There have been several greats grazed the game since its inception. Picking an all-time XI from them is not an easy task at all. However, the English all-rounder, Chris Woakes, has given a shot at it.
In a YouTube channel, Woakes has formed an interesting XI from the current and former set of players. In his team, he has selected five Englishmen, including two present partners – James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
He picked Sir Alastair Cook and fiery Matthew Hayden to open the innings. Both these batsmen have accommodated over 15,000 runs in the international arena across formats. He said that he loved watching Matthew Hayden bat and was “great to watch”.
At No. 3 and No. 4, he slotted the amazing Ricky Ponting and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar respectively. Both the players have made the most number of centuries for their national teams. The master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has made 100 centuries, whereas Ricky Ponting has notched up 71 hundred.
As the list goes on, the 32-years old picks up the classy Ian Bell at No. 5. Further, he elected the Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis. Kallis is undoubtedly one of the best all-rounders ever. He has scored over 11,000 in both Tests and ODIs and taken over 250 wickets in both formats as well.
He then chose Brandon McCullum to bat at No. 7 in his team. While picking him, Woakes said, “He is probably batting out of position but he will take the gloves for me.”
Later, he picked Stuart Broad at No. 8, saying that he is “one of the great players he has played with”. At No. 9, he selected Graeme Swann and labelled him as England’s greatest spinner ever. Glenn McGrath was the tenth player in his squad.
He recalled McGrath’s magnificent spell in the first Ashes Test in 2005 where he completed 500 Test wickets. In the end, he picked up James Anderson at No. 11. In Woakes’ opinion, James Anderson is England’s best-ever bowler.
Chris Woakes’ all-time World XI:
1- Alastair Cook
2- Matthew Hayden
3- Ricky Ponting
4- Sachin Tendulkar
5- Ian Bell
6- Jacques Kallis
7- Brendon McCullum
8- Stuart Broad
9- Graeme Swann
10- Glenn McGrath
11- James Anderson.
