Former South African speedster Wayne Parnell selected a solid all-time ODI XI that included some of the sport’s finest stalwarts.
Parnell, who just won the World Championship of Legends League with South Africa Champions, chose Sachin Tendulkar and Hashim Amla as openers. The talismanic Virat Kohli took the crucial No. 3 place in the batting order. Consistent performers like AB de Villiers and Michael Hussey found themselves in the middle of the order.
Parnell chose MS Dhoni, a former ODI World Cup winner, to captain his team. Parnell chose the well-known Pakistani pace combo Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis for his bowling attack. Brett Lee, the intriguing player, was also selected for the team. Muttiah Muralitharan, a spin maestro from Sri Lanka, was named the specialist spinner.
Muralitharan and Afridi would be a fearsome spin-bowling tandem, capable of wreaking havoc even in unfavourable conditions for tweakers. The pace-bowling trio of Lee, Akram, and Younis would deny the opposition batters any relief.
Wayne Parnell’s all-time ODI XI
Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Michael Hussey, Shahid Afridi, MS Dhoni(C), Wasim Akram, Brett Lee, Muttiah Muralitharan, Waqar Younis.
Parnell played six Tests, 73 ODIs, and 56 T20Is for the South African national team. He represented the Proteas for the first time in January in a T20I against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane. The Port Elizabeth-born has not played international cricket since March 2023.
In the World Championship of Legends, Parnell emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Peter Siddle. He took 11 wickets in seven matches, averaging 15.45 with a strike rate of 11.45. The left-arm fast bowler bagged two crucial wickets in the semi-finals against Australia and won the Player of the Match award. Parnell followed it up with two wickets in the summit clash against Pakistan. South Africa Champions triumphed by nine wickets to lift the title.
