Best current Test XI - draft selection

[MadAsHell 4,089]

45's Best XI

Player Nation Age Tests

Keiran Powell (WI) (22) 13 3 centuries and 2 50s at 32.66 including an average of 83 this summer. A very classy young player who has an obviously promising future (as was underscored by his performances in the one dayers for W.I. Also has 8 catches. Highest score 134. 51 in the world.

Ed Cowan (Aus) (30) 14 1 century and 5 50s at 32.65, averaged 45.6 against the world's best S.A. lineup (including a century). Values his wicket and is tough to remove, often seeing off the new ball. Also a handy close-in fielder. (Plays for Tassie!) Highest sore 136. 44 in the world.

Kumar Sangakarra (SL) (35) 115 All class. 30 centuries and 41 50s and a batting average of 55.8. 11 times he's reached over 190, second only to the Don. 8 double centuries! Wicket-keeping, captaining legend of the game. Highest score 287. 5th in world rankings.

Kevin Pietersen (Eng) (32) 92 22 centuries at 49.42. Dislike him immensely, but his batting talents cannot be denied. Shame to say he's the Colin Sylvia of my team! Has an average over 44.5 against all test-playing nations except Pakistan. Highest score 227. 8th in world rankings.

Azhar Ali (Pak) (28) 27 4 centuries and 14 50s at 42.26. Another up and coming player, solid technique and suffered a few dodgy dismissals against SA recently (including his teammate running him out!) Highest score of 157 and another who really values his wicket. 11th in world rankings.

Kane Williamson (NZ) (22) 20 3 centuries and 5 50s at 30.27. Very young, raw but extremely talented bat. Already has some match-winning knocks to his name. Highest score 135. Also a handy spinner, taking 8 wickets at 53 (averaging 38.5 last year). 38 in the world.

Tim Southee (NZ) (24) 21 Has 65 wickets, 3 5 wicket hauls, at 35.04 with a best bowling of 7/64 (in India!). His bowling average last year was 22.64! Also very handy with the bat. Has 2 50s, highest score of 77*. Along with Williamson, Southee is a young-gun who is helping to form a bright future for the Kiwis.18.74/35.04 (22.64 last year). 22 in the world.

Vernon Philander (SA) (27) 16 Gun. 89 wickets in 16 matches (Very close to a record). His bowling average is a world-beating 17.13!!! 9 5 wicket hauls, 2 10 wicket matches, best bowling of 6/44, strike rate of 36.8! Another very handy bat, 2 50s at 22.75 with a high score of 74. 4th best all-rounder in the world. Number 2 bowler in the world.

Pragyan Ojha (Ind) (26) 20 Staggered he wasn't selected for the first test. Has 95 wickets at 31.62 (very good for a spinner). 5 5 wickets innings and a best bowling of 6/47. Has averaged 14.5 over the past two years. 8th in the world.

Tino Best (WI) (31) 18 Fiery W.I. quick coming back into the fold. Bowling average of 26 but averaged 16.27 last year. Best bowling of 6/40. 39 in the world.

Ben Hilfenhaus (Aus) (29) 27 Very handy Tasmanian quick. Great bowling average of 28.5 and over the past two seasons he has averaged 22.06. Best bowling 5/75 and could be vital in the Ashes. Number 10 in the world.

Between selecting my team on the fly whilst travelling abroad, beginning my prep-teaching career and now enduring some kind of indoor-soccer et. 4 year olds plague I can't be bothered defending the team (as if it needs it). It's been a haphazard arrangement on my behalf. I think the bats have a good mix of experience and I really rate my young guys. Cowan is iffy and my drunken selection of Tino Best has hurt the balance of my side I think. Mind you, Southee, Philander with Hilfenhaus and Best to back them up with Ojha and Williamson with the spin is a pretty threatening attack and I'd back Kumar, Pietersen and an improved Powell, Williamson and Ali to chase down any target that bowling lineup restricts opposition to.

Not a bad team there 45HG and taking 20 wickets will be no problem for that line up I must say.

Similar to Titan_Uranus, probably a question as to the strength of your tail, especially considering it starts at 7. Philander, Southee & Hilfenhaus are all capable of making some runs, but don't know how reliable they all are. Philander the only one with a batting average over 20 (22.75).

Very strong middle order though with Sangakkara, Pietersen, Ali & Williamson and as you said if your strong bowling line up perform then there's every chance that you wont need to bat to much deeper then 6.

[H_T 2,941]

My Best XI line up.

