of the team’s elder statesmen during retirement, Sean was a multi-talented athlete whose varied skills made his role similar to that of our next two players.
Matches: 156
Runs: 4,986
Average: 38.06 (42.61 at 6)
Strike Rate: 86.69
Wickets: 83
Oscillating between positions 3-6 consistently in his stint, Sean was equally successful in fulfilling all of his responsibilities and will play as one of the finishers in our XI. Part of 3 World Cups on 3 continents, Sean has both the highest average (54.66) as well as the highest strike rate (101.23) for a Zimbabwean batter in the grand stage (min. 125 runs).
Although his performances against top sides are not flattering, his batting average went below 30 in only three of the 13 countries he played in. Sean complimented his batting strokes with useful slow-left arm loopers and retained his ability to adapt in the fielding department, upholding the high standards the country has set over the years.
His most prolific year was his final one in 2023, when he scored 720 runs @ 90 with a strike rate of 129.26. This included a 100-average 2023 ICC qualifier campaign, for which he secured the man-of-the-series award. However, Zimbabwe fell short of finals qualification.
Sikander Raza
The first non-retired player on this list, Raza, has become one of the faces of the current push for greater associate participation in ICC tournaments through his T20 miracles, though he has also pulled his weight in the ODIs during this same period.
Matches: 142
Runs: 4,154
Average: 36.44 (43.37 at 7)
Strike Rate: 86.43 (95.85 at 7)
Wickets: 88
Making his debut in 2013, Raza struggled to deliver persistent production and like fellow teammate Sean, proved to be a crucial asset to the team through contributions in multiple departments. Although his bowling isn’t as effective as that of his in the shortest format, given his ODI bowling average is above 40, he is the 2nd-highest wicket-taker of the side since his debut and has a knack for snapping big partnerships. 43.32% of his wickets have been of top-order (1-3) batsmen.
Meanwhile, his batting figures have gone up a notch in the related years. Since 2020, he has scored 1,498 runs @ 41.61 with a strike rate of 96.21. However, his best performance came in the earlier half of his career when he won the man-of-the-series award in the 2018 ICC qualifiers.
The highest wicket-taker for the men in maroon in both formats; the gap between him and the 2nd highest in ODIs is of 102 dismissals. Recently succumbing to his liver cancer at the age of 49, Heath Streak’s impact on the Zimbabwean bowling lineup was arguably more than the influence of any of the above-mentioned batters had on the respective batting department.
Matches: 189
Wickets: 239
Bowl Average: 29.82
Economy: 4.51
Runs: 2,943
Bat Average: 28.3
Strike Rate: 74.3
A much more agile sportsman than his build suggested, Heath accounted for 23.3% of his teams’ wickets across all the ODIs he played in during his 13-year span, and he did this with an average of 29.82 which may not seem special, but given the fact that his team as a whole had a bowling mean of 39.3, one develops greater admiration for Streak’s figures.
Preferring to hit the deck hard, which went well with his ability to generate awkward bounce, Streak had disappointing campaigns in ICC tournaments with the bowl, but his 31.38 batting average in those games covered those mishaps to an extent. In fact, his batting performances are grossly overlooked. Heath possessed a batting average above 30 against opponents such as Australia, South Africa and the West Indies.
Moreover, he got better with the wood as the years progressed, averaging 37.52 with the bat in his last 5 years and was doing fine with the ball too, aggregating 28.07. If not for his premature retirement at the age of 31 due to board politics, the African Beefy might have penned more glorious chapters for his land.
Paul Strang
An orthodox leggie in his methods, Paul Strang was also a typical wrist spinner when it came to inconsistent showings, yet his highs in 96′ and 99′ meant he is the only bowler in today’s lineup with less than 100 career wickets.
Matches: 95
Wickets: 96
Average: 33.05
Economy: 4.37
Strike Rate: 45.3
A testament to the comment of him being irregular in his performances is the fact that despite having an average under his career figure of 33.05 against 4 out of the 8 test nations he faced, he gave runs at a rate of more than 50 per dismissal against the remaining 4 opponents. Having the ability to turn a match with his inspiring long spells, all 6 of his MOTMs came in winning causes, and his average of 17.53 in wins is the best amongst his countrymen (min. 15 wins).
