Kumar Sangakkara picked his all-time XI a couple of days ago, which did not include the “little master” Sachin Tendulkar and England’s Alex Hales also walked down the same road by excluding the all-time leading run-scorer in Tests and ODIs. The only Indian to make it to the Englishman’s list is Virender Sehwag.
Hales believes that Alastair Cook and Virender Sehwag will be the ultimate pair for the opening stand. “I think they will complement each other pretty well, being a left-hand right-hand combination.” Alastair Cook recently became the youngest player to score 1,000 runs in Test matches and the first Englishman to do so.
At number three and four he placed Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara respectively. The English cricket stated that Ponting is a great person and that the Aussie is always willing to help. Ponting is Australia’s leading run-scorer in Test and ODIs with 71 tons to his name across both formats.
Also read: Kumar Sangakkara omits Sachin Tendulkar in his greatest XI
Hales picked Kumar Sangakkara and Jaques Kallis at number five and six respectively to maintain stability in the batting line-up. Both of these players contributed immensely to the success of their respective nations. Kallis is considered to be the best all-rounder to ever play the game along with Sir Garfield Sobers. He is the only to player to score more than 10,000 runs in both the formats and also take 250 wickets in each.
At number 7, he placed Sir Garfield Sobers; he feels that the blend of left-arm bowling with his extraordinary batting will be a threat to any team. Sobers scored 8,032 runs at a massive average of 57.78 and picked up 235 wickets during his career of 93 Test matches.
Also read: Sir Garfield Sobers pays tribute to boxing legend Muhammad Ali at Lord's
It was not a surprise when he summoned Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne to lead his bowling attack. They are arguably the most successful and greatest Test bowlers’ of all time. The Sri-Lankan is the only cricketer to pick up 800 wickets in Test Cricket, followed by Shane Warne with 708 wickets.
Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath were his picks for the remaining two spots. Akram was one of the finest bowlers the game had ever produced; he was the first bowler to pick up 500 wickets in ODIs. McGrath was known for his accurate line and length, he is the highest wicket taking fast bowler in Test matches with 563 scalps to his name complemented with 381 wickets in ODIs.
Alex Hales’ all-time XI: Alastair Cook, Virender Sehwag, Ricky Ponting (c), Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Jaques Kallis, Garfield Sobers, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath.
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