The year 2021 was not as important for ODIs. Among the full members, only Sri Lanka, Ireland, Bangladesh and South Africa played 10 or more ODIs. Teams like New Zealand, Australia and Afghanistan played as little as three each.
Read more: The best T20I XI of 2021
Nevertheless, there were some astounding displays on offer. The brilliant start to Janneman Malan’s ODI career, Fakhar Zaman’s lone heroics, Shakib Al Hasan and Sandeep Lamichhane’s consistency, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return from injury and a third-string English side whitewashing a strong Pakistani unit were among the few highlights in ODI cricket.
Celebrating those moments, here’s Cricket News’ ODI XI.
Janneman Malan (South Africa)
M 8 | R 509 | Ave 84.8 | SR 92 | HS 177* | 50s 2 | 100s 2
Malan’s brilliant start gave South Africa hope as they keep struggling through a transition phase, having lost stalwarts like Hashim Amla, A.B. de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. Malan, 25, slammed two overseas hundreds away from home, against Ireland and Sri Lanka, helping South Africa win both matches. He ended the year as the second-highest run-getter.
Jonny Bairstow (England)
M 6 | R 291 | Ave 58.2 | SR 121.8 | HS 124 | 50s 1 | 100s 1
Bairstow played three belligerent innings (94 in 66 balls, 124 in 112, 43 in 21) in his five attempts this year. It makes sense for him to bat at the top, a position he is best suited to because of his strike rate. The other openers who lost the race to Bairstow were Shikhar Dhawan (297 runs at 59.4; SR 92) and Paul Stirling (705 runs at 54.2; SR 79.7).
Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan)
M 6 | R 365 | Ave 60.8 | SR 91.9 | HS 193 | 50s 0 | 100s 2
A knock for ages, Fakhar’s 193 at Johannesburg was a lone hand in a chase of 342, where the second-highest score was 31. A controversial run out denied him a second double hundred. He slammed another hundred in the final game to help Pakistan win their second ODI series in South Africa. He also looked in good touch in England, getting a 47 in Cardiff.
Babar Azam (Pakistan) – captain
M 6 | R 405 | Ave 67.5 | SR 108 | HS 158 | 50s 2 | 100s 1
Babar’s presence in the side is a no-brainer. With two hundreds and a ninety in six innings, he proved, yet again, why he is the top-ranked ODI batter. He played a big role in Pakistan’s series win in South Africa. His 158 at Cardiff was a high-quality knock, but unfortunately, he ended on the losing side.
Babar is the only international captain in the side, and therefore, he leads the side.
Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa)
M 8 | R 342 | Ave 57 | SR 95.5 | HS 123* | 50s 2 | 100s 1
Van der Dussen continued to build his reputation in white-ball cricket. He played against Pakistan at home and in Ireland and Sri Lanka, and remained consistent in all three series. Mahmudullah (399 runs at 49.9; SR 81.6), Charitra Asalanka (326 runs at 46.6; SR 87.2), David Miller (136 runs at 45.3; SR 106.3), and Sikandar Raza (155 runs at 51.7; SR 96.3) were the other contenders for this berth.
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
M 9 | R 277 | Ave 39.6 | SR 70.3 | HS 96* | 50s 2
W 17 | Ave 17.5 | Econ 3.7 | BB 5/30
Shakib’s strike rate does raise eyebrows, but he battled in some testing batting conditions. He was also among the best bowlers of the year, and is the first all-rounder pick in this side.
Rishabh Pant (India) – Wicketkeeper
M 2 | R 155 | Ave 77.5 | SR 152 | HS 78 | 50s 2
Pant might have just played two matches, but they came against a strong English side. His contributions with the bat were critical to India winning the ODI series against the world champions.
The other contenders for the wicketkeeper's slot were Mushfiqur Rahim (407 runs at 58.1; SR 76.6), K.L. Rahul (177 runs at 88.5; SR 101.1) and United States’ Jaskaran Malhotra (261 runs at 87; SR 104.4).
It was tough to look beyond Mushfiqur for the knocks he played under testing conditions in Bangladesh, but his failures in New Zealand and a strike rate almost half of Pant went against him.
Simi Singh (Ireland)
M 13 | W 19 | Ave 20.1 | Econ 3.7 | BB 5/10
R 280 | Ave 46.7 | SR 87 | HS 100* | 100s 1 | 50s 1
Welcoming Simi to the club of big boys. Against the UAE, the 34-year-old off-spinner had 10-4-10-5, one of the best spells of the year. He continued the good form against Afghanistan and Ireland, and later in the year, smashed a maiden hundred against the visiting South African side.
Simi’s overall brilliance keeps Keshav Maharaj and Sandeep Lamichhane out of the XI.
Mitchell Starc (Australia)
M 3 | W 11 | Ave 10.6 | Econ 4.3 | BB 5/48
This was not the best year for Starc, with questions being raised over his place in the side. He picked up steam only late in the year, in the Ashes. But while he leaked runs in T20Is, he remained an asset in ODIs, and proved his worth as one of the format’s greats. In the lone series he played in the West Indies, he picked up a five-for and two three-wicket hauls in the three games he played to help Australia win the series 2-1.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
M 5 | W 9 | Ave 28 | Econ 5.2 | BB 3/42
Mustafizur Rahman (18 wickets at 21.5; Econ 5) had the numbers backing his selection, but I could not ignore comeback man Bhuvneshwar. Mustafizur was exceptional in slow and low conditions in Bangladesh, but when he toured New Zealand, he averaged over 58, going at almost 7.8 an over.
In contrast, Bhuvneshwar was instrumental in India’s win over a very strong England side on flat wickets. In a series where England batters went berserk in the Powerplay and death overs, scoring an innings run rate of almost 6.8, he picked six wickets at 22.5, at 4.6 an over. He also led India’s bowling attack in Sri Lanka, where the visitors were fielding at best a third-string side.
West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph is another notable miss out from this XI.
Haris Rauf (Pakistan)
M 6 | W 13 | Ave 24.5 | Econ 6.2 | BB 4/65
Young Rauf consolidated his position as one of Pakistan’s main white-ball bowlers. He bowls the difficult overs, at express pace, but importantly, he picks many wickets – mostly the important ones. In the two away series in South Africa and England that he played, he delivered memorable shows in Johannesburg and Birmingham.
Best ODI XI of 2021: Janneman Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Shakib Al Hasan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Simi Singh, Mitchell Starc, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mitchell Starc.
12th man: Mahmudullah.