Best ODI XI for 2012-13 season

We have seen some great 50-overs cricket in 2013. There have been 19 tournaments (totalling of 78 ODIs) during the period with participation from 16 nations. We have witnessed some exciting games in the period where many new milestones were made and old records tumbled down.

In the same period, ICC conducted the last edition of Champions Trophy. It is very difficult to pick best world XI from all the players over the globe. However, I have tried to pick the best to be part of this team.

Here is the list of Best ODI XI of world for 2012-2013 season.

Ian Bell

Ian Bell (England) – 645 runs @ 43.00, S/R 76.87

He is England’s top run scorer for the season. On the tour to India in January, he showcased his class by two great performances on spin-friendly wickets. He kept on piling runs against New Zealand home and away as well. His match-winning innings of 91 against archrivals Australia enabled his team finishing top of the table in the group stage of Champions Trophy.

Shikhar Dhawan (India) - 498 runs @ 55.33, S/R 92.56

He had a remarkable return to the Indian cricket team with three consecutive hundreds. His attacking style of cricket against pace and swing bowlers right at the top makes him an ideal opening partner. ICC Champions Trophy 2013 provided a great platform to showcase his talent to the world, where he was recognised as the Player of the Tournament. His foot movement against bowlers and classy shots all round the park makes him an ideal choice for any captain at the top of the order.

Jonathan Trott (England) – 583 runs @ 72.87, S/R 87.40

Many people doubted his ability for the shorter format of the game. But he proved all his critics wrong by striking over 85 per 100 deliveries. He has shown his aggressive attitude by stepping down the wicket against pacers and spinners. The way he handled New Zealand bowling attack in both home and away tours indicated he has hunger for more.

Joe Root (England) – 590 runs @ 49.16, S/R 86.00

England’s upcoming player had a tough competition with Brian Lara’s cousin Darren Bravo. He impressed many in his debut series against India and justified his selection in the team. His more than a-run-a-ball maiden fifty came at a crucial time when England was in trouble. His innings of 79* on a swinging wicket of Napier, New Zealand raised many eyebrows. He is the promising cricketer to watch out for in future.

Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) – 708 runs @ 50.57, S/R 68.80

It is difficult to miss out the top run scorer of the season. He is always been the most dependable batsman as he bailed out Pakistan from many tough situations. This is the reason of his slow strike rate. His innings of 96* against West Indies in the Champions Trophy was the best innings of his career. In the same match only Nasir Jamshed was able to get into double figures. His ability to carry the team forward on his shoulders makes him an ideal middle order batsmen.

MS Dhoni (India) – 450 runs @ 56.25, S/R 84.42 (Captain & Wicket Keeper)

For wicket-keeper slot, MS Dhoni has a neck-to-neck competition with Sri Lanka’s wicket keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara. However, Dhoni managed to stump him out because of his leadership skills. With over 70 winning percentage as captain, MS Dhoni led India to the triumph of last edition of ICC Champions Trophy.

His captaincy strategy in the final match proved fatal for England. With this win, he became the only captain to win all three ICC major tournaments. Apart from the captaincy, his ability to play according to the situation (113* against Pakistan, one of the best innings of his career) and power of clearing the ground easily makes him an ideal choice to lead this team.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja (India) – 319 runs @ 45.57, S/R 89.85 & 33 wickets @ 16.51, Econ: 3.87

He has shown great all around skills since his comeback to the Indian side. He has managed to fill up the much-needed slot of an all rounder. He has shown great amount of discipline in his bowling and batting. He cemented his place in the team by winning the Golden Ball in ICC Champions Trophy.

Currently, he is the leading wicket taker in the season with 33 wickets. With his bowling, he can dry up runs and get through his overs quickly and that’s what all captains want, i.e., to maintain pressure on the batsman in the middle overs. His useful batting at lower down the order helps getting some extra runs at death overs.

R McLaren (South Africa) – 175 runs @ 25.00 & 27 wickets @ 22.51, Econ: 5.00

He is an aggressive seam bowler who can contribute with the bat as well. South Africa always had a reputation of having good fast bowlers over the years and thus it was very difficult for him to find a place in side where legends like Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock had already set standards. After getting his opportunity in the national team, McLaren grabbed it with both hands by taking three four-wicket hauls in the season. He contribution of 71* against India helped his team to narrow down the losing margin in the Champions Trophy.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (India) – 25 wickets @ 21.96, Econ: 3.97

His disciplined bowling right from the start of the innings provided early breakthroughs for his team. His ability to keep getting opening batsman out with his well-controlled seam attack impresses many. In his short career so far, he had lead the Indian pace attack quite brilliantly in the absence of Zaheer Khan. He showed his class by bowling his career best figure of 4/8 against Sri Lanka in West Indies.

Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan) – 28 wickets @ 21.82, Econ: 4.16

An intelligent off-spinner who has all the variations that spinner possesses. He has deceived many great batsmen with his lethal weapon “doosra”. He has a knack of taking wickets at crucial junctures. His bowling in tandem with left armer Ravindra Jadeja would be dreadful for the batsman. As they both have ability to dry up runs and they seldom provide any scoring opportunities.

M McClenaghan (New Zealand) – 29 wickets @ 16.51, Econ: 5.22

He is a young left arm medium fast bowler. He has taken four 4-wicket hauls and that too against top batting line up in the world (Australia, England, South Africa & Sri Lanka). His ability to swing ball both ways makes him an ideal bowler in pacer friendly pitches. He has the right pace and bounce to trouble any batsman in the world. In such a short career he is leading the New Zealand pace attack.