Twenty 20 - World Cup (best XI)
This tournament has surprisingly captured my imagination. Don't get me wrong, I like 20-20 for its ability to pull in new fans and not put to sleep supporters during the middle phases of the 50 over format, but i suspect the power that be (BCCI) and its minions (ICC, ECB etc) want to ram it down our throats at every available moment. Don't. One domestic tournament in each country and a biennial world cup is enough. Winge over. Now for something light...
Here's my best XI of the last few weeks:
Kallis, Dilshan, Pietersen, Jayawardene, Bravo, De Villiers, A Morkel, Foster, Mendis, Parnell, Malinga.
Unsurprisingly, the South Africans and Sri Lankans dominate my XI - my tip for the final (i've been saying this for days to anyone who would listen to me!) but i've picked a couple of Englishmen who have stood out in this tournament. Foster's brilliance would go hand in hand with Mendis.
There are obviously quite a few players that i could have picked but have left out for numerous reasons, but this is my opinion. Please contest!
12 comments:
Always very tricky to pick this type of side, but I think you've been a bit anti-Pakistan. I'd stick de Villiers at 4, drop Jayawardene (or perhaps Bravo?), have Afridi at 6 (although I realise his batting this tournament has hardly set the world alight, but his bowling is vital), and I'd play Gul instead of Morkel. If I could have a squad of 12 I'd also have Yuvraj Singh in there and there is an argument that he should also play ahead of Bravo or Jayawarene too.
That's based on the fact that it's been the bowlers who've won games and if your top 5 can't make runs you generally lose no matter who comes in at 6 onwards (the exception being when you're only batting for 9 overs like West Indies when their no 6 and 7 won the game v England).
Imagine trying to score 8 an over plus v Gul, Malinga, Parnell, Mendis and Afridi! It would be near impossible even for the world's best batsmen....
Seems a pity not to pick Murali. Will Mendis be the same when he bowls without his spin partner I wonder???
How does Pietersen get in? He's done nothing and in any case isn't fully fit.
After this first semi-final, i might have to revisit my team! I think Gul is worth a shout (probably ahead of Parnell) but I wouldn't want another bowler as the batting becomes a bit weak.
Yuvraj and Younis Khan would have been close contenders too for a starting spot, but Pietersen has batted well in this tournament and has the variety of orthodox and unorthodox to keep fielding teams guessing, and Jayawardena is just pure class. His innings show that you don't have to blast the ball out of the ground to get on top of the bowling in 20-20.
I'd probably also swap Morkel for Afridi but I'd keep Bravo, as his very presence has turned the West Indies into a professional unit in comparison to the shambles that played England in the recent test series.
We forgot Gayle! Gayle over Kallis every time!
Interesting to see an alternative on another blog. You were worried about weakening the batting too much so you can always use Sangakkara to keep instead of Foster....
Forgot Gayle? No. I left him out on purpose! Anyone can score runs against the Australians (watch this summer!) - Andre Fletcher did, and then when he (Fletcher) came up against a serious bowling attack, he's had 3 ducks.
Kallis has played quite well in the tournament and offers a good bowling alternative, though I thought he was a bit slow in the run chase yesterday and put more pressure on Duminy.
Sangakkara was in my initial XI when I first thought this up, but I thought I'd try and slip in an Englishman into the team!
I'm not sure I can agree with Kallis over Gayle! My team of the tournament would have to be:
Gayle
Dilshan
Pietersen
De Villiers
Singh
Afridi
Sangakkara (c, w/k)
Parnell
Malinga
Mendis
Gul
Foster being the unlucky 12th man as I can't entrust the captaincy to Gayle, and despite me thinking that Sangakkara bowled Udana for 2 more overs than he needed to in the final. So Sangakkara sneaks in for his captaincy ahead of Foster despite Foster's greater skill with the gloves.
Hi There I'd like to thank you for such a great made forum!
thought this would be a nice way to make my first post!
Sincerely,
Sage Brand
if you're ever bored check out my site!
[url=http://www.partyopedia.com/articles/disney-cars-party-supplies.html]disney cars Party Supplies[/url].
[url=http://kfarbair.com][img]http://www.kfarbair.com/_images/_photos/photo_big7.jpg[/img][/url]
מלון [url=http://www.kfarbair.com]כפר בעיר[/url] - שלווה, [url=http://www.kfarbair.com/about.html]חדרים[/url] מרווחים, אינטימיות, [url=http://kfarbair.com/services.html]שקט[/url] . אנו מציעים שירותי אירוח מגוונים כמו כן יש במקום שירות חדרים הכולל [url=http://www.kfarbair.com/eng/index.html]סעודות רומנטיות[/url] במחירים מפתיעים אשר יוגשו ישירות לחדרכם!
לפרטים נוספים אנא גשו לעמוד המלון - [url=http://kfarbair.com]כפר בעיר[/url] [url=http://www.kfarbair.com/contact.html][img]http://www.kfarbair.com/_images/apixel.gif[/img][/url]
Predilection casinos? go over this latest [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] advisor and wing it denigrate online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also block our fashionable [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] advert at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and earn corporeal fabulously misled !
another unsurpassed [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] restraint of events is www.ttittancasino.com , because german gamblers, come whilom manumitted online casino bonus.
finished and in the premier place 21 and be in hanker after of some matured toys? run to [url=http://www.avi.vg]sex toys [/url] online, far-reaching cut of full-grown toys like [url=http://www.avi.vg/category.php?a=shafting4sexx&cid=3]vibrators [/url] and [url=http://www.avi.vg/category.php?a=nowadays to bed4sexx&cid=30]dildos [/url]at www.avi.vg , hit by the acquiesce, another spectacular place to total into possession of [url=http://www.ewgpresents.com]viagra online[/url] is the all subsidiary http://www.ewgpresents.com and the unsurpassed ed rx [url=http://www.rxpillsmd.net]online viagra[/url] apothecary www.rxpillsmd.net , and the chief generic [url=http://www.generic4you.com]viagra[/url] drugstore at www.generic4you.com or at www.generik4u.com the [url=http://www.generik4u.com]sildenafil citrate[/url] shop.
Hello everybody!
My name is Eva, I live in Scottsdale, AZ.
I am here to network / interact with other people for sharing knowledge, discussing ideas, seeking advice, find business partners & the like.
Regards,
Eva
Post a Comment