No Sachin Tendulkar. No Ricky Ponting. No Brian Lara. And no Donald Bradman either. Believe it or not, but none of these batting greats have made it to Dickie Bird’s all-time Test XI, says a report in the DNA, adding that Sunil Gavaskar, the original ‘Little Master’ does find a place, though.
A day before his 80th birthday, cricket’s greatest-ever umpire listed out his ‘Best XI’. Interestingly, none of the top-10 run-getters in Test cricket have found a place in Bird’s team. The Englishman chose South African Barry Richards to partner Gavaskar at the top.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Bird said, “Sunil was one of the two best opening bats I saw.” About Richards, Bird said, “He would have broken all the records, but for Apartheid.”
Bird, who officiated in 66 Tests between 1973 and 1996, gave West Indian great Viv Richards the coveted No. 3 spot. “Great character. There are few left in sport,” he said of the daredevil. Australia’s Greg Chappell comes in next. Why? Because he was “inspirational and a pleasure to watch”.
According to a report in The Times Of India, His team is captained by Pakistani pacer Imran Khan, whose knowledge of the game "was outstanding".
The list has South African batting great Barry Richards and his countryman Graeme Pollock, three Australians in Greg Chappell,Shane Warne and Dennis Lillee, as many West Indians in Garfield Sobers, Viv Richards and Lance Gibbs and a lone Englishman - wicketkeeper Alan Knott.
Apparently, Bird gave Barry and Pollock the benefit of the doubt, stating that both careers were cruelly curtailed by the apartheid. Having said that, Barry's stint with Hampshire in county cricket would have given Bird enough reason to pick him for his playing XI.