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Sambit Bal's picks
Twenty20, I have always believed, is a game for specialists. Because
every over is crucial and because a match can change course in a matter
of balls, a team must employ at all times players capable of taking
charge. So if you can bowl a bit and bat a bit, and do a job on the
field, get yourself another job. I am looking for only match-winners.
The openers pick themselves. Both Shane Watson and Chris Gayle failed in
their final matches, but who'd dare keep them out? Between them they
scored nearly 500 runs at 150, and hit 31 sixes. If they got going
together, fielders could actually relax - the crowd would be busy
catching. Behind them are the men of silk and style. Both have been
pushed down a slot, but Mahela Jayawardene and Virat Kolhi can purr as
well as vroom, and have the technique to find runs on tough pitches.
Marlon Samuels would have been a serious candidate even before the
final, but after that innings he just saunters in. That he can give a
couple of overs of fast spin, though I would be loath to bowl him, gives
him a few more points. Not considering Kieron Pollard is personal
choice, and Michael Hussey, in this case is far more versatile
cricketer. The wicketkeeper was a tough choice, and I did consider MS
Dhoni before settling for Brendon McCullum. He doesn't like batting
lower down these days, but he has the goods to deliver at No. 7.
For bowlers, their batting wasn't even a consideration. Lasith Malinga
wasn't in the list even before the final because he is no longer the
trustworthy match-winner he used to be. Mitchell Starc was the most
impressive new-ball bowler of the tournament, both miserly, and
attacking. Umar Gul was certainly an option, but I went for Steven
Finn's wicket-taking ability both at the top and at the death. Tall
bowlers are always tough to get away, and they get wickets out of
nowhere.
There was hardly a doubt about the spinners. Greame Swann and R Ashwin
did the job for their teams, but Saeed Ajmal and Sunil Narine were the
best spinners of the tournament. If you can't pick them, you can't hit
them.
And yes, I still trust Jayawardene to lead.
The XI: Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Mahela Jayawardene (capt),
Virat Kohli, Marlon Samuels, Michael Hussey, Brendon McCullum (wk),
Mitchell Starc, Saeed Ajmal, Sunil Narine, Steven Finn
****
David Hopps' picks
Shane Watson has surely been the most valuable player of World Twenty20.
Jot him down as an opener and, as he consistently gave Australia
devastating starts with his medium pace, he immediately provides the
balance that all teams crave.
To gain that balance, a batsman-keeper is also essential and, although
Kumar Sangakkara came into contention, I wanted somebody with the power
to bat at No. 7. I was tempted by Brendon McCullum, who had a fine
tournament for New Zealand, but subcontinent pitches eventually swung it
for MS Dhoni.
Dhoni will not captain, though, or for that matter have any say in team
selection. The captaincy goes to Mahela Jayawardene, whose relaxed
approach and wise counsel drew out the best from his Sri Lankan side.
His lending of the captaincy in the final Super Eights game against
England to Sangakkara to escape a potential overrate ban was a bit
cheeky, but I can't get that annoyed about it; he retains my vote.
Jayawardene will have to bat at No. 3, though, to allow Chris Gayle to
open with Watson. No batsman has such an obvious capability to wreak
destruction. In the middle order, I have preferred Virat Kohli, India's
next superstar, and Eoin Morgan, who likes games to be set up for him
and who should have a better chance with this XI than he did with
England. Michael Hussey's immense knowledge of his own game and ability
to manage the most pressurised situation was used by Australia at No. 3,
but in this side he can revert to No. 6, where he has batted before.
Nasir Jamshed was the young player I omitted with reluctance.
That only leaves four specialist bowlers, with Gayle and Watson having
to make up the fifth bowler - a vulnerability that opponents will have
to punish if they are to have a chance of winning. Lasith Malinga, in
front of his home crowd, and a left-armer, Mitchell Starc, who had a
good tournament for Australia, get the new ball ahead of Dale Steyn and
Steven Finn. Spin is left with the Pakistan pair of Saeed Ajmal and, for
the sake of debate, Raza Hasan.
The XI: Shane Watson, Chris Gayle, Mahela Jayawardene (capt),
Virat Kohli, Eoin Morgan, Michael Hussey, MS Dhoni (wk), Mitchell Starc,
Raza Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Lasith Malinga
****
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Andrew Fernando's picks
The trouble with picking batsmen from a Twenty20 tournament is that the
men in the middle order rarely get the opportunity to make big
contributions. Twelve of the tournament's top 13 run-scorers bat in the
top three, and I've given in to sheer weight of numbers and stacked my
top six with three openers and two No. 3s. Mahela Jayawardene and Marlon
Samuels are batting slightly out of position (although Jayawardene did
bat at first drop in the group stage), while Brendon McCullum has been
sent way down the order because he was once a good finisher.
