Best over 35 XI of the currently active international cricketers

It was earlier said that Twenty20 cricket is for the youngsters but over the years we have seen a lot of senior and retired cricketers turn things around in the format. And it has actually emerged as a blessing for older players helping them extend their careers. This XI, comprising of players over 35 with an abundance of experience, skill and consistency, can worthily challenge the best teams and shatter the myth of youth over experience, at least in T20 cricket. Consisting of 5 batsmen, 2 all-rounders, 2 spinners and 2 pacers from 5 nations, the team combination is a settled one. It has all its bases covered with a mix of aggression and assurance. Do you fancy a team that could beat this one? 1. Chris Gayle: Chris Gayle of the West Indies poses with his man of the match trophy after the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 match. (Photo by Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images) Arguably the best T20 player ever, the 36-year-old is an obvious choice. With an average of over 42, Chris Gayle is the leading run-scorer in the format with over 9000 runs at an unreal strike rate of 150.9. He has actually got better with age, with his 12-ball 50 coming last year and his 175 at 34 he has also slammed 2 centuries this year by far. Gayle also has the most fifties- 59 along with the most hundreds- 18, which makes him head and shoulders above the rest. Although not evident, he is more than useful with the ball with an economy of 7.5 and 75 wickets, bowling tight line and uncanny variations. He is probably the most influential batsman of the team and if he bats more than 10 overs, Gayle is bound to pile agony on the opposition and essentially ensure victory for this team with his murderous hitting capabilities. Also read – Top 10 Batsmen with most runs in a T20 tournament 2. Tillakaratne Dilshan: Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka celebrates scoring 50 runs during the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016. (Photo by Vivek Prakash-IDI/Getty Images) The 39-year-old veteran is probably the best T20 player produced by Sri Lanka. He is their leading run scorer as well as the man with the second most T20I runs. Tillakaratne Dilshan has a passive aggressive approach that proves really effective for him, as it makes him really versatile. He has the most fifties and hundreds for Sri Lanka but his strike rate of 123 ensures that he plays the perfect understudy to Gayle and bats through the innings. Age hasn’t hampered his big hitting or batting in any sense. In fact, a majority of his 5189 runs have come in the later stage of the career. A prolific run-getter on the off side, Dilshan can temper aggression to bat for longer periods too. 3. Mohammad Hafeez: Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images) The 35-year-old is sublime to watch with his classy and picturesque batting and is a solid No.3 who can bat through the innings. One of the top 10 highest T20I scorers, Mohammad Hafeez has 9 fifties- the most by a Pakistani. He has 2 hundreds and 25 fifties in domestic T20s with a strike rate of 122, making him a trustable and solid batsman, yet someone who can accelerate at any point in the inning. Considering the aggressive openers, the professor is the perfect man to play second fiddle and ensure that the inning keeps direction. Hafeez has the ability to switch gears at the right moment and can hold one up if there’s an early loss, or consolidate if he comes in later. His ability to play according to the situation is exemplary. Also check out – 11 Most entertaining cricketers 4. Marlon Samuels: West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) The man behind West Indies’ two World T20 final victories, Marlon Samuels’ versatility as a batsman and ability to strike the game away from the opposition makes him a great T20 player. He is capable of playing in contrasting styles according to the game situation and his average of 32, and a strike rate of 120 in complement his economy of 7 and his 66 T20 wickets, adding another potential bowling option to the 11. His experience and ability to perform in big matches consistently makes him an important cog in the middle order. Samuels’ specialty is the fact that he shoulders the responsibility to bat through the innings, no matter when he comes in, and alter his batting approach accordingly. 5. MS Dhoni (C) (wk): India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (R) holds the Killer Cup trophy. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) The recently turned 35-year old is definitely the most successful T20 and T20I captain and still one of the best wicketkeepers in the game. MS Dhoni is India’s fifth highest run getter even though he bats in the lower middle order. His average of 37 and strike rate of 135 along with 4900 runs make him possibly the best man to have in the lower middle order to finish the innings. His immense skill and power, coupled with his agility and persistence make him a very difficult batsman to bowl to. Dhoni’s ability to keep cool in pressure situations and lead effectively make him a successful captain. He has the special understanding of developing scenarios and uses his resources to great effect. Which spot does MS Dhoni hold in this list? – Top 10 Wicketkeepers with most dismissals in T20s 6. Albie Morkel: Albie Morkel of South Africa. