In a recent interview, Australian opener Chris Lynn shared his all-time T20 XI, notably excluding Indian legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Lynn chose West Indies icon Chris Gayle and Australian player David Warner as his opening pair, highlighting their consistent performances at the start of innings. Gayle has scored 14,562 runs in 463 T20 matches, while Warner has 14,028 runs from 432 games.
At No.3, Lynn selected former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, acknowledging him as a key figure in the evolution of T20 Cricket. He referenced McCullum’s memorable innings in the first IPL match for Kolkata Knight Riders as pivotal in boosting the league’s popularity.
For the middle order, Lynn picked a powerful group of AB de Villiers, Kieron Pollard, and Dwayne Bravo. De Villiers has nearly 10,000 runs in T20 cricket and is known for his creativity. Pollard has contributed significantly with bat and ball, scoring 14,482 runs and taking 333 wickets in T20s, while Bravo stands out with a record 631 T20 wickets.
Lynn named former Indian captain MS Dhoni as the wicketkeeper, praising his leadership and calmness. Dhoni led India to win the first T20 World Cup in 2007 and was important in developing young talent.
In the spin department, Lynn chose Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who has taken 188 T20I wickets and consistently performs well worldwide. His pace attack includes Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, and Mitchell Starc. Bumrah has 107 wickets in 87 T20Is, Malinga claimed 107 wickets in 84 matches, and Starc finished with 79 wickets in 65 games before retiring from T20s.
As his 12th man, Lynn included Australian greats Andrew Symonds and Shane Warne, completing a star-studded all-time T20 XI.
Chris Lynn’s all-time T20 XI:
Chris Gayle, David Warner, Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Starc, 12th man: Shane Warne/Andrew Symonds
