Sachin Tendulkar, Virendar Sehwag in ICC Cricket greatest ODI Team

In-form batting grandmasters Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag on Wednesday found pride of place among the shortlisted players from which an all- time greatest One- Day International XI will be picked. Sourav Ganguly, who has retired, is the third Indian in the pruned openers’ club.


“ The online poll, being conducted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on its website www.icc-cricket.com, will pick the team to coincide with 40th anniversary celebrations of ODI cricket,” the ICC said in a statement. The event is part of the build up to the World Cup, which will begin in less than two months in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Besides selecting the ODI XI from a shortlist of 48 players, the ICC is also asking fans to pick the greatest ODI from a choice of 10 memorable matches, including the historic 1983 World Cup final that India won by upsetting the West Indies at Lord’s, London.

The ICC has divided the XI into six departments – openers, middle order batsmen, all- rounders, wicket- keepers, fast bowlers, and spinners – and shortlisted eight players in each. Out of these, fans worldwide will pick two openers, three middle order batsmen, one all- rounder, one wicket- keeper, three fast bowlers, and one spinner.

Interestingly, there is no Indian middle- order batsman in the list. But Kapil Dev is in the allrounders’ department. Current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the lone Indian among the wicket- keepers. There is no Indian among the fast bowlers while leading offspinner Harbhajan Singh and retired leg- spinner Anil Kumble find places in the slow bowlers’ list.

Australia, who played the first ODI against England in 1971, will also mark the 40th anniversary with a number of events, including a cocktail reception with members of Australia’s first ODI team at Victoria’s Government House, during Melbourne’s Cricket Weekend.

The Australian ODI team from 1971 will also be presented to the crowd during the innings break of the first ODI match of the series between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 16.