It has been over 15 years since Australia beat Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in Auckland in what was the first ever T20I between two men’s teams. Since then, the format has taken cricket by storm and spearheaded a revolution that has seen various franchise leagues mushroom around the globe.
The fast-paced and high octane action in what is approximately a three-hour match makes the T20 format the perfect package to draw in new audiences to the sport. In its brief existence, the 20-over format has evolved at speed and has seen several players put their respective stamps on the game.
With cricket on a hiatus owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the opportunity to compile an all-time T20I XI. Only performances in internationals have been considered and the final XI has been deduced with some help from our Instagram followers.
PLAYERS CONSIDERED
Openers: David Warner, Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Aaron Finch, Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle
Middle-order: JP Duminy, Eoin Morgan, Mohammad Hafeez, Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor, AB de Villiers, Kane Williamson, Shoaib Malik
Wicketkeeper: MS Dhoni, Brendon McCullum, Umar Akmal
All-rounder: Shakib Al Hasan, Suresh Raina, Marlon Samuels, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo
Spinners: Rashid Khan, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Ajantha Mendis, Mohammad Nabi
Pacers: Tim Southee, Lasith Malinga, Dale Steyn, Umar Gul, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Kulasekara
FINAL XI
Aaron Finch (Australia)
Appearances – 61
Role – Right-hand bat/Opener
Runs – 1989, Average – 38.25, SR – 155.87
While New Zealand’s Colin Munro has three T20I tons to his name, he is beaten to the spot by Aaron Finch due to the Australian’s superior consistency.
Finch’s average of over 38 helps him get the nod over his Australia opening partner David Warner as well. What stands out about Finch is the right-hander’s astonishing strike-rate of nearly 156, which has been maintained over the course of 61 innings.
His 76-ball 172 against Zimbabwe remains the highest individual score in the T20I formats, while his 63-ball 156 against England is the third highest.
Rohit Sharma (India)
Appearances – 108
Role – Right-hand bat/Opener
Runs – 2773, Average – 32.62, SR – 138.78
As one of only three players to complete a century of T20I appearances, India’s Rohit Sharma has already left an enduring impression on the format that few will be able to match. The Indian vice-captain has touched unprecedented heights as the only batsman to slam four T20I tons and he narrowly missed out on a fifth last year after a 43-ball 85 against Bangladesh.
His century off just 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017 remains the joint fastest in the format, while his tally of 127 sixes is also the most by any batsman. With a few good years still left under his belt, expect plenty more runs and sixes to come from Rohit’s locker.
JP Duminy (South Africa)
Appearances – 81
Role – Left-hand bat/All-rounder
Runs – 1934, Average – 38.68, SR – 126. 24
As one of the more under-rated batsmen in the game, JP Duminy is the perfect man to slot in behind an explosive opening pair. The South African might not have achieved the success that was expected from him in Test and ODI formats, but he was an accomplished performer when it came to T20Is.
Remarkably, his average of 38.68 in the format is higher than what he managed in Tests and ODIs for the Proteas. The elegant left-hander was adept at anchoring the innings for South Africa and his presence in this XI should allow the big-hitters to play their natural games.
His hand part-time off-spin is an added bonus.
Virat Kohli (India)
Appearances – 82
Role – Right-hand bat
Runs – 2794, Average – 50.80, SR – 138.24
No other batsman has scored more runs than Virat Kohli in the format, with the India skipper furthering his credentials as the master of the run chase. While his overall average in the format is over 50, it shoots up to an incredible 82.16 in run chases.
Despite playing 24 fewer innings than his deputy Rohit, Kohli has still managed to score 21 runs more to establish himself as T20I’s leading run-scorer. He might not have any tons to his name, but his track record of registering one half-century in nearly every three innings (24 in 76) makes him a monstrous batsman to contend with for the opposition.
There is no other batsman you want in your side when faced with a high-pressure run chase.
Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
Appearances – 71
Role – Wicketkeeper/Captain
Runs – 2140, Average – 35.66, SR – 136.21
As among the early stars to fuel the popularity of the T20 game, Brendon McCullum has a special legacy in the format. The former Blackcaps skipper possessed a game which was tailor-made for 20-over cricket, with attacking batting coming naturally to the right-hander.
An inspiring captain who loved to lead from the front, McCullum’s ability to also keep wickets makes his selection over MS Dhoni a no-brainer. The New Zealand man has two tons and 13 fifties to his name and remains one of the most explosive batsmen to have played the game.
