Greatest West Indies ODI XI of all time
Considering the history of West Indies cricket and the kind of quality players it has churned out, picking an ‘all-time great West Indian ODI XI’ is a strenuous exercise. Unlike in the 1980s, West Indies in the modern era has often been a very ordinary side, but still produced greats like Brian Lara and Curtly Ambrose, players that caught the imagination of the fans of the game.
Both in batting and bowling, there is a very large pool of greats to choose from. It was immensely tempting to include all four from the ‘golden pace quartet’ of Clive Lloyd’s Invincible team but only two of them make it to this side. There is room only for one from the famed ’Desmond Haynes-Gordon Greenidge’ opening pair.
Here is the ‘greatest all-time West Indies XI’ in ODIs.
#1 Gordon Greenidge
Despite being a magnificent batsman, Gordon Greenidge never got his due as he had to live in the mighty shadow of Vivian Richards throughout his career. However, nobody can deny his place as an all-time great in the history of West Indian cricket.
Along with Desmond Haynes, Greenidge formed one of the most memorable opening partnerships in the history of cricket. His ODI strike rate of 64 may seem too low when judged by today's standards but it would be too harsh to hold it against him as many of his contemporaries scored at a similar rate.
He could play the defensive game brilliantly but also had the ability to turn into a fierce attacker as well. His unbeaten whirlwind double hundred against England in a Test in 1984 will go down as one of the most ferocious innings in the history of cricket and serves as ample proof of his attacking prowess.
Greenidge, who made his runs at a commendable average of 45 will open the batting at the top of this dream West Indies ODI XI.