To be given the task of picking a greatest West Indies team of all time induced both pleasure and angst. A mere glance at those on a shortlist brought back joyful memories of so many great players, but pruning them into a final eleven (with a twelfth man) was a devilishly difficult challenge. As an English cricket writer, I can at least claim to be impartial, but having travelled extensively through the Caribbean I know full well that opinion will be divided and sensibilities tested. One leading authority on West Indies cricket even described the very selection of an all-time eleven as an exercise in futility. But, futile or not, this was the brief.

With an all-rounder at number six ‘Garfield Sobers’ name being the first on the team sheet - and a wicketkeeper at seven, that left five spaces for specialist batsmen and four for bowlers. Starting with the former, it was quickly clear that the claims of an array of extraordinarily talented middle order players meant one might have to open the batting. If Vivian Richards, the most feared batsman of his generation, was next on the team sheet, and had to be followed by Brian Lara, the second-highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket, that buttoned up numbers three and four with the pair inter-changeable in the batting order. That left only one more middle order place at number five, with a whole host of candidates... George Headley, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell, Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai, Richie Richardson and Shivnarine Chanderpaul to name but a few.

One obvious solution was to give Walcott the wicketkeeping gloves, a role he performed with some distinction for 15 of his 44 Tests, even if Jeffrey Dujon, a veteran of 79 appearances and himself a fine batsman, was a more athletic option keeping to the fast bowlers. Walcott was nevertheless more assured standing up, and with two spinners in my side, that was an important consideration. Moreover, Walcott’s superiority as a batsman - he once made five hundreds in one series against Australia in 1954-5 when he totalled a remarkable 827 runs - made him impossible to leave out. With a Test average of 58, you could argue he is too low at number seven in the order, but he would be formidable ‘insurance’ - a modern-day Adam Gilchrist.

For a long time, George Headley was considered the best batsman to have come out of the Caribbean, and his Test average of 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 - 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.

The 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, Andy Roberts and Courtney Walsh.

Cozier and I agreed that a tall bowler with unrelenting accuracy and steepling bounce was desirable and narrowed the choice down to Ambrose or Garner, both useful tailenders. Like Marshall, each took their wickets at just 20 apiece (Ambrose 405 in 98 Tests and Garner 259 in 58). Ambrose, by a short head, got the nomination at number nine.

To complete a varied quartet of fast bowlers, with Sobers offering left-arm variety and swing not to mention a second spin option, we both felt some raw pace was required. All the others mentioned above could supply it at times, not least the clever Roberts, but the vote went to Holding, consistently the quickest. Who can forget his 14 wickets against England on an Oval featherbed in 1976, or his electric over to Geoff Boycott at Kensington in 1980? When you remember his dangerous hitting ability and athletic fielding, he was more than a great pacer who took 249 wickets in 60 Tests at 23.

Finally, who should be twelfth man? On fielding ability alone, Roger Harper has no equal, but another fast bowler was required as cover. It is not often a former captain with 519 wickets in 132 Tests carries the drinks, but on this occasion, Courtney Walsh must. At least, he could sit back on the dressing-room balcony and enjoy watching what looks a completely unbeatable team.

LiME magazine's greatest West Indies cricket XI ever is:

1.  CG Greenidge

2.  GA Headley

3.  IVA Richards

4.  BC Lara

5.  CL Walcott (kpr)

6.  GSTA Sobers (capt)

7.  EDEC Weekes

8.  MD Marshall

9.  CEL Ambrose

10. MA Holding

11. LR Gibbs

12. CA Walsh

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Comment on our team selection

It is impossible, let alone irrelevant, to choose a definitive all-time XI, but we thought it would be a bit of fun – and serve to remind us how strong the West Indies cricketing heritage is. There is so much to be proud of that hopefully it will help focus the attention of cricket lovers across the region who would like to see West Indies once again stand on top of the cricketing world.

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