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| | Monday, 13 August, 2001, 02:58 GMT 03:58 UK Bradman's dream team revealed Bradman chose Tendulkar and Lillee Sir Donald Bradman chose his ultimate cricket team shortly before his death and rated India's Sachin Tendulkar as the only current international good enough to make it. Bradman, considered the greatest ever batsman, chose a contentious XI which featured seven Australians and just one Englishman. The dream team included South African opener Barry Richards, West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, and English bowler Alec Bedser.
England's Wally Hammond was selected as the 12th man. Bradman's biography was released on Monday. Writer, Roland Perry said Bradman's intention was to select an attacking combination, despite it containing only four specialist batsmen. "If they can't make 500, who can?" was Bradman's argument, according to Perry. Bradman, nicknamed the Don, selected himself as the number three batsman behind openers Richards and Authur Morris, his team-mate on Australia's Invincibles tour of England in 1948. Spearheads He picked Tendulkar at four, then Sobers at five. Sobers was the first name he put down.
"He offers balance and variety with bat and ball. He is, in my opinion, the greatest cricketer of all time," Bradman said. Australia's Don Tallon was selected as wicketkeeper. Bradman opted for his contemporaries in the leg-spin department, preferring Bill O'Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett to Shane Warne, the current Australian spinner who is rated as the world's best. Australians Ray Lindwall and Dennis Lillee were the pace spearheads of the five-pronged bowling attack.
Bradman, who died in February at the age of 92, scored 6,996 runs in 52 tests spanning 20 years until 1948. His average of 99.94 runs per test innings is far superior to any other batsman. South Africa's Graeme Pollock is next on the all-time averages standings with 60.97. | |
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