SYDNEY: Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan featured as an all-rounder in the Greatest Test XI of all time picked by Australian cricket legend Richie Benaud back in 2004.

Benaud, who passed away at the age of 84 in Sydney on Friday after a prolonged illness, had played and covered international cricket for more than 50 years and had probably seen more players in action than most people. Therefore, he had the benefit of choosing from a wider range of players spanning different eras.

Benaud’s Greatest Test XI: Jack Hobbs, Sunil Gavaskar, Don Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards, Imran Khan, Gary Sobers, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Sydney Barnes, Dennis Lillee

While none of the eleven players picked are active anymore, Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist were still playing at the time when Benaud picked his team. In total, there were four Australians, two Englishmen, two West Indians, four Indians and one Pakistani in the XI.

A few eyebrows were raised regarding the exclusion of greats like Ian Botham, Brian Lara, Wally Hammond, Barry Richards, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Malcolm Marshall, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall, Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath, Rodney Marsh and Muttiah Muralitharan just to name a few, but Benaud made it clear afterwards that this was the side he would have most liked to represent him.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2015

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