Strang picked up 15 wickets across two consecutive World Cups, with him possessing the second-best average (16.00) in the 96 edition. Apart from his bowling, Strang added around 1000 runs @ @22.24 in his 8-year career. Amusingly, he was tried out in all 11 positions except number 6.
Graeme Cremer
The 2nd leg spinner of the eleven, Cremer had tough competition from slow left-armer Raymond, but the former’s final push in his later years saw him through in this debate.
Matches: 96
Wickets: 119
Average: 30.22
Economy: 4.61
Strike Rate: 39.3
Yet another teenage debutant of the country, Cremer’s career average of 30.22 is the 3rd best amongst Zimbabwean bowlers with at least 50 wickets, and this is despite him playing the majority of his career in the 2010s. Moreover, his average in games held outside of Zimbabwe (27.48) is the best for any bowler from the province. In fact, all of the other top-10 wicket-takers have a bowling mean in excess of 30.
Announcing his retirement in 2012, he made a comeback in 2015 and had his best time in his final two years, when he picked 43 scalps @ 24.65, including the 2018 qualifiers, where he performed with similar figures (22.0).
Tendai Chatara
Zimbabwe has produced fiery speedsters right from their inclusion in the 80s, and the tradition has continued, given the current band of promising pacers. Yet, Chatara’s gentle yet clever approach overshadows them for the time being.
Matches: 87
Wickets: 115
Average: 32.62
Economy: 5.29
Strike Rate: 36.9
In accordance with his bowling procedure, Chatara may not have had singular performances that one could recollect at the mention of his name, but he has provided security to the team in his 10-year career, which will most likely terminate at the 2027 home CWC.
Primarily operating as a strike bowler, only Olonga and Mupariwa have better career strike rates than him. He has had a tough time against Australia and India, though he has done well against teams such as Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, averaging below the 30-run mark against each of them.
We start by mentioning Zimbabwean sporting legend Dave Houghton. One of the state’s earliest cricket talismans, his premier format was Tests, where he averaged 43.0 compared to his ODI average of 26.4. Given that he was competing for the already stacked middle-order spots, we had to keep him out.
Considering we went with a batting-heavy side, quite a few bowlers missed out on an opportunity, and the best of the lot was Ray Price. With an economy of 3.99 and a stellar 2011 CWC, his standings in other aspects, namely, performance against top sides and away from home, were not up to the mark, and since we already picked 2 spinners, we gave Chatara the nod over him.
Tendai’s spot was the toughest to finalise, with Eddo Brandes emerging as the leading challenger. But the latter’s injury-riddled career, along with the fact that he actually didn’t have a great showing on the grand stage except for his England heroics, meant we went ahead with his younger counterpart.
Change is the only constant, and change is about to happen. It took a long time—two decades and a half for some 60 million odd people and 11 years for 1.5 billion people—but here’s the catch: Only one of these two waits will end on Saturday.
The “change” will only happen for one side of the coin, although “both sides of the coin were immersed in a uniform spectrum of emotions.”
In realms full of emotions and attachments, the celebration of an event as big as the World Cup final is left way behind in this build-up because a big part of cricket will be saddened by the result of tomorrow’s final at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
54 matches, 4 weeks, some outstanding drama, too many edge-of-the-seat contests, 1 underdog heroic story and 2 unbeaten finalists. We have finally arrived at the Judgement day for crowning our new T20 World champions.
Probable Playing XIs
Although it is not usually observed and not advisable by experts to change a winning combination, especially before a big game, we can see at least one potential change on both sides.
Ottniel Baartman in for Tabraiz Shamsi is a possible change for South Africa. India, too, can look to include Siraj, but it will either reduce the batting depth or exclude Kuldeep, both of which can be highly risky.
SOUTH AFRICA: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottniel Baartman.
In a final, you look at the biggest or most popular name in the lineup and bind your hopes to it. Or you’ll look at the player who has performed best so far in the tournament and expect him to do something similar. But very often, we have witnessed our assumptions proven wrong. T20 being unpredictable as a format adds more to this theory. So here’s a couple of players, expected or unexpected, whom I will put my eyes on for tomorrow.
Virat Kohli
Why not? Just why not? Virat Kohli hitting a big knock in the FINALE of an event where he underperformed massively will be such an eventful end to a story.
