All-time ODI all-rounders XI?

Middle-order

#3 Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis was probably the greatest all-rounder of at least his era

South Africa's Mr. Dependable. Jacques Kallis has the numbers to challenge Sir Garfield Sobers for the title of the 'greatest Test all-rounder' of all time. As a batsman, his foolproof technique was a cause of great frustration for the bowlers, but an ultimate source of delight for the purists of the game. Throughout this career, he was the backbone of the South African batting lineup.

In the latter half of his career, he played mainly as a specialist batsman and bowled fewer and fewer overs. But by then, he had already taken enough wickets as a bowler to be regarded as one of the best ever all-rounders to have graced the game. He never received as much fame and adulation as his contemporaries Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting et al, but as a player, he is no less than any of them.

In 328 ODIs, Kallis made 11579 runs at a spectacular average of 44.36 and there is also the small matter of 273 wickets. He will take up the no.3 slot in our line-up.

#4 Shane Watson

Watto was an aggressive batsman, tailor-made for limited-overs cricket

If one considers the number of injuries the immensely talented Shane Watson suffered in the early part of his career, he could easily have joined the category of 'What ifs?' Although he was struck by injury after injury, the fighter in Watson refused to be subdued and he battled on valiantly to become a treasured member of the Australian cricket team.

It was in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, that he first displayed his marvellous all-round skills. Since then, his career reached new heights and he became a permanent fixture in the Australian ODI team as well.

As an opener, Watto enjoyed tremendous success and could rip any bowling attack to pieces. His batting might not have passed muster in the longest format of the game, but in ODIs and T20s, it was extremely dangerous. In 190 ODIs, Watson scored 5757 runs at a Strike Rate of 90 and an average of 40.

He was an excellent medium pacer and could swing the ball as well. He has 168 wickets to his name and proved to be an able replacement for Andrew Symonds, the allrounder who played a crucial role in the success of the team throughout the 2000s.

#5 Steve Waugh(c)

Steve Waugh is one of the greatest captains ever

Steve Waugh is one of the greatest Australian cricketers and is credited with turning a team of talented youngsters into an invincible unit. Under Waugh's captaincy, the Kangaroos steamrollered all oppositions in both formats of the game and went on to become the most dominant side in the entire history of the sport, a claim that can be contested only by the great West Indian team of the 1980s. Who better than Waugh to marshall our army of magnificent all-rounders?

It may come as a bit of surprise but for the first half of his career, Waugh was a fine all-rounder who was equally skilful with both the bat and the ball. Later, he bowled only occasionally but by then, his place in the team was as safe as houses.

He bagged 195 wickets and scored more than 7500 runs in 325 matches. It included three centuries and his highest score of 120 not out came in a memorable game against South Africa in the 1999 World Cup.