Dickie Bird's all time Test XI

With a surprise the present day greats like Sachin and ponting Have not earned a place in the Bird's All time XI. Turning 80 on this Friday the great Umpire from England has also not given The Great Sir Don, a place in his test XI. Giving preference to Apartheid affected players, he has named Sunny gavasker and B. Richard as the greatest openers in the world.
Sir Garfield Sobers is an obvious choice in any such list and Bird simply states "the all-rounder was the greatest I have ever seen play the game".
His Test XI :
Sunil Gavaskar
Barry Richards
Sir Vivian Richards
Greg Chappell
Sir Garfield Sobers
Graeme Pollock
Allan Knott
Imran Khan(c)
Dennis Lillee
Shane Warne
Lance Gibbs.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/10002282/Dickie-Bird-names-his-greatest-all-time-Test-XI-in-pictures.html?frame=2539636


How many of you agree?

No Marshall? Two spinners plus Sobers? Bit of a odd set up, for me, with two pacers only. Also, Imran was a fine allrounder but Marshall, Hadlee and Ambrose were all better bowlers, imo.

That said, he's had a good view of these players for some time.

There's a brief discussion on this in the HoF thread. My guess is it's restricted to players he's umpired, and in the days before neutral umpires were introduced that would have been almost (entirely?) exclusively in England. Did New Zealand tour England much? That would explain Hadlee... Marshall, Holding are more surprising omissions.

Don't think you could argue with the top 7 (with the caveat that had he umpired longer some of the modern greats may have the cut).

The bowling is a bit more unusual. Imran and Lillee were terrific bowlers, but I would have half a dozen fast bowlers ahead of them (McGrath, Wasim, Marshall, Holding, Ambrose, Hadlee since you ask). Not sure you need two spinners, given Sobers in the side. Certainly the relative merits of picking an extra seamer should win out, given the relative strength of seam bowling over spin bowling during the 70s and 80s. The selection of Gibbs ahead of Underwood or Qadir is as Hoggy pointed out inconsistent with an earlier statement (when he had Qadir as his number 1, and Underwood and Warne as the other 2 best), but I'm not sure that's an issue.

Not keen on picking Richards and Pollock either. Especially Richards. He MAY have done well but we will never know and this is a test XI after all.

Mine would be:

Hobbs
Gavasker
Bradman
V Richards
Lara
Sobers
Knott
Marshall
Ambrose
Barnes
Murali

1- M. Hayden
2- S. Gavasker
3- B. Lara
4- S. Tendulkar
5- V. Richards
6- G. Sobers
7- A. Gilchrist
8- I. Khan
9- M. Marshall
10- G. Magrath or Garner or Ambrose - but I watched GM the most
11- M. Murali

It is really difficult to compile a team of 11 players, because we can't compare one over other as all of them were masters of their art. There is no question of why he is there and why he is not there, because if we compile a best test XI it is the most difficult task I suppose. Bird has not included Bradman, Sachin, Marshal, Kapil, Holding, Gilly. If we look at the present cricket Cook, Kp, Dravid, Punter also deserves a place. Washim ans Waqar are the two greatest duo a team can have. So numbers are countless. If instead of XI if we go for probable 30 then I hope there is no scope of choice as we can have all of them.