I had toyed with the idea of leaving Chris Gayle out of my XI before he
proved me a fool by treating Australia's attack like a piñata that had
made a move on his sister. He is also in charge of the music on the team
bus.
Shane Watson's inclusion is obvious and Jayawardene has made vital runs
for Sri Lanka, quite apart from being the best captain on show for much
of the tournament. Virat Kohli appeared to be batting in a different
match from most of his team-mates, and Samuels muscles out Luke Wright
with an incredible innings in the final. Staggeringly, Umar Akmal was
the closest thing to a consistent finisher and McCullum takes the gloves
ahead of Kumar Sangakkara who had a forgettable tournament behind the
stumps.
Sunil Narine's three-ball sequence to bowl Ed Joyce around his legs was
among the highlights of the tournament and, over the past three weeks,
Narine has proved he has more strings to his bow than just mystery. West
Indies team-mate Ravi Rampaul achieved quietly, but delivered a stunner
to dismiss Tillakaratne Dilshan in the final. Ajantha Mendis also
bowled his way into the XI in the final, while his team-mate, Lasith
Malinga, bowled his way out of it.
The XI: Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Mahela Jayawardene (capt),
Marlon Samuels, Virat Kohli, Brendon McCullum (wk), Umar Akmal, Ravi
Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Ajantha Mendis
****
Abhishek Purohit's picks
The presence of Shane Watson and Chris Gayle in the XI pushes Luke
Wright down to No. 3. Virat Kohli and Nasir Jamshed were considered for
the slot, but the freedom with which Wright batted - he has the highest
strike-rate in the XI - puts him ahead of the duo. Mahela Jayawardene is
the overwhelming choice to lead the side, but he bats at No. 4, a
position which he is not unfamiliar with at all. Marlon Samuels' epic 78
in the final confirms his place, while the experience and adaptability
of Michael Hussey is handy at No. 6, though he didn't bat at that
position for Australia in the tournament.
The choice of a wicketkeeper who could score quickly at No. 7 was
difficult, as most of them now bat up the order. Brendon McCullum makes
it for having batted that low down the order before. Both Mitchell Starc
and Steven Finn were impressive in foreign conditions, and fill the
fast-bowling slots ahead of other contenders. It is very hard to leave
out one of Saeed Ajmal, Sunil Narine and Ajantha Mendis. Ajmal and
Narine make it for being consistently miserly through the tournament. As
many as four batsmen are capable of filling in the fifth bowler's
quota.
The XI: Shane Watson, Chris Gayle, Luke Wright, Mahela
Jayawardene (capt), Marlon Samuels, Michael Hussey, Brendon McCullum
(wk), Saeed Ajmal, Sunil Narine, Steven Finn, Mitchell Starc
****
Jarrod Kimber's picks
Picking mythical teams is a pretty pointless pursuit, kind of like
part-time offspin. I was at a lot of the World T20, and I remember a
few of the matches. At the end of the day I didn't pick Ajantha Mendis
over Sunil Narine or Saeed Ajmal because I think he's mentally weaker
and only good if you can't pick him (hello West Indies and Zimbabwe) and
rotten if you can't (New Zealand and England). He had a better
tournament I suppose, if three games against two teams makes it a good
tournament. But my team he is fighting off a horde cricketing ghouls,
and I think they can pick him.
I picked Mitchell Starc mostly because I have this theory that left-arm
bowlers are scientifically designed to be better in T20. There is no
actual team of cricketing ghouls, it's mostly in my head, but if there
was, they might struggle with left-arm pace.
This whole exercise is just designed to get readers really angry (as is
much of ESPNcricinfo), so I really should have picked Rohit Sharma over
Virat Kohli, or just not picked an Indian at all. On stats I could have
justified it, but Kohli was the bee's knees when I saw him, and I'm
picking him in this team. Rohit Sharma is my 12th man.
Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Shane Watson are probably in everyone's
teams, as is Luke Wright, but I am bucking that disturbing trend.
Nasir Jamshed is in the side mostly because I like him and when he
batted well Pakistan looked like they could win the tournament. Dale
Steyn is in the side because he deserves special treatment for having to
carry South Africa. Michael Hussey beat Ross Taylor because although I
think Taylor is the most complete T20 batsmen in world cricket, he
couldn't win against the West Indies, and I think in the same situation
Hussey would have. Kumar Sangakkara is in because, I don't know … as
wicketkeeper and last-minute captain if needed. Maybe I have unresolved
Brendon McCullum issues.
I have picked two captains, George Bailey and Darren Sammy, both in the non-playing roles their critics despise.
The XI: Shane Watson, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Nasir Jamshed,
Virat Kohli, Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Hussey, Saeed Ajmal, Sunil
Narine, Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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