With the 2019 Cricket World Cup a little over a month away, cricket publication ESPNcricinfo conducted a staff survey to find out its consensus all-time World Cup XI.
Of the many greats featured, only Wasim Akram was a constant on every single one of the 22 individual lists, the publication said.
The former left-arm pacer’s heroics in the 1992 World Cup, including his famous back-to-back dismissals of Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis probably earned him unanimous nods.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was Akram’s and the rest of the Cornered Tigers’ captain during that unforgettable campaign, has been picked to lead the star-studded line-up.
India, meanwhile, has a representative on the list in the form of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar.
Five-time defending champions Australia understandably have the most members on the list. And each one of Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath fully merit their selection.
The only two players who have been picked despite never being the world champions are Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and South Africa’s Lance Klusenar.
It is pertinent to mention here that while Sri Lanka did win the 1996 tournament, Sangakkara did not make his ODI debut until four years later. But another islander who did play the 1996 World Cup and does feature on the Cricinfo list is spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.
The only player from the non-coloured-kit era to make the list is West Indian Vivian Richards, who famously starred in two World Cup finals: running-out three English batsman in 1975 and smashing a century four years later.
