Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series squads to be announced in India on 9 May

The names of the players selected to make up the 30-man Test and One-Day International squads for the ICC World XI sides to take on Australia in October's Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series will be announced in Mumbai, India on 9 May.

Selectors Sunil Gavaskar, chairman, Mike Atherton, Richard Hadlee, Clive Lloyd, Jonty Rhodes and Aravinda de Silva will choose from the cream of the world's cricketing talent in nominating players for this outstanding series of matches.

"It's a fantastic brief to be able to pick from the greatest players in world cricket to take on Australia," said Sunil Gavaskar. "I'm sure that every cricket fan would love to be in the selectors' position, discussing and debating the merits of so many outstanding players. The challenge will be in narrowing our choices down to just 30 players with so much talent to choose from for both squads."

Players from the nine Test playing countries and the 10 holding One Day International status will come under selectorial consideration. Following announcement of the initial squads of 30, the selectors will meet again to reduce these down to squads of 20 in early July.

The inaugural Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series will pit world champion Australia against ICC World Test and One Day XI teams in the three One Day Internationals in Melbourne's Telstra Dome and a six-day Super Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The final teams of 13 for the Super Test and 14 for the ODIs, plus management and coaching appointments, will be confirmed in August. Combined prize money and match payments for the one-day series will be US$ 1.254 million, while the total money available for the Super Test will be US$ 1.390 million. The matches will be accorded official Test and ODI status.

The challenge awaiting the ICC World XI teams is to succeed where national sides have mostly failed. Australia has not lost a home Test series since 1993 and is undefeated in a One Day International series since 2002.