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The Expendables – My best ODI 11 for 2011

Ashar Zaidi on 11, Jan 2012 | 30 Comments | in Category: Sports Sprit

What would life be without Cricket, and what would cricket be without the ODI’s? Miserable.  Ever since Australia and England locked horns in Melbourne for the first ODI on 5^th January 1971, this moody middle child of cricket formats has forced us to love it more and more with each game.  2011 was a wonderful year for One Day Cricket, a year that gave us the thrills of the World cup and countless exciting encounters

 

 

Overall, 147 ODI matches were played last year, showcasing glittering performances from both bat and ball. It’s now time to pick the best entertainers that captivated our attention throughout the year. I decided to play Chief Selector myself and selected the best ODI team of 2011 based purely on performance and utility. You are welcome to disagree with my selection and argue your favorites in.

 

 

Openers:

 

 

1-Shane Watson (Australia)

 
Batting: Innings: 22, Runs: 1139, Avg: 56.95, 100’s: 2, 50’s: 8, SR: 108.89

 

Bowling:  Wickets: 17, BBI: 3/25, Avg: 41.05, Economy Rate: 4.81

 

 

2-Muhammad Hafiz (Pakistan)

 

Batting: Matches: 32, Runs: 1075, Avg: 37.06, 100’s: 3, 50’s: 5, SR: 76.34

 

Bowling:  Wickets: 32, BBI: 3/27, Avg: 25.34, Economy Rate: 3.54

 

Selecting the openers was relatively easy as Watson and Hafiz make the cut due to their stupendous performance all around. Shane’s blisters and the patience and class of Hafiz give any team the perfect opening recipe.

 

 

29 year old Watson has had a wonderful year filled with extra workload. This however, is something he enjoys with his heart. In the very first match of the year, he cracked a chanceless 161 against England and then smashed the highest number of sixes (15) in an innings against Bangladesh scoring a career best of 185 runs. Named as the VC of Australia in April, Shane has decent scores that make him outshine all opposition. He is a must player for every team.

 

 

2011 was a resurgent year for Hafiz. The absence of Salman Butt created a vacuum for a reliable opener and Hafiz craftily filled this void with a string of consistent acts. The highest run grosser from Pakistan, Hafiz is one complete ODI batsmen with the capacity to both attack and defend at the same time.

 

 

Close Calls: Virender Sehwag, Martin Guptill, Upul Tharanga

 

 

Middle Order:

 

 

3-Kumar Sangakkara

 

Batting: Innings: 25, Runs: 1127, Avg: 51.22, 100’s: 1, 50’s: 9, SR: 73.32

 

Kumar keeps getting better and better with each passing year. 2011 was no different.  An elegant stroke maker, handy keeper and strategic genius, Kumar has been the architect of major Lankan victories. He took his team to the World Cup final and then stepped down to make way for Dilshan. With his sparkling performance, Sanga was declared the ICC ODI player of the year and was also the Captain for the ICC World Cup team.

 

 

4-Jonathan Trott

 

Batting: Innings: 28, Runs: 1315, Avg: 52.60, 100’s: 2, 50’s: 10, SR: 80.03

 

What can you say about Jonathan Trott? He is a technically sound batsman who picks his techniques right from the book. He steps up to score when needed and holds one end when wickets are tumbling. Trott enjoyed a prolific World Cup where he scored five half centuries and his consistent performances throughout the year earned him ICC Cricketer of the year and ECB Cricketer of the year awards.

 

 

5-Virat Kohli

 

 

Batting: Matches: 34, Runs: 1381, Avg: 47.62, 100’s: 4, 50’s:8, SR: 85.56

 

2011 brought tons of smiles for Kohli. With four centuries and eight half centuries, he was the highest run achiever of the year, proudly displaying 1,381 runs against his name.  At the World Cup, Kohli was preferred ahead of Suresh Raina and became the first Indian to score a century in his World Cup debut against Bangladesh. Daring, tough and fiercely talented, Virat has been a constant performer with the bat and has cemented his place as a reliable middle-order batsman. With just 23 years of age, he is the future of Indian Cricket.

