No Sachin, but Dhoni and Kumble feature in Eoin Morgan’s all-time XI

02/26/2017

Eoin Morgan has picked MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble in his all-time XI for the Lord's Cricket Ground official social media. Sachin Tendulkar does not find a place in the England limited-overs skipper's lineup that includes the likes of Ricky Ponting, Dale Steyn and Brian Lara.

“Opening the batting is Alastair Cook and Jacques Kallis, and the reason being they are two heavy run scores, two great leaders of their times. They will both probably go down as all-time great cricketers.

“At three is an Australian legend, Ricky Ponting. Huge rival playing in the Ashes series and in the one-day series over the years.I think he is somebody who has changed the dynamics of the game, certainly in Australia.

“At four is a big hero of mine. Somebody I had huge admiration for growing up as a cricketer and tried to emulate a lot of his shots. It's Brian Charles Lara.

“At five is AB de Villiers, and at six is Kumar Sangakkara both of them are stars. They could play in all forms of the game and have the ability to change the game at any stage.

“At seven is a wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Huge icon in India. Somebody who has led them to a World Cup-winning victory and overseas wins.

“We are into the bowlers at number eight, and it's Anil Kumble. Had the pleasure of playing with this gentleman at Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and somebody for me who will go down as an all-time great spinner.

“At nine, ten, and eleven are my pace attack. Taking the new ball are James Anderson along with Dale Steyn. Two very formidable cricketers. Dale with a bit more pace, and Jimmy Anderson the king of swing. So I think the combination with the new ball will work wonders.

“At number 11 will be Mitchell Johnson. Left-arm fast bowler who has devastated the English batting lineup over the years and certainly has a huge ability to swing the ball,” Morgan said. His team is part of a series by the MCC at Lord’s.