1. TM Dilshan (SL) - 85 Tests, Batting 5255 Runs @ 40.42; 15 x 100's, 21 x 50's, HS 193; Bowling 36 Wickets @ 42.88 - pick no.42

2. MJ Guptill (NZ) - 30 Tests, Batting 1714 Runs @ 30.60; 2 x 100's, 12 x 50's, HS 189; Bowling 5 Wickets @ 43.40 - pick no.55

3. IJ Trott (Eng) - 38 Tests Batting 2970 Runs @ 49.50; 8 x 100's, 13 x 50's, HS 226; Bowling 3 Wickets @ 113.00 - pick no.26

4. SR Tendulkar (Ind) - 195 Tests Batting 15,739 Runs @ 54.46; 51 x 100's, 67 x 50's, HS 248*; Bowling 45 Wickets @ 54.64 - pick no.23

5. AB De Villiers (RSA) wk - 85 Tests Batting 6,364 Runs @ 50.50; 16 x 100's, 32 x 50's, HS 278*; Bowling 2 Wickets @ 45.00; 142 Catches, 2 st. - pick no.10

6. MN Samuels (WI) - 44 Tests Batting 2690 Runs @ 37.36; 5 x 100's, 17 x 50's, HS 260; Bowling 24 Wickets @ 69.00. - pick no.71

7. MC Henriques (Aust) - 1 Test Batting 149 Runs @ 149.00; 0 x 100's, 2 x 50's, HS 81*; Bowling 1 Wicket @ 48.00 - pick no.87

8. MA Starc (Aust) - 8 Tests Batting 193 Runs @ 24.12; 0 x 100;s, 1 x 50's, HS 68*; Bowling 28 Wickets @ 32.00 - 4w - 0, 5w - 2, 10w - 0. - pick no.39

9. DW Steyn (RSA) - 65 Tests Batting 866 Runs @ 13.96; 0 X 100'S, 1 X 50's, HS 76; Bowling 332 Wickets @ 22.65 - 4w - 20, 5w - 21, 10w - 5 - pick no.7

10. MS Panesar (Eng) - 45 Tests Batting 213 Runs @5.32; HS 26; Bowling 159 Wickets @ 32.64 - 4w - 4, 5w - 12, 10w - 2. - pick no.58

11. MJ Khan (Pak) - 9 Tests Batting 36 Runs @6.00; HS 9; Bowling 29 Wickets @ 28.17 - 4w - 0, 5w - 3, 10w - 0. - pick no.74

Reference: espncricinfo

* Test is in progress, information will be updated at Tests conclusion.

Enjoyed the Best XI draft and thankyou guys for your interest and partcipation. It's been something to keep our minds off other things (ie.Investigation) even if it was just for short spurts. Hopefully we can do it all again next summer.

I basically tried to get star quality in early through the draft with the runs on the board so-to-speak and get in-form players. NZ may have proved a stumbling block, but given what was on offer, I elected for Guptill, because most of my middle order was already complete and I knew I could get Samuels from the WI in the next two rounds or so; who had the runs on the board with a last start 260. As well as nailing Khan late due to the fact that nearly all participants had already selected one from Pakistan. And given the lack of quality openers on offer at the time it was a no brainer.

I consider my pace attack first class, headed by Steyn and Khan, with great averages, an in-form Starc providing left arm variation and Panesar to compliment with turn.

Snagging De Villiers early 2nd round secured a very good keeper/batsman and together with the in form middle order batsmen in Tendulkar, Samuels and Trott, ensures a pile of runs. Henriques is a relatively new all round cricketer on the scene and adds to the batting depth, whilst supporting the bowling with his right arm medium-fast. A very handy acquisition at pick 87 and has already shown how well he can bat on the dustbowl in trying conditions in India against word class spinners in an intimidating environment. He's no slouch with the ball either highlighted by his bag of wickets prior to the Test which helped him earn selection.

The side contains four double centurions, plus high scores of 193 and 189 from Dilshan and Guptill respectively. My spinner Monty Panesar is 12/2 with 5w/10w hauls - only slightly bettered by his teammate Swann @ 14 and 2. I was pleasantly surprised I was able to draft him so late.

Overall I'm pleased with the strength and balance of the team, having starting and finishing with the second last pick. The bowling contains very good bowling averages, with three of the four recognised bowlers all averaging in the 20's highlighted by Steyn's terrific average at 22. Plus a world class spinner. The batting is generally well experienced and each of them occupy the crease making them very good Test picks. Henriques has played an enormous amount of First Class cricket, captained at State level, and his perserverance and quality has earned him selection at Test level as a mid-lower order.

Updated Tendulkar, Starc & Henriques figures (ref: espncricinfo)

[MadAsHell 4,089]

Presenting your XI for Nasher Rouge???

[Rogue 585]

Presenting your XI for Nasher Rouge???

I'll get onto it next time I post on Demonland.

[MadAsHell 4,089]

Thilan Samaraweera (SL)

http://www.espncricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/623605.html

Does this mean you have to pick again Macca?

[Macca 16,174]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/623605.html

Does this mean you have to pick again Macca?

Is this thread still going TD? The fun was in the picking.

More than half my team are either injured, out of form, have never played Test cricket, can't get a game or verging on retirement. (still a great team though )

[Little Richard 5,943]

So when is Nasher delivering his verdict?

