A playing XI of modern day cricketers that would have beaten Australia's greatest ODI XI

#4 Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow has been prolific with the bat for the English squad.

England's turnaround in ODI cricket would not have been possible without Jonny Bairstow. After having a few mediocre early years in ODI cricket, Bairstow has finally found his mojo. Until the beginning of 2017, Bairstow was a suppressed striker having neither strike rate nor averages to show for his talent. But his performances in 2017 was enough to change perceptions of people about him. From 2017 onwards, he has accumulated 1436 runs in 27 innings at an average of 65.3 at a strike-rate greater than 100. Possessing both resilience and counter-attacking instincts, Bairstow easily makes it to the middle order of our World XI.

#5 Faf Du Plessis

Faf du Plessis has been one of the batting mainstays of South Africa.

Faf du Plessis brings with himself a lot of experience and batting stability to any team that he is playing in. He has been one of the most consistent batsmen going around for the past few years. Although he was not a part of the South African ODI team that faced India due to an injury, he proved he is still in form with his masterful knock in an IPL playoff match, which he won singlehandedly for his side. Being a player who can soak up the pressure and find his way through in tough situations make him an easy choice for a middle-order slot.

#6 MS Dhoni (Wicketkeeper)

CRICKET-ENG-IND-T20

MS Dhoni, of late, has been a reflection of the vintage Dhoni that bowlers find too hot to handle. His recent exploits in the IPL seem to be a prelude to what he has in store for the upcoming World Cup. Calm amidst chaos, Dhoni is the perfect man to hold the fort in case of a batting collapse. He is one of the few batsmen who have mastered the art of batting with the lower order. And for his wicketkeeping, he is still lightning quick behind the stumps.