BARBADOS: Thanks to their nightmarish Caribbean campaign, no Indian was deemed good enough for a place in Viv Richards' Dream Team chosen from this year's cricket World Cup.
The Ricky Ponting-led elite eleven excludes two of the best batsmen of the modern era and Richards admitted both Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara could have found a "place in any team" but for their side's disappointing performance in this World Cup.
India made an early exit and crashed out with just one win against its name, that too against Bermuda, while the West Indies did slightly better, reaching the Super Eights stage. Richards, meanwhile, had a gut feeling that "an upset is due" in the World Cup.
"Australia have been so formidable, winning all matches, but I feel an upset is due in this tournament," said Richards after announcing his Dream Team from the ongoing World Cup. The incomparable batsman felt South Africa too could have caused a tremor but for the fact that they batted in too pre-meditated a manner.
Richards still offered a consolation for the Proteas by including Herschelle Gibbs in his line-up, which also has three Sri Lankans, four Australians, two New Zealanders and one Englishman in Kevin Pieterson. Richards sprang a surprise at the very top by bringing in Kumar Sangakkara to partner Matthew Hayden at the start of the innings.
"Adam Gilchrist hasn't passed muster because anyone who had seen Sangakkara stump Brian Lara down the leg-side wouldn't forget it in a hurry," Richards clarified. The next three choices of Ponting, Pieterson and Mahela Jayawardene are rather straightforward choices and Gibbs again raises an eyebrow but not before Richards killed the question with a straight bat.
Gibbs, who hit six sixes in an over which raised USD one million in donation to habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago, "couldn't have been ignored", clarified Richards, who is also the drinking ambassador of Johnnie Walker, the charity-provider as well as the initiator of his Dream Team. Richards allots a place for Scott Styris "who batted with purpose in practically every match for New Zealand" and then chose his four bowlers which to him was a straightforward choice.
"Shaun Tait has taken wickets every time he was asked to do so by his captain and Shane Bond was equally effective for New Zealand. "I have chosen them above Lasith Malinga because the latter also has age to his side and you would agree, besides his four wickets in four balls, he wasn't as effective always for Sri Lanka."
Glenn McGrath was an obvious uncontested choice as was Muttiah Muralitharan, the only one in Richards' opinion "the world conquering West Indies team of '75 and '79 would have loved to include in their squad." "Guys like Murali and Shane Warne are special because they rekindled interest in a skill when fast bowlers were dominating throughout the world.
They didn't bowl fast but chose their craft to get past batsmen." For all his effort, Richards wasn't quite convincing why Sanath Jayasuriya didn't find place in his XI, especially when the team practically has four bowlers with the fifth bowler's option being exercised between Styris and Pieterson. Ponting over Jayawardene as captain was also as disdainfully dispatched as Richards used to do to a bouncer in his heydays.
"Ponting has been most successful and aggressive in his methods as a batsman and captain. He was thus an obvious choice." Viv Richards' Dream Team of 2007: Matthew Hayden, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Ricky Ponting (Capt), Kevin Pieterson, Mahela Jayawardene, Herschelle Gibbs, Scott Styris, Shaun Tait, Shane Bond, Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan.
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