Duleep Trophy: Best overseas XI in tournament history

While the Duleep Trophy is known as one of India's premier red-ball inter-zonal competitions due to only Indian cricketers being in the mix split across the participating teams. However, there was once a period in which the Board of Control for Cricket in India had made a trailblazing decision to let one guest team to compete in the competition.

While this particular season entails the involvement of various regulars of the Indian team, it would be equally interesting to have a look at the best XI of overseas players to have played in the Duleep Trophy, curated on the basis of their respective statistics.

While teams from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe have featured in one edition each, the team sent from the end of the England & Wales Cricket Board has participated twice.

Have a look at the best XI of overseas players to participate in the Duleep Trophy:

1) Hamilton Masakadza (Zimbabwe)

The seasoned veteran from Zimbabwe, Hamilton Masakadza, who played in 38 Tests, 209 ODIs, and 66 T20Is for Zimbabwe in a career which spanned 18 long years, registered 183 runs in two matches of the 2005 Duleep Trophy for the Zimbabwe Cricket Union President’s XI, including one fifty and one hundred against North Zone and East Zone, respectively.  

2) Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe)

Former Zimbabwean skipper, Brendan Taylor, was one of the finest players Zimbabwe produced. The then-18-year-old, who was yet to make his international debut, scored 18 runs for the Zimbabwe Cricket Union President’s XI in two matches of the 2005 edition of the Duleep Trophy.

3) Jonathan Trott (England)

Former top-order batter for England who is currently serving as the head coach of Afghanistan, Jonathan Trott, scored 92 runs for the England Lions in two matches in the 2008 Duleep Trophy. He was one of the most technically sound players for England during his playing days for the Three Lions, with an average of 44.08 and 51.25 in 52 Tests and 68 ODIs.

4) Kevin Pietersen (England)

Renowned as one of the most dynamic batters in the history of international cricket, a decision to include the then-23-year-old proved priceless for the England A side as he top-scored in the 2004 edition with 345 runs in four innings, which included a fifty and a couple of hundreds against a potent South Zone attack. Pietersen was one the most dominant players of spin post entering the fray for England, characterised by his track record of amassing 703 runs in 16 Test innings played in India at a strike rate of 60.23.

Also read: 10 Cricketers with Most Runs in Duleep Trophy

5) Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka)

The then skipper of Sri Lanka A, who comprises the elusive list of hitting two double hundreds in the same Test series, secured 161 runs in three matches in the 2006 edition of the Duleep Trophy. Although he managed his group well to the final of that particular edition, a disappointing performance (0 and 31) meant his side lost by eight wickets against North Zone at the Eden Gardens. 

6) Mohammad Ashraful (Bangladesh)

Former Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashrafulplayed two matches of the 2005 Duleep Trophy for Bangladesh Cricket Board XI and secured a total of 92 runs, with 66 of his aggregate coming via boundaries. Interestingly, he holds the record for being the youngest player to register a century in Tests, achieving the feat at 17 years and 61 days. 

7) Matt Prior (England)

The renowned wicketkeeper-batter of The Three Lions, Matt Prior, scored 194 runs for England A in the same edition in which his teammate, Pietersen, top-scored. Prior's tally included one half-century each against South Zone and East Zone, respectively.

8) Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

Currently roped in by New Zealand on a short-term basis as their spin-bowling coach, the Sri Lankan veteran, Rangana Herath, secured five wickets and scored 73 runs in four innings at a strike rate of over 100, the only batter to achieve the feat when compared the batters' totals in the entire competiton. Herath holds the record for the joint-most number of wickets in a single Test as a skipper.

9) Monty Panesar (England)

Another left-arm spinner, England's Monty Panesar scalped five batters in the 2008 edition of the competition. Panesar was a constant threat for Asian teams whenever England would tour them, and was a handy sidekick of Graeme Swann. He is fondly remembered for that game in Mumbai in 2012 where he accounted for Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni in both the innings of the game. 

10) Adil Rashid (England)

England's frontline spinner since 2015, Adil Rashid, was a part of the England Lions squad in 2008. In addition to getting six dismissals under his belt, he also scored 112 runs in four innings on gripping conditions.

11) Liam Plunkett (England)

The World Cup winner who was an integral component of the Eoin Morgan-led English side played in the same edition as Trott, Panesar, and Rashid, picking up one wicket and scoring 24 runs in two innings for the England Lions.