Mike Brearley picks Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan in his All Time XI
Former England captain Mike Brearley has picked Sunil Gavaskar, Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir among others in his All Time XI. The 76-year old is the latest cricketer to reveal his dream team through Lord's Cricket Ground's official Youtube channel.
Brearley, who made his debut in 1976, gained global recognition for his stint as England captain. He led his country in 31 Tests and managed to win 18 of those whilst tasting defeat on just four occasions. Among all captains with at least 25 matches, his win-loss ratio of 4.50 is the second best (behind Steve Waugh's 4.55) in the history of the format.
Considering the gladiatorial nature of the 1970s and 1980s, it is no surprise that Brearley's all time XI contains only his contemporaries. The Middlesex stalwart opted for a versatile opening combination comprising the classical defence of Sunil Gavaskar and the attacking stroke-play of Gordon Greenidge.
Elaborating on his picks for the opening slots, Brearley enthused, "Sunil Gavaskar was a very correct player. But also, if you bowl him a half-volley in the first over, he would hit it for four. Gordon Greenidge was an attacking opening batsman. (He was) a wonderful stroke-player but also very correct."
The middle-order is manned by the likes of Greg Chappell, Sir Viv Richards and Ian Chappell. Expressing his admiration for the latter's astute leadership skills, Brearley chose the older Chappell for captaining his dream team.
Sir Ian Botham, who reached the pinnacle in the 1981 Ashes under Brearley's captaincy, is one of the two all-rounders in this star-studded lineup. Legendary England gloveman Alan Knott takes up the key wicket-keeper slot. Abdul Qadir, widely acknowledged as the renaissance man of spin in the 1980s, is the sole slow bowler.
On the presence of the two Pakistani icons, Brearley affirmed, "Imran Khan was a different type of bowler from the other fast bowlers in the team. He swung the ball in. He was fast and hostile and (also) a fine attacking batsman. Abdul Qadir was a marvellous, flamboyant (and) effervescent spin bowler."
With the two-star all-rounders lending optimum balance to the side, the pace department is led by Dennis Lillee and Sir Andy Roberts. While the irresistible Australian is credited to have inspired dozens of great seamers, the Caribbean doyen marshalled the intimidating pace battery of West Indies.
Mike Brearley's All Time XI: Sunil Gavaskar (India), Gordon Greenidge (West Indies), Greg Chappell (Australia), Sir Viv Richards (West Indies), Ian Chappell (c) (Australia), Sir Ian Botham (England), Alan Knott (wk) (England), Imran Khan (Pakistan), Abdul Qadir (Pakistan), Dennis Lillee (Australia) and Sir Andy Roberts (West Indies)