Wasim Akram selects combined India-Pakistan all-time ODI XI

The dream combined Indo-Pak all-time ODI XI, curated by Wasim Akram, comprises an array of legendary cricketers

PHOTO: FILE

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram revealed his all-time combined Indo-Pak One Day International (ODI) XI.

The dream combined Indo-Pak all-time ODI XI, curated by Akram, comprises an array of legendary cricketers. At the top of the order are the dynamic opening pair of Saeed Anwar and Virender Sehwag.

"I'll start off with a leftie from Pakistan, 'Saeed Anwar'. Not the best fielder but as a batter one of the best Pakistan has produced; an all-round player," Akram said.

"Opener with him [Saeed Anwar], I pick Virender Sehwag. He changed the mindset of Test Cricket as an opener. Before Sehwag, it used to be three slips and a gully and Sehwag just started whacking everyone," he further added.

They are followed by the iconic trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Miandad, and Virat Kohli, forming the middle order.

"Number three, the great man, Sachin Tendulkar. 100 international hundreds, can't go wrong," he said.

"Number four is very difficult to pick. I have Mohammad Yousuf, Babar Azam, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Misbah-ul-Haq, Inzamam-ul-Haq and from India Rohit Sharma. It’s difficult not to pick Rohit Sharma. But four, I go for Javed Miandad because the way he bats and assess the situation and he was a gun fielder in his heydays," Akram remarked.

"Number five, I'll go with Virat Kohli. You can't just not have Virat Kohli in playing XI as a selector," he added.

Imran Khan, the former Pakistani skipper, leads the team and adds valuable all-round capabilities alongside Kapil Dev. The team is further enhanced by the strategic presence of MS Dhoni as the wicketkeeper.

"Number six. It is Imran Khan for me; batting at number six and skipper," he said.

The bowling attack features the spin wizard Saqlain Mushtaq and the pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Waqar Younis.

Wasim Akram's combined Indo-Pak ODI XI

1. Saeed Anwar

2. Virender Sehwag

3. Sachin Tendulkar

4. Javed Miandad

5. Virat Kohli

6. Imran Khan (C)

7. Kapil Dev

8. MS Dhoni (WK)

9. Saqlain Mushtaq