[MadAsHell 4,089]

So when is Nasher delivering his verdict?

Once Rouge has presented his XI I guess.

[45HG 1,539]

My man Kumar has just notched up two centuries in a test on what, on paper, appears to be an incredibly grueling pitch that has tested most batsmen.

[H_T 2,941]

You had AB De Villiers last time 45HG. Great player and on fire agaisnt Pakistan - 128. With Amla scored the highest 3rd wicket stand for a ODI.

Starc handy with the bat again - 99 (ouch) .

[titan_uranus 23,191]

I've been pretty happy with Cheteshwar Pujara this series. Brad Haddin's batting in Mohali wasn't as disgraceful as usual, which also helped my cause.

[45HG 1,539]

You had AB De Villiers last time 45HG. Great player and on fire agaisnt Pakistan - 128. With Amla scored the highest 3rd wicket stand for a ODI.

Starc handy with the bat again - 99 (ouch) .

No doubt about it, AB is a gun - my word Amla is a champion.

Starc is a wonderful cricketer. He plays the game in a great spirit. Dangerous with the ball and shows wonderful application with the bat, whether he's trying to bat it out or play his shots.

I've been pretty happy with Cheteshwar Pujara this series. Brad Haddin's batting in Mohali wasn't as disgraceful as usual, which also helped my cause.

Pujara looks mighty impressive. Unlucky to be given out.

It'll be interesting if Haddin plays (well) in the 4th...

[H_T 2,941]

Once Rouge has presented his XI I guess.

BUMP

Looks as though he's forgotten. He's recently posted on the Comedy thread.

[Little Richard 5,943]

Let's get a result, most of the international games going on at the moment are only damaging my teams cred!

[MadAsHell 4,089]

BUMP

Looks as though he's forgotten. He's recently posted on the Comedy thread.

Let's get a result, most of the international games going on at the moment are only damaging my teams cred!

Well then I guess it's over to you Nasher to make your decision if Rouge's failed to present his XI.

[MadAsHell 4,089]

Dam it Titan, haha. Good pick I must say.

Ineligible Player Breach Pick 91

Colin Munro (New Zealand)

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/232359.html

Just made his test debut in New Zealand's last test in South Africa and currently has an average of 7.5 after scores of 0 & 15 but he has a first class batting average of over 53 and in the recently completed first class season in New Zealand he came 16th in leading run scorer when only playing 4 out of a possible 10 games (missed the others on NZ squad duty) with 623 runs at an average of 124.60.

In the mould of Jesse Ryder he's a hard hitting middle order batsman who bowls handy medium pace, so in effect I don't think I've missed out on anything with having Munro instead of Ryder and on their first class form it's actually an upgrade.

So my XI reads:

TESTS RUNS BATTING AVG WICKETS BOWLING AVG BOWLING S/RATE

(Eng) Alastair Cook* Left Hand Bat 87 7117 49.42 - - -

(Ind) Virender Sehwag Right Hand Bat/Right Hand Offspin 102 8559 50.05 40 47.35 93.2

(Pak) Younis Khan Right Hand Bat/Right Hand Legspin 81 6705 51.18 8 54.62 90.7

(Sri) Angelo Mathews Right Hand Bat/Right Hand Medium Pace 31 1668 39.71 11 70.45 135.8

(NZ) Colin Munro Left Hand Bat/Right Hand Medium Pace 1(17) 15 (1123) 7.50 (53.47) 2 (28) 20 (31) 54.0 (62.4)

(Aus) +Matthew Wade Keeper/Left Hand Bat 9 510 42.50 - - -

(WI) Dwayne Bravo Allrounder: Right Hand Bat/Right Arm Fast 40 2200 31.42 86 39.83 75.1

(Ind) Ravichandran Ashwin Right Arm Offspin/Right Arm Bat 12 596 45.84 63 32.41 63.2

(Aus) Ryan Harris Right Arm Fast/Right Hand Bat 12 212 17.66 47 23.63 49.1

(Pak) Abdul Rehman Left Arm Orthodox/Left Hand Bat 17 289 15.21 81 28.40 66.0

(RSA) Morne Morkel Right Arm Fast/Left Hand Bat 49 657 13.68 175 29.97 55.1

* = Captain, + = Keeper, () = First class averages for player who's played fewer then 5 tests and hasn't had opportunity to establish themselves.

I'm pretty happy with my XI, my 4 main bowlers and my all rounder combined average 19.65 wickets between them a test which addresses your main need of needing to take 20 wickets a match. On top of that I've got part time bowlers of Sehwag, Mathews & Munro will help support my five main bolwers and with Munro & Mathews both bowling medium pace that comes in handy if Harris were to break down as he often does. I'd give Morkel and Harris the new ball, Morkel with his extra height, bounce and pace and Harris with his skiddy action at over 140km/h will complement eachother well. Bravo first change bowler with his outswingers in the 130k's range and then the twin spin of Ashwin with his right arm off breaks and Rehman his left arm orthodox.

