Former Pakistan skipper and one of the finest players in the country, Shahid Afridi picked his all-time World Cup squad and it was definitely a controversial one. Perhaps it was a publicity stunt form Shahid Afridi to leave out Sachin Tendulkar in his list as there was just no justification behind the omission of Sachin Tendulkar. The XI doesn’t feature the likes of MS Dhoni as well who led India to their 2nd World Cup title in 2011.
The only Indian in the side is current Team India skipper Virat Kohli who has been a legend in India colours. He is definitely one of the finest batsmen of the modern generation. However, he has played only two World Cups with the pretty ordinary record. Sachin Tendulkar, on the other hand, is the highest scorer in the tournament with 2278 runs in 44 innings at an exceptional average of 56.95 which included 16 fifties and 6 centuries.
Sachin Tendulkar has been the Player of the Tournament in the 2003 World Cup when he aggregated 673 runs in the tournament which is still the highest tally of runs scored by a batsman in a single World Cup. He also became the first batsman in history ever to score 500+ runs in a single World Cup when he achieved the feat in 1996. He scored 523 runs which included a couple of sensational centuries. He was the 2nd highest run scorer in the 2011 World Cup with a couple of centuries.
Meanwhile, the absence of MS Dhoni was also a surprise as he has done a sensational job for India in the quadrennial event both as a player and as a skipper. He scored a thrilling 91 in the final of the 2011 World Cup which gave India their 2nd World Cup title.
Meanwhile coming back to Shahid Afridi’s team, he has selected Saeed Anwar and Adam Gilchrist as the two openers. Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli will occupy the No 3 and the 4th spot respectively. There was a lot of biaseness for Pakistan players and it was quite evident after he picked 5 Pakistan players in the team. It was just utter rubbish considering the fact that there are several great cricketers who have had a great impact in the showpiece event.
Here is Shahid Afridi’s all-time World Cup XI
Saeed Anwar, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, Inzamam ul-Haq, Jacques Kallis, Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq