In the firing LineFirst was Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq whose efforts, he said, were lamentable. He had no feeling for the project at any stage and wasted his time coming down to Australia. Ironically, Craddock said, Inzamam would not be “complaining for he will receive $31,250 overall for his innings of 1 and 0.Next it was fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. “He wanted to come because he loves the limelight but his fitness was substandard and it got to the stage where even cricket’s straightest man - Shaun Pollock - was half smirking when asked about Shoaib’s injury. Shoaib was a bad selection.” Lucky escapeThe Indians in the lineup — Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag — and Brian Lara escaped censure on various accounts.Dravid tried but his wife gave birth to a premature baby while he was away and he also became captain of India so he can be excused for being distracted and out of form.On Sehwag BBC said, “he was the only World XI player to reach a half-century with a typically swashbuckling 76 off 82 balls in his first knock as his team were dismissed for 190. “But he showed his tendency to throw his wicket away cheaply in the second innings when he chased a wide delivery off MacGill in worsening light and was caught behind at a crucial time in the match. “He said Lara came here fat but worked harder than any other player in the nets before the test and still failed.The best from both sidesAndrew Flintoff topped the BBC ranking for World XI with eight while leg spinner Stuart MacGill was the highest scorer overall with an impressive nine.