I've got two batsmen who average above 50 (3 if you include Munro in first class cricket) and then Cook, Wade and Ashwin who all average in the 40's and Mathews & Bravo with averages with the bat in the 30's. Cook obviously gets the captains gig and I think it's fair to say that I've got the best opening combination of all the 8 teams picked with the worlds best opening batsman at the moment in Cook and the most destructive opening batsman of the last 10 years in Sehwag.

I'll be interested to see how everyone elses teams stack up and balance out.

Edit: Cook/Sehwag opening combo.

My XI has a bit of depth I reckon .

Warner

Barath

Jayawardene

Root

Shafiq

Sarwan

Duminy

Mc Cullum

Broad

Pattinson

Sharma

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate everyone else on their teams. It's going to be a tough job for Nasher to decide the best team. All the teams have strengths in different areas. Well played gentlemen and may the better team win.

Also, thanks to H_T for running the comp. It's been a lot of fun and I hope we do it again. The time it took never bothered me and in fact, it gave me a bit more time to reflect on the make up of all the teams.

Now, to my team ... this eleven I have selected would be hard to beat in all conditions. Plenty of variation in the bowling and my team bats deep with Vettori and Bresnan at 8 and 9 reflecting this.

On a spinning deck my team would be hard to handle. With 2 frontliners (Ajmal and Vettori) and 2 back-up spinners I challenge any of the other teams to rack up a decent score against my 'Spin Wizards'. On a seaming deck I have 2 quality fast medium bowlers (Zaheer and Bresnan) with good back up from Watson and Pollard.

I have the arguably the best Captain in World cricket in Graeme Smith with Daniel Vettori as his able lieutenant.

To accompany Smith at the top of the order I have Shane Watson. Watto is best suited as an opening batsman and I do like a left and right hand combination to start the innings. My no.3 batsman (Amla) is the best in World cricket.

Samaraweera gives me good depth in the top order coming in at no.4 (averages 48.76) . I have a hard hitting middle order with Yuvraj able to turn a game on it's head and Pollard would be under instruction to 'go for it' !

My 7, 8 and 9 is a 'Dreamteam' tail. Prior is good enough to bat at 6 and Vettori has made 6 Test centuries and 23 fifty's. Bresnan has got a very good technique for a no.9 and averages over 30 with the bat.

My team in batting order ...

1 Graeme Smith (Capt) 8748 runs @ 48.87 ... 157 catches

2 Shane Watson 2482 runs @ 37.02 ... 62 wickets @ 30.06 ... 25 catches

3 Hashim Amla 5693 runs @ 51.75 ... 58 catches

4 Thilan Samaraweera 5462 runs @ 48.76 ... 15 wckts @ 45.93 (right arm off-breaks) ... 45 catches

5 Yuvraj Singh 1900 runs @ 33.92 ... 9 wckts @ 60.77 (slow left arm orthodox) ... 31 catches

6 Kieron Pollard (yet to play Test cricket)

7 Matt Prior 3326 runs @ 43.19 ... 173 catches, 13 stumpings

8 Daniel Vettori (Vice-Capt) 4516 runs @ 30.10 ... 360 wckts @ 34.42 ... 58 catches

9 Tim Bresnan 438 runs @ 31.28 ... 57 wckts @ 32.54 ... 7 catches

10 Zaheer Khan 295 wckts @ 32.35 ... 1146 runs @ 11.81 ... 19 catches

11 Saeed Ajmal 133 wckts @ 27.03 ... 287 runs @ 11.03 ... 8 catches

Thanks H_T for organising this, it was great fun despite my poor grasp of the rules of the game lol.

Here is a quick rundown of my team, which leaves a bit to be desired in the end... (I will update Clarke and Dhoni at the end of this test).

Gautam Gambhir, 31 (IND) - 54 tests, 4021 runs @ 44.18 with 9 Hundreds and 21 Fifties.

Umar Akmal, 22 (PAK) - 16 tests, 1003 @ 35.82, 1/6

Darren Bravo, 24 (W.I) - 21 tests, 1637 @ 46.77, 4/8

Ross Taylor, 28 (N.Z) - 43 tests, 3268 @ 43.57, 8/17

Michael Clark, 31 (AUS) - TBA

Francois (Faf) du Plessis, 28 (R.S.A) - 7 tests, 558 @ 69.75, 2/2 (First Class, 85 matches, 41 wickets @ 35.80, legbreak)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 31 (IND) - TBA

Mitchell Johnson, 31 (AUS) - 50 tests, 1403 @ 22.62, 1/7 205 wickets @ 30.63, 5wi (7)/10wm (1)

Doug Bracewell, 22 (N.Z) - 15 tests, 46 wkts @ 31.89, 2/0

James Anderson, 30 (ENG) - 77 tests, 288 wkts @ 30.39, 12/1

Ajantha Mendis, 27 (SL) - 16 tests, 62 wkts @ 32.48, 3/1

So after analysing my team more closely, I am pretty happy with the batting lineup though the bowling is less impressive. No bowlers with an average under 30 and two part timers (Clarke and du Plessis) making up the all rounders bowling quota. However this was a worthy sacrafice I think - both players are very capable of picking up partnership breaking wickets.

