Australia’s spin wizard, Shane Warne, has picked his all-time ODI XI. The star-studded lineup involved various legends of the 50-over game, who have graced the sport with their notable contributions.
Interestingly, Warne did not include any fellow countrymen to hold a very unbiased claim, being an Aussie.
Starting off the fireworks with the bat, it would be the explosive Asian duo of Sanath Jayasuriya and Virender Sehwag. The two openers for Sri Lanka and India, respectively, revolutionized the art of batting in powerplays with their attacking instincts.
Also, the two were potent wicket-takers with the spinning ball. They walk in the XI at the top of the order followed by the masters of the game, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
At number five is English swashbuckler Kevin Pietersen, while the wicket-keeping batsman role was given to Kumar Sangakkara, one of the best ever produced in the game. The likes of Tendulkar, Lara, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara and Sehwag are amongst the leading run-scorers in ODIs.
Warner included two Pakistani pacers in the lineup, namely Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar, while New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori is the only spinner. Ahead of fellow countrymen Glenn McGrath, Warne included West Indian great Curtly Ambrose in his all-time ODI XI.
The pace line up looks formidable with Andrew Flintoff donning the all-rounder’s role in the lineup.
Here is Warne’s all-time ODI XI:
Virender Sehwag, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Wasim Akram, Daniel Vettori, Shoaib Akhtar, Curtly Ambrose.
Warne, in 194 ODIs, managed to pick 293 wickets overall in his career. His 20 wickets in the 1999 ODI World Cup helped Australia win the tournament in England. In addition, Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests with 708 dismissals to his name.
