Dream Team – Peter Handscomb

CHRIS ROGERS – Victoria
He’s just a phenomenal player and his record speaks for itself. He took a while to get into the Test side but now he is there he is proving to people just how good he really is. Away from the pitch he is a top bloke as well so I am really pleased for him and he comes straight into my team at the top of the order.

LUKE WRIGHT– Sussex
I’ve played with Luke for the Melbourne Stars and he has been fantastic out there for us. It has always surprised me that he struggles to get near the England side any more. He could really give them something different at the top of the order in limited overs cricket.

KEVIN PIETERSEN – Surrey
KP divides opinion but there’s no doubt that he is a world-class cricketer. He should definitely still be playing international cricket for England and by cancelling his IPL contracts to play for Surrey it shows how dedicated he is to getting back into the side and he deserves a lot of credit for that.

DAVID HUSSEY – Victoria
He has obviously made runs in both English and Aussie conditions which shows you just how good a player he is.
It can be very difficult to replicate your form on foreign soil but he has made it look easy throughout his career.
He’s been a bit unlucky not to get any Test caps in the Baggy Green but that’s because his brother was keeping him out of the side and you can’t have too many complaints about that!

GLENN MAXWELL – Australia
This guy hits some ridiculous shots and you can see why people call him The Big Show. There are some things he does when he is out in the middle which are just crazy, no normal cricketer is able to hit the shots he does. The reverse sweep that he hits is just insane so I have to try and find a spot for him in my team.

RICKY PONTING – Retired
I almost forgot to put ‘Punter’ in which would have been quite bad! He would probably want to be batting higher than six but that’s where he will have to go if he wants a look-in in this side, I am putting together a pretty fearsome batting order. Imagine having a side four down and then seeing an Aussie legend like Punter stride out to the crease!

BRAD HADDIN – Australia
Brad is just a true professional and one of the nicest guys that you will ever meet in cricket. You wouldn’t know he was an international player by the way he lives and that makes him even more admirable and an easy choice to be the wicketkeeper in this team. His batting is not too shabby either, we are looking pretty strong in that department.

SHANE WARNE – Retired
There’s not much that needs to be said about Warnie, and not much that has not already been said.  He was just a phenomenal cricketer and I don’t think that there will never be anyone else quite like him. One of the all-time greats who also had an incredible understanding for the game.

MITCHELL JOHNSON – Australia
Mitch is probably the most feared bowler in world cricket right now. He has scared the living daylights out of me on more than one occasion so I can sympathise with those English guys that didn’t like facing him in 2013/14 in the Ashes whitewash, he is pretty terrifying and was right at the top of his game during that series.

SUNIL NARINE – West Indies
I’ve faced one ball from him and ran straight past it. I like to pride myself on my spin play but I had no idea what he was doing with the ball. To be fair to me, a lot of others that day didn’t have a clue what he was doing either and he pretty much ran through us in the Big Bash.

SCOTT BOLAND – Victoria
This guy is an up-and-coming bowler in Australia who you guys over here in England probably won’t have heard all that much about.  But he has genuine pace and talent and he is going to go really far and he could be really special.

This article was published in The Cricket Paper, May 8 2015

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