Brad Hogg picks his Test XI of the decade; only one Indian finds a place
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has picked his Test team of the decade gone by. Virat Kohli is the only Indian to make this hypothetical XI. The left-arm wrist-spinner shared his picks in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
Brad Hogg opted for two left-handers in Alastair Cook and David Warner to open the batting in his Test team of the decade, saying in this regard:
"At the top of the order is Alastair Cook from England. Loved his temperament, his patience, the way he wore down the opposition bowlers and just took the shine off the ball. Cook had a strike rate of 40, so I need someone at the other end to complement him with a different type of pressure on my opposition bowlers, and that is David Warner from Australia. He has a strike rate of over 70, and he also piled on the runs."
Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith were Brad Hogg's picks as the specialist middle-order batsmen in his chosen XI.
"At No.3, I need someone who is reliable, someone who can bat in any situation, and I have gone for the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. He has had a stellar decade," observed Hogg.
Brad Hogg then went on to explain his picks at numbers four and five, saying in this regard:
"At No. 4, I want someone with a little more aggression who can move the game along. I have gone for Virat Kohli from India. At No.5, someone who is a little unorthodox, someone who has a good strike rate, and the scoreboard will motor along if he has a partnership with Virat Kohli, and we are going to get some good entertainment with this partnership. It is Steve Smith from Australia."
Brad Hogg went with a pair of South Africans - Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers - for the all-rounder and wicket-keeper positions in his hypothetical XI.
"At No. 6, I need an all-rounder. I have gone with someone who retired early on in this decade, but he had a stellar start to the decade. The best all-rounder the world has ever seen, it is Jacques Kallis from South Africa. He can grind out the runs, and he can also bowl some potent spells at 145 kph. He is the best first slip the world has ever seen," said Hogg.
The left-arm spinner then explained his pick for the number seven spot.
"At No. 7, I need a keeper who can move the game along, take the opposition bowlers on and get quick runs at the end of the innings. It is AB de Villiers from South Africa. Yes, he didn't keep all the time. but he kept enough to be in this XI," pointed out Brad Hogg.
The specialist bowlers in Brad Hogg's Test XI of the decade
Brad Hogg opted for Pat Cummins, Dale Steyn and James Anderson as his three-pronged pace attack of his hypothetical Test XI, saying in this regard:
"My quick bowlers, batting at No. 8 will be Pat Cummins from Australia. His consistency both home and away is exceptional. I don't think any other bowler matches him."
For the next two bowling positions, Brad Hogg explained the rationale behind his choices, saying:
"The second quick bowler I have got is my favourite fast bowler of all time, probably the best fast bowler we have seen till Pat Cummins has come along, and that is Dale Steyn. He has a phenomenal record; his strike rate is second to none, and you need someone like that to pick up wickets as quickly as possible. At No. 10, my final quick for this team: 450 wickets in this decade, his resillience, ability to stay on the park free of injury; that is James Anderson from England. What a stellar career he has had."
Yasir Shah pipped Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin for the only specialist spinner's slot in Brad Hogg's hypothetical team of the decade.
"At No. 11, I need a spinner. You can't go past the quickest bowler to take 200 wickets in Test cricket; that is Yasir Shah from Pakistan."
Brad Hogg's Test team of the decade: Alastair Cook, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins, Dale Steyn, James Anderson, Yasir Shah