What a current T20I world XI would look like, if picked based purely off the ICC player rankings.

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Coming up with a T20 world XI is a tougher task than in the other formats. In Test and ODI cricket, players tend to occupy set roles in their national sides. In T20 cricket, players can end up batting in all manor of positions in competitions across the globe, with their role changing as per the requirements of the team.

Could we pick Jos Buttler as a No.6 even though he opens for England? Yuzvendra Chahal is brilliant, but that’s at least in part because he often has a spinner turning the ball the other way from him at the other end. Should that come into the equation?

These are the kinds of questions we are going to almost completely ignore in constructing this team, allowing the inscrutable, much debated ICC player rankings algorithm to decide for us, picking players based solely on their position in the batting, bowling and all-rounder charts.

Still, we can’t have the ICC do all the work and ignore team balance altogether. Were we just to pick the top five bowlers in the rankings, we would end up with an all-spin attack due to the dominance of T20I cricket by slow bowlers. So we’ll pick the top four batsmen, the top wicketkeeper, the top all-rounder, and then either three spinners and two quicks, or three quicks and two spinners, depending on if that all-rounder bowls seam or tweak. Here’s the XI you end up with.

The ICC rankings T20I World XI: The selections

Aaron Finch – Australia (c)

Batting ranking: 2nd (830 points)

The Australia captain has struggled significantly for form in 2021. But with that fallow period having largely come in the Big Bash League, his T20I ranking has been largely unaffected. The big-hitting opener has two of the three 150-plus scores in T20I cricket.

KL Rahul – India (wk)

Batting ranking: 3rd (816 points)

The India batsman has long looked primed to help take over when the Rohit-Dhawan-Kohli axis gets separated, and his T20I record is phenomenal, with an average in the mid-40s and a strike-rate in the mid-140s. Critics pointed to an apparent decline in his intent during the 2020 IPL, but as it stands, he fully deserves his spot in this team.

Babar Azam – Pakistan

Batting ranking: 4th (801 points)

One of T20 cricket’s most polarising players, Babar Azam’s consistency is to be marvelled at, even if his strike-rate sometimes leaves something to be desired. From his lofty place in the ICC rankings, it would seem that their calculation values the former more than the latter. More than a third of his T20I knocks have been half-centuries, and in a Pakistan side with an enviable bowling attack, his ability to help make a par score has often been enough.

Dawid Malan – England

Batting ranking: 1st (916 points)

Another batsman whose approach has raised eyebrows, Dawid Malan has shown an incredible ability to come good on his slow starts in his T20I career so far. An average of 53 and a strike-rate of 149 are a pair of truly elite numbers. The worry is, if the former falls, the latter will too. While both remain high, so will his ICC ranking, currently the highest of any player in history.

Rassie van der Dussen – South Africa

Batting ranking: 5th (700 points)

The least established name in this batting order, Rassie van der Dussen is another to show strong consistency, averaging nearly 40 at a healthy strike-rate of 136.52. He has excelled in low-scoring games, further boosting his ranking. His ODI record is even more astonishing. After 21 games, he averages more than 70 in the format.

Mohammad Nabi – Afghanistan

All-rounder ranking: 1st (294 points)

The top-ranked all-rounder in T20I cricket, Mohammad Nabi has long been one of Afghanistan’s best players, helping drive their remarkable rise to the top table of world cricket. His finishing ability means he balances out this XI well.

Rashid Khan – Afghanistan

Bowling ranking: 1st (736 points)

The best leg-spinner in white-ball cricket in the world, Rashid Khan could be in this team for a while yet. Bowling quickly and capable of turning the ball both ways, the 22-year-old has honed his craft in T20 leagues around the world. His homespun batting technique is also useful in this team, with his helicopter sixes hopefully ensuring the lower-middle order can capitalise on the platform provided by a steady top five.

Chris Jordan – England

Bowling ranking: 12th (618 points)

England’s yorker specialist is another in this team who has saved his best for the international stage. A traditional death bowler, Chris Jordan adds some ballast to the lower order too.

Tim Southee – New Zealand

Bowling ranking: 9th (641 points)

The highest ranked seamer in the ICC’s rankings, the New Zealand left-armer can raze a batting line-up with his swing and keep it cool at the death, even if his super over skills leave something to be desired. His six-hitting ability comes in handy too.

Tabraiz Shamsi – South Africa

Bowling ranking: 2nd (733 points)

Tabraiz Shamsi is that rarest of beasts, a left-arm wrist-spinner, and judging by his place in the rankings, a pretty handy one too. The thought of him and Rashid twirling away in the middle overs is quite something, especially when you add in Shamsi’s always spectacular celebrations.

Shaheen Shah Afridi – Pakistan

Bowling ranking: 13th (614 points)

The Pakistan left-armer is one of the most attacking bowlers in the world, and one of the most exciting too. Bowling fast, full and getting the ball to move, the youngster could well prop up his side’s bowling attack for years to come.

The ICC rankings T20I World XI: The line-up

1. Aaron Finch (c)
2. KL Rahul (wk)
3. Babar Azam
4. Dawid Malan
5. Rassie van der Dussen
6. Mohamad Nabi
7. Rashid Khan
8. Chris Jordan
9. Tim Southee
10. Tabraiz Shamsi
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi