Saeed Ajmal selected for ICC World T20 team

Outgoing Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was named captain of the team.

COLOMBO: Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal was named as a slow bowler for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) team of the World Twenty20 tournament on Monday. Outgoing Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was named captain.

A five-member ICC panel selected three Sri Lankan players and two each from the new champions and Australia in the 11-man team, the governing body said in a statement.

Chris Gayle and all-rounder Shane Watson, the player of the tournament, were named openers while India's Virat Kohli, Jayawardene, England's Luke Wright and explosive West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels filled up the middle-order slots.

Young Australian seamer Mitchell Starc and limited-overs specialist Lasith Malinga were the two fast bowlers in the team. Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka was also named a slow bowler along with Ajmal.

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was selected as the wicket-keeper, while South Africa were the only major cricketing nation without a representative in the team.

Team: Chris Gayle (West Indies), Shane Watson (Australia), Virat Kohli (India), Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka - captain), Luke Wright (England), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand), Marlon Samuels (West Indies), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan), Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)