Sometime next year the first place team(or teams) will be playing the rest of the world here in Australia. Undoubtedly the first place team in both forms will be Australia...the question is who should make up the rest of the world team. The team will be picked based on the rankings at the time of picking and if that was right now the teams would be:
Test
1. HH Gibbs (South Africa, ranked 10 for batting)
2. ME Trescothick (England, 8 for batting)
3. R Dravid (India, 3 for batting)
4. BC Lara (West Indies, 2 for batting)
5. SR Tendulkar (India, 6 for batting)/ Izamam ul-Haq (Pakistan, 5 for batting) <---very close on these two
6. JH Kallis (South Africa, 9 for batting, 7 for bowling)
7. KC Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, out of top 10 for batting but best non-Australian wicket keeper)
8. SM Pollock (South Africa, 1 for bowling)
9. Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan, 5 for bowling)
10. Harbhajan Singh (India, 6 for bowling) <----- M Ntini (South Africa, 10 for bowling) if they chose to have only 1 spinner)
11. M Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, 2 for bowling)
One Day
1. SR Tendulkar (India, ranked 1 for batting)
2. ME Trescothick (England, 9 for batting)
3. BC Lara (West Indies, 4 for batting)
4. CH Gayle (West Indies, 7 for batting)
5. Yousuf Youhana (Pakistan, 3 for batting)
6. JH Kallis (South Africa, 6 for batting, out of top 10 for bowling)
7. KC Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, best non-Australia wicket keeper)
8. SM Pollock (South Africa, 1 for bowling)
9. WPUJC Vaas (Sri Lanka, 5 for bowling)
10. M Ntini (South Africa, 7 for bowling)
11. M Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, 2 for bowling)
Overall they are both pretty good representation for the rest of the world. I would perhaps like to see someone who bats with a little more flair, such as Sehwag, to perhaps give a little more entertainment... but by that time he may well be highly ranked in the world.
Discuss
Test
1. HH Gibbs (South Africa, ranked 10 for batting)
2. ME Trescothick (England, 8 for batting)
3. R Dravid (India, 3 for batting)
4. BC Lara (West Indies, 2 for batting)
5. SR Tendulkar (India, 6 for batting)/ Izamam ul-Haq (Pakistan, 5 for batting) <---very close on these two
6. JH Kallis (South Africa, 9 for batting, 7 for bowling)
7. KC Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, out of top 10 for batting but best non-Australian wicket keeper)
8. SM Pollock (South Africa, 1 for bowling)
9. Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan, 5 for bowling)
10. Harbhajan Singh (India, 6 for bowling) <----- M Ntini (South Africa, 10 for bowling) if they chose to have only 1 spinner)
11. M Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, 2 for bowling)
One Day
1. SR Tendulkar (India, ranked 1 for batting)
2. ME Trescothick (England, 9 for batting)
3. BC Lara (West Indies, 4 for batting)
4. CH Gayle (West Indies, 7 for batting)
5. Yousuf Youhana (Pakistan, 3 for batting)
6. JH Kallis (South Africa, 6 for batting, out of top 10 for bowling)
7. KC Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, best non-Australia wicket keeper)
8. SM Pollock (South Africa, 1 for bowling)
9. WPUJC Vaas (Sri Lanka, 5 for bowling)
10. M Ntini (South Africa, 7 for bowling)
11. M Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, 2 for bowling)
Overall they are both pretty good representation for the rest of the world. I would perhaps like to see someone who bats with a little more flair, such as Sehwag, to perhaps give a little more entertainment... but by that time he may well be highly ranked in the world.
Discuss