Tallest current XI in ODI cricket

Unlike several other sports, cricket is a sport where the physicality of a player does not have too much of an importance. If the player is talented enough and if he applies himself well, he is bound to achieve success. The success of Sachin Tendulkar and Joel Garner amply proves this point. While the former was one of the shortest cricketers around with a height of 5’5”, the latter stood at a towering 6’8”. However, both of them achieved tremendous success on the cricketing field and went down in the history books as greats of the game.However, we came up with an interesting idea. Given that tall men can look quite intimidating, we decided to form an ODI team comprising of some of the tallest cricketers in world cricket at present.Here’s a look at the tallest XI in ODI cricket currently:The two minimum requirements for this team were:The player should be 6 feet or taller, andThe player should be in the reckoning to play ODI cricket for his team

#1 Chris Gayle

Height – 6ft 4in

The mere sight of Chris Gayle at the striker’s end can send shivers down any bowler’s spine. Firstly, he has an intimidating presence with a height of 6’4” and a very strong build. Moreover, he has the reputation of being one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket. Once he gets going, he is absolutely unstoppable and just murders even the best of bowling attacks.

As far as Gayle’s record is concerned, he has scored close to 9000 runs in ODIs at an average of 37.33 and a strike rate of 84.04. Early on in his innings, he tends to take a little bit of time to get accustomed to the nature of the wicket, but once he gets his eye in, the ‘Gayle Storm’ just blows away everything that comes in its way.

The 35-year-old can be more than a handful with the ball considering that he has picked up 158 wickets in his ODI career. In fact, his bowling is fairly underrated owing to his mind-numbing batting exploits. Often, he stems the flow of runs with the quick darts that he fires in, which is evident from his economy rate of 4.75.

#2 Martin Guptill

Height – 6ft 2in

While Martin Guptill is as tall as Gayle, he doesn’t look half as intimidating as his opening partner in this team. However, as the old adage goes, “appearances are often deceptive”. When Guptill gets going, he is an absolute treat to watch given that he is an excellent timer of the ball. What is even more remarkable is that in spite of the fact that he just has two toes on one of his feet, he bats without any trouble whatsoever.

The 28-year-old has scored close to 3000 runs in ODIs at an average of 37.37 and a healthy scoring rate of 80.13. He holds the record for the highest score by a Kiwi batsman in ODIs for his innings of 189* against England at Southampton in 2013. This itself should give a fair idea of how destructive a batsman he can be. However, his batting is not all about playing shots, and he can steady the ship when needed. He can, therefore, act as an ideal foil for Gayle, who loves taking the attack to the opposition.

#3 Alex Hales

Height – 6ft 5in

If cricket fans were to look at somebody standing at an incredible 6’5” tall, the first thing they will assume is that the person in question is a bowler. Quite surprisingly, though, that’s not the case with Alex Hales. Easily one of the best young players in England currently, this 26-year-old from Nottinghamshire is also one of the most attractive batsmen to watch in world cricket today.

Interestingly, Hales made his T20I debut way back in 2011. However, he made his ODI debut against India just recently. He, therefore, does not have great numbers as far as his ODI career is concerned. His List A record, though, is enough to suggest what a destructive batsman he can be when he gets going.

The English batsman has scored 2941 runs in his List A career at an average of 35.01. His strike rate while getting these runs is a whopping 98.49. Even if one of the two openers in this team fails, the team can bank upon Hales to play a blistering knock.

#4 Kumar Sangakkara (C & WK)

Height – 6ft 1in

Given that the top 3 batsmen of this team are all explosive batsmen, we decided to bring in some tranquility in the middle-order. And what better option than Kumar Sangakkara. He is one of the calmest personalities in world cricket at present. For years, he has been the flag bearer of Sri Lankan cricket. As far as his batting is concerned, he is just like old wine. The older he gets, the better he becomes.

With an aggregate of 13414 runs, Sangakkara is the leading run-scorer in ODIs among active cricketers. He has a very good average of 40.52 and his strike rate of 77.69 suggests that he can score runs at a fair clip. Given that he places a heavy price on his wicket, he is someone who will look to bat through the innings, thereby allowing the other attacking batsmen to bat around him.

Having effected 467 dismissals in his ODI career, Sanga also leads the list of most dismissals among active cricketers. In fact, he is a mere 6 dismissals shy of going past Adam Gilchrist’s record of most dismissals in ODIs. Keeping all these numbers in mind, the 37-year-old is the wicketkeeper in this team. Given that he also has a very good captaincy record having led Sri Lanka to 27 wins in 45 games, Sangakkara is also the captain of this team.

#5 Kieron Pollard

Height – 6ft 5in

Given his ability to single-handedly win games for his team on his day, Kieron Pollard’s exclusion from West Indies’ World Cup squad has caused a huge uproar. To be fair, he has often misfired. However, whenever this Trinidadian gets going he is absolutely unstoppable. Within a matter of a few overs, he can completely turn a game on its head with his destructive batting.

Pollard has scored 2042 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 25.20. His low average can be attributed to the fact that he often comes in to bat at the dying stages of an innings and is forced to throw his willow at everything. However, he gets his runs in real quick time which is amply evident from his strike rate of 93.66.

With his medium pace bowling, the 27-year-old can be very useful with the ball as well. He is known to slow the scoring by using some very clever pace variations and flummoxing the batsmen. Moreover, he is one of the best fielders in world cricket and has the reputation of pulling off some absolute blinders.

