Former New Zealand player Brendon McCullum has taken some time to reveal his all-time XI which looks stellar. The player’s XI was posted by Lord’s Cricket Ground on their official YouTube channel.
The 34-year old who retired from international cricket quite early due to his back problems has selected Sir Vivian Richards as the captain of the side despite picking up Ricky Ponting at No.3 on his side.
McCullum has gone for a flavour of destruction and stability in the openers as he picked out Chris Gayle and Sachin Tendulkar. Ricky Ponting was selected at No.3 followed by West Indies legends Brian Lara at 4 and Viv Richards at 5.
The former Kiwi skipper adds more quality to his side as his picks up South Africa’s greatest all-rounder Jacques Kallis at No.6 and destructive Adam Gilchrist at 7 which makes an absolute all-round batting unit.
However, the notable exclusions from his XI are Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni who have made their own mark on cricket in the recent years. Excluding Virat and AB came as a surprise as they are the best batsmen in the cricket for the past 6-7 years.
Coming to the bowling department, McCullum went for Australia’s Mitchell Johnson as his pace spearhead as he feels that Johnson could demoralise any batting unit. The legendary spin magician Shane Warne is given the role of a sole spinner in the entire team who can be very dangerous in any conditions.
The 34-year old went for two New Zealand bowlers in the names of Tim Southee and Trent Boult as he feels they made the difference for New Zealand during his years as captain and were one of the main reasons why New Zealand have become a very good side in Test cricket over the past few years.
Brendon McCullum’s All Time XI: Chris Gayle, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Vivian Richards (C), Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Warne, Tim Southee and Trent Boult.