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-IDI/IDI via Getty Images) The third seamer, as well as a more than capable hard hitting batsman, Albie Morkel, has a multitude of experience in the Twenty20 arena having played 287 matches. He can be lethal with both bat and ball on a given day. Morkel’s strike rate of 147 and 3767 runs make him a fearful batsman, but his ability to bowl with the new ball and accurately and consistently bowl testing lines makes him the seaming allrounder the side needs. He can easily cover up if a bowler has an off day and provides the extra impetus lower down that can stretch the total out of the reach of the opposition. His 230 wickets prove35-year-old5 year old is an under rated bowler and that he is an asset to have in any line-up. 7. Shahid Afridi: Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi plays a shot. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images) The evergreen 36-year-old maverick is probably Pakistan’s biggest ambassador of cricket and a T20 specialist with a multitude of experience and ability. Shahid Afridi’s big hitting capabilities come in handy at No.7. It isn’t just his strike rate of 155 that matters , but it is his crafty leg spin that makes him a complete and useful bowling all-rounder. Afridi’s 238 wickets at an economy of 6.6 coupled with over 3000 runs make sure that he contributes in every match. He adds to the firepower in the lower middle order with his sheer muscle and fearlessness. Also read – Top 10 Batsmen with most consecutive innings without a duck in T20s 8. Ashish Nehra: Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) The 37-year-old Indian pacer has made an unexpected and astonishing comeback at the twilight of his career. Ashish Nehra’s 146 wickets in just 110 matches at 7.61 make him a perfect fit to be the leader of the pace attack. Nehra specializes in moving the new ball both ways and is not just a wicket-taker upfront but is a threat at the death too with his pinpoint accuracy, and ability to read the batsman’s mind and deliver accordingly. He has actually blossomed in the later part of his career, with his economy and average falling since the start of the year. Nehra has emerged as the best T20 bowler in India in the last couple of years. 9. Samuel Badree: West Indies bowler Samuel Badree. (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) For someone who has played more than 140 T20s, the 35-year old’s economy of 5.5 is exemplary. Samuel Badree is one of the rare leg spinners with the skill to open the bowling and be highly successful, no matter how the pitch behaves. His average of just 18 is reduced to 14 in T20Is, which is why Samuels is also the top ranked T20I bowler. His superb bowling skills always has the batsmen in a tangle. Although he does not get much turn with the new ball, he dominates the batsmen with his tight and probing lines, and sets his fields strategically, and traps them after setting them up for the dismissal. Also check out – 10 Players who have played for most T20 teams 10. Imran Tahir: South African cricketer Imran Tahir (L) celebrates dismissing West Indies batsman Andre Fletcher . (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Another leg-spinner, the 37-year-old Imran Tahir has been a prolific wicket-taker in T20 cricket with 154 wickets from just 125 innings and an economy of 6.8. His average falls to 15 in T20Is and he is a big threat to the batsmen in the later stages of the innings with 5 fielders outside. Tahir is a conventional leggie and relies on flight, drift and turn to bamboozle the batsmen and will form a fiery trio with Afridi and Badree. He is particularly lethal on wickets that assist spin. Tahir is the most aggressive of the three leggies, who varies his pace and lengths, and invites the batsmen to take him on. And foxes them with his variation. 11. Mohammad Sami: Suresh Raina of India is bowled by Mohammad Sami. (Photo by Vivek Prakash-IDI/Getty Images) Not many people make a comeback at 35 and be successful, but Mohammad Sami definitely did, proving his critics wrong. His average of 7.05 is outstanding for someone who bowls at the most difficult times in the innings. His 110 wickets in 99 innings justify his wicket taking ability. Sami may not be very quick, but is very effective with his discipline and tight lines. He is the perfect understudy to Nehra. His control with the older and the new ball makes him a skillful bowler, one who relies on change of pace rather than line and length. He typically finishes his quota before the death overs, by trying to slow down the innings and pick wickets, but is an able bowler at the death as well. Also check out – 6 Most selfless acts in cricket Written by Yash Gupta

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Best over 35 XI of the currently active international cricketers

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