The world of cricket has seen some of the most talented cricket players come from Down Under and climb through the ranks of stat sheets and fandom at speeds that would put a modern-day supercar to shame. And, a good number of these players have been left-handed geniuses. So, let us look at an all-time Australian left-handers XI.
Openers (David Warner, Matthew Hayden)
Two of the most explosive openers to have played cricket for Australia in the nation’s cricketing history, Matthew Hayden and David Warner make up the opening pair of this Australian all-time left-handers XI.
Hayden who is now retired, in his playing days literally wreaked havoc on the bowlers whom he was facing. He played in 273 matches in international cricket where he scored a total of 15,066 runs at an average of 47.68.
Warner, the main Australian opener, has played in as many as 295 matches in total so far and scored 15,031, creeping closer and closer to his batting partner’s total in this XI. Both Warner and Hayden have been some of the most celebrated names in the world of cricket because of the beautiful display of cricket they put forth.
Middle Order (Adam Gilchrist, Michael Hussey, Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan)
Adam Gilchrist, Michael Hussey, Darren Lehmann, and Michael Bevan, each of whom are the cricket players of the highest order in their own right are the ones making the middle order of this Australian all-time left-handers XI.
Adam Gilchrist, one of the best wicketkeeper batsmen in his playing days, played in 396 matches in international cricket where he scored 15,461 runs in total. He batted a little higher up the order in limited-overs cricket, but in the longer format, came down the order a bit. But, wherever he batted, he made sure that he contributed to his team well.
Then comes ‘Mr. Cricket’ himself, Michael Hussey. Name the format and Hussey was there in the Australian team making sure that he kept the scoreboard ticking. And in the 302 matches he played in his career, he contributed 12,398 runs in total.
Darren Lehmann who took up the role of coaching the Australian men’s team after his retirement, in his playing days contributed to the team’s success as well as he did as a coach. And the testament to this is his numbers. He played in 144 matches where he scored 4,876 runs and took 67 wickets in total.
Rounding up the middle order in this line-up is arguably one of the best finishers the world of cricket had ever seen, Michael Bevan. Bevan, known, is known for his limited-overs exploits, and rightly so. But, his short-lived Test career was not that bad too. Overall, in the 250 innings he played for Australia before calling it a day on his international career, he scored 7,697 runs, and just as Lehmann would often swing his arm, he also bowled a bit, picking up 65 wickets in total.
All Rounders (Allan Border, Simon Katich)
Hailed to be one of the best cricketing brains to have ever graced the sport in history, Allan Border along with another capable all-rounder, Simon Katich who in his own unique ways made sure to contribute to the team are the two all-rounders of this all-time left-hander’s Australian XI.
Border’s numbers in both Test match cricket and One Day International cricket are great individually, and when put together, along with his strategy making and captaincy skills prove why he is regarded so highly. Having played in 429 matches in total, Border scored a total of 17,698 runs and took 112 wickets too.
Simon Katich, the other all-rounder in this XI, may not have played as many matches as some of the other players in this list, but in the ones he did, he made sure he crafted memories that his fans would cherish for years to come. In his 104 matches, he scored 5,581 runs at an average of 42.28 and took 21 wickets in total.
Bowlers (Brad Hogg, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc)
The bowling unit of this all-time Australian left-handers XI is made up of two pacers and a chinaman spinner. These players are Brad Hogg, Mitchell Johnson, and Mitchell Starc. While Starc and Johnson are known to have tormented the bowlers with their pace, Hogg deceived them with spin and was a nightmare to tackle by the batsmen who were on the other side of the pitch.
Just like his batting counterpart Michael Bevan, Bard Hogg was also known for his bowling prowess in the limited-overs format of the sport. By the end of his international career, he played in a total of 145 matches, he managed to pick up 180 wickets and as an added bonus, scored 1,031 runs too.
Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc, both have been known to bowl fast and bowl hard and send chills down the spines of the batsmen facing them. While Johnson is not retired, Starc seems to be carrying along with the legacy of the Mitchells well.
Johnson before retiring had played in 256 international games and taken 590 wickets, scoring 3,125 runs too. Starc who is still a very important part of the Australian cricket team has so far represented the country in 192 games where he has taken 486 wickets and scored 2,021 runs too, adding a lot more to his value as a player and a crucial component of the Australian cricket team.
