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Smith picked to lead World XI

Graeme Smith will lead the World XI Test side while his compatriot Shaun Pollock was chosen to captain the one-day team

Cricinfo staff
23-Aug-2005


Graeme Smith is in charge of the world © Getty Images
Graeme Smith will captain the World XI Test side while Shaun Pollock was chosen to guide the one-day team after the final squads for the Super Series against Australia were named. Rahul Dravid is Smith's vice-captain and Sachin Tendulkar will be Pollock's deputy. Andrew Flintoff, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Steve Harmison and Shoaib Akhtar were also picked for the matches in October.
Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain who chaired the selection panel, said the sides would put Australia under severe pressure to maintain their dominant home record. "This is the first time for decades that the greatest players from the rest of the world have combined their talents," he said. "Australia will be looking to regroup after the intensity of the Ashes series in England, but I don't think the cricket will be any easier for them against these sides."
South Africa have six players across both squads, England and India have three, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have two and West Indies and New Zealand have one each. The series schedule includes a three-match ODI series at Melbourne's Telstra Dome on October 5, 7 and 9 and a six-day Super Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from October 14-19.
Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said the selectors had picked two squads of superb players who would test Australia to the limit. "There are no weak links in either of these squads," he said. "Everywhere you look there is an outstanding player whose talent enriches the game."
World XI Test squad Graeme Smith (capt), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid (vc), Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher, Steve Harmison, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori.
World XI ODI squad Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar (vc), Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Flintoff, Shaun Pollock (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Makhaya Ntini, Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori.
Also see: The Super Series sides picked by more than 16,000 Cricinfo readers.