Retiring Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar was on Wednesday named in the Wisden all-time World Test XI.
Tendulkar, who will retire from Test cricket after playing against the West Indies in his landmark 200th match in Mumbai next month, was named at his number four spot in the team announced to mark 150 years of the Cricketers’ Almanack.
The team captained by legendary Australian batsman Don Bradman has four Englishmen, three West Indians, two Australians, one Indian and one Pakistani.
Tendulkar’s contemporaries like Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis could not make it to the team, nor other Indian greats like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev.
Australian spin-legend Shane Warne and Pakistani fast-bowling greatWasim Akram were the only two contemporaries of Tendulkar who made it to the World Test XI.
Tendulkar and Akram are the only two Asians named in the team.
Jack Hobbs and WG Grace were included as openers, followed by Bradman and Tendulkar at number three and four, respectively.
Destructive West Indian batsman Vivian Richards comes in at number five followed his countryman and legendary all-rounder Garry Sobers.
Englishman Alan Knott got the wicketkeeper’s spot while the four remaining bowling slots went to Warne, Akram, West Indian fast bowling great Malcolm Marshall and Englishman Sydney Barnes.
Wisden World XI
1. Jack Hobbs (England, Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1909) 61 Tests, 5,410 runs at 56.94
2. WG Grace (England, CY 1896) 22 Tests, 1,098 runs at 32.29
3. Don Bradman (Australia, CY 1931, capt) 52 Tests, 6,996 runs at 99.94)
4. Sachin Tendulkar (India, CY 1997) 198 Tests, 15,837 runs at 53.86
5. Vivian Richards (West Indies, CY 1977) 121 Tests, 8,540 runs at 50.23
6. Garry Sobers (West Indies, CY 1964) 93 Tests, 8,032 runs at 57.78, 235 wickets at 34.03
7. Alan Knott (England, CY 1970, wkt) 95 Tests, 4,389 runs at 32.75, 250 catches, 19 stumpings
8. Wasim Akram (Pakistan, CY 1993) 104 Tests, 414 wickets at 23.62
9. Shane Warne (Australia, CY 1994) 145 Tests, 708 wickets at 25.41
10. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies, CY 1983) 81 Tests, 376 wickets at 20.94
11. Sydney Barnes (England, CY 1910) 27 Tests, 189 wickets at 16.4