Happy with a partnership of Johnson and Anderson - I reckon these two bowling together would cause a lot of trouble as they are two extremely different bowlers and would complement each other well.

My Best XI line up.

1. TM Dilshan (SL) - 85 Tests, Batting 5255 Runs @ 40.42; 15 x 100's, 21 x 50's, HS 193; Bowling 36 Wickets @ 42.88 - pick no.42

2. MJ Guptill (NZ) - 30 Tests, Batting 1714 Runs @ 30.60; 2 x 100's, 12 x 50's, HS 189; Bowling 5 Wickets @ 43.40 - pick no.55

3. IJ Trott (Eng) - 38 Tests Batting 2970 Runs @ 49.50; 8 x 100's, 13 x 50's, HS 226; Bowling 3 Wickets @ 113.00 - pick no.26

4. SR Tendulkar (Ind) - 195 Tests Batting 15,739 Runs @ 54.46; 51 x 100's, 67 x 50's, HS 248*; Bowling 45 Wickets @ 54.64 - pick no.23

5. AB De Villiers (RSA) wk - 85 Tests Batting 6,364 Runs @ 50.50; 16 x 100's, 32 x 50's, HS 278*; Bowling 2 Wickets @ 45.00; 142 Catches, 2 st. - pick no.10

6. MN Samuels (WI) - 44 Tests Batting 2690 Runs @ 37.36; 5 x 100's, 17 x 50's, HS 260; Bowling 24 Wickets @ 69.00. - pick no.71

7. MC Henriques (Aust) - 1 Test Batting 149 Runs @ 149.00; 0 x 100's, 2 x 50's, HS 81*; Bowling 1 Wicket @ 48.00 - pick no.87

8. MA Starc (Aust) - 8 Tests Batting 193 Runs @ 24.12; 0 x 100;s, 1 x 50's, HS 68*; Bowling 28 Wickets @ 32.00 - 4w - 0, 5w - 2, 10w - 0. - pick no.39

9. DW Steyn (RSA) - 65 Tests Batting 866 Runs @ 13.96; 0 X 100'S, 1 X 50's, HS 76; Bowling 332 Wickets @ 22.65 - 4w - 20, 5w - 21, 10w - 5 - pick no.7

10. MS Panesar (Eng) - 45 Tests Batting 213 Runs @5.32; HS 26; Bowling 159 Wickets @ 32.64 - 4w - 4, 5w - 12, 10w - 2. - pick no.58

11. MJ Khan (Pak) - 9 Tests Batting 36 Runs @6.00; HS 9; Bowling 29 Wickets @ 28.17 - 4w - 0, 5w - 3, 10w - 0. - pick no.74

Reference: espncricinfo

* Test is in progress, information will be updated at Tests conclusion.

Enjoyed the Best XI draft and thankyou guys for your interest and partcipation. It's been something to keep our minds off other things (ie.Investigation) even if it was just for short spurts. Hopefully we can do it all again next summer.

I basically tried to get star quality in early through the draft with the runs on the board so-to-speak and get in-form players. NZ may have proved a stumbling block, but given what was on offer, I elected for Guptill, because most of my middle order was already complete and I knew I could get Samuels from the WI in the next two rounds or so; who had the runs on the board with a last start 260. As well as nailing Khan late due to the fact that nearly all participants had already selected one from Pakistan. And given the lack of quality openers on offer at the time it was a no brainer.

I consider my pace attack first class, headed by Steyn and Khan, with great averages, an in-form Starc providing left arm variation and Panesar to compliment with turn.

Snagging De Villiers early 2nd round secured a very good keeper/batsman and together with the in form middle order batsmen in Tendulkar, Samuels and Trott, ensures a pile of runs. Henriques is a relatively new all round cricketer on the scene and adds to the batting depth, whilst supporting the bowling with his right arm medium-fast. A very handy acquisition at pick 87 and has already shown how well he can bat on the dustbowl in trying conditions in India against word class spinners in an intimidating environment. He's no slouch with the ball either highlighted by his bag of wickets prior to the Test which helped him earn selection.

The side contains four double centurions, plus high scores of 193 and 189 from Dilshan and Guptill respectively. My spinner Monty Panesar is 12/2 with 5w/10w hauls - only slightly bettered by his teammate Swann @ 14 and 2. I was pleasantly surprised I was able to draft him so late.

