How to build a winning XI

Your team's strength is calculated from the average rating of all 11 players. That means every slot matters equally. A few weaker rated players in your team can be a significant detriment. Don't coast on the strength of your top five and let the tail fill itself. Be selective throughout.

The single most impactful thing you can do is avoid low-rated players. A weak link doesn't just contribute less, it applies a small penalty to your entire team's performance. The effect is meaningful enough that it's often better to pass on a famous name with a poor rating and wait for someone stronger, even if that means a less glamorous XI on paper.

You can draft a maximum of 2 players from the same nation per game. This forces you to build across eras and nations. Be careful not to burn both nation slots too early in the draft, especially if there are other players available at a decent rating.

The Test and One Day formats have different XI structures. In Test, you need 3 pace bowlers, a spinner, and a wicket-keeper alongside your batting core. In One Day, the flexible Pace/Spin slot gives you a tactical choice - you can run 3 pace and 1 spinner, or 2 pace and 2 spinners. This allows for flexibility in the draft, as well as taking into account the conditions of the game. More on this below.

Before you draft in One Day format, the series conditions are revealed: pitch type, sky, and weather forecast. These conditions will have a direct impact on the simulation outcome.

On a seaming or bouncy pitch, your pace bowlers' ratings carry extra weight. On a turning pitch, your spinner becomes more important. If conditions allow, running 2 spinners in your XI is worth considering. A flat pitch rewards your batters. If the sky is overcast, the pace advantage compounds further.

This means the optimal XI can look very different depending on what conditions are drawn. A turning pitch in overcast conditions calls for a different balance than a flat pitch under hot skies.

If the forecast shows Rain likely or Changeable, expect unpredictability. These conditions introduce additional variance into each match result. Your team can overperform or underperform relative to their strength. A very strong XI is more insulated from this, however a borderline XI can be undone by it.

The wheel spin is random and you can't control which nations or years show up. The best Whitewash players adapt, they know what their XI needs, evaluate each pick against what's already been drafted, and make the best decision with the players available. Sometimes a 94-rated player in the wrong role is the wrong pick. Sometimes a 78-rated all-rounder fills two needs at once.

And even with a strong, well-balanced XI, the simulation has variance built in. A great team wins more often than not, but not always. That's cricket, and that's why we love this game.