#6 Mitchell Marsh

Height – 6ft 4in

At 6’4”, Mitchell Marsh is an imposing figure. That is also exactly the word that can be used to describe him as a talent - imposing. Ever since he led the Australian U-19 team to World Cup glory in 2010, he had been identified as the next big thing in Australian cricket. If his performances in international cricket so far are anything to go by, he is certainly living up to his potential.

In 12 ODIs played so far, the younger Marsh has scored 360 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 89.77. Considering the fact that he usually bats at number 6, a position which does not provide the luxury of facing too many deliveries, his average is pretty good. Moreover, his strike rate is an indicator of how quickly he scores his runs. He can, therefore, be relied upon to provide a solid finish to the innings.

Given that he bowls at a decent pace and has good control over his line and length, he ticks all the boxes as a bowler and is, therefore, a genuine all-rounder. He doesn’t have too many wickets to his name, but it is still early days in his international career and it is just a matter of time before he comes good with the ball as well.

#7 Darren Sammy

Height – 6ft 5.5in

Darren Sammy is easily one of the most improved cricketers of recent times. He has put whatever limited talent he has to good effect and has become one of the most vital cogs of the West Indies team. In contrast to several other players from the Caribbean who have a natural flair associated with them, Sammy comes across as someone who is very modest.

Sammy has scored 1587 runs in ODIs at an average of 23.68 and a blazing strike rate of 101.27. Often, he bats during the latter stages of the innings and scores some real quick runs. The most improved aspect of his batting is his willingness to stay on till the end of the innings and see his team through. Of late, he has gained the reputation of being one of the best finishers in the business.

The 31-year-old isn’t one of the quickest bowlers around. However, he keeps things extremely tight by bowling a measured line and length. In his ODI career, Sammy has picked up 79 wickets at an average of 44.25 and an economy rate of 4.55. Given the way ODI batting has radically changed since the inception of T20Is, his economy rate can be considered pretty good.

#8 Daniel Vettori

Height – 6ft 3in

Daniel Vettori has been one of the most understated and underrated servants of the game in modern times. For his bowling, he never really got the plaudits he deserved because two greats of the game in Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan were his contemporaries. Moreover, owing to the presence of an array of stars like Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns and Brendon McCullum who grabbed the limelight, Vettori was never really the centre of attention in the Kiwi team.

Harry Potter, as Vettori is nicknamed for his striking resemblance to the J.K Rowling character, has an excellent track record in ODI cricket. He has picked up 289 wickets at an average of 31.87 and an excellent economy rate of 4.12. Unlike many other bowlers today who bring out the doosras and other variations, Vettori sticks to either bowling the classic tossed up delivery that lures batsmen in or bowling the arm ball that comes in with the arm. Even with these limited options, he is a crafty bowler and mixes up his pace quite nicely.

The 35-year old is also more than handy with the bat, which is clear from the 6 Test centuries he has scored. Coming to his ODI record, the former Kiwi skipper has scored more than 2000 runs at an average of 17.12 and a strike rate of 81.99. He can, therefore, be relied upon to score some useful runs at the end of the innings.

#9 Mitchell Starc

Height – 6ft 5.5in

Fast bowling is a combination of speed, bounce and swing. And Mitchell Starc is one bowler who possesses this lethal combination. Given that he is also an exponent of reverse swing, facing up to him would be a dangerous proposition for any batsman. In his very limited career so far, he has shown glimpses of becoming one of the greats of the game by excelling in all kinds of conditions.

In 28 ODIs, Starc has already picked up 49 wickets at an excellent average of 22.48 and an economy rate of 5.01, which again is quite good considering the fact that he often bowls in the power play overs and the death overs when the batsmen are looking to make a move on. The best part about the 24-year old’s bowling is that he can be conveniently used as either the new ball bowler or as first change given his efficacy with both the new ball and the old ball.

Mitch is no mug with the bat, either, as his ODI record indicates. He has an ODI fifty to his name and has scored his runs at an average of 32.20 and a strike rate of 87.02. He is, therefore, no pushover and can occupy some time at the crease. In spite of the fact that he is so tall, he is also an excellent fielder who gives it his all each time he takes the field.

#10 Morne Morkel

Height – 6ft 5in

Morne Morkel is one of the best fast bowlers in world cricket today. When he gets his rhythm going, he can trouble even the best of batsmen. With the height that he has, he can trouble batsmen with the steep bounce he generates even on wickets conducive for batting. His bowling, though, is not just about bowling fast as he has added quite a few variations to his repertoire in recent times.

Morne has picked up 148 wickets in ODIs at an excellent average of 24.26. While picking up the wickets, he also kept things extremely tight which is evident from his economy rate of 4.94. Along with Dale Steyn, he has formed one of the deadliest partnerships of modern-day cricket, one that all batsmen fear coming up against. Morkel is the kind of bowler who will run in all day for the captain and will try & make things happen. Although he is not as good with the bat as his younger brother Albie, the 30-year-old is certainly capable of hitting the odd long ball.

#11 Mohammad Irfan

Height – 7ft 1in

With an incredible height of 7’1”, Mohammad Irfan is the tallest cricketer to have played the game, surpassing the likes of Joel Garner and Bruce Reid. However, he does not grab the headlines on the basis of his height alone as he is also a very good out-and-out fast bowler. In fact, he is one of the most vital members of the Pakistan bowling attack.

The 32-year-old has picked up 54 ODI wickets at an average of 29.51 and an economy rate of 4.85. As expected, with the height he has, he generates a lot of bounce even from deliveries pitching on a good length. Moreover, given that he is a left-arm seamer, he has the added advantage of cramping up right-handers with the angle he bowls from. Given that he is able to consistently work up a pace in excess of 140 kmph, he can be a dangerous proposition for any batsman on his day.