Overall I'm pleased with the strength and balance of the team, having starting and finishing with the second last pick. The bowling contains very good bowling averages, with three of the four recognised bowlers all averaging in the 20's highlighted by Steyn's terrific average at 22. Plus a world class spinner. The batting is generally well experienced and each of them occupy the crease making them very good Test picks. Henriques has played an enormous amount of First Class cricket, captained at State level, and his perserverance and quality has earned him selection at Test level as a mid-lower order.

Alright. Let's see how my team stacks up.

Alviro Petersen (RSA) - 1589 runs at 38.75, 5/5 (50/100)

Mohammad Hafeez (Pak) - 2002 runs at 35.12, 8/5; 34 wickets at 33

Cheteshwar Pujara (India) - 813 runs at 58.07, 1/3

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) - 10,696 runs at 51.67, 61/27

Ian Bell (Eng) - 5699 runs at 46.71, 34/17

Dean Brownlie (NZ) - 547 runs at 34.18, 4/1

Brad Haddin (Aus) - 2257 runs at 35.82, 10/3; 160 catches, 4 stumpings

Rangana Herath (SL) - 186 wickets at 29.95

Trent Boult (NZ) - 30 wickets at 31.43

Steve Finn (Eng) - 70 wickets at 28.22

Jackson Bird (Aus) - 11 wickets at 16.18

So on paper the averages and stats don't stand out as amazing, but let's dissect. First of all, I have the world number 3 batsman, Chanderpaul, a proven star. He heads my middle order, ably supported by Ian Bell, who has come into his prime, is world number 16, and whose average has climbed past 45. I have India's most promising young batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara, at 3, a man who plays like Rahul Dravid and has better stats at this early stage in his career. He dominated England with consecutive centuries and looks likely to hold the number 3 for India for a decade. I've also got New Zealand's Dean Brownlie, who is coming off a great tour of South Africa, knocking off a 50 and a century against the best bowling attack bar none.

Opening, I have South Africa's stylish Alviro Petersen, who with Graeme Smith forms, IMO, the best opening partnership in Test cricket at the moment, and Mohammad Hafeez, who has captained Pakistan and who also is my spin-bowling all-rounder (a bit of a golden arm for the Pakistanis, actually).

My keeper is Haddin, a man who would get a game for most other countries as keeper, and whose form is still good enough to play Test cricket. More than happy to have him coming in at 7.

Bowling-wise, I have the world's number 4 ranked bowler, Rangana Herath, who has tussled with Saeed Ajmal for the title of best spinner over the last two years. For pace, I have one of Australia's new pace prospects, Jackson Bird, who starred in his two chances against the Lankans, plus Steve Finn, England's tidy yet consistent wicket taker, and Trent Boult, a left-armer who has taken most of his wickets in his last 4 or so Tests, and who can also add handy lower order runs (e.g. see the Hobart Test of 2011).

Overall, the numbers don't stand out, but keep in mind I had to pick last in Round 1, and last in the final round too.

45's Best XI

Player Nation Age Tests

Keiran Powell (WI) (22) 13 3 centuries and 2 50s at 32.66 including an average of 83 this summer. A very classy young player who has an obviously promising future (as was underscored by his performances in the one dayers for W.I. Also has 8 catches. Highest score 134. 51 in the world.

Ed Cowan (Aus) (30) 14 1 century and 5 50s at 32.65, averaged 45.6 against the world's best S.A. lineup (including a century). Values his wicket and is tough to remove, often seeing off the new ball. Also a handy close-in fielder. (Plays for Tassie!) Highest sore 136. 44 in the world.

Kumar Sangakarra (SL) (35) 115 All class. 30 centuries and 41 50s and a batting average of 55.8. 11 times he's reached over 190, second only to the Don. 8 double centuries! Wicket-keeping, captaining legend of the game. Highest score 287. 5th in world rankings.

Kevin Pietersen (Eng) (32) 92 22 centuries at 49.42. Dislike him immensely, but his batting talents cannot be denied. Shame to say he's the Colin Sylvia of my team! Has an average over 44.5 against all test-playing nations except Pakistan. Highest score 227. 8th in world rankings.

Azhar Ali (Pak) (28) 27 4 centuries and 14 50s at 42.26. Another up and coming player, solid technique and suffered a few dodgy dismissals against SA recently (including his teammate running him out!) Highest score of 157 and another who really values his wicket. 11th in world rankings.

Kane Williamson (NZ) (22) 20 3 centuries and 5 50s at 30.27. Very young, raw but extremely talented bat. Already has some match-winning knocks to his name. Highest score 135. Also a handy spinner, taking 8 wickets at 53 (averaging 38.5 last year). 38 in the world.

Tim Southee (NZ) (24) 21 Has 65 wickets, 3 5 wicket hauls, at 35.04 with a best bowling of 7/64 (in India!). His bowling average last year was 22.64! Also very handy with the bat. Has 2 50s, highest score of 77*. Along with Williamson, Southee is a young-gun who is helping to form a bright future for the Kiwis.18.74/35.04 (22.64 last year). 22 in the world.

