Current Best World XI across all formats

As Geoffrey Boycott rightly said, “Cricket is a funny game.” The sport is unique in the sense that it boasts of three vastly different formats and as a result, demands separate skill sets from a single player. If you’re to emerge as one of the top players of cricket, you have to display equal dexterity in all three forms of the game, no less will do! While Test Cricket is the ultimate hurdle for any cricketer in terms of the effort and concentration one has to put in to ace a 5-day Test match, One Day Internationals (ODI) and Twenty-20 (T20) Cricket test a player’s ability to improvise on his/her feet. In this respect, we, the spectators, are blessed to be witnessing more than one such cricketer at present who is armed with unparalleled prowess in Test, ODI and T20 formats. Let’s take a look at the current Best World XI across all the three formats. 1. Quinton de Kock (wk) South African batsman Quinton de Kock. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images) Often termed as one of the best cricketers that South Africa has ever produced, Quinton de Kock is an asset both with the bat as well as the gloves. Armed with some exquisite shots with the bat and an ability to switch gears as and when required from him, de Kock has flourished in all three formats of the game, his speciality being the ODIs. His mammoth score of 178 runs against the Aussies at the centurion in 2016 is testimony to his batting calibre. The left-handed batsman has 3996 ODI runs along with 1925 Test runs, along with 3 centuries and 13 tons in the two formats respectively. As a keeper, de Kock’s agility and athleticism ensures that even the widest of edges fly into his probing gloves without fail, thus making him the perfect candidate to step into the important role of a batsman-wicketkeeper. 2. Hashim Amla Hashim Amla. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images) Protean batting-all rounder Hashim Amla has been an indispensable cog in the South African batting machinery and rightly so. The right-handed batsman has all the cricketing shots in his book and doesn’t hesitate to switch gears according to the format, making him a lethal asset for any team that he bats for. Amla currently ranks amongst the top 20 batsmen in all 3 formats of the game. The 35-year-old has a whopping tally of 17955 runs in international cricket and has broken as well as created quite a few records on his way there. Amla’s skill and hard work has led him to hold the record of being the fastest to the 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000-run mark in ODI cricket. Completing the left hand-right hand combination, Amla would be the perfect candidate to open the batting alongside de Kock. 3. Kane Williamson Kane Williamson bats. (Photo by Mark Tantrum/Getty Images) New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson is widely recognised for being talented and calm-headed in equal measures. He’s equally powerful against spin as he is against pace and has the determination required to play that one crucial long innings for his side, giving him a massive edge over the opposition’s bowling attack. His scintillating stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 has added to his already brimming repertoire. Having made his debut back in 2010, Williamson has represented the Kiwis in 65 Tests, 127 ODIs and 51 T20Is. His average in the longest format (50.36) of the game is the most impressive, with 18 Test tons to his credit. He also boasts of 5157 ODI runs along with 1316 runs in T20Is. At number 3, when the team’s batting needs solidity and stability, Williamson is one of the best in the world to fill that position. 4. Virat Kohli (C) Virat Kohli. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Indian skipper Virat Kohli has awed critics all over the world with his batting and is arguably one of the best batsmen in modern day cricket. Not only does he bring a healthy sense of competition and aggression onto the field, but also drives and motivates his team like a true leader. As a captain, he has one of the best win percentages in town, having won 21 of the 36 Test matches and 39 of the 52 ODIs that he’s captained. As a batsman, Kohli seems to make and break records for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With 57 international centuries to his name at an age of 29, the right-handed batsman has already crossed the 5000-run tally in Tests and approached the 10,000-run mark in ODIs. Be it the copybook cover drive on the off-side, the wristy flick on the on-side or the sweeps and reverse sweeps which he’s mastered very recently, Kohli is a complete player that every team needs. 5. Shakib Al Hasan Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. (Photo Source: Twitter) One of the most experienced players that the current Bangladesh team has, Shakib Al Hasan has been representing his country for over a decade. The 31-year old has a staggering tally of 3,692 Test runs and 5433 ODI runs, thus possessing equal mastery over the long as well as the shorter formats of the game. He’s equally gifted in the bowling department with more than 200 ODI wickets and 196 Test wickets. Further, his consistent performances in almost all major T20 leagues such as the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the IPL have lent him with abundant knowledge of the tricky T20 format. What strengthens his curriculum vitae is his ability to serve as a handy spin option for his captain, plucking wickets out of nowhere. 