And it is, to some extent, acceptable to expect a player of his status when the trophy is on the line.
Virat Kohli’s scores in ICC finals:
35(49)
43(34)
77(58)
54(63)
Jasprit Bumrah
If you follow cricket and you follow the fan’s narratives on social media, then you must be aware of a famous narrative around Bumrah and his inability to perform for India when it was needed the most.
This tournament has been a nightmare for the carriers of that narrative; the first step towards changing it was taken against Pakistan [3/14(4) & player of the match], and the second leap was observed in the Semifinal versus England [2/12 with wicket of Salt], WILL WORLD T20 FINAL BE THE FINAL NAIL IN COFFIN TO THIS NARRATIVE?
WILL IT BE THE FINAL BADGE ON BUMRAH’S UNIFORM? WILL IT BE THE FINAL STAR IN BUMRAH’S LEGACY?
Will it be?
What will it be?
Saturday, June 29th.
IND vs SA Dream11 Team for Final of T20 WC 2024
Wicket Keeper: Rishabh Pant, Quntion de Kock
Batters: Reeza Hendricks, Virat Kohli (c)
All-Rounders: Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram (vc), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel
5 A.M. in Kabul, 2.30 Night in Cape Town, 6 in the morning for Indians and 8:30 local prime time at the Brian Lara cricket stadium in Trinidad. All 24 time zones of the planet will be a witness to the Semifinal bound of 2 nations who have never ever played a World Cup final before.
Everything at stake, whole hearted progress to lose and a mark in History to gain. When South Africa will face Afghanistan, it will be nothing short of a clash of two Phoenix. The brutal, unpredictable and evil nature of the T20 format, coupled with the hard grip spirit of these two teams, can produce a match of a lifetime, something that the title “World Cup Semifinal“ deserves honourably.
EXPECTED PLAYING XIs
AFGHANISTAN: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmed, Naveen-ul-haq, Fazal Farooqi.
Najibullah Zadran can be brought in for Nangeyalia Kharote to add extra stability to the batting order in case the lineup gets exposed to the pacer-friendly nature of the Tarouba pitch.
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottniel Baartman.
Ottniel Baartman can replace Tabraiz Shamsi, as they both have been rotated throughout the tournament depending on the pitch’s nature.
Pitch/Venue
The Brian Lara cricket stadium at Tarouba in Trinidad will host the first Semifinal of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup. The stadium’s surface has been low-scoring throughout this tournament, with West Indies’ highest first-innings score being 149/9 against New Zealand.
Although the surface is expected to remain the same throughout the course of the game yet the Toss will play an important role in deciding the flow of the match given the fact that is a World Cup Semifinal.
South Africa has looked uncomfortable every time it has been asked to chase a total in this tournament. They’ll definitely look to bat first and avoid getting ” choked ” by the Afghans’ fighting bowling unit.
Afghanistan, too, has a similar story, having won all games batting first and losing all (2) games batting second except the one against Papua New Guinea.
With the courage and spirit they’ve shown in the last 2 games they will definitely want to bowl second to have an energetic advantage over South Africa on the field during the decisive time of the game
Players to watch out for
David Miller
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Comes the World Cup semifinal, comes the name of David Miller. The 60 million people of South Africa have never experienced a World Cup semifinal from the winning perspective, but in the past, all the ones they’ve played in have had a period of hope, a hope provided to them by a certain 1.8-meter tall, left-handed big hitter.
The knockout game version of David Miller might very well be one of the most complete batsmen of all. From a 49(18) finish in a rain-affected game at Auckland to a hundred at the minefield of Eden to take his team to a respectable total, this man has done everything in his hands to take his team over the Semifinal curse.
Very high possibility lies in the fact that in their most opportunistic Semifinal bound, South Africa will find themselves relying on the shoulders of David Miller.
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is not just a bowler from Afghanistan; he is also the captain of his team. Rashid Khan equals Afghanistan; he is synonymous with Afghanistan. If you’re aware of the word Cricket, then Rashid Khan is the first thing that pops up in your mind when you hear Afghanistan.
The T20 legend, the player who will end his career as the undisputed G.O.A.T of the format, is proving his greatness again. He has already created history by becoming the first captain to take Afghanistan to a World Cup Semifinal, but that just might not be the end. Afghanistan has something more to achieve, and Rashid Khan definitely has something more in his sheath.