Vernon Philander (SA) (27) 16 Gun. 89 wickets in 16 matches (Very close to a record). His bowling average is a world-beating 17.13!!! 9 5 wicket hauls, 2 10 wicket matches, best bowling of 6/44, strike rate of 36.8! Another very handy bat, 2 50s at 22.75 with a high score of 74. 4th best all-rounder in the world. Number 2 bowler in the world.

Pragyan Ojha (Ind) (26) 20 Staggered he wasn't selected for the first test. Has 95 wickets at 31.62 (very good for a spinner). 5 5 wickets innings and a best bowling of 6/47. Has averaged 14.5 over the past two years. 8th in the world.

Tino Best (WI) (31) 18 Fiery W.I. quick coming back into the fold. Bowling average of 26 but averaged 16.27 last year. Best bowling of 6/40. 39 in the world.

Ben Hilfenhaus (Aus) (29) 27 Very handy Tasmanian quick. Great bowling average of 28.5 and over the past two seasons he has averaged 22.06. Best bowling 5/75 and could be vital in the Ashes. Number 10 in the world.

Between selecting my team on the fly whilst travelling abroad, beginning my prep-teaching career and now enduring some kind of indoor-soccer et. 4 year olds plague I can't be bothered defending the team (as if it needs it). It's been a haphazard arrangement on my behalf. I think the bats have a good mix of experience and I really rate my young guys. Cowan is iffy and my drunken selection of Tino Best has hurt the balance of my side I think. Mind you, Southee, Philander with Hilfenhaus and Best to back them up with Ojha and Williamson with the spin is a pretty threatening attack and I'd back Kumar, Pietersen and an improved Powell, Williamson and Ali to chase down any target that bowling lineup restricts opposition to.

Everyone's XI listed above for you Nasher minus Rouge's.

I'll leave it to Rouge to present it to you but in some type of what I think would be a rough batting order this is Rouge's XI so you don't have to go through the whole draft order to figure it out.

Chris Gayle (WI)

Taufeeq Umar (PAK)

Phil Hughes (AUST)

Jacques Kallis (RSA)

Virat Kohli (IND)

Misbah Ul-haq (PAK)

Dinesh Chandimal (SL)

Graeme Swann (ENG)

Peter Siddle (AUST)

Mark Gillespie (NZ)

Kemar Roach (WI)

[Rogue 585]

Without further ado, I present Rogue's Best XI...

In constructing my team I based my decisions upon the following objectives, which I felt were all required in order to create a strong, balanced team:

- To have six batsmen averaging around 40 or above with the bat, with two bona fide openers

- To have a wicketkeeper who was a bona fide gloveman

- To have four bowlers averaging 30 or less, with a strike rate of under 60 and an economy rate of under 3.5

- To have a legitimate fifth bowling option

When drafting players I looked for cricketers who seemed to posess an ability to succeed in different conditions and/or against quality opponents, and I wanted to ensure that their recent form - last year or two, depending on how much Test cricket their team played - was good. This meant overlooking some players who appeared strong prospects at first glance, but struggled against quality opponents and/or away from home, or had records that were based on past achievements rather than current day form. I also wanted to ensure I had at least two players with legitimate leadership claims, preferably established at national level.

'The Invincible Whites'

1. Chris Gayle (WI) //96 caps

Batting average of 42 @ 60 strike rate, with 14 100s and 34 50s.

Bowling average of 42 @ 86 strike rate, 2.6 RPO; 2 4-wicket hauls, 2 5-wicket hauls.

An attacking opening batsmen who has averaged over 50 in the last couple of seasons, Gayle's explosive talents need no introduction - since 1999 they've been on display all over the world. Gayle's also more than handy with the ball and provides a good part-time spinning option.

2. Taufeeq Umar (Pak) //43 caps

Batting average of 39 @ 45, with 7 100s and 14 50s.

An opening batsmen bereft of opportunities to show his wares due to Pakistan's lack of Test cricket, Umar has nonetheless shown he can succeed as an opener not only on the slow, dusty tracks of Pakistan but also on wickets that take bounce and seam. In addition to providing an excellent partner for Gayle, Umar provides a back-up wicketkeeping option.

3. Phil Hughes (Aus) //23 caps

Batting average of 33 @ 54, with 3 100s and 6 50s.

After a torrid time in India his average has dropped significantly, but Hughes averaged 37 in 2012 and far better players than he have failed in India. He's also scored tons in Sri Lanka and South Africa, and having six genuine batsmen and a wicketkeeper who averages above 40 means I can carry a developing batsmen.

4. Jacques Kallis (SA) //162 caps

Batting average of 56 @ 46, with 44 100s and 58 50s.

