Strongest T20 playing XI featuring 11 All-Rounders

Cricket lovers have a craze for T20s, which happens to be the shortest format in international cricket. T20 came like a storm in the cricket world and being a shorter and faster format, it reinvigorated the game. Cricket is always seen as a game of either batsmen or bowlers but with T20s, all-rounders are becoming more valuable and starting to get more opportunities. The format also attracts a massive audience as the spectators just can't get enough because there is action in every over.

T20s need some great classy batsmen and equally talented bowlers to counter-attack. Hence, the better option for teams is to have a greater number of players who can bat in case they lose wickets in quick succession and also have more options in bowling. This can be managed by having more and more number of all-rounders in the team who contribute with both the bat and the ball. Therefore, in this paced format, the all-rounders have a major role in the success of the team.

Imagine an XI constructed of just all-rounders. How would that team fair? Let's take a look at one such possible XI formed by active players of various countries:

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*Retired players are not taken into consideration

#1 Colin Munro

Colin Munro

New Zealand is filled with many good all-rounders such as Corey Anderson, Mitchell Santner and others. Colin Munro is another talented Kiwi all-rounder. He is kept at number 1 because he usually opens the innings for his national team.

The hard-hitting batsman can destructive for the opposition when he is in touch. With 50 off 14 balls, he is the second fastest to hit a half-century in T20Is. He also holds the record for being the fastest New Zealander to hit a century. The Kiwi player hit a century off 47 balls against West Indies on January 3rd of 2018.

Another record held by Colin Munro is of second most centuries in T20Is. Although Munro has more batting records to his name, his right-arm medium fast bowling has proved to be effective for New Zealand on multiple occasions.

#2 Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine is the best option to open the bowling attack as well as the batting attack and having him in the playing XI will be very productive. Narine, who is currently out of his national team, was earlier seen as a right-arm off-break bowler only.

It was the batting he displayed for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL that changed everything and brought his batting ability in the limelight. Now, he is seen as an aggressive batsman as well who is capable of giving quick and big starts to his team. He is so good with the bat that now he opens the innings for KKR.

The 26-year-old has the record of bowling a maiden super-over which shows his class in the bowling department. In T20s, delivering a maiden super-over is a big achievement as delivering an economical over is in itself a huge task for bowlers.

He made his place in the West Indies squad when he picked all ten wickets in the trial match and today he has played 299 T20s in which he has more than 1694 runs with 6 fifties to his name. With the ball, he has picked 342 wickets with 5/19 being his best performance.

#3 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is currently the World's no. 1 T20 all-rounder with most points in ICC's rankings. The Melbourne-born player is seen more as a destructive batsman who can be handy in the bowling department as well. He is more into the news for his batting as he is a power hitter who is capable of hitting every single ball out of the ground.

The 30-year-old Australian has hit an 18 ball fifty on two occasions his national team. Maxwell has two centuries and 5 fifties to his name in T20Is. A massive strike rate of 158.97 (1267 runs off 797 balls in all innings) in his career for the Kangaroos, makes the all-rounder all the more special. Having him in the side itself puts pressure on the opponent. Looking at his recent performances and form, he is a must in our squad of 11 allrounders.

#4 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes is one of England's best allrounder

Benjamin Andrew Stokes is an explosive allrounder who is capable of changing the game in favour of his team. He can help the team from both bat and ball equally. The Englishman can be said as one of the best-balanced all-rounders -- his bowling is as good as his batting which means he can play the role of a batsman as well as a bowler.

Usually, an all-rounder has a stronger area but with this English player, the case is different. The 27-years-old has batting and bowling -- both -- as his strong points. Stokes has 232 runs and 10 wickets in 23 T20I matches. If we include the T20s he played in various national leagues then he has an experience of more than 110 matches and over 2100 runs to his name at a strike rate of 135.75. Meanwhile, with the ball, he picked 58 wickets.

#5 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya the hard Indian all-rounder

Hardik Pandya is a finding of IPL. He came to the fore when he hit a knock of 61 runs off 31 balls for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2015 IPL. After that, he performed well for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20 tournament at the beginning of 2016 and from there he fixed his spot in the Indian team. The Gujarat-born displayed some good cricket in national colours early on -- this got him the confirmed spot for the 2016 T20 World Cup.

The 25-year-old Indian has gathered 271 runs in 23 innings with an impressive strike rate of 153.11. He can be very handy in the lower order batting and can also turn to be a finisher of the game with the bat. In bowling, he has 33 wickets to his name in 34 innings with a career-best figure of 4/38 against England in Bristol.

#6 Andre Russell

The hard hitter from West Indies

Andre Russell, who is currently out his national team, still deserves and qualifies for a spot in our dream squad. The Jamaican is a T20 specialist and is known more for his hard-hitting capabilities. Just like his teammate Chris Gayle, Russell is also known for his huge sixes which he can hit during any time of the innings.

