Current World XI that can beat the No.1 T20I side England

Cricket world has tremendous players who can give a fighting competition to England's T20I side.

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Kieron Pollard CPL 2016
Kieron Pollard (Photo by Randy Brooks/LatinContent/Getty Images)

There’s no doubt that England is currently the human dynamo when it comes to limited-overs cricket. The brand of cricket which they had unveiled in 2015 whose source of inspiration had actually come from Brendon McCullum’s New Zealand has galvanized the modern-day batting which had lead to a creation of their own template. 

By looking into their recent form and the way in which they have dazzled South Africa by clean sweeping the T20I series 3-0, it does demonstrate their superlative potency in terms of lifting the upcoming T20 World Cup which is due in 10 months. Also, when it comes to aligning with the dynamics of T20 cricket then Captain Morgan’s men do stand out distinctly ahead of others and are actually well equipped in both the departments.

Their batting order is immensely flexible wherein probably anyone can bat at any position. Speaking about their bowling attack then almost every bowler in their camp has featured in all the T20 leagues around the world which have handed them a realm of experience. So to combat such a world-class side here’s a list of World XI players who can beat England. 

World XI that can fight back England T20I side

1. KL Rahul 

KL Rahul
KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Red Bull Content Pool)

KL Rahul who is now emerging as one of India’s most prominent limited-overs batsman has been in the form of his life since the beginning of the year 2020. His transformation has been impeccable which has brought utter consistency in his batting which has eventually granted him a permanent opening slot for India in T20Is. 

Rahul’s red hot form was evident in the IPL when he won the orange cap by scoring 670 runs at an average of close to 56. In the year 2020 Rahul has so far played 10 T20Is for India and has scored 404 runs at an average close to 45. His batting is tailor-made for this format and probably has every shot which a modern player desires to have. 

If there’s a World XI match happening against England then the battle between KL Rahul and Jofra Archer will be a flavorful one as Archer has often been vocal on how Rahul has got the better of him on most occasions.

2. Babar Azam

Babar Azam
Babar Azam. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)

If there is one prospective cricketer who can very soon establish his name in the fab four of batting and extent it to five then it has to be the uproar of Babar Azam. Recently, Babar became the third-fastest batsman to score 5,000 T20 runs while playing in the Vitality T20 Blast competition. 

Speaking about his recent form, then, in 2020 Babar has played 6 T20Is and has an average of 55.2 which includes two T20Is against England. Babar also amassed 172 runs from five matches while featuring for Somerset in the Vitality T20 Blast which includes a 114* run match-winning knock. 

He also maintains an average of 52.33 in his five outings against England and if there’s a World XI match happening against England then having the class of KL Rahul alongside with elegance of Babar Azam would hence become a gratifying opening combination for the fans to watch for.

3. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli . (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

The enchantment of watching Virat Kohli and Babar Azam batting together would be extremely captivating for the Asian fans especially if both begin their innings with their own class of cover drives. Even though Virat Kohli had a reasonable IPL at least by his own standards, he is still the king when it comes to batting in limited-overs cricket. 

Speaking about his numbers in 2020, Virat has in total played 9 T20Is and has scored 295 runs at an average of close to 37 which is again very reasonable, especially for a cricketer whose average hasn’t dropped less than 50 in limited-overs cricket for the longest of times. 

Ever since his debut, Virat Kohli has played 12 T20Is against England in which he has only scored a single fifty. So if there happens a World XI vs England then Kohli would be surely looking to amass tons of runs against England. 

4. Rassie van der Dussen

Rassie van der Dussen
Rassie van der Dussena. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

If there is one cricketer who would have flawlessly replaced AB De Villiers for South Africa especially in limited-overs cricket then it had to be Rassie van der Dussen. Undeniably, he is the hope of light which is blooming out from the tunnel, especially considering the shambles in which South African cricket has been under in the recent past.

Speaking about his recent form, then he was South Africa’s leading run-scorer in the recently concluded T20I series against England aggregating 136 runs with his blade. His crucial 74* off 32 balls in the third T20I was a dazzling knock, wherein he smashed almost every England bowler all around the park.

His T20I record is growing at an impeccable rate and does require a different command of admiration when it comes to playing against England as the right-hander averages 73.66 from his six outings. 

5. Kieron Pollard 

Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard. (Photo Source: Twitter)

There’s no way any T20 team would get competent enough if it doesn’t involve the presence of Kieron Pollard. With an experience of over 500 T20 matches under his name, he surely is one of the legends of this format. If one has to learn the mastery of hitting sixes effortlessly, especially in the “V” section of the ground then Pollard should be the man to learn from. 

