James Franklin picks three Indians in his all-time playing XI

What’s the story?

Former New Zealand cricketer James Franklin, in a video posted on Lord’s Cricket Ground’s official Facebook page, has picked his all-time XI, giving more preference to his teammates in the three times IPL winning team Mumbai Indians.

“I’ve gone with Rohit Sharma at number five. His record recently has been outstanding. Especially in one-day cricket, he is a devastating batsman.” He tells.

The team picked by Franklin includes cricketers from New Zealand, India, Australia, England and West Indies.

In case you didn’t know

The 36-year-old played 31 Tests in which he scored 808 runs and taken 82 wickets. In ODIs, he has 1270 runs and 81 wickets from 110 games. In the shortest format, he has 20 wickets and 463 runs from 38 games. He played from 2001 to 2013.

The heart of the matter

For the opener’s slot, the all-rounder chose Nathan Astle and Alastair Cook - a combination of fearless hitting and sound technique.

The middle order features batting greats Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, apart from the elegant Rohit Sharma. For the spinners, he picks Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh.

Brendon McCullum is the leader of the squad, the bowling attack of which boasts of world’s best pacers like Mitchell Johnson, Shane Bond and Brett Lee.

James Franklin’s All Time XI: Alastair Cook, Nathan Astle, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Brendon McCullum (c & wk), Harbhajan Singh, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Bond.

What’s next?

Watch out for Franklin in tomorrow's NatWest match between Middlesex and Sussex at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Stadium.

Middlesex lost their previous encounter to Hampshire by six wickets after which they beat Warwickshire in which Franklin scored a splendid half century. He will look to continue his form against Sussex.

Author’s Take

Franklin’s team is a settled one, which has both fearless cricketers and composed ones.

Astle’s courageous hitting would perfectly complement Cook’s sound technique at the top. The two batsmen in the middle order – Tendulkar and Lara, are the ones who are a part of almost every cricketer’s playing XI.

As for the bowling department, Harbhajan Singh does justice to the spin attack, while Brett Lee can be the leader of the pace attack. A total of five Mumbai Indians players in the playing XI, though, prove that Franklin has thoroughly enjoyed his time in the Indian Premier League.