What if the best XIs from the northern and southern hemispheres faced off in an intergalactic Test match? We crunched the numbers
As the best basketball players in the world squared off in the annual East versus West All-Star exhibition match in Toronto on Monday, Australian time, it's hard not to ponder what a cricket version would look like. All-Star matches have been tried in the past, between domestic and international outfits, but nothing that compares to the glitz and glamour of our North American cousins. Almost 40 years ago, during the revolutionary World Series Cricket days, Australia and the West Indies faced a Rest of the World team comprised of the players from South Africa, Pakistan and England. In January 2005, Australia hosted the Tsunami Appeal one-day match between the ICC World XI and Asia XI to help raise funds for the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that devastated, among other nations, Sri Lanka. Later that year, following a decade of global dominance, Australia went up against a World XI in three one-day internationals and a six-day Test at the SCG, though the hype of the series was lessened by England's historic Ashes win only a month earlier. And while the Indian Premier League and domestic Twenty20 competitions around the world have mixed together international stars with local players, there is no cricket equivalent to an American All-Star match like those in the NBA, NFL and NHL. In an attempt to fill that void, cricket.com.au has commissioned a fictional Test match between the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, to be played on Mars, where the pitch conditions remain unknown but the chance of rain impeding play is unlikely. Only players currently fit and eligible to play for their country have been considered, meaning suspended Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah is ruled out, as is injured Australian quick Mitchell Starc. Performances in the past 12 months only are taken into consideration, hence the absence of India Test captain Virat Kohli (447 runs at 34) and Proteas pace ace Dale Steyn (10 wickets in four Tests).
As the best basketball players in the world squared off in the annual East versus West All-Star exhibition match in Toronto on Monday, Australian time, it's hard not to ponder what a cricket version would look like. All-Star matches have been tried in the past, between domestic and international outfits, but nothing that compares to the glitz and glamour of our North American cousins. Almost 40 years ago, during the revolutionary World Series Cricket days, Australia and the West Indies faced a Rest of the World team comprised of the players from South Africa, Pakistan and England. In January 2005, Australia hosted the Tsunami Appeal one-day match between the ICC World XI and Asia XI to help raise funds for the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that devastated, among other nations, Sri Lanka. Later that year, following a decade of global dominance, Australia went up against a World XI in three one-day internationals and a six-day Test at the SCG, though the hype of the series was lessened by England's historic Ashes win only a month earlier. And while the Indian Premier League and domestic Twenty20 competitions around the world have mixed together international stars with local players, there is no cricket equivalent to an American All-Star match like those in the NBA, NFL and NHL. In an attempt to fill that void, cricket.com.au has commissioned a fictional Test match between the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, to be played on Mars, where the pitch conditions remain unknown but the chance of rain impeding play is unlikely. Only players currently fit and eligible to play for their country have been considered, meaning suspended Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah is ruled out, as is injured Australian quick Mitchell Starc. Performances in the past 12 months only are taken into consideration, hence the absence of India Test captain Virat Kohli (447 runs at 34) and Proteas pace ace Dale Steyn (10 wickets in four Tests).
This NBA "All Stars" game is a 
