Matthew Hayden picks up his dream Test XI; invincible on paper

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden announced his dream Test XI for Star Sports. A team which is comprised of the best players of the time. On paper, this team seems invincible. Hayden, who was known for his left-handed jab, picked up Australian opener David Warner and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson as his opening pair.

He has England’s flamboyant skipper Joe Root to bat at No.3 while Australian skipper Steve Smith and Indian run machine Virat Kohli have been slotted for the fourth and fifth batting positions. South Africa’s energetic wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock will keep his vigil on the stumps in Hayden’s dream XI.

In the all-rounder department, Hayden picked up two best all-rounders of the time Ben Stokes and Ravichandran Ashwin. While the World Cup-winning opener picked up speedster Mitchell Starc and swing king James Anderson as his pace bowlers. While Starc will rattle the opposition with his sheering pace Anderson will totally depend on the movement and swing. The duo will be supported by the best fast bowler of the contemporary cricket Dale Steyn.

Hayden’s opening pair is an amalgamation of aggression and technique. While Warner is an aggressive opener Williamson is a calm batsman. With sound batting technique the New Zealander loves to play shot with perfect timing while Warner relies on the punch.

Meanwhile, this dream team also has a strong middle order. While Root will play to his strength Smith and Kohli will pile up pressure on the opposition team. At the same time, there is no confusion regarding dashing wicketkeeper-batsman de Kock, who is an advanced version of former Australia keeper Adam Gilchrist; he will add strength to the batting side.

Hayden’s team also has a long batting strength. From Warner to Mitchell Starc –all of these blokes can score runs with the willow in hand. In all departments, this dream is better than most teams. Though only one player could be missing from this team in, Alastair Cook. The former England skipper has an enviable batting average in Australia and he has done well at all Test playing conditions.

David Warner, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock, Ben Stokes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Starc, James Anderson, Dale Steyn