Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
All-Time T20 XI | Best T20 XI of all-time | Best T20 Player of all-time | Who is the best T20 cricketer?
The best T20 cricketer of all-time has been a strong topic of conversation in a cricket-starved 2020.
Following on from ESPNCricinfo’s poll fiasco, one can extend on the “Greatest T20 Player” vote, and turn it into the greatest T20 XI in history. After all, it mighty difficult to choose between some of the top players (which remains the case when choosing an XI), but at least you can justify a team with arguments about balance, quality and sheer T20 knowhow.
So, without further ado, here is CricBlog’s all-time T20 XI:
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1. Chris Gayle
T20 record: 404 matches, 13,296 runs, avg 38.20, SR 146.94, 82 50s, 22 100s, 80 wickets, econ. 7.64
When one thinks about T20 cricket, Chris Gayle comes to mind.
Much has been expected of Chris Gayle right throughout his career, but he has looked at expectation as an opportunity to wow rather than a threat of disappointing people. Over the course of his 404-game career, taking him right around the globe (19 franchises), Gayle has ammassed the most runs (13,296), the most centuries (22. No one else has 10) and has 978 sixes to his name (next best is 652). The Undisputed GOAT.

2. David Warner
T20 record: 280 matches, 9,218 runs, avg 37.93, SR 142.20, 75 50s, 8 100s
David Warner’s T20 record is absolutely incredible.
It was a really tough call to not pick the likes of Brendon McCullum, Rohit Sharma and Martin Guptill as opener, but with Warner trumping the others on key stats, it is justified. To paint a picture, Warner’s strike rate of 142.20 is just four less than Chris Gayle’s and higher than McCullum’s of 136.49; two players who found the boundary with ease. Also, Warner makes a 50+ score every 3.73 matches, which is the best of all the T20 greats with at least 7,000 runs to their name.
In addition, Warner is the only player to win the IPL Orange Cap three times, and with Australia’s renewed focus on T20I cricket, Warner will only continue to go from strength-to-strength as he nears 10,000 T20 runs.

3. Virat Kohli
T20 record: 281 matches, 8,900 runs, avg. 41.20, SR 134.56, 64 50s, 5 100s
After what is likely to be a blistering start by the openers, Virat Kohli is just about the perfect player to come in at three.
Kohli is one of those players who will reach 30 with such ease and skill, that you often don’t realise just how quickly he scores his runs. And, with his reliability (only player with over 5,000 runs to average over 40 in T20s), you can be sure the team will be on track for a huge total.
But, just looking good doesn’t cut it. Kohli’s achievements in T20 cricket are terrific, including an average of 50+ in 82 T20Is, two Player of the Tournament awards at World T20s and the most runs in an IPL season (973).

4. AB de Villiers
T20 Record: 310 games, 8,657 runs, avg. 37.15, SR: 149.77, 62 50s, 4 100s
It’s not an all-time T20 XI without AB de Villiers. One of the most gifted batsmen in history, de Villiers could smash a 40-ball 100 one day and bat 200 balls to try save a Test the next.
From a T20 perspective, de Villiers has wowed millions around the globe with his greatness, with his name enough to send goosebumps down the spine of cricket fans (and opposition bowlers). His sheer ability to make capable bowlers look third-rate has been a key feature of de Villier’s career, with his freakish, 360-degree strokeplay underpinning his remarkable strike rate of 149.77.

5. Andre Russell
T20 record: 321 matches, 5,365 runs, avg. 26.95, SR 171.29, 18 50s, 2 100s. 291 wickets, avg. 25.88, econ. 8.27, 8 four-wicket hauls
It was excruciatingly difficult to leave Andre Russell out of my top five T20 players list. However, there is no such difficulty including him in this one.
Russell has the third-highest strike rate of any player in T20 history. To paint a picture, the other four players in the top five don’t even have 1,000 runs to their name.
Russell has 5,356, boasting a ridiculous strike rate of 171.29. This man’s brute force sends shivers done the spine of bowlers all around the globe. He is the perfect player to come in after a platform is set, and when you add his 291 wickets, he is a captain’s dream.

6. MS Dhoni (c & wk)
T20 Record: 317 matches, 6,621 runs, avg. 39.88, SR 135.62, 27 50s. 170 catches, 83 stumpings. 270 matches as captain, 160 wins (60.29% win rate)
Now, it can be tempting to leave another batting star out of the side to accomodate Dhoni, or push Pollard or Russell further down to push Dhoni up to five. So, the key question is whether you get the maximum impact out of Pollard and Russell’s strike rates if you bat them too low.
So, the best conclusion is that skipper Dhoni can choose who bats where depending on the situation.
Of course, it just doesn’t feel right to have a side without MS Dhoni in it. According to Michael Hussey, Dhoni reads the game like no other, which has been key to Chennai Super Kings’ prolonged success. Dhoni is arguably the greatest T20 captain ever, and when you add his lightning glovework, you still get incredible value, even if lower down the batting order.

