Entertaining XI of the 21st Century

Cricket has been a large depot of entertainment. Cricketers get more attention than any topic of public significance. The game has the ability to place an ordinary player in the limelight with the help of a single incident on the field. We have seen many occasions were the foreign players are loved by the home side fans.

With the outset of Twenty20 internationals, cricket witnessed a drastic change in the number of fans. Professional leagues added fuel to the fan base. Rather than being just an entertainment floor, cricket evolved as a profit-making platform.

In this article, we are going to pick 11 players who entertained with the willow in the hand and with the ball in the 21st century. The list will comprise of four batsmen, four All-rounders, three bowlers, and a wicketkeeper. The selection will be based on different criteria's such as performance, entertainment and fan base.

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Virender Sehwag (Opener)

Aggression – a term that has escorted Virender Sehwag around like a shadow, even cursed him at times. A great contender under pressure, Viru was a vital cog in the Men in Blue squad.

Viru is known for his courageous cricketing shots and hand-eye coordination. He loved to smash the balls over the fielders no matter which cricketing format is. Although Sehwag typecasted as a limited overs specialist, every cricket enthusiast will have a blow on seeing his Test stat.

It's a no-brainer, Viru was fabulous for Team India and entertained us with his congenial shots.

Chris Gayle (Opener)

It's hard to think of an entertaining team without Gayle storm. A hard hitter, Gayle was one of the pillars of West Indies when it comes to the limited overs cricket as he would badass bowlers with calm at the top of the order.

Gayle remains an entertaining portion of cricket, both on the field and off the field. We have seen many occasions in professional leagues were Gayle was recruited to the teams just for increasing the fan base.

In terms of etiquette, strike rate, scoring stat Gayle will be an unavoidable contender in the opening spot along with Virender Sehwag.

AB de Villiers (Batsman)

ABD's cricketing career has all the decorations of a classic Indian feature film, the drama, the allure, setbacks, and redemption.

When it comes to batting, Mr.360 amazed us with his shot variations. He was a versatile contender in the game who had the capability to stage well in all three formats. His unorthodox batting style was the key to produce a large number of followers. He was one of the most respected personality thanks to his gentlemanship.

De Villiers announced his retirement from International cricket this year and the number of social media reactions exhibits his influence in the game.

Virat Kohli (Batsman)

Virat Kohli is a right-handed batsman, who is acclaimed for his chasing skills. For most batsmen, the T20 format meant power-hitting and aggression. For Kohli, it was all about the forecast. He was a mathematician on the field when it comes to chasing huge targets.

The most successful batsmen in IPL is one of the most loved cricketers from India. He is considered as a born athlete and loved to hit the ball into gaps and stole the second run easily. His aggressive knocks were vital for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

When it comes to entertainment Virat Kohli deserves a spot in any squad as he is capable of enchanting any viewers.

Brendon McCullum (Wicketkeeper)

If you pick 5 best wicketkeeper-batsmen of the 21st century, Brendon McCullum will have an assured spot in that. One of the prominent contenders behind the stumps, McCullum was also a noble entertainer.

McCullum was a tremendous keeper against both spin and pace. His quickish dismissals were pleasing for eyes of every cricket enthusiast. His aggressive batting style and exceptional wicket keeping is the key to include McCullum to this squad.

Dwayne Bravo (All-rounder)

A devastating middle-order batsman, Dwayne Bravo is also a handy pacer in the West Indies squad. He debuted in the year 2004 and embellished as a vital cog in the West Indies all-round department.

Nicknamed Johny, Bravo propelled into the limelight with the help of Indian Premier League. Each of his moves on the field became viral in the social media and helped him to attain stardom among his fans.

Bravo's fortuitous cameos and street-smart bowling were enough to triumph over any brawny squad. Bravo's fanbase, entertaining nature, aggressive batting style makes him as one of the best picks in the squad.

Kieron Pollard (All-rounder)

Tall and sturdy at 6'4", Kieron Pollard is still jolting us with his extraordinary batting style and lethal medium paces. Cricketing pundits pondered on how he managed to balance the roles of a batsman and a bowler.

Pollard propelled into the big stage with the courtesy of mind-blowing staging at the 2009 Champions League tournament. His performance in the meet was highly appreciated and received invitations from Big Bash League, IPL etc. became a vital cog in any T20 squad.

Rather than just being a hard-hitter Polly is a good entertainer like the most Caribbean contender.

Shahid Afridi (All-rounder)

Although Pakistan had all-rounders like Imran Khan, Mushtaq Mohammad, Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi revolutionized the role forever. Being an aggressive all-rounder, Afridi's deliveries were lethal for batsmen.

When Afridi made his international debut, he was just 16-year old, yet he has managed to hit the fastest century which remained unbeaten for almost 17-years. He was also among the odd players from the 90s who managed to get an assured spot in any T20 setup.

Affectionately named Boom Boom, Afridi is one of the most followed Pakistani cricketers. His aggressive batting style and quickish leg breaks were blithe to the viewers.

Sunil Narine (All-rounder)

Sunil Narine is the ideal definition of a long haul cricketer. Like most of his competitors, Narine wasn't an adroit batsman, but his hard work, dedication moulded him as the best all-rounder in the limited overs cricket.

Narine made his international debut in the year 2011. After a lot of initial struggles, Narine enjoyed success in the professional T20 leagues. He was the key player in the Kolkata Knight Riders from 2012 onwards.

His spiky hairstyle, calm nature and aggressive batting style is the central logic to add him to the squad.

Brett Lee (Fast bowler)

Quick, raging and jaunty, Brett Lee oppressed on batsmen with his lethal deliveries. Debatably the fastest bowler after Shoaib Akhtar, Lee was one of the few bowlers who dominated over batting legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Brian Lara etc.

Brett Lee was a magician with the new ball and was equally dangerous in the death overs. Brett Lee had to spend most of his time on the surgeon's table but managed to make his own identity in the game.

Despite having Glenn McGrath, Nathan Bracken in the Australian squad, Brett Lee was the mighty cannon of Australia's pace armoury.

Lasith Malinga (Fast bowler)

Sri Lankan bowling armoury was known for its variety of spin options. There were only a few world-class bowlers in the squad. It all changed when Malinga debuted for the side in 2004.

His searing yorkers, deadly bouncers embellished as most destructive spells in the white ball cricket. It's not at all a surprise to see him in the crop of destructive bowlers of the 21st century.

Malinga's hairstyle is one of the most imitated fashion and is also a factor of his huge fan base. He will be the 11th member of the entertaining XI of the 21st century.