Speaking about his recent form then Pollard had a dazzling IPL, where he scored 268 runs with an average of 53.60 thus, inevitably continuing to be one of the best finishers in the tournament and for Mumbai Indians. His recent knock 75* off 37 balls against the blackcaps includes eight sixes out of which some were humungous and out of the park. 

If there’s a World XI vs England match happening, then, to combat the high scores set by the English team Pollard’s firepower will be a go-to thing. 

6. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Hardik Pandya who has been India’s biggest revelation on their ongoing tour of Australia surely couldn’t miss in this World XI. At the moment, he is one of very few players in World Cricket who can hit the ball a long way right from the word go. His batting becomes way more treasurable and praiseworthy whether it’s for the Indian team or the Mumbai Indians once he starts finishing games for his team. 

Speaking about his recent form them, Hardik had a blistering IPL for MI with the bat as he scored 281 runs with an average of 35 ending with a daunting strike rate of almost 179. His batting along with Kieron Pollard on the other side can make look any bowling attack feel nugatory.

Hardik has so far only played 6 matches against England and has a reasonable average of 22 along with a strike rate of almost 156. Since Hardik likes to take spinners to the cleaners, his batting against Adil Rashid who is perhaps the best international spinner in T20Is would be an interesting contest to watch out for. 

7. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ever since World Cup semi-final knock against New Zealand, Ravindra Jadeja has emerged one of the consistent lower middle-order performers across formats not only for India but for CSK as well. 

Although Jadeja didn’t have a greatest of IPL when it came to his bowling but when it came to his batting, he did score 232 runs at an average of 46.40. His short cameos with the bat for CSK have been a value-added aid especially considering how poorly CSK’s middle-order  performed. 

Jadeja so far has only played four T20I matches against England ,that to between 2009 -2014. Apart from his batting and bowling, his gun fielding is a bonus to any team in the world. 

8. Shaheen Shah Afridi 

Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi. (Photo by OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

Pakistan has always been known for producing a staggering number of fast bowlers and here we are witnessing another sensational left-arm pacer in the form of Shaheen Shah Afridi. Despite being a 20-year-old, Shaheen has already established his place in all the three formats. 

Speaking about his recent performances, then the left-arm pacer made big headlines for his match-winning performance for Hampshire, wherein he registered an incredible figure of 6/19 from his four overs, where all of his six wickets were clean bowled. The last four wickets out of six had come in successive deliveries.

Shaheen is a kind of a bowler who can bowl pinpoint yorkers which is an asset, especially in the shortest format. If there’s a World XI vs England match happening then watching Shaheen bowl to likes of Morgan and Buttler at the death would be fascinating stuff to look at. 

9. Jasprit Bumrah 

Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

You can’t be making a World XI that too for T20Is without having Bumrah’s name in it. Jasprit Bumrah is a complete package who can get you early breakthroughs in the power play, can pick up handy wickets which can change the course of the match, and alongside can also finish economically at the death. 

Despite having a decent T20I series against New Zealand in early 2020, Bumrah did had a scintillating IPL in which he took 27 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of less than 7. His variations along with toe crushing yorkers do make him a complete T20 bowler who can pull out the breaks in any kind of a run-fest. 

Out of the 50 T20Is, Jasprit Bumrah has only played three T20Is against England in which he has taken 5 wickets at an economy of 6.20. 

10. Lockie Ferguson 

Lockie Ferguson
Lockie Ferguson. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

Lockie Ferguson of New Zealand and Anrich Nortje of South Africa are currently two extreme pacers who can consistently bowl at 150kph mark. Ferguson had a phenomenal run in 2019 World Cup as he took 21 wickets at an average of 19.47 which had an economy rate of 4.88.

Speaking about his recent form, the speedster made headlines for his astonishing performance in the 1st T20I which had a five-wicket haul with an economy of 5.2  against West Indies. Ferguson is a kind of a bowler who might go for runs but will always provide you with crucial breakthroughs. 

His T20I record is growing at an impeccable rate as the speeder has so far grabbed 21 wickets from 11 T20Is, and also maintains an incredible economy of under 7. Watching Ferguson bowl against the likes of Jason Roy and Jos Buttler would surely produce a dramatic contest. 

11. Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

If one has to pick a spinner for the World XI then there are very fewer chances that one might prefer to drop Rashid Khan. Despite being a leg spinner, he upholds a realm of variations in his bowling. Rashid has been a vital cogwheel for SRH and perhaps has always been a go-to man for his skipper as well.

Once again Rashid had a phenomenal IPL year wherein, as usual, he topped charts because of his economy rate of 5.37 which is a staggering number. He also grabbed 20 wickets from the 16 matches he played in. 

It will be a mouth-watering contest if Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Shah Afraid and Lockie Ferguson along with Rashid Khan in the middle do bowl at England’s batters and make the international cricket’s most explosive batting feel tenacious.

~Written by Jai Chainanicric

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