The Semifinal willn’t be one-sided for the team with the longer history because a leader named Rashid Khan stands between them.
SA vs AFG Dream11 Team for Semi Final 1 of T20 WC 2024
Wicket Keeper: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quntion de Kock
Batters: Ibrahim Zadran, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller
All-Rounders: Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram (vc)
Bowlers:Rashid Khan (c), Naveen ul Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Anrich Nortje
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team, as we are not aware of the Toss Result and Final Playing XI at this moment.
To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel, Clan For Gamers
As the tournament moves to the business end, Australia will take on India in a mouth-watering contest at St Lucia Stadium, which will be a do-or-die game for the Aussies. In all likelihood, India looks like the 1st team that will qualify for the playoffs as they have 45 45-odd run margin compared to Australia’s run rate and an 81-run rate margin with Afghanistan. The group has become wide open as Afghanistan unexpectedly defeated Australia and sealed 2 points. If Australia crumbles in this game vs India, they will most likely be out of the tournament, as Afghanistan is a vast favourites versus the Bangla Tigers.
Teams Preview
India
As mentioned earlier, India has been the team to beat this tournament, as they have steamrolled 90% of the teams that have come in front of them. Their batting has scored consecutively above 190, and their bowling has been top-class. With his number 3 role, Rishabh Pant has been excellent, and the Pacers have been top-notch in particular Bumrah. Hardik has been on song as an all-rounder, with Axar chipping in. Surya has got 2 great 50s. The only concern India is facing right now is their opener’s form; Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been off-colouring this WT20 as Rohit has been averaging just 25 and on the other hand, Virat Kohli has 13. Both have looked to be ultra-aggressive and Have lost their wickets. As always, Kuldeep will be the key here on Windies, along with Bumrah.
Australia
Australian WT20 2024 has been a smooth ride, but in the last game, they got a hammering in an upset, though it will be a bit harsh on Afghanistan if we call it an upset. Australia has a brilliant all-condition attack with Starc as a bowler who loves to swing the ball and bowl fuller lengths, hard length expert Hazelwood, cutter specialist Cummins, and one of the best white ball spinners, Adam Zampa. Head and Warner have been good in this tournament, and Marcus Stoinis has been the MVP for them by distance; his scramble seam bowling and hard-hitting vs. pace/spin have been a treat to watch. Captain Mitchell marsh and Wade have yet to fire. In this game, Maxwell can be a game-changer for them.
Pitch/Venue Conditions
Darren Sammy Stadium has been very high-scoring this time in Windies, as we have seen many 170+ totals scored regularly here. The side boundaries aren’t that big, and spinners can travel here if they make any mistakes. Cutters will be key.
Australia – Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh(C), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Key Players
Jasprit Bumrah: Jasprit Bumrah, whenever he plays, wherever he plays, in whatever situation he plays, becomes the most critical asset for any side in the world. Jasprit Bumrah, this WT20, has conceded 5 boundaries and has taken 10 wickets. As ridiculous as this can be, by a distance, the best in the world will look to carry forward his form.
Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli, the batter, has been in trouble in this WT20 as he is going through a poor run in this competition, but as always, we know he can fire out of nowhere in big games.
Kuldeep Yadav: In the last 12 months or so, Kuldeep Yadav has been one of the best wrist spinners in the world, and he has shown this throughout every format of the game, be it tests, ODIs, or T20s. His pace has improved post-comeback, his action has been slightly remodelled, and he has earned big success.
David Warner: The best T20 opener of the modern era post-Chris Gayle, David Warner can play his last game in international cricket if Australia loses, and he does not want it to end like this. Warner has scored over 160 runs in this WT20, averaging 35 and striking around 140+.
Glenn Maxwell: Maxwell can take on the Indian spinners with his sweeps and reverse sweeps, as they will look to bowl with point and third man up. Bumrah is the main threat, and he must look at and play cautiously. Maxwell can target the shorter square boundary here.
IND vs AUS Dream11 Team for Match 51 of T20 WC 2024
Wicket Keeper: Rishabh Pant
Batters:Virat Kohli (vc), David Warner, Surya Kumar Yadav
All-Rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Hardik Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team, as we are not aware of the Toss Result and Final Playing XI at this moment.
To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel, Clan For Gamers