6. Ben Stokes Ben Stokes of England looks on. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) Sensational English all-rounder Ben Stokes raked up a whopping sum of INR 12.5 crores in the 11th edition of the IPL and it’s his ability prowess in all the three departments of the game that makes him worth every penny. At 27-year old, Stokes burst onto the scene when he performed exceptionally in both the Tests and the ODIs in 2013-14 Ashes and hasn’t looked back since, save a few ugly incidents off the field! When it comes to the figures, Stokes seems to be poised on the cusp of being one of the top players in near future. He has 2606 runs with the bat and 104 wickets in 43 Test matches, along with 1846 runs and 58 wickets in 70 ODIs. His T20 strike rate of a 136.42 is indicative of the explosive batsman that he is, which is just what the doctor ordered to amp up a team’s middle-order. 7. Moeen Ali Moeen Ali of England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) If one were to describe Moeen Ali as a player in a single phrase, ‘level-headed’ would be the first one to strike home. He’s relatively new compared to his peers, having made his national debut only four years back. Another all-rounder of magical calibre, Ali is as solid a lower middle-order batsman as destructive he is an off-break bowler. The 31-year old has accrued 2495 Test runs, which include 5 centuries along with 1792 runs in the shorter formats put together. However, it’s his off-spin that makes him a weapon for his team, England. His skill is encapsulated in his bowling figures which read 133 Test wickets, 74 ODI wickets and 15 T20I scalps. 8. Hasan Ali Hasan Ali. (Photo Source: Twitter) The newest kid on the block of talented cricketers is young Pakistan pace bowling sensation, Hasan Ali. The wiry youngster has both speed and variations up his sleeve and more importantly, possesses a good sense of how to utilise the two in perfect balance to outfox the opposition. Only a couple of years old in international cricket, Ali has already caused ripples in the cricketing circle, impressing one and all with his bowling skills. In the 33 ODIs that he’s player, the 24-year old has already notched up 68 wickets at an appreciably low economy of 5.22. His career best bowling figures of 5/34 against Sri Lanka in 2017 earned him accolades from fans and critics alike. Ali has performed consistently in the PSL for the Peshawar Zalmi side. As for Tests, he has claimed 12 wickets in the 4 games that he’s played, bearing testimony as to what a prodigious talent he is. 9. Kuldeep Yadav Indian bowler Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images) Kuldeep Yadav floored the entire cricket watching audience when he became the first Indian to bowl left-arm unorthodox spin. Be it for his national team or the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, Yadav turned whatever he touched into gold from the moment he took the field. Although relatively inexperienced in Test cricket, Yadav specialises in ODIs and T20s and how! Playing for India, the young man has claimed 48 wickets in just 23 ODIs at a mind-boggling economy of 4.8. In the 2 Test matches that he’s been a part of, he’s raked up 9 wickets, along with 24 dismissals in 12 T20Is to his name. Not only does he have the ability to scalp regular wickets but is a terrific death-over bowler in the shorter formats, using his variations cleverly to dry up the opposition’s run-flow. 10. Kagiso Rabada South Africa bowler Kagiso Rabada. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images) 23-year old Kagiso Rabada is the master weapon that the Proteas have come to possess in recent times. Armed with ruthless pace and an inherent cricketing intelligence to apply it to his advantage, Rabada is a threat to even the best of batting attacks in the world. The fact that he has 9 five-wickets hauls in Test cricket and one in the ODIs already at such a young age is proof of the boundless talent that he nurtures. Currently, Rabada has a awe-inspiring tally of 151 wickets in just 32 Test matches along with 80 dismissals in 51 ODIs. Equally adept at the T20 format, the youngster is yet to play a significant number of T20Is for his country. After having played in 16 T20Is, he has 22 wickets to his credit, a figure that is sure to grow in leaps and bounds in near future. 11. Trent Boult Trent Boult. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images) The lethal duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee of New Zealand has terrorised more than one world-class batting line-up in the world. 28 year-old Boult has been a regular face in international cricket for the last 7 years and has raked up significant figures as a speedster in this time span. His strength lies in his ability to swing the ball and extract movement off the pitch, which leaves the batsmen flummoxed more often than not. In 54 Test matches, Boult has achieved 215 wickets while in the 66 ODIs that he’s played, the 28-year old has claimed 122 dismissals. His recent T20 outings in the IPL earned him 18 wickets in the 14 games that he played, making him the highest wicket-taker for his side, the Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the season.

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Current Best World XI across all formats

Currently we, the spectators, are blessed to be witnessing more than one such cricketer who is armed with unparalleled prowess in Test, ODI and T20 formats.

7. Moeen Ali

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