All time best ODI team

[nic007]

Kallis is as good a number three as Ponting AND he is a good bowler. Besides, anyone who leaves the greatest ever allrounder out of his all-time best world side must be smoking something. Kallis is one of the first names I will put down for any side, he just covers so many bases. But then again, the choice should not really be between Kallis and Ponting. You may just as well bring Lara into the fray. Just to confirm that I do have both Ponting and Kallis in my side but if I have to chose between them for one spot, I'll go with Kallis. Kallis' batting strike rate in ODI's is about 73 and he has played 325 matches so not really much in it from that point of view either.

[nic007]

I'm a bit surprised that Kumar Sangakkara is getting so little love on here as wicketkeeper/batsman. Surely good enough.

[express bowling]

Kallis is as good a number three as Ponting AND he is a good bowler. Besides' date=' anyone who leaves the greatest ever allrounder out of his all-time best world side must be smoking something. Kallis is one of the first names I will put down for any side, he just covers so many bases. But then again, the choice should not really be between Kallis and Ponting. You may just as well bring Lara into the fray. Just to confirm that I do have both Ponting and Kallis in my side but if I have to chose between them for one spot, I'll go with Kallis. Kallis' batting strike rate in ODI's is about 73 and he has played 325 matches so not really much in it from that point of view either.[/quote'] The biggest thing that would go against Kallis in an ODI team is that he batted too slowly for most parts of his career. His strike rate improved somewhat only during his last couple of years or so. In an all time great 11 ...I would ideally want high strike rate players. Below 80 shouldn't make the cut. Kallis' strike rate is 72.9. Some have slotted Kallis as a lower order batsman and this makes even lesser sense. If he has to be included ( due to him being an alrounder ) then he must bat at 3 or 4.

[MCGGG]

I'm a bit surprised that Kumar Sangakkara is getting so little love on here as wicketkeeper/batsman. Surely good enough.

Gilchrist is the keeper.

[nic007]

Gilchrist is the keeper.

Not for me. He needs to make the side as a top order batsman first. His batting average of only 35 is too low for a top order batsman in a best ever world side in my view.

[MCGGG]

Not for me. He needs to make the side as a top order batsman first. His batting average of only 35 is too low for a top order batsman in a best ever world side in my view.

You're a Pakistani arent you?

[midge]

Kallis is as good a number three as Ponting AND he is a good bowler. Besides' date=' anyone who leaves the greatest ever allrounder out of his all-time best world side must be smoking something. Kallis is one of the first names I will put down for any side, he just covers so many bases. But then again, the choice should not really be between Kallis and Ponting. You may just as well bring Lara into the fray. Just to confirm that I do have both Ponting and Kallis in my side but if I have to chose between them for one spot, I'll go with Kallis. Kallis' batting strike rate in ODI's is about 73 and he has played 325 matches so not really much in it from that point of view either.[/quote'] Nothing against Kallis; he is the greatest all-rounder (at least, in ODI) that has played the game. Pardon me, but I have lost track of the thread in which you shared your choice. Without that context, would be difficult for me to comment. Lara again a great player, will fit in any line-up. It's just a question of personal choice.

[BlueBee]

You're a Pakistani arent you?

:hysterical:

[midge]

I'm a bit surprised that Kumar Sangakkara is getting so little love on here as wicketkeeper/batsman. Surely good enough.

Of course, he is one of the legends of the game. But its a personal choice I guess; everyone has his own way of looking at things.

[midge]

The biggest thing that would go against Kallis in an ODI team is that he batted too slowly for most parts of his career. His strike rate improved somewhat only during his last couple of years or so. In an all time great 11 ...I would ideally want high strike rate players. Below 80 shouldn't make the cut. Kallis' strike rate is 72.9. Some have slotted Kallis as a lower order batsman and this makes even lesser sense. If he has to be included ( due to him being an alrounder ) then he must bat at 3 or 4.

Agree with you, but even at No. 3/4 it's difficult since we have plenty of players (Viv, Ponting, Lara, AB) vying for that spot. As you rightly said, lower order makes even lesser sense, as that's where we want the Dhon's/ Klusener's to come in and destroy the bowling.

[thongale]

In his 43 innings in Asia, on spin friendly tracks, Viv scored 1669 runs at an avg. of 45.10, with a strike rate of 103.92. This included 3 centuries, 9 half-centuries and a best of 181. Any Asian team in those days normally used to have a couple at least a couple of spinners. For India, most of the times spinners used to bowl more overs than the quicks. Just goes to show, how good he was in all conditions, against all types of attacks. He had such a good eye, footwork and timing that I doubt he would have faired differently against any of the spin legends. As for AB how many matches did he play against Murali and how much he scored on each occasion for you to arrive at that conclusion? Ponting again has scored more than 3100 runs in Asia which includes 6 centuries and 19 fifties, and he played against all the spin legends. Doesn't give the impression that he struggled. Yuvi was decent, sometime he did well, at other times he wasn't successful. That doesn't mean he is a misfit in the team. No opposition/ bowler is going to breathe easy when he is at the crease.