7. Kieron Pollard
T20 Record: 501 games, 10,000 runs, avg. 30.86, SR 150.57, 49 50s, 1 100. 279 wickets, avg. 24.36, econ. 8.20, 6 four-wicket hauls
One of the all-time greats, Kieron Pollard is the most capped T20 cricketer, with good reason.
As of May 2020, Pollard is one of two players to have cracked the 10,000-run barrier in T20s. What makes this more remarkable is that Pollard often bats in the middle order; a testament to his consistency when batting in the middle and death overs. Indeed, his superb strike rate of 150.57 is testament to that.
And, when you add his 279 wickets, freakish fielding and excellent T20 cricketing mind, Pollard makes this side with ease.

8. Dwayne Bravo
T20 Record: 455 matches, 497 wickets, econ. 8.24, 9 four-wicket hauls, 2 five-wicket hauls. 6,307 runs, avg. 23.89, SR 126.82
The highest-ever wicket-taker in T20s, Dwayne Bravo, is also a captain’s dream.
His versatility in terms of being able to bowl at all stages of an innings, particularly at the death, has made him an asset in T20 sides for a number of years. So, when you think about how many overs he’s bowled at challenging stages, an economy rate of 8.24 is an excellent return (along with nearly 500 wickets).
Also, you add over 6,000 runs of batting in this team. So, if Bravo is needed with the bat, he is capable of delivering some crucial late runs.

9. Sunil Narine
T20 Record: 336 matches, 379 wickets, avg. 20.36, econ. 6.02, 11 four-wicket hauls, 1 five-wicket haul. 2,241 runs, avg. 14.84, SR 146.95
Sunil Narine is the third-highest wicket-taker in T20 history. However, Narine’s value in T20 teams goes beyond just the number of wickets.
Narine’s economy rate of 6.02 is easily the best among players with at least 200 games under their belt (next best is 6.30). What makes this feat even more special is how many overs Narine bowls in the powerplay, which helps his team get a strong foothold into the game.

10. Rashid Khan
T20 Record: 211 games, 296 wickets, avg. 17.22, econ. 6.30, 6 four-wicket hauls, 2 five-wicket hauls
Rashid Khan has the next best economy rate after Sunil Narine among players with at least 200 matches.
However, like Narine, it is more than just about the incredible numbers when it comes to Rashid Khan. He has played a massive role in the incredible rise of Afghanistan cricket, and has been a big hit all-around the globe in such a short amount of time.
His quick, accurate and skilful leg-spin makes him an asset at all stages of the innings. The fact that he has taken at least four wickets in an innings on eight occasions shows he can blow opposition sides away when in the mood. And, if he’s not getting the huge wickets, he almost always keeps the batting side in check.

11. Lasith Malinga
T20 record: 295 matches, 390 wickets, avg. 19.69, econ. 7.08, 10 four-wicket hauls, 5 five-wicket hauls
When you think yorker, one name often comes to mind. Lasith Malinga is without a doubt one of the greats of T20 cricket, given his remarkable ability to execute his plans.
What has made Malinga so special over the years is that even when batsmen think they know what’s coming, Malinga bamboozles them with a mix of pacy yorkers, slower ones and a sharp bouncer. His unorthodox yet simple method has reaped significant success over the years, and is a man any T20 captain would love to have in his side.

12th man: Shahid Afridi
T20 Record: 317 matches, 339 wickets, avg. 22.26, econ. 6.71, 9 4-wicket hauls, 2 5-wicket hauls. 4,310 runs, avg. 18.49, SR 153.87
Shahid Afridi was one of the early stars of T20 cricket. Winner of the Player of the Tournament award in the first World T20, Afridi then helped Pakistan win the next edition in 2009 (man of the match in the final).
Throughout his career, Afridi has bowled particuarly well, along with the ability to send the ball miles with the bat. If Afridi is in your best XI, then there should be no complaints from anyone.
So, there is CricBlog’s all-time T20 XI, characterised by:
- Powerful batting lineup with Dhoni’s position depending on the situation.
- Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo bowling in the crunch overs, with Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard offering overs with seam.
- Two top class T20 spinners as spin has played a key role in T20 cricket.
Your thoughts? Should another spinnner, such as Imran Tahir, Shahid Afridi or Shakib Al Hasan, be added in the XI? A different player in the batting department? Or another specialist pace bowler such as Umar Gul or Jasprit Bumrah? Have your say.
Thanks for reading!
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This top 5 is the dream of any T20 franchise 🔥🔥