Babar, Buttler’s exclusion from T20I Team of the Decade surprises Gillespie

Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie believes that Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam and England’s hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler should have been part of the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Decade.  

The T20I XI includes four players from India, two Australians, two West Indies players, one from South Africa and a player each from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

No cricketer from England, New Zealand and Pakistan were included in the team.

“And I do find it hard to understand that a T20I team of the decade doesn’t include Jos Buttler or Baba [Babar] Azam,” tweeted Gillespie.

And I do find it hard to understand that a T20I team of the decade doesn’t include Jos Buttler or Baba Azam. https://t.co/iSKMnBHhzu

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

He was also surprised to see that only three frontline bowlers were picked in the XI.

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

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

The ICC Awards of the Decade is a one-off edition of the annual awards programme, aimed at celebrating the stand-out performers and moments from the past ten years of international cricket.

The nominees for each of the categories were determined according to on-field performances, impact on the game and overall achievements for a sustained period of time across the last decade.

To be an eligible nominee, a player must have made international appearances in the relevant format for at least 5 (five) years during the performance period.

ICC Men's T20I Team of the Decade:

Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, MS Dhoni (c, wk), Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.