While he would ideally be slotted in as an opener, he can provide some much-needed firepower down the order by coming in at No5.
Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)
Appearances – 113
Role – Right-hand bat/All-rounder
Runs – 2321, Average – 31.36, SR – 124.18
As the most-capped T20I player in history, Shoaib Malik’s inclusion adds plenty of experience and craft to an already stellar batting line-up. The Pakistan all-rounder is still going strong at 38 and has made public his desire to feature in this year’s T20I World Cup.
With spinners being one of the primary ploys used by skippers to stifle the flow of runs, Malik’s excellence against the slower bowlers is a significant factor. The right-hander can throw down some handy off-spin to boot, and has provided Pakistan with some big breakthroughs over the years with 28 T20I wickets.
He is also a brilliant fielder in the outfield and that is another crucial asset to have in T20I cricket.
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Appearances – 76
Role – Left-hand bat/All-rounder
Runs – 1567, Average – 23.74, SR – 123.77
Wickets – 92, Average – 20.58, ER – 6.81
As an all-rounder, no other player has had as big an impact as Shakib Al Hasan has done for Bangladesh. The southpaw is still serving a one-year suspension from cricket, but he will always be one of the first names to dot down in any T20I XI.
His left-arm orthodox spin has proved to be a huge hit in the format and only Lasith Malinga and Shahid Afridi have managed to pick up more T20I wickets than him. His economy-rate of less than seven runs an over is also pretty impressive and means that it won’t be easy for any batsman to score runs off him.
With nearly 1,600 runs, it is no wonder that the Bangladesh man was the top-ranked all-rounder in the world before being hit by the ban.
Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
Appearances – 99
Role – Right-arm spin/All-rounder
Wickets – 98, Average – 24.44, ER – 6.63
Runs – 1416, Average – 17.92, SR – 150
The Pakistan icon might be named as ‘Boom Boom’ for his aggressive batting approach, but it was his leg-spin that made him one of the most feared players in the format.
What made Afridi such a difficult proposition for batsmen was his ability to bowl spin at the speeds of a medium-pacer. Unwaveringly consistent with his lines and lengths, Afridi could cause significant damage with an array of variations.
While his batting might be a bit hit and miss, the Pakistan man’s strike-rate of 150 means he could inflict significant punishment when on form.
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
Appearances – 48
Role – Right-arm leg-spin
Wickets – 89, Average – 12.62, ER – 6.14
His inclusion in an all-time XI at the age of just 21 shows how brilliant Rashid Khan has been for Afghanistan over the last few years. Like Afridi, Rashid bowls his leg-spin at decent clip and that only makes him tougher to deal with for the batsman at the other end.
His average of just 12.62 is extraordinary, while he is also extremely miserly with an economy-rate of only 6.14. The Afghan has only been playing T20 cricket for just over four years and has already established himself as one of the most prolific wicket-takers with 89 scalps.
A cleverly disguised googly is Rashid’s most lethal weapon with the ball, while he is also developing into an all-rounder of late with his batting abilities down the order.
Umar Gul (Pakistan)
Appearances – 60
Role – Right-arm pace
Wickets – 85, Average – 16.97, ER – 7.19
When it comes to pacers in T20I cricket, Umar Gul sits in the highest echelon with his ability to bowl pinpoint yorkers at the death. It was this frightening accuracy with one of the hardest deliveries to bowl in cricket that made Gul a sight no batsman wanted to face in the shortest format.
He nearly carried Pakistan to the title in the inaugural World T20 in 2007 before they fell agonisingly short, but there would be no denying him two years later as the Men in Green celebrated with the title at Lord’s.
His figures of 5-6 against New Zealand in that tournament remain the best by any pacer in T20I cricket, and he repeated that feat four years against South Africa in Centurion.
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
Appearances – 84
Role – Right-arm pace
Wickets – 107, Average – 20.79, ER – 7.42
If another pacer has matched Gul’s accuracy with the yorker over the years, then it is Sri Lanka veteran Lasith Malinga.
The Sri Lankan has forged a reputation for being one of the most ruthless bowlers in the death overs with his variation of yorkers, bouncers and slower deliveries. His 107 wickets in the format are the highest by any bowler in history and he is the only player to have claimed two separate T20I hat-tricks.
The latest of them came against New Zealand last year in Pallekele, with the veteran pacer going on to claim four victims in a row in what was a sensational spell of 5-6.
