Dream Team: A Test XI of all-rounders
Dream Team: A Test XI of all-rounders
(From top-left) Vinoo Mankad, Wilfred Rhodes, Garry Sobers, Jacques Kallis, Clyde Walcott, Shane Warne, Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee, Keith Richards, Imran Khan, and Tony Greig © Getty Images[/caption] All-rounders are the superstars of the cricketing world. There have been numerous great batsmen and superb bowlers in cricket history, but not too many sublime all-rounders. Creating a dream Test XI of all-rounders therefore presents an interesting headache. Shiamak Unwalla takes up the challenge and endeavours to create a dream XI of Test all-rounders. NOTE: A minimum cut-off of 100 wickets and 2,000 runs were put in place while selecting the team. However, in order to pick the wicketkeeper an allowance was made for wickets taken, bringing the limit from 100 down to 10. READ: An Indian All-Star Cricket XI 1. Vinoo Mankad (India): India's left-arm spinner and opening batsman kicks off the line-up. Mankad's career batting average is merely 31.47, but it goes up to over 40 as opener. His most memorable innings of 231 too came at the top of the order, when he and Pankaj Roy added 413 against New Zealand — the the highest ever opening partnership. He scored another double-hundred in his career. Mankad was also an excellent left-arm spinner, with 162 wickets in 44 matches at 32.32, and took eight-wicket innings hauls in India's first wins against England and Pakistan. Of course, there was the small matter of the Lord's Test of 1952. READ: Vinoo Mankad — in the galaxy of the world’s greatest all-rounders 2. Wilfred Rhodes (England): Rhodes played merely 58 Tests, but his 31-year long career remains one of the longest of all time. Rhodes started his career as a left-arm spinner who batted at No. 11 but by the time he retired he was opening batting. He is one of the few batsmen to bat at all 11 positions in the line-up. He is also among the finest left-arm spinners in the history of Yorkshire and England. READ: Wilfred Rhodes: Nearly 40,000 runs and 4,204 wickets — what an all-rounder! 3. Garry Sobers (West Indies): Arguably the greatest all-rounder of all time, Sobers could thrash the ball around the park or clamp down when needed, and could bowl pace, swing, left-arm orthodox spin, and Chinamen. He was also an outstanding fielder with phenomenal reflexes, especially in the leg-trap. READ: Sir Garfield “Garry” Sobers: The greatest all-rounder of all time 4. Jacques Kallis (South Africa): One of the only cricketers who can possibly challenge Sobers' claim of being the greatest ever all-rounder, Kallis comes from a long legacy of brilliant South African all-rounders. A solid batsman capable of surprising batsmen with his pace and swing while bowling, Kallis would walk in to most dream teams. READ: Jacques Kallis: A marvel that comes less than once in lifetime 5. Clyde Walcott (West Indies, wicketkeeper): Finding a wicketkeeper is usually a challenge while making XIs, especially in a team of all-rounders. Finding a wicketkeeper with a single wicket is a challenge, much less with 100. However, if we modify the cut-off to 10 wickets we have one candidate. As it happens, he is a pretty good candidate. One of the three Ws of the West Indian line-up, Clyde Walcott has 11 wickets, by far the most by any wicketkeeper (he also has 11 stumpings). A Test batting average of 56.68 is not too shabby either! READ: Clyde Walcott: One of the hardest hitters of all time 6. Tony Greig (England): Perhaps the most recognisable voice to modern cricket fans, Greig was also one of England's leading all-rounders. Born in South Africa and later settled in Australia, Greig was a controversial but beloved character both on and off the field. A batsman of considerable class and an off-spinner who occasionally bowled medium-pace, Greig will be one of the lynchpins of the side. READ: Tony Greig — The man who joined Kerry Packer to change fortunes of cricketers 7. Imran Khan (Pakistan, captain): One of Pakistan's greatest cricketers, Imran's phenomenal numbers — a Test batting average of 37.69 is respectable enough, but add the bowling average of 22.81 and you have a genuine match-winner — are tough to match. Imran is also one of the most charismatic cricketers of his generation, and will lead this team. READ: Imran Khan: Mesmerising cocktail of talent and dashing looks 8. Keith Miller (Australia): If there is ever a 'most charismatic XI,' Miller would possibly be the first name to be entered. The Australian all-rounder was a vital part of Don Bradman's Invincibles of 1948. Miller will bowl first-change for this side, and will also be a terrifying prospect for the opposition coming in at No. 8 to smash the ball to all ends of the park. READ: Keith Miller: The greatest Australian all-rounder 9. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand): Without question New Zealand's greatest ever cricketer, Hadlee would walk into any all-time XI on the strength of his bowling alone. Hadlee was once the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket and with a bowling average of 22.29 jolted the opposition in virtually every match he played. His batting average of 27.16 makes him more than useful at No. 9 in the line-up. READ: Richard Hadlee: A phenomenon in the pantheon of the greats 10. Wasim Akram (Pakistan): Imran ruled Pakistan's bowling charts in his early days, and it was his protégé Wasim who took over later on. Wasim was the perfect blend of pace, conventional swing, reverse swing, and accuracy. He will open bowling with Hadlee in this line-up, and blast some massive sixes at No. 10 when he walks out to bat. READ: Wasim Akram took the art of swinging the old ball to the level of full-fledged course in sorcery 11. Shane Warne (Australia): If the opposition survives the spin of Mankad, Rhodes, Sobers, and Greig after being terrorised by the pace, seam, and swing of the others, they will be faced with the man who out-thought, out-planned, and out-manoeuvred his way to becoming the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket at the time of his retirement. One of the most skilful proponents of leg-spin bowling in the game, Warne will led the team's spin attack. READ: Shane Warne: The man who breathed life into the dying art of leg-spin bowling Test XI of all-rounders (in batting order): Vinoo Mankad, Wilfred Rhodes, Garry Sobers, Jacques Kallis, Clyde Walcott (wk), Tony Greig, Imran Khan (c), Keith Richards, Richard Hadlee, Wasim Akram, Shane Warne. (Shiamak Unwalla, reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)