World Ambidextrous ODI XI of the 21st Century

Ambidextrous people are those who can use both their hands to good effect (if not equal) for various tasks. Some people can even use both their hands for writing. The game of cricket has seen quite a few stars coming from such a breed. There are those who can switch from a right-hander to being a left-hander or vice-versa while batting – like Kevin Pietersen, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell; while some can throw with either of their arms with equal effectiveness such as Suresh Raina, Sachin Tendulkar, only to name a few.Some are right-handed cricketers but left-handed in life, such as Sachin Tendulkar, who bats and bowls right-handed but uses his left hand for writing and uses his left hand to hold the racquet when playing table tennis.Here I have looked at international cricketers from the 21st century who bat right-handed while using their left arm to bowl or vice-versa and tried and build an ODI XI out of them.It is interesting that it is advised that while batting the stronger hand should be the top hand. This means if you are a right-handed person and right is your stronger hand then it should be your top hand while batting. Going by this theory a right-handed person should bat left-handed in order to get that strong and smooth flow of the top hand while playing drives.There is also the example of Kusal Perera, who used to bat right-handed till his early teenage but was so much influenced by Sanath Jayasuriya that he turned into a left-handed batsman in order to bat like him.George Bailey, who is a right-hander, can be seen using his left arm for throwing the ball from the outfield – apparently the result of some sort of an injury.Selections of players into this team have been made based on their suitability in the team combination.Minimum qualification: 500 International runs and 500 balls bowled in International Cricket (50 for the wicket-keeper)Special mentions: Michael Hussey (Aus), Albie Morkel (SA), Stuart Broad (Eng)

#1 Chris Gayle (WI)

Even the name is enough to send shivers down the spine of any opposition. He is probably the most dangerous batsman if he gets going. The left-handed Caribbean batsman can annihilate any bowling attack on his day and win the game single-handedly.

He is more than useful with his part-time off-spinners. He can be used to control the flow of runs in the middle overs with his well-controlled line and length combined with the decent pace at which he bowls. He also has the rare capability to dart some surprise yorkers which have yielded him quite a few wickets in his career.

#2 Grame Smith (SA)

Probably one of the most underrated modern greats of the game, Graeme Smith has been one of the most reliable openers in any form of the game in the last decade. Not many find him having the elegance that one would normally associate with any left-handed batsman, but he certainly has been effective with his technique. With a front-on stance and slightest of swivel movements, the former Protea skipper had an elegance of his own. He is a perfect partner for Gayle at the top of the order and can score at a decent pace while holding one end as he had done throughout his illustrious career.

Although not known for his bowling ability, he can bowl some part-time off-spin. He could be used a partnership breaker or as one of the many options in this side to fill some overs in if one the bowlers have a bad day or is injured.

#3 Saurav Ganguly (C) (Ind)

The former Indian captain or ‘Dada’ as he is fondly known, is probably the most flawless stroke player on the off side that the game has seen. His aggressive strokeplay combined with his aggressive attitude and leadership is exactly what a team needs from its captain. Ganguly transformed the way India played its cricket with that very attitude and instilled self-belief and the courage in the team and also led by example with his own performances.

His strokes on the off side against the pacers at the start of the innings were nothing less than demoralising for the bowlers considering with the ease which he played them. And he could hurt you when you tried to attack him with spin, not to mention left arm orthodox. Dancing down the track and dispatching spinners for sixes over long on was a cakewalk for ‘The Bengal Tiger’.

Maybe he cannot be classified as an all-rounder but he surely was more than a part-time right arm seam bowler. He could provide you with 5-6 overs on any day and has decent success doing it. He could provide some important breakthroughs and be economical at the same time although he did not had much pace to his credit.

#4 Kumar Sangakkara (Wk) (SL)

If you make a list of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen across all formats, the former Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara would top that list. And if you make a list of greatest batsmen of the modern era, he would feature in that as well. Such is the talent that the man possesses. He plays one the most beautiful looking cover drives in the game.

The level of consistency that he has shown throughout his career, especially in the last two years, suggests he is more than a mere mortal. Sanga is the perfect man to anchor the innings in the middle order for any side.

Sometimes his skills behind the wicket are overshadowed by the skills in front of the wicket. His athleticism and swiftness behind the stumps make him a dependable man the job. He has displayed some amazing skills even at the twilight of his career with the gloves which show his level of fitness.

