5 Players who should have been a part of World XI side

The squads for the historic series between Asia XI and World XI are out. A few days ago, Bangladesh Cricket Board declared the list of players who will turn up for Asia XI and World XI respectively. The list features a bunch of international cricket stars with Virat Kohli, Lasith Malinga, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan and Rashid Khan being the elite names present in the Asia XI squad. Unfortunately, there are no Pakistani players in the squad.

Speaking of the World XI now, former South African captain, Faf du Plessis will lead the team which has the likes of Chris Gayle, Jonny Bairstow, Kieron Pollard and Alex Hales. The World XI side has a stellar bowling lineup as well with the big names like Andrew Tye, Lungi Ngidi and Sheldon Cottrell set to play for the side. While BCB tried its best to assemble the squads, they still missed out on a few marquee players.

Here are 5 players who should have been a part of the World XI side.

1. Andre Russell

It was surprising to note that the World XI squad did not feature the name of West Indian all-rounder, Andre Russell. The explosive batsman from the Caribbean was the winning captain of the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League. Thus, it was expected that the BCB would invite him to play in this historic T20 series.

Russell has not been a regular for West Indies at the international level but he could have proven to be a major addition to the World XI side. Besides, a lot of IPL stars are playing in the series so, to see Russell missing out was strange.

The right-handed all-rounder could have lit up the stadium in Bangladesh with his fireworks in the batting department. The Asia XI would have to plan a lot had Russell been a part of the opposition squad.

2. Dwayne Bravo 

Another star all-rounder from West Indies, Dwayne Bravo was not chosen for the World XI side. Bravo recently made his return to international cricket as he will even represent his nation at the 2020 T20 World Cup. The fast bowling all-rounder could have been a vital addition to the World XI team as he has played many matches in subcontinental conditions.

Bravo has a good idea of the playing conditions besides, he could have contributed his bit to the leadership group as well. Having served as the captain of West Indies in the past, Bravo possesses the experience of leading a team.

The veteran all-rounder would have been extremely useful for the World XI team in the slog overs of both the innings. He has the calibre of smacking the ball right from the word go along with scalping wickets with the ball in the final overs.

3. AB de Villiers

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s wicket-keeper batsman, AB de Villiers is reportedly making a comeback to international cricket soon. Looking at the recent struggles of the South African batting unit in T20 cricket, the right-handed batsman would be gearing up to make his return to the green and gold colours soon.

While he is going to feature in this year’s IPL, De Villiers could have warmed himself up with a short T20I series in Bangladesh. The World XI required his services because he is a special player who can bat anywhere in the middle order.

He can even keep the wickets for the team and over the last few years, De Villiers has only concentrated on the T20 format. This indicates that the South African star deserved to be a part of the World XI.

4. Jason Roy

The English T20 players will be available for this match as the Test team of England will be competing in an ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka during the time window of this Asia XI vs World XI series. While the BCB selection committee has picked Alex Hales in the team, they ignored Jason Roy.

The hard-hitting batsman has been England’s premier opener in limited-overs cricket. He was also a part of England’s Ashes squad last year whereas Alex Hales has fallen out of the selection team’s radar.

After Hales tested positive for drugs ahead of the 2019 World Cup, the right-handed batsman has not been able to come back to the national team. Thus, it was a bit surprising to see Hales being ahead of Roy.

5. Imran Tahir 

The most perplexing decision made by Bangladesh Cricket Board during the selection process was ignoring Imran Tahir. The veteran leg-spinner from Pakistan has retired from international cricket and just like the T20 specialists, he has started focusing only on the shortest format of the sport. He is playing in various T20 leagues of the world.

Tahir, who won the IPL Purple Cap award last year, continued his amazing form in Mzansi Super League. The spin-friendly conditions in Bangladesh are tailor-made for him.

The right-arm leggie could have wreaked havoc in the Asia XI vs World XI series because the South African player knows a lot about the players present in the Asia XI squad. Also, he could have been the perfect choice to lead the World XI’s pace attack. He would have even pulled crowds to the stadium with his unique celebration.