'It is not a popularity contest' - Jason Gillespie unimpressed with ICC T20I Team of the Decade

The announcement of the Teams of the Decade by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday has been met with mixed reactions. Several fans and experts have made it clear that they were not impressed with the selections in the team especially for the T20I team where some of the biggest names in the game have failed to find a place.

The likes of Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Quinton de Kock, Jos Buttler are just a few of the notable names who failed to make the cut for the star-studded side. And as the cricket fraternity continue to debate over the selections, former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has also expressed his reservation over the way the team was compiled.

Soon after the ICC announced the team, Gillespie took to Twitter to state that he did not agree with the selection of just three frontline bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, and Rashid Khan are the only specialist bowlers in the team. Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers are the specialist batsmen in the team while MS Dhoni has been named as the wicketkeeper as well as captain.

The team has also two all-rounders in the form of Glenn Maxwell and Kieron Pollard. Gillespie also took a sly dig at the ICC by saying that the team was supposed to be the team of the decade and not a ‘popularity contest’. The team includes four players from India, two each from West Indies and Australia, and one each from South Africa, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka.

“Do not agree with selecting only 3 frontline bowlers. Meant to be T20I TEAM of the decade as opposed to a popularity contest @ICC,” wrote Jason Gillespie.

Do not agree with selecting only 3 frontline bowlers. Meant to be T20I TEAM of the decade as opposed to a popularity contest @ICC https://t.co/iSKMnBHhzu

— Jason Gillespie 🌱 (@dizzy259) December 27, 2020

Jason Gillespie’s suggestion

After criticizing the selection of just three specialist bowlers in the team, Jason Gillespie also suggested a different criterion to select the team. The former cricketer suggested that the ICC could select the team on the basis of the best players for each position, writing, “Could a team of the decade be selected from the best players in each position in an X1?”

Could a team of the decade be selected from the best players in each position in an X1? https://t.co/5Z504lCfzp

— Jason Gillespie 🌱 (@dizzy259) December 27, 2020