All-time best Oceania ODI XI

Oceania may have only two countries who play cricket regularly in Australia and New Zealand but both countries are amongst the strongest teams that have ever played the sport and have produced several fantastic cricketers.

Amongst the many cricketers that have come out from Australia and New Zealand, many have cemented their place amongst the greatest exponents of the game. Hence, it is a daunting task to pick up the best XI of the many greats.

Nevertheless, this XI contains some exceptionally brilliant cricketers among whom, some are names who would be preferred on any all-time ODI XI. So without any further ado, I present to you the best ODI XI of all-time from Oceania.

Openers- Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden

Both Australia and New Zealand have produced some brilliant openers over the years that include the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Brendon McCullum, Mark Waugh and Stephen Fleming just to name a few. All have played some of their finest ODI innings opening the batting.

However, the pair I have gone with is the famed opening pair of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden. Regarded as one of the greatest opening pairs in the history of ODI cricket, Gilly and Hayden were pivotal entities of the Australian team which dominated international cricket during the early and mid-2000s.

Out of his 9619 ODI runs, Gilly has scored 9200 of them (95.64%) while opening the innings and Hayden has scored 5892 runs(96.07% of his 6133 ODI runs) opening the batting which makes a total of 15092 runs at an average of 39.20 and a strike rate of 89.45 while opening the innings.

In Gilchrist, you have a highly aggressive batsman who is capable of putting pressure on the bowlers from the very first ball of the innings. Matthew Hayden is another batsman who can smash the bowlers all around the park but on the same time, he can also bat sensibly and patiently which become extremely beneficial in the longer run.

The duo have scored a total of 5314 runs at an average of more than 48 while opening the innings together. Both have stitched 16 100+ partnerships, 15 of which came in a winning cause. Hence, such an opening pair is bound to give the bowlers the chills before the match even begins.

Middle-order batsmen - Ricky Ponting, Ross Taylor, Michael Hussey, and Michael Bevan

Ponting leads the team

A good percentage of the greatest batsmen in cricket are middle-order batsmen. Hence, it is extremely difficult to choose only 4 or 5 out of a possible 50-60 batsmen from Oceania alone.

However, the most ideal choice for No.3 is the best captain in the history of cricket Ricky Ponting, a player who could play every shot in the book and has the abilities one looks for in a match-winner- a good blend of aggression and composure, the ability to stitch partnerships with any batsman, and of course, being a nightmare for any bowler.

With captaincy records one could only dream of, Ponting also and easily, takes the captain’s spot.

Ross Taylor has been one of the greatest batsmen New Zealand have ever produced

At No.4, I have gone with Ross Taylor. One of the greatest batsman New Zealand have ever produced, Ross Taylor is the third highest ODI run-scorer for the Kiwis and has scored 5569 of his 6486 ODI runs while batting at No.4, including 15 of his 17 ODI centuries.

Taylor can be a very suitable partner for Ricky Ponting as both batsmen are very well-known to be partnership-material batsmen.

Even in his mid-30s, Mike Hussey was a terrific batsman

The No.5 position in this team has been taken by Mr.Cricket Michael Hussey. A late bloomer, Hussey never allowed age to get the better of him as he played many match-winning knocks for Australia while in his mid-30s.

A very balanced middle-order batsman who can play aggressively and can also last long as evident by his ODI average of above 48, Michael Hussey scored 1544 of his 5442 ODI runs batting at No.5.

One of the greatest finishers of the game

Although Hussey scored more runs at No.6 than any other position, the No.6 spot cannot be given to anybody other Michael Bevan. One of only few batsmen who maintained his ODI average above 50, Bevan has scored more than 3000 runs batting at No.6 including half of his 46 fifties and a hundred.

Considered to be one of the finest finishers in the history of the game, Bevan has played some spectacular knocks batting at No.6 and has won matches for Australia on a number of occasions. Bevan can also come in pretty handy as a part-time spinner.

The middle-order for this team has four extremely reliable batsmen who are very, very adamant towards giving their wicket and can be more than a headache to bowlers.

All-rounder- Daniel Vettori

Daniel Vettori takes the all-rounder's spot

There have been plenty of all-rounders from Oceania who have done brilliantly in ODIs including Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, and Shane Watson. But the all-rounder’s spot in this team is taken by none other than New Zealand’s treasured possession Daniel Vettori.

One of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the sport, Vettori is New Zealand’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 305 wickets which is also the second most by a left-arm spinner behind Sanath Jayasuriya’s 323.

Besides being a spinner who could take out even the cleverest of batsmen, Vettori was also a very useful batsman who could pile up quick runs during the slog overs. Vettori has 2253 runs in ODIs with 4 fifties to his name.

Spinner- Shane Warne

Shane Warne is undoubtedly the greatest spinner to have come out of Oceania

Probably the easiest department to pick. Shane Warne’s ODI figures are not as brilliant as his Test figures even if you remove the two additional years of Test cricket but you never can count him out of any XI regardless of the format.

From 191 innings, Shane Warne took 293 ODI wickets at an average of 25.73. Although Warne only has one 5-wicket haul to his name, there have been numerous occasions where he could turn the fate of a match with only his wrist.

A few notable instances include his performances in the semi-finals of the 1996 and 1999 World Cups and the 1999 World Cup final. Warne’s biggest attribute is his capability to turn the ball even on conditions which aren’t spin-friendly and has been highly instrumental in revolutionizing spin-bowling in Australia.

Warne’s addition also lengthens the batting as he can also pile up runs down the order. Not to forget that Warne is also a brilliant slip fielder with 80 catches to his name.

Pacers- Brett Lee, Shane Bond, and Glenn McGrath

Lee is one of the most lethal fast bowlers of all-time

The final three spots in the team are for the pacers. Several brilliant pacers have come out from both Australia and New Zealand so it is always a very difficult task to choose only three standouts. Among the pacers, the first spot is taken by Brett Lee. The Aussie has 380 ODI wickets which is the 8th highest of all-time.

One of the most lethal fast bowlers in the history of the game, Brett Lee can tear any team apart throw his extremely fast bowling and can be a nightmare for even the best exponents of batting. However, the biggest attribute that Lee possesses will always be his variation of length. As fast as he bowls, he can always baffle the opposition with his slower deliveries. An able lower-order batsman who can hit the ball hard, Lee has the abilities of an archetypical No.9.

Shane Bond has been one of New Zealand's greatest ever pacers

At No.10, we have the greatest fast bowler from New Zealand after Richard Hadlee, Shane Bond. Known for his pace, Bond has a quality which is very rare for any completely fast bowler and that is his ability to combine pace with accurate line and length which has fetched him wickets regularly.

Glenn McGrath is the greatest Oceanian of all-time

And finally, at No.11, we have the greatest Oceanian pacer of all-time Glenn McGrath. It would be a crime to pick any XI without including Oceania’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs. While the other two pacers in this team have revolutionized fast-bowling, Pidge has revolutionized the art of seam bowling. Instead of bowling at a quick pace, McGrath rather relied on sound line and length which eventually made him one of the greatest bowlers to ever play the game.

Hence, a team comprising of pacers like Lee, Bond, and McGrath can be bad news for even the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Viv Richards. Thank god Australia and New Zealand are two separate countries.

All-time Oceania ODI XI: Gilchrist (wk), Hayden, Ponting (c), Fleming (vc), Hussey, Bevan, Vettori, Warne, Lee, Bond, McGrath