Predicted ICC Men's ODI Team of 2018
International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to name the Men's ODI Team of 2018. For the uninitiated, ICC names Teams of the year for all formats, including ODI cricket, every year. Players who perform exceedingly well in the calendar year find a place in the XI which comprises of top players from all around the world.
India and England dominated 2018 across all formats and thus, more players from these two top-ranked ODI teams are set to feature in the team of the year. While South Africa and New Zealand had a fruitful year, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia struggled in ODIs throughout the year and thus players from these teams might struggle to find a place in the XI.
Here is the predicted ICC Men's ODI Team of the year 2018.
Also read: Predicting the winners of 2018 ICC awards
Openers
Rohit Sharma continued his excellent run in ODI cricket in 2018 too. The Indian vice-captain scored 1030 runs in 19 matches at an outstanding average of 73.57. Rohit hit five centuries in the calendar year and played some stunning innings at the top of the order for team India. In Virat Kohli's absence, Rohit also led the Indian team to Asia Cup triumph, a tournament where they beat arch-rivals Pakistan twice.
There was a time when Jonny Bairstow struggled to find a place in the England ODI side because of the stiff competition he faced from Jason Roy and Alex Hales. But, the right-hand batsman outperformed both his competitors in 2018 scoring 1025 runs at an impressive average of 45.69. Bairstow has become an integral part of England's team across formats and will be crucial for his team's chances in the World Cup.