All-Rounders form an important part of a cricket XI. The significance of this category of players becomes more crucial in the T20 format. Depth in batting and bowling departments allow teams to be more fearless. With high risk, there is a possibility of high rewards. Hence, all-rounders tend to balance the squad in a very influential way. In this article, we take a look at the current best balanced T20 XI comprising only genuine all-rounders in the sport of cricket.
Openers: Moeen Ali and Mitchell Marsh
Backups: Marcus Stoinis
Moeen Ali and Mitchell Marsh will open the batting for this T20 XI comprising only genuine all-rounders. Although there are other options consisting of regular openers, we have opted for two players who bat in the top order.
Moeen Ali has opened the batting for many teams in his T20 career so far. However, he now comes at the fall of the first wicket for most teams, but for England, he plays further lower in the order. Mitchell Marsh has grabbed the No.3 spot in Australia’s batting line-up. His heroics helped his nation lift the World Cup in the UAE. Both Moeen and Marsh have limited bowling responsibility, although Moeen does get used when there is a match-up scenario.
Middle-Order: Glenn Maxwell, Glenn Phillips (WK), Kieron Pollard (C)
Backups: Ben Stokes, David Wiese, Liam Livingstone and Shakib Al Hasan
Glenn Maxwell will play at No.3 in this XI. One of the best middle-order batters in T20 cricket, Maxi has seen his form turn after his stint with RCB in IPL 2021. He has now been retained by the franchise ahead of IPL 2022 Auctions.
It is hard to find wicket-keepers who bowl consistently. Glenn Phillips is a specialist wicket-keeper but has recently been decent with the ball too. The Kiwi bowls off-spin.
Kieron Pollard will captain this squad. Although he first came in as an all-rounder who had equal responsibilities in both departments, KP is now more of a batter who bowls less occasionally.
All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell and Wanindu Hasaranga
Backups: Mohammad Nabi, James Neesham and Hardik Pandya
Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell and Wanindu Hasaranga will be used as the all-rounders in this T20 XI comprising only genuine all-rounders. Jaddu has improved as a batter, but he is still a top T20 customer with the ball. Especially on tracks that aid him, Jadeja’s accuracy makes him a wily bowler to face.
Russell is known for his impact knocks with the bat. Hence, at times, he is used as a floater. However, with the ball, he has a defined role of bowling in the middle-overs and sometimes, at the death. Wanindu Hasaranga is an all-rounder who contributes more with his leg-spin. However, he has been accumulating noteworthy performances with the willow in recent months.
Bowlers: Jason Holder, Sam Curran, and Dwayne Bravo
Backups: Shadab Khan and Sunil Narine
Jason Holder, Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo will form the core of the bowling attack. Holder has significantly improved his bowling skills in the T20 format. With his batting capabilities, he has turned out to become a solid investment for franchisees in the T20 format.
Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo, the former CSK teammates, complete this attack. While Curran has good batting skills, as well, he will operate more as a bowler for this XI. Bravo, in recent years, has become a specialist bowler who offers decent skills with the bat when the opportunity arrives.