 

 

Close Calls: Misbah-ul-Haq, Brendan Taylor, A.B DeVilliers, Mahela Jayawardene, Ross Taylor

 

 

Wicket Keeper:               

                                 

6-MS Dhoni

 

Batting: innings: 22, Runs: 764, Avg: 58.76, 50’s: 6, SR: 89.88,

 

Keeping: CT: 17, Stumps: 6

 

MS is my Choicest Captain and wicket-keeper, for one simple reason: He is brilliant. He is a crafty keeper, an astute skipper, a thorough gentleman and a role model.  MS can do no wrong as he has proven himself to be a Captain who brings the best out of seniors and juniors alike. Everything he touched this year turned to gold. After winning the T-20 WC in 2007, he won a billion hearts by bringing the world cup back to India after 28 years. Under his dynamic leadership, Indian cricket found a renewed spirit that has turned them into a fearsome bunch. His Captains knock of 91 runs in the WC final added his name in Indian folklore.

 

 

Bowlers:

 

There are no selection nightmares with the bowlers as most became automatic selections due to their exceptional feats this year. I decided to have a powerful bowling arsenal comprising three quickies and two spinners.

 

7-Shahid Afridi

 

Innings: 26, Wickets: 45, Runs: 937, BB: 5/16, Strike Rate: 29.8, Economy Rate: 4.18

 

A must have for every ODI side. 2011 was an eventful year for Boom Boom. He took his team to the WC Semi-final but then fell off from Captaincy after the West-Indies tour, citing disharmony with Waqar Younis. He then returned to have dazzling sessions against the Lankans in UAE. His bat remained silent managing merely 462 from 22 matches, but his wrist magic kept him in the headlines.

 

 

8-Lasith Malinga

 

 

Innings: 23, Wickets: 48, Runs: 924, BB: 6/38, Strike Rate: 24.0, Economy Rate: 4.80

 

Fiery eyes, Zulu curls, fuming nostrils, slander arm action and that lethal “Toe-Crushing Yorker”, there is simply no other frightening sight in cricket than to see Malinga charging in to knock your stumps out of the ground.   Nick-named “Slinga”, he was the highest wicket-taker of the year with 48 scalps.  He also recorded two yorkery hat-tricks this year against Kenya and Australia. In the WC final he removed Sehwag and Tendulkar cheaply to give the Islanders an early hope of glory.

 

 

9-Mitchell Johnson

 

 

Innings: 22, Wickets: 39, Runs: 817, BB: 6/31, Strike Rate: 28.3, Economy Rate: 4.43

 

 

Mitchell is Malinga’s new ball partner. He might not be remembered for any stunning performance in 2011, but a sting of consistent acts ranks him the third highest wicket-stealer of the year. A strong left arm bowler, Johnson has a habit of frequently clocking 150 kph and gives a valuable dimension to any bowling attack.

 

10-Zaheer Khan               

 

Innings: 14, Wickets: 30, Runs: 620, BB: 3/20, Strike Rate: 25.5, Economy Rate: 4.85

 

If Dhoni was to thank one man for helping lift the WC, it has to be Zaheer. The Maharashtra speedster had a terrific tournament where he bagged 21 scalps at a whopping Avg of 18.76. A perfect exponent of the new and old ball, Zaheer has the tendency of picking up wickets and strangling the run-rate. The WC final was his triumphant moment and also his last ODI of the year after which he kept nursing his injuries.

 

 

11-Saeed Ajmal                               

 

Innings: 20, Wickets: 34, Runs: 581, BB: 4/35, Strike Rate: 29.4, Economy Rate: 3.48

 

Just when you thought about relaxing after seeing off my seamers, I toss the ball to my most trusted and destructive weapon, the “Master of Doosra”, Saeed Ajmal. Don’t you dare try your luck here because he will dry up your runs and before you know it, the un-pickable Doosra or the straighter one will clean you up. To add horrors to his already devastating reputation, Ajmal has threatened the Englishmen with his upcoming “Special Delivery”. Watch out Peterson!

 

 

Close Calls: Brett Lee, Munaf Musa Patel, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampual.

 

12-Graeme Swann is the 12^th Man. 

 

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