Dhoni named captain of ICC ODI team

Dhoni named captain of ICC ODI teamLondon, Sep 13 : Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been named as the captain of ICC World ODI team for 2011.

The decision was taken ahead of the ICC annual awards function by a panel chaired by former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd.

Lloyd said that Dhoni''s contribution to Indian and world cricket has been immense.

"Well, this guy has just one-two international trophies for you, Twenty20 and the World Cup. He has just batted extremely well here. He has lost seven players to injury. You know, you don''t replace those players easily; you never replace great players quickly. I think that India should be proud to know that they have someone of his skill," said Lloyd.

"The players love him, people love him, he is a likeable person and we need people like that in cricket. I sincerely hope he is around for quite a long time because I admire him, and I wish him and India the best of luck in the future," he added.

Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and pace bowler Zaheer Khan feature in the ICC World XI team.

Dhoni''s captaincy helped India win the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007, followed by a climb to the top of the Test cricket rankings. His crowning glory as captain was the victory of the Indian team in the 2011World Cup.

The ICC also inducted three former players, Belinda Clark, Alan Davidson and Curtly Ambrose into its Hall of Fame.

Clark, the former captain of the Australian cricket team, is the second woman to receive the honour.

"Yeah, look, it''s very exciting to be here, and it is recognition on a global scale which is just wonderful," she said.

Davidson and Ambrose played as fast bowlers for Australia and West Indies respectively, with Test match tallies of 186 and 405 wickets. (ANI)