There are four primary types of players in cricket. They are batters, bowlers, all-rounders and wicket-keepers. However, over the years, fans have seen that some batters have made their presence felt in the bowling department by bowling some overs as a part-timer in the middle.
Similarly, some bowlers have contributed to the batting section by scoring runs after coming out to bat in the lower order. Generally, the playing XI of cricket starts with batters and ends with bowlers, but today in this article, we will form a reverse playing XI of bowlers who can bat and batters who can bowl.
Bowlers who can also play as Openers – Ravichandran Ashwin and Stuart Broad
India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin will open the innings for this reverse playing XI along with veteran England fast bowler Stuart Broad. Both bowlers have done well in the batting department for their respective nations, especially in the longest format of the game.
Middle Order – Lasith Malinga, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Tim Southee and James Faulkner
Lasith Malinga has won multiple matches for Mumbai Indians and Sri Lanka with the bat. He will shoulder the middle order responsibilities with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been a solid lower-order batter for the Indian cricket team. Tim Southee, who has smashed lots of sixes in Test cricket and proven match-winner James Faulkner will play the role of the finishers.
Wicket-keeper – Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is not a regular wicket-keeper, but he is a specialist batter, and this is a reverse playing XI. Fans may remember that Kohli once kept the wickets for India when MS Dhoni had to answer the nature’s call during a match.
Bowlers – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Steve Smith and Joe Root
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar were not just opening batters for India, but they also bowled some crucial overs for the team whenever needed. Steve Smith and Joe Root complete the playing XI. While Smith started his career as a leg-spinner, Root took a five-wicket haul against India last year.