Bowling average of 32 @ a strike rate of 69, with 2.8 RPO; 7 4-wicket hauls, 5 5-wicket hauls.

A cricketing colossus, Kallis is one of the best batsmen of his era and has averaged over 50 each year since 2009. In addition to his prolific run-making, his bowling is good enough to merit a position as a paceman in most sides and gives me a fantastic fifth bowling option.

5. Virat Kohli (Ind) //17 caps

Batting average of 44 @ 47, with 4 100s and 6 50s.

Kohli is one of the most talented young batsmen in world cricket. He's made runs - and 100s - at home and away and forms part of a strong middle-order. Apparently an India Test captain-in-waiting, he gives me a developing leader.

6. Misbah Ul-Haq (Pak) © //39 caps

Batting average of 43 @ 40, with 3 100s and 18 50s.

One of the most successful Pakistani captains of recent times, and not just for being able to keep the team unified for more than a series, Misbah has averaged 40 or above in the last three years. Like Umar, he's a victim of Pakistan's lack of Test cricket, but takes the toss for my 11.

7. Dinesh Chandimal (SL) (wk/vc) //7 caps

Batting average of 58 @ 48, with 2 100s and 4 50s.

A genuine wicketkeeper who, he says, wouldn't have made more than ~30 with the bat until his late teens, is now one of Sri Lanka's most promising young batsmen. Although his current batting average is inflated, a series average of 37 in South Africa against a formiddable fast bowling quartet shows he is much more than a flat track bully. Chandimal - who could bat as high as four in time - has been appointed Sri Lanka's T20 captain and provides another developing leadership option.

8. Graeme Swann (Eng) //50 caps

Batting average of 24 @ 77, with 5 50s.

Bowling average of 29 @ 60, 2.9 RPO; 12 4-wicket hauls, 14 5-wicket hauls, 2 10-wicket hauls.

Since replacing Panesar in 2009 Swann has been the most consistent premier spinner in world cricket, As his figures indicate he can both take wickets and contain runs, as well as chiming in with some handy runs of his own - an average of 24 at a very healthy strike rate of 77.

9. Mark Gillespie (NZ) //5 caps

Batting average of 11 @ 57.

Bowling average of 29 @ 39, 4.4 RPO; 1 4-wicket haul; 3 5-wicket hauls.

Gillespie is the Ryan Harris of NZ cricket. Although boasting a strong first-class record - 77 games, 326 wickets at an average of 27 @ 47 with a RPO of 3.4 - and an even better strike rate in Test cricket (39), he has struggled to stay on the park and risks being overlooked for younger competitors. His Test economy rate is misleadingly inflated but he can be more expensive than ideal - fortunately this can be overlooked given his lethal wicket-taking abilities and the fact my 'fifth' bowler is Jaques Kallis.

10. Peter Siddle (Aus) //40 caps

Batting average of 14 @ 47.

Bowling average of 29 @ 59, 3 RPO; 5 4-wicket hauls, 7 5-wicket hauls.

On the back of a fantastic 2012, in which he led the Australian attack with an average of 23 @ 47, Siddle has shown he can be successful in completely foreign conditions with a commendable effort in the current series in India. He is just as determined with the bat, and can provide some lower-order grit.

11. Kemar Roach (WI) //22 caps

Batting average of 10 @ 34.

Bowling average of 27 @ 51, 3.2 RPO; 1 4-wicket haul, 5 5-wicket hauls; 1 10-wicket haul.

Roach is another quick who leads his country's attack, despite being only 24 years old. An excellent strike rate paired with an economy rate of 3.2 made him the ideal choice to pair with Siddle, and he's no Chris Martin with the bat.

I'm confident this team can more than match the opposing line-ups, with strong all-rounders in Kallis and Chandimal means I have an ideal balance of batsmen and bowlers. Two genuine openers are followed by a #3 that's weaker than ideal, but a strong middle-order, with players capable of holding down a Test batting role all the way down to #7 (and a very handy #8), mean that's a minor issue. Roach, Siddle, Gillespie and Kallis provide me with a fantastic quartet of quicks and I'm well positioned to cover any deficiency in Gillespie's bowling, while Gayle provides solid back-up to the very strong Swann. Good leadership rounds out what is, in every meaning of the phrase, my best XI.

[45HG 1,539]

Good to see Kane Williamson chalk up 6.1 - 4 - 5 - 2

[Little Richard 5,943]

So.... who won?

[45HG 1,539]

So.... who won?

Whoever has Anderson...?

[Little Richard 5,943]

Haha, beauty!

[Rogue 585]

Whoever has Graeme Swann?

[MadAsHell 4,089]

What about whoever had Colin Munro???

[H_T 2,941]

Whoever has Guptill.

Decent knock of 189* v England. He now holds NZ's highest ODI innings.

And helped clinch the series win v england.

[45HG 1,539]

Too bad it was in an ODI, ey