ICC's All-time Dream Test team a joke: Alec Stewart


London, July 19 (IANS) The Alltime Dream Test XI of the International Cricket Council (ICC), chosen through an online poll, has drawn flak from experts with former England wicketkeeper Alec Stewart calling it a "joke".

There are four Indians, four Australians two West Indians and one Pakistani in the team. The four Indians Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev.

"What a joke team," Stewart, the former England batsman and wicketkeeper, said on Twitter.

"No Viv Richards, Gary Sobers, Malcolm Marshall to name but three."

The Dream team was selected by more than 250,000 public votes on the ICC's website.

Not one of the fearsome quartet of West Indian fast bowlers of the 1970 and 1980s - Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Colin Croft - was chosen.

The poll was launched to mark the 2,000th Test match at Lord's this week.

"The result has sparked debate over the omission of players such as Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Viv Richards and Muttiah Muralitharan. The choice of Kapil Dev ahead of Sobers and Virender Sehwag over the likes of Geoffrey Boycott or Jack Hobbs reflected the demographic of the electorate, a fact admitted by Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC," said the Daily Telegraph.

"The lack of an English player is perhaps not a surprise although Hobbs was named as one of Wisden's five greatest cricketers in 2000," the report said.

Donald Bradman is the only player in the team from an era before the 1970s.

"Selecting from such greats is no easy job, and not surprisingly, the selection mainly reflects modern players seen by present day supporters. There are many greats from the past who would have easily merited selection in this team, but it is nevertheless interesting to see the fans view on their greatest eleven of all time," said Lorgat.

Voters were given a shortlist provided by the ICC from which to pick their leading 11 players with space for five bowlers, including an all-rounder.

  

Top Stories


Leave a Comment

Title: ICC's All-time Dream Test team a joke: Alec Stewart



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.