Viv Richards

The Master Blaster never had the chance to play T20 cricket, but just imagine how cowed the world's bowlers would have been had he done so. The most imperious batsman ever to play the game, Viv would swagger to the middle in his maroon cap (no helmet for him, no matter how ferocious the bowling) and intimidate with the merest gum-chew and jutting-jawed stare. His 56-ball Test hundred against England in 1986 remained a record for 30 years; his 189 not out in an ODI against the same opponents at Old Trafford in 1984 was a hint of what he could have achieved in this bat-dominated era.

AB de Villiers

The arch-exponent of 360-degree batting, de Villiers makes boundaries from deliveries that his predecessors would have been pre-conditioned to write off as unplayable. Second only to Gayle among overseas heroes at the IPL, de Villiers' most destructive moment came in an ODI against West Indies at Johannesburg in 2015. With flick after flick for six over fine leg, he rattled along to a 31-ball hundred, and a 149 not out from 44 balls all told.

MS Dhoni (wk) 

The keeper of the galaxy's wickets, and the coolest, most calculating finisher the format has ever known. No runs/balls equation can ever faze Dhoni, who captained India to the inaugural World T20 title in 2007, before hitting the winning six in the 50-over World Cup final four years later. If he's still batting when the match reaches its climax, woe betide the bowling side.

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