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What would your all-time XI of post-2000 debutants be?

Ab Fan

Senior Test Player
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Sep 24, 2015
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With Cook retiring off, I felt making a thread of a test XI of players who debuted post 2000s,i.e., in this Millenium.

So, my XI would be:-

Cook
Smith(c)
Sangakkara
Kohli
Smith
AB de Villiers(wkt)
Stokes
Johnson
Swann
Steyn
Anderson

Openers- Cook and Smith quite clearly, with Smith taking the captaincy.

At 3- Sangakkara takes it over Williamson, Amla and Younis.

At 4- Kohli takes it over Younis and Root.

At 5- Steven Smith since he has batted decent games at 5 and has done well there.

At 6- With Gilchrist debuting before 2000s, I couldn't find any great keeper who is a good batsmen. So, AB gets in as he is a phenomenal batsmen in middle-lower order.

At 7- Ben Stokes, the all-rounder. On rank turner, get in Shakib.

Fast bowlers:- The two obvious pick, Dale Steyn and James Anderson, along with the left arm pacer, Mitchell Johnson. Harris, Broad and Philander misses out unfortunately.

Spinner- Swann gets in ahead of Ashwin, Lyon and others. Herath debuted in 1998.

England- 4
SA- 3
Australia- 2
India- 1
SL-1

What would your XI be?
 
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Test Team

Cook
G Smith (c)
Sangakkara +
Younus
V Kohli
S Smith
B Stokes
R Ashwin
M Johnson
D Steyn
J Anderson
 
Sanga and AB to share the wicketkeeper duties

G Smith (c)
Sehwag
Sanga
Younis
S Smith
De Villiers
Shakib
Ashwin
Philander
Steyn
Bond
 
1. G. Smith (c)
2. Sehwag
3. Sangakkara (wk)
4. Pietersen
5. de Villiers
6. S. Smith
7. Shakib
8. Swann
9. Steyn
10. Rabada
11. Anderson
 
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Kohli wouldn't even make a second XI of post-2000 debutants. I'll pretend I did not see Ashwin and Stokes in some of the lineups.

1) Graeme Smith (c)
2) Alastair Cook
3) Hashim Amla
4) Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
5) Younis Khan
6) Kevin Pietersen
7) Shakib ul Hasan
8) Mitchell Johnson
9) Dale Steyn
10) James Anderson
11) Yasir Shah

12) Steven Smith

- S. Smith would get in easily but I did not want four out of the top six to he left-handed bats. Therefore, he's carrying drinks for his senior teammates.

- Shakib is in there to play the role of the defensive bowler to compliment the aggressive leggie and faster men. He's also a pretty decent batsman and can bat with the tail, if ever needed. Herath misses out because I did not want two left-arm spinners.
 
Kohli wouldn't even make a second XI of post-2000 debutants. I'll pretend I did not see Ashwin and Stokes in some of the lineups.

1) Graeme Smith (c)
2) Alastair Cook
3) Hashim Amla
4) Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
5) Younis Khan
6) Kevin Pietersen
7) Shakib ul Hasan
8) Mitchell Johnson
9) Dale Steyn
10) James Anderson
11) Yasir Shah

12) Steven Smith

- S. Smith would get in easily but I did not want four out of the top six to he left-handed bats. Therefore, he's carrying drinks for his senior teammates.

- Shakib is in there to play the role of the defensive bowler to compliment the aggressive leggie and faster men. He's also a pretty decent batsman and can bat with the tail, if ever needed. Herath misses out because I did not want two left-arm spinners.

Is Steve Smith left-handed?
 
1. Cook
2. Smith
3. Sangakarra
4. Kohli
5. Smith
6. AB
7. Stokes
8. Starc
9. Steyn
10. Anderson
11. Herath
 
Kohli wouldn't even make a second XI of post-2000 debutants. I'll pretend I did not see Ashwin and Stokes in some of the lineups.

1) Graeme Smith (c)
2) Alastair Cook
3) Hashim Amla
4) Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
5) Younis Khan
6) Kevin Pietersen
7) Shakib ul Hasan
8) Mitchell Johnson
9) Dale Steyn
10) James Anderson
11) Yasir Shah

12) Steven Smith

- S. Smith would get in easily but I did not want four out of the top six to he left-handed bats. Therefore, he's carrying drinks for his senior teammates.

- Shakib is in there to play the role of the defensive bowler to compliment the aggressive leggie and faster men. He's also a pretty decent batsman and can bat with the tail, if ever needed. Herath misses out because I did not want two left-arm spinners.

Quite a few players batting at a position where they shouldn't be IMO.

A no.3 batting at 4 and taking gloves although his batting average with gloves is only 39.

A no.4 batting at 5 and another no.4 batting down at 6. I dunno what is the point of picking KP at 6?

An all-round world class spinner like Swann doesn't get into XI is a surprise as well. He is arguably better than any spin bowler since Murali and Warne. Yasir makes the tail quite long as well.
 
I'll go with

G Smith (c)
Sehwag
Sanga
S Smith
Kohli
AB (wk)
Shakib
Philander
R Harris
Steyn
Rabada
 
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