I think we don't have much debate on what Yuvraj can or cannot do, as well as Ponting. Yes, Viv did play well in Asia, but even SC teams never had a legendary spinner in their ranks apart from Qadir. Do you REALLY think Indian / Pakistani / SL spinners of 80s were anywhere close to the quality of Murali / Saqlain / Kumble and Mushtaq Ahmed? Viv played 25 matches featuring Abdul Qadir, and his average drops to 37 in those matches! I do appriciate Pakistan was the second best team during Viv's time, and he averahes 31 against them. And it's Imran Khan and Qadir who dismissed him most of the time. Viv's play against spin, is amssively overrated, although he is a champion batsman. Assessing AB de Villiers is bit difficult TBH. We have not witnessed ABDV in full cry vs Murali at his height of his form. He only played 5 matches against SL with Murali and averaged 28 with the bat. It basically gives no idea of his capabilities. But I could be pretty sure that he will not have the freedom he shows in today's game against Muari and Saqlain who are simply wicket takers.

[thongale]

I was going through Viv's record against Pakistan, and it seems he has well an truely struggled against Pakistan pace battery. Averages 17.5 against them at home and 25 on neutral venues and 14 in Australian pitches against Pakistan! Goodness gracious, it looks like only Pakistani pace bowlers knew how to bowl to Viv!

[Muloghonto]

I'm a bit surprised that Kumar Sangakkara is getting so little love on here as wicketkeeper/batsman. Surely good enough.

Not really. Despite his mountain of runs and a commendable average, Sangakkara is not in the very top bracket for top order batting. Its the same reason why Dravid and Kallis tend not to figure in ODI alltime teams: they are simply too slow for top order batting in a best-11 scenario. The reason is simple: ODI batting lineups pretty much begin and end with Sachin as an opener, Viv as a #3 and one of Dhoni/Bevan as #6 (most sane people would choose Dhoni). That leaves 3 spots, 2 middle order and 1 opener. Sanga is not an opener. of the two middle order spots, Lara, Ponting and ABDV are ahead of Sanga/Dravid/Kallis. Pretty much because these guys score about the same # of runs at a much higher clip than Sanga/Dravid/Kallis. There is an argument for having an 'innings pacer' amongst the blasters like Viv,Dhoni etc. but reality is Sachin & Lara were both pretty much just as good at innings building as Dravid/Kallis/Sanga with better blasting skills.

[thongale]

Any one considering TM Dilshan as opener? 163 matches as opener, averaging 47.4 at SR of 89. Don't think many has better stats than him.

[thongale]

Here is openers who have played more than 50 ODI innings. Amla, Sharma, Tendulkar, Dilshan, Lara and Greenidge have highest averages.

[Muloghonto]

TMD has a good record but not top of the list IMO- he didn't make those runs against very many great bowlers or on pitches where 250-275 were pars, like say Lara/Tendulkar/MEW. It is important to pick players who've been dominant against the top teams. i think its interesting how Sehwag and Gillchrist have virtually identical records in ODIs, with Sehwag playing 50 less or so but having to face better bowling.

[thongale]

TMD has a good record but not top of the list IMO- he didn't make those runs against very many great bowlers or on pitches where 250-275 were pars, like say Lara/Tendulkar/MEW. It is important to pick players who've been dominant against the top teams. i think its interesting how Sehwag and Gillchrist have virtually identical records in ODIs, with Sehwag playing 50 less or so but having to face better bowling.

Sure, batting alone he has shown nothing to be picked over any other openers here. But he is easily the best fielder among openers and only challenge he gets from that aspect is from Jayasuriya. Other openers with higher averages are light years behind these two on the field. And he can bowl as well. There's nothing to suggest that Gilchrist played better bowlers than Shewag. Don't think Shewag even has a shout at the spot compared with Gilly as a whole package. The next player he has to compete against is Jaysuriya, once more is a full package with bat, ball, field and captaincy. Other than for similar batting prowess, Shewag is way behind as a player compared to Gilchrist and Jayasuriya. If it is important to pick players who dow ell against dominant sides, then selection of Richards falls flat on it's face. He only averages 30 against Pakistan, who was the best side he faced.

[nic007]

Gilchrist is a makeshift opener with a p*** poor average. There are much better options for opening batsman. David Warners average is about the same to give you an idea. I rest my case.

[BlueBee]

Gilly averages less than 40 in all countries except Bangladesh and Pakistan, where he has played just a handful of matches. Averages 36 v England. 30 v New Zealand. 27 v South Africa. 39 and 40 v Sri Lanka and India. 31 v West Indies.

[nic007]

Gilchrist very much the same slogger status in ODI's as players like Gayle,Warner, Gibbs, McCullum etc. Batting averages too low for a top order batsman to make a best ever world ODI side in my view. Agree with a poster above, Dilshan can be a very good choice. Excellent average, strike rate, fielder and a useful spinner. Very good.