³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport readers' world Test XI
Current players only
First in weekly series of selectors
Next week: women's world T20 team
#bbccricket
Matt Stubbs: Starc? That's ridiculous. Not even sure many Aussies would make an argument for his inclusion.
Ryan Gilbert: It was all going so well up to 8 - then Starc and no spinner.
Neil Virani: Thank you! After a very sensible XI with some discussion points, a true shocker for me to rage about.
Back to selections it's hard to argue with.
Jasprit Bumrah might have the bowling action of a malfunctioning puppet, but he is thrilling to watch.
Like Cummins, his numbers are barely believable. If India's tour of Australia later this year goes ahead, what a battle it will be between the two attacks.
India
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Wicketkeeper was my toughest pick and I just feel De kock is the best gloveman on the planet. Having Mark Boucher around the South African set up must help. What a wicketkeeper he was!
Dave, Cheltenham
De Kock fits well in this line-up given the batting up top but I'd have BJ Watling over him in any normal side with more fragility. Rohit Sharma has a shocking record away from home. Tom Latham deserved a place at the top.
Jamie
And, with that inclusion of Mitchell Starc, I can reveal that there will be no frontline spinner.
Remember, I'm just the messenger here. You are the selectors.
Buck passed...
Now, there's no doubt that in the right circumstances, Mitchell Starc can be absolutely devastating.
Pace, swing, the left-arm option. But it also has the tendency to go a little awry, doesn't it?
He's not always in Australia's first-choice XI.
I wonder if those votes came from Alyssa Healy hitting refresh.
Australia
Image source, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ SportYep, Cummins a shoo-in for me, but the next pick is, for my money, a little iffy.
It has consequences, too...
#bbccricket
Henry Wisson: 5 minutes to spare - my world Test team. (Selection criteria; Cutting off nose to spite face a prerequisite.)
Image source, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ SportIf Steve Smith is England's biggest obstacle to regaining the Ashes next winter, then this man is a close second.
Pat Cummins combines the accuracy of Glenn McGrath with the pace of Mitchell Johnson.
Look at those numbers. Averaging 21.82 with a strike-rate of 47.2 is ridiculous.
Australia
On to the bowlers.
Remember that controversy I mentioned?
Sit tight.
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Your tennis analogy is excellent because it means Root is Andy Murray - a good as any of the other three on his day but just not quite as consistently brilliant as the rest.
Mash
There's no doubt Jos Buttler can do things mere mortals can only dream of, but he only averages 27 with the bat when he's keeping in Tests. No hundreds, either.
That's not going to get you into a World XI.
#bbccricket
Michael Mueller: Why wasn’t Jos Buttler nominated? I know he had a poor Ashes series but he was magnificent against India and Pakistan in 2018 and ended both of the recent series with strong performances.
I'm a big fan of BJ Watling, too. Underrated.
I said before that I thought the openers were an area of weakness for this World XI, and you might throw wicketkeepers in there too. At the moment, it doesn't feel like there is the weight of great keeper-batsmen that there has been in the recent past.
Having said that, Quinton de Kock is some player, isn't he? Good enough to get in most teams as a batsman alone, and a helluva keeper.
South Africa
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Daniel Norcross
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Test Match Special
You didn't let me pick Ollie Pope, who would get in ahead of Williamson in my ideal XI. De Kock would then become captain.
The thing to notice with Stokes is those averages. Not too long ago, his batting and bowling numbers were very similar.
Now, they are diverging, with the sign of the great all-rounders being that batting mark getting higher than the bowling.
It's not just that, though. It's his influence on matches, force of personality and the ability to grasp the big moments.
There is no World XI without Ben Stokes.