The 29-year-old is now seen more in T20 leagues and is in the hot list of every franchise of such tournaments. The slower balls that he delivers in the crucial stages of the match and aggressive batting that he displays whenever there is a need are what make him a top choice. He has 465 runs and 25 wickets to his tally in 47 T20I matches. All over he has an experience of 268 T20 matches with more than 4100 runs and 244 wickets to his name.

#7 Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo

The Champion from West Indies is one of the best West Indies all-rounders. Just like fellow countryman Andre Russell, he is also out his national team but very popular in various T20 leagues happening across the globe. Bravo is more reliable and trustworthy when it comes to performance and giving your bit for the team.

He has a massive career of more than 410 T20 matches which shows how important and valuable a player he is. Having him in the team puts a lot of pressure on the opponent which is a great thing for the team he is playing for. The 35-year-old has nearly 6000 runs and 450 wickets to his name from all the T20Is he has played. The West Indies all-rounder has as many as 286 maximums to his name in the T20s he played which shows how much he likes for going big.

#8 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan

One of the biggest name from Bangladesh's cricket circle and a genuine all-rounder with true all-around performances is Shakib Al Hasan. The temperament and self-belief he has is something that makes him even more useful for the team he his playing for.

He is an accurate, consistent and sensible bowler. When it comes to batting, his aggression and a wide extent of strokes is the key for the Tigers. Shakib Al Hasan also has captaincy experience which is a plus point for having him in the team.

The 31-year-old has an experience of playing more than 270 T20 matches scoring 4350 runs which include 15 fifties. Shakib has also picked 313 wickets with the best figure of 6/6 and an impressive economy of less than 7 runs an over which is incredible in T20s. To top it all, the Bangladeshi player is also a good fielder which helps his side save runs.

#9 Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali is currently the second best-rated T20 all-rounder for England as per the ICC rankings. He is included in the squad over other players because of his experience and also for being a spin bowler, so as to make a balance between pacers and spinners in this dream squad of XI. Moeen Ali who was once considered by critics as a part-time bowler has proved the capability and talent on many occasions.

The Birmingham-born cricketer has more than 120 T20 matches to his name in which he has scored more than 2500 runs at a strike rate of 134.88, with 1 century and 13 half-centuries. With the ball, he has scalped 84 wickets with 5/34 being his best figure. He has given runs at an economy rate of less than 8 runs an over which is more than acceptable in the shorter formats like T20s.

#10 Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera

He is the most deserving all-rounder from Sri Lanka and the best when it comes to hitting sixes. He is a combination of right and left -- as he is a right-arm seamer and left-handed batsman. Though bowling is his strength, he has the capacity to be deployed in the lower batting order and deliver furious finishes to an inning.

In batting, he enjoys hitting maximums as he has the power to send a delivery into the stands. Thisara also has the potential to handle the pressure and finish off the games.

The 29-year-old Sri Lankan has experience of more than 240 T20 matches in which he has made over 2900 runs with a strike rate of 145.41. The reason behind this great strike rate is 156 sixes that he hit in those matches. With the ball, he has 216 wickets to his name 5/26 being his best bowling figure.

#11 Rashid Khan

The emerging player Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan made his debut for Afghanistan after he turned 17 and since then he is becoming more and more sharp with his skills. The development is visible in his game and now he is among the top choices of the various T20 league franchisees.

Rashid, who was always seen as a bowler, is now showing his batting talent through the quick knocks that he has played on many occasions for his teams especially in T20 format. His batting prowess was first discovered in the 2018 IPL when he played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Rashid Khan is just 20-years-old and he has 134 T20 matches to his name already. He got the chance to bat only 58 times scoring 468 runs. In bowling, he is consistent as he has 200 wickets to his name with best figures of 5/3.

Honourable Mentions:

Nathan Coulter Nile (Australia)

Chris Woakes (England)

Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies)

Captain and Wicket-keeper of the Team

All XI are the top class all-rounders but there is a need to choose a leader for the team who can handle the pressure and take decisions and responsibility of the team. Thanks to the various national T20 leagues we have options like Ben Stokes, Dwayne Bravo and Thisara Perera at our disposal. These player have some decent experience of but we need someone who has more experience of captaincy and remains calm during the crucial time.

Hence, Shakib Al Hasan is the right choice for he has led his national side. Being a captain at an international platform is a bigger task and takes heart to do. So taking into consideration his capability of being calm on the field and capable of handling the pressure, Shakib will be the captain of this T20 XI.

As these are all-rounders we don't have a dedicated wicket-keeper so we need to choose one from the XI. One name is Glenn Maxwell who is a pro-active fielder but looking at his outstanding catches on the boundary line makes it important to keep on the boundary instead of making him the wicket-keeper. So, Colin Munro will be the right choice for wicket-keeper as others are more productive as a bowler. When Colin bowls Glenn Maxwell can do the wicket-keeping.