Controversy and the selection of an imaginary cricket team go hand in hand. No matter which cricketer is picked to be part of the final XI, the ones omitted make more news and legions of fans stand up to protest their omission. <img alt="Dickie Bird" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/apr/dickie-bird.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 333px;" /> Dickie Bird has named his greatest all-time Test XI. File Pic/AFP Dickie Bird, the former international umpire, too, is sure to stoke controversy after announcing his greatest all-time Test XI. Bird, who&#39;s one of cricket&#39;s favourite and most famous men in white suits, hasn&#39;t included any of the this generation&#39;s cricketing greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara or Ricky Ponting. Nor has cricket&#39;s biggest legend Don Bradman found a place in his squad.u00a0 Englshman Bird,u00a0who turns 80 on April 19th, has made another &#39;error&#39; by including only one fellow countryman in his team: wicketkeeper Alan Knott.u00a0 The list published in The Telegraph has just one Indian -- Sunil Gavaskar, who&#39;s the opener along with South African great Barry Richards. Bird, who officiated in 66 Tests, terms Gavaskar as &quot;one of the two best opening bats&quot; and says that Richards &quot;would have broken all the records, but for apartheid&quot;. The Englishman, who has the distinction of having umpired in three World Cup finals, has Caribbean batsman Vivian Richards and Australian legend Greg Chappell. The all-rounder in the squad is West Indian great Garfield Sobers whom Bird describes as u00a0&quot;the greatest I have ever seen play the game&quot;. <img alt="Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/apr/gavaskar-sachin.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 302px;" /> While Sunil Gavaskar has been included, Sachin Tendulkar isu00a0conspicuous by his absence. File Pic/AFP There&#39;s a second South African in the playing XI: Graeme Pollock, who Bird feels was &quot;largely lost because of apartheid&quot;. Pakistan all-rounder Imran Khan has been chosen to captain Bird&#39;s greatest XI. While the bowlers are spinners Shane Warne and Lance Gibbs and pacer Dennis Lillee. Bird, who received the Officer of the British Empire, (OBE) medal in 2012,u00a0describes Lillee as &quot;the finest fast bowler who ever lived&quot;. <h2 class="footer_style"> Here&#39;s Dickie Bird&#39;s Greatest All-Time Test XI:</h2> <ol> <li> Sunil Gavaskar </li> <li> Barry Richards </li> <li> Vivian Richards </li> <li> Greg Chappell </li> <li> Garfield Sobers </li> <li> Graeme Pollock </li> <li> Allan Knott (wk) </li> <li> Imran Khan (capt) </li> <li> Dennis Lillee </li> <li> Shane Warne </li> <li> Lance Gibbs</li> </ol>

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Harold 'Dickie' Bird names his greatest Test XI. The squad is sure to stoke controversy since it doesn't have Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Don Bradman.

Cricket's most famous umpire's greatest Test XI raises eyebrows

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Cricket's most famous umpire's greatest Test XI raises eyebrows

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