Photographs: GETTY images MAIN: Sir Viv Richards in full flow TOP RIGHT: Brian Lara celebrates reaching his triple century during day two of the Fourth Test match between the West Indies and England on April 11 2004 at the Recreation Ground in St Johns, Antigua ABOVE: The captain of the Rest of the World Cricket team Sir Garfield Sobers with the Guinness Trophy, after his team beat England at the Final Test match held at the Oval October - December 2008 lime 61

- but the former just gets the nod as the more destructive batsman. That brings us to the final batting place. The two Guyanese, Lloyd and Kanhai, who averaged 46 and 47 respectively over long international careers, present a strong case, as did Worrell whose average was even higher ( 49). Lloyd's brilliant fielding had also to be considered, but Cozier and I both felt that Weekes was just too good to be left out. Like Walcott, he made 15 Test hundreds, averaging only two runs less than his fellow Bajan. As Wisden wrote: ' he did not allow attacks to tie him down for long, although he did not possess the same range of strokes as Headley.' Having played for the West Indies in the 1950s, ' 60s and ' 70s, and in the best spirit, Sobers is captain. T he bowlers are no easier to whittle down, although two stand out as automatic picks. Malcolm Marshall has to be the most skilful practitioner of pace, seam and swing that the West Indies have produced, a conjuror who could get the ball to talk. His 376 wickets in 81 Tests at 20 apiece tell their own story. He is also the only West Indian to have taken 35 wickets in one series, in England in 1988. A capable lower order batsman, his place at number eight is uncontested. So too is the number eleven spot which goes to Lance Gibbs, whose off- breaks brought him 309 wickets in 79 Tests at 29 apiece, comfortably the best record of a spinner from the region. Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine were terrific bowlers, sharing 297 wickets between them, but Gibbs has to play ahead of them. That leaves two fast bowling spots at numbers nine and ten with a long list of distinguished names to choose from: CUrtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop, Colin Croft, Joel Garner, Wes Hall, Michael Holding, CRICKET 62 lime October - December 2008 60 remains unsurpassed by any West Indian. But for the Second World War, which began when he was 30 and in his prime, the Jamaican would have played many more than 22 Tests. He still managed to make 10 hundreds, a stunning ratio that no other West Indian comes close to matching. Headley, who twice scored centuries in both innings of a Test match against England ( becoming in 1939 to first batsman from any country to do so at Lord's), batted at number three, but although Richards opened early in his Test career, I would propose sending Headley in first to free up a place in the middle order. It means, of course, that one of the likes of Conrad Hunte, Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge and Des Haynes would have to miss out. I should add that Tony Cozier felt that Headley should bat at three, with two specialist openers. That would mean, however, that Richards and Lara would have to be pushed down the order with no room at number five for one of Weekes, Lloyd, Kanhai or Worrell. To leave all four of those out was not something I could countenance. Cozier favoured Greenidge and Hunte, rather than Haynes, as his openers. The Greenidge- Haynes alliance was so prolific that I would have gone for that pair but for the log jam in the middle order. Both players had very similar records - Greenidge 7558 runs in 108 appearances at an average of 44 and Haynes 7487 in 116 at 42 Cozier favoured Greenidge and Hunte as openers. The Greenidge- Haynes alliance was so prolific that I would have gone for that pair but for the logjam in the middle order ll