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International cricket legends to select World XI teams for multi million dollar Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series

Sunil Gavaskar (Chairman), Michael Atherton, Sir Richard Hadlee, Jonty Rhodes, Aravinda de Silva and Clive Lloyd will choose the ICC World XI team to take on the number one team in the world (as at 1 April 2005) in the Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series

Jon Long
16-Jun-2005
Sunil Gavaskar (Chairman), Michael Atherton, Sir Richard Hadlee, Jonty Rhodes, Aravinda de Silva and Clive Lloyd will choose the ICC World XI team to take on the number one team in the world (as at 1 April 2005) in the Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series this October with US$ 2.644 million on offer for the players in the tournament, the ICC announced today.
Australia already has an unassailable lead on the ICC Test Championship Table and barring an unprecedented loss of form in the VB Series Finals and the loss of every game on its tour of New Zealand, Australia will also be the number one team in ODI cricket.
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said that the ICC World XI Selection Panel was made up of some of the greatest players to have taken the field and had impeccable cricket credentials for undertaking a near-impossible job.
"This international panel of cricket legends, with 581 Tests and 917 ODI matches between them, is faced with the unenviable task of picking teams to take on Australia in three one-day matches in Melbourne and a six-day Super Test in Sydney," said Mr Speed.
"They will have to make some tough decisions. It would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall as these former greats discuss whether to open with Sehwag and Strauss or Gibbs and Jayasuriya; whether there is space in the middle order for Lara, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Kallis and Flintoff; whether Kumble can be accommodated with Muralitharan; and whether to hand the new ball to Vaas, Akhtar, Harmison or Ntini, Hoggard and Pathan.
"Once these former greats have made their decisions, the players selected in the final squads will be in contention for total match fees and prize money of US$ 2.644 million."
Chairman of selectors Sunil Gavaskar said that he was looking forward to getting together with the rest of the former internationals to pick the team.
"I think we've got a great balance of international experience on the panel and I'm sure there will be a lively debate when we convene to pick the teams," said Mr Gavaskar.
Combined prize money and match payments for the one-day series in Melbourne will be US$ 1.254 million, while the total money available for the six-day Super Test in Sydney will be US$ 1.390 million.
Former England captain Mike Atherton will join Gavaskar on the selection panel.
"Australia has not lost a home Test series since 1993 or ODI series since 2002 so to take them on in their own back yard is the ultimate challenge in cricket," said Atherton.
"It's going to be a fascinating task trying to select an international side capable of succeeding where so many national teams have failed."
Clive Lloyd, another selector, was captain of the West Indies side of the late 1970s and 1980s, the last team to enjoy a similar level of dominance to that exerted by the current Australian side.
"I was fortunate enough to captain the West Indies when we were the best side in the world and I would have relished the opportunity to take on the best of the rest on home soil as Australia will do in October," said Mr Lloyd.
"There are so many top players available for selection in the ICC World XI that the hardest task is going to be deciding who to leave out."
Initial squads of 30 for the ICC World XI teams will be selected in April 2005. The selectors will then reconvene to reduce this squad to 20 players in June, before the final squads are announced in mid-August.
The selectors will be able to refer to the official LG ICC Player Rankings in making their decisions. Their final squad will be based on their collective views on the composition of a team capable of beating Australia in the two forms of the game.
The Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series one-day matches will take place at the Telstra Dome, Melbourne, on 5, 7 and 9 October and the six-day Super Test will be at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, from 14-19 October.