Dream Team
Yorkshire’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore picks his favourite Xl
1. Tom Kohler-Cadmore
I’ll stick myself in there and I’ll open the batting because I enjoy doing that. It’s always nice to bat with good players, so that’s why I’d pick myself to be up there at the top.
2. Moeen Ali
When I was at Worcestershire, it was good fun when I’d open up with him in white-ball cricket. He’s doing really well at the moment, so I’d love to be able to bat with him up at the top again.
3. Tom Fell
He’s one of my best friends and whenever we bat together, we’ve always done well, so it would be nice to have him in there. We’ve had some good scores together over the years.
4. Gary Ballance
He’s just such a good player and I’ve seen that at Yorkshire. He obviously got back into Test cricket in the summer and now he’s going to play in the Ashes. He’s a really solid middle-order batsman.
5. Joe Clarke
I spent a lot of time down in Worcester with Joe and I think he’s one of the best young batters in the country, and I think he will play for England. He always seems to middle the ball, which helps as a batsman, and he’s one of my really good mates, too.
6. Andre Russell
He was at Worcester with me when I was a lot younger and before he was big time. I didn’t get the chance to play with him but I trained with him a few times, with him bowling at me and then me feeding him balls. It was great to learn hitting from someone like him – it was great for my development to practise with someone with that intensity.
7. Jonny Bairstow
He’s one of the best in the world. I’ve not played with him yet for Yorkshire but I played with him when I was 15 in a benefit game, so that was a great experience for me. I think he’s the best keeper/batsman in the world at the minute, so why would you not have him in your team if you can select him?
8. Mitchell Santner
He’s an unbelievable all-round cricketer, which is why you’d pick him in your team but he’s also a really good bloke. When he came to Worcester, he settled in really quickly with the boys and he was a great player as well.
9. Saeed Ajmal
He’s world-class. When he was at Worcester, he was number one in the world in white-ball cricket and he came up and pretty much got us promoted (in 2014) with the ball by himself when he took 63 wickets in nine games. I got to watch that from second slip, which was pretty special.
10. Ryan Sidebottom
The fact that he’s taken over 1,000 professional wickets, I think says it all. During my time up in Yorkshire, he’s been an unbelievable bloke and getting to stand at slip for him, you get to see his class and how good he is. He’s just phenomenal. His skill with the ball is just ridiculous and that’s why he’s taken so many wickets. Also, that low down, I don’t think he’d get out because he’s got the best forward-defence I’ve ever seen.
11. Ben Coad
He’s probably my best friend up here now, so I’ve got to pick him – otherwise, he might fall out with me. He started his first year with 50 poles in Division One, which is a hell of an achievement. He’s a really good bloke.