Greatest non-Asia ODI XI of all-time

Australia v India
Adam Gilchrist revolutionised the wicketkeeper-batsman role

Pacers

Glenn McGrath

Chappell-Hadlee Trophy - New Zealand v Australia:
Glenn McGrath was a key factor behind the Aussie dominance

Glenn McGrath was the personification of accuracy with the ball. One often hears of the importance of sticking to good 'line and length' to succeed as a bowler and McGrath's bowling could be used as a textbook example for it. With an unwavering rhythm, McGrath severely restricted the batsmen's scoring opportunities provoking a false shot that often led to their dismissal. Even for the most belligerent batsmen of his era, his bowling remained a tough nut to crack.

McGrath grabbed 381 wickets in 250 ODIs at a stunning economy rate of 3.88 and an average of 22. Add to it, a whopping 563 wickets in 124 tests and a strong case could be made that he is the greatest pacer ever at least among the men who wore the baggy green. 'Pigeon' was the leader of the Aussie pace attack in both formats throughout the course of his career and will spearhead our pace attack as well.

#9 Allan Donald

Allan Donald of South Africa
In his heyday, Allan Donald was the scourge of the batsmen

Dale Steyn, the darling of the South African cricket now, may be crowned as the country's greatest pace bowler ever, at least in Test cricket. But till not very long ago, it was unthinkable to mention anybody's name as a rival to Allan Donald as the greatest South African bowler, regardless of the format.

Donald is one of the towering figures in the history of South African cricket and was the lynchpin of their bowling attack throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s. At his best, Donald had few rivals and heaped untold misery on the batting lineups. He had good pace and was capable of extracting movement that could be disconcerting to the best of the batsmen.

Donald took 272 wickets in 164 matches in ODI cricket and 330 wickets in 72 matches in test cricket. Fabulous stats! When he is on song, there is little respite for the batsmen. Who better than 'the White Lightning' to open the bowling with Glenn McGrath?

Brett Lee

Australia v India - Tri-Series Game 7
Brett Lee was one of the fastest ever and could hit the 160 kmph mark

How can any all-time great XI be complete without the presence of an express pace bowler in its bowling unit ? After all, a fast bowler hitting the batsmen's stumps and sending them flying is the most delightful sight for any spectator.

The tag of 'fast bowler' is often used too liberally and is sometimes attached even to medium pacers, but genuine fast bowlers are probably the rarest commodity in any generation in cricket. Brett Lee belongs to that rare breed of 'out and out' quicks.

Brett Lee was fast, furious and lethal. On many occasions, he got the better of the batsmen with his sheer pace and when he added swing to it, he was virtually unplayable. Just like all great fast bowlers, he was a master at bowling yorkers.

The Aussie wicket-taking machine picked up 380 wickets in just 221 matches, which amounts to an astonishing 1.7 wickets per match. Not many in the entire history of ODIs took wickets at a faster rate.

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Edited by Anuradha Santhanam
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