There were few complaints when Don Bradman was named captain of Wisden’s all-time World Test XI on Wednesday. The Australia great’s batting average of 99.94 has never, and more than likely will never, be surpassed.
The inclusion of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards and Shane Warne likewise raised few eyebrows. But what about those who didn’t make the cutIJ
limited to winners of the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award, the World XI contains four Englishmen, which is perhaps unsurprising given that it is an English publication. That doesn’t mean there are not plenty of other candidates though.
Below is an alternative World XI that may not necessarily beat Wisden’s team - how do you beat a side with a middle order of Bradman, Tendulkar and Richards - but may well run them close. There still isn’t space for Ian Botham, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, Richard Hadlee or Glenn McGrath, but with those five a World third XI would fancy themselves to ruffle a few feathers as well.