ICC’s all-time dream test team a joke: Alec Stewart

Thursday, 21 July 2011 00:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

London (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’ views on their greatest 11 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.