The All-Time Best World ODI Cricket XI Of 1980s

 
Kapil Dev and Malcolm Marshall

The 1980s was a golden era in the history of cricket. It was at that time when the legends of many countries were operating. With the World Cup started in the previous decade, these ten years paved way for teams to fight for something. In this article, we take a look at the all-time best World ODI XI of the 1980s.

Of course, the World Cup's in the 80s were won by India and Australia but West Indies were still a strong team. While they were dominant in the 70s, although they did not win the trophies in the next decade, they still put up their trademark shows.

Openers: Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge

Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge will open the batting for this XI. Be it with the bat or the ball, the West Indians dominated during that era in every department. In the 80s, Desmond Haynes was the highest scoring ODI batsman. He scored a total of 5892 runs in 159 games. On the other hand, Gordon Greenidge was an excellent opener with 4205 runs in just 98 games. His average of 57.78 during this era was one of the best. Hence, both these players feature in the best World ODI XI of the 1980s.

Middle-Order: Javed Miandad, Sir Viv Richards, Jeff Dujon (WK) and Allan Border

It will be a blockbuster middle-order for this XI. Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad enjoyed the chunk of his ODI playing time with his country in this era. Although he usually batted at No.4, for this XI, he comes in at No.3. Following him will be the legend of the game - Sir Viv Richards. While every other batsman was conservative, the man from West Indies batted in a different league. During the 80s, he struck over 5500 runs at a strike rate above 90. It was a treat to watch him bat this way.

In the lower middle-order, we have Jeff Dujon handling the wicket-keeping duties. He was also decent with the bat, and hence, he features in this XI. Of course, Allan Border is unmissable in the 80s XI. Although he also picked many wickets, the main man of the 1987 World Cup was known for his batting exploits.

All-Rounders: Kapil Dev (C) and Imran Khan

Who else but these two for the best World ODI XI of the 1980s? For an all-time ODI XI, too, these two gentlemen would walk into the XI. While Kapil Dev won a World Cup in 1983 as a captain, Imran did it in 1992. These two players were the two highest wicket-takers of the 1980s. In the batting department, as well, the duo belongs to the top pile of the charts for this decade.

Bowlers: Richard Hadlee, Malcolm Marshall, and Abdul Qadir

Richard Hadlee, Malcolm Marshall, and Abdul Qadir will handle the bowling duties of this XI. Although there are players with better statistics available, from the perspective of this team's balance and the kind of impactful players that they were, these three make the cut to this squad. While Hadlee and Marshall will take care of the pace attack, Abdul Qadir will be the specialist spinner in the XI. The Pakistani will also get adequate support from Border in the batting department. Of course, Hadlee can be a good hand with the bat, if necessary.

From around the web

Trending Videos