Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2018: ODI Team of the Year
Yet another engrossing year of cricket comes to an end. Even though some highly competitive cricket was played across different formats this year, due to the much anticipated World Cup, which will be played in England in 2019, ODI cricket was in top focus.
All the teams were trying to prepare themselves for the mega-event by putting a conscious effort to build a strong squad to give them the best chance of winning the coveted title.
Teams like India and England made the best of the opportunities presented to them and put up a strong performance throughout the year. On the other hand, Australia's year was marred by the sandpaper controversy which stunned the cricket world.
Bans were imposed by Cricket Australia on Steve Smith and David Warner, and the absence of the team's premier batsmen was reflected in the team's performances as they failed to win a single series after the bans. Asian giants, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, also did not have the best of years in ODI cricket and are currently fifth and eighth in ICC's ODI team rankings.
On the basis of their performances here are top three ODI teams of 2018 with the number one team being the Sportskeeda ODI team of the year.
#3 New Zealand
New Zealand has been one of the most consistent teams in recent years. Under the captaincy of Kane Williamson, the Kiwis delivered a steady performance in ODIs. They started the year by whitewashing Pakistan 5-0 in the five-match series that was played in New Zealand. The Blackcaps did not give the visitors much of a chance and won all the matches convincingly.
They lost a well-fought series 3-2 against England. After a long layoff, they played an ODI series against Pakistan in UAE. The Kiwis played some good cricket and drew the series 1-1.
New Zealand will look to take this momentum into the World Cup and pose a major challenge to the other teams.