#5 Michael Clarke (Aus)

Finally a right-handed batsman in the list, and a real solid one. The Aussie skipper has transformed into one of the most consistent middle-order batsmen across test and limited-overs format in the last 5 years. His ability to manoeuvre the ball in gaps at the start of his innings combined with his concentration to build an innings makes him such a consistent force to reckon with.

Number 5 is an extremely important position in the line-up as the batsman at number could be in the first five overs if the side loses early wickets and could be left with an uphill task of turning on damage control mode and steadying the innings. Number 5 is also the position where a solid start gets capitalised the most and a number 5 needs to carry on the momentum and make sure the start does not get wasted going into the death overs.

Clarke is also a handy left-arm orthodox bowler who can bring some variety in the attack and can easily provide with 4-5 overs in the middle off the innings. He has the ability to bowl with accuracy and keep the opposition batsmen under control. He is also brilliant in the field and can make a huge difference, if his hamstring don’t hold him back.

#6 Suresh Raina (Ind)

The southpaw has a knack to get going from ball one like few others. His ability to start hitting the big shots early on makes him an extremely dangerous batsman. He is one player who could take care of the run rate in the middle of the innings by constantly rotating the strike and sending the ball to the boundary on a consistant basis. He is an excellent finisher and can really hurt the opposition in the death overs.

Raina’s spin has been captain MS Dhoni’s favourite choice whenever he has needed to break a partnership, a task to which he is almost always equal to. He gets through his overs very quickly and does not give the batsman much time to think.

He is an absolute livewire in the field and boosts the morale of all his team-mates with his brilliant fielding.

#7 Lance Klusener (SA)

Every team needs a solid finisher lower down the order in order to cash in on the hard work done by the top and the middle order. And who could forget the showing Lance Klusener put up at the 1999 World Cup. He has the potential to come in the back end of the innings and propel the run rate along with Suresh Raina.

Klusener comes in the team as a genuine all-rounder. He could swing the ball a fair deal and displayed a lot of control. Lance was quicker than he looked and could deceive the batsmen with the way he hurried on them. He was a genuine wicket-taker and did the job that his skipper asked him to perform.

#8 Ashley Giles (Eng)

There have not been many ambidextrous spin bowlers who qualified for selection in this team. But do not underestimate this tall left-arm spinner. He could deceive the best of the batsmen with his flight. Not being amongst the biggest spinners of the ball, Giles bowled very good lines and lengths and was a clever at mixing his pace. Injuries and family problems shortened his career as he could not realize his full potential.

Giles was no mug with bat and had a very solid technique to survive and make some runs. He could hang in for time and could also hit some lusty blows batting lower down the order.

#9 Zaheer Khan (Ind)

One of India’s greatest left-arm fast bowlers of all time, Zaheer Khan is a master at swinging the white ball. He has the ability to swing the brand new ball both ways and reverse the old ball to devastating effect. Zack is gifted with knack of picking up crucial wickets at tense moments and was MS Dhoni’s go-to man in crunch situations in India’s victorious World Cup campaign in 2011 where he emerged as the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament with Shahid Afridi.

Having tons of experience bowling at the death, Zaheer has transformed into an excellent slog over bowler over the years and has a terrific yorker, especially when he bowls it from round the wicket to right-handers.

Although he is not known much for his batting, but he can hang in there for a fair amount of time and rotate the strike and swing the bat for some big hits as well.

#10 James Anderson (Eng)

We all know what James Anderson can do with the red Duke ball and how lethal he can be for the opposition. What he has, is control like no other bowler in international cricket. His control combined with the ability to swing the ball both ways makes him very difficult to score off fluently. He bowls a great channel to both left and right handers and bags wickets in heaps.

His batting credentials were not very impressive up until last year when he hung in along with Moeen Ali for a 55-ball duck to almost carry his side to the safety of a draw at Headingley, Leeds. He then hit a brilliant half-century against India at Trent bridge in the very next match he played and looked very solid doing it.

#11 Morne Morkel (SA)

The big man from South Africa can bounce many a batsman out by using his height and fierce pace. He bowls a heavy ball and generally bowls short of length and genuine bouncers. But his full deliveries are as lethal as his bouncers and he can surprise anybody with his deadly yorkers.

You can always expect some big hits square of the wicket on the leg side and down the ground with the way this huge Protea swings the bat.