LONDON (CMC) - Double world record holder Brian Lara is the only West Indies player in the World XI squads picked to challenge Australia in Johnnie Walker Super Series in October. The International Cricket Council (ICC), organisers of the All-Star series, confirmed the final squad lists yesterday and other West Indian batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle, who had been on the original list, were scratched. Chanderpaul had been on the provisional list for the Test match and Gayle had earned a draft pick for the one-dayers. Lara, Andrew Flintoff, Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar, Muttiah Muralitharan, Steve Harmison and Shoaib Akhtar were yesterday among a galaxy of international stars who will lead the ICC World XI challenge against Australia in October's Johnnie Walker Super Series. South Africa's Graeme Smith will lead the ICC World XI Test side, while his compatriot Shaun Pollock will skipper the One Day International (ODI) team. "Their aim will be to emulate the performance of West Indies captain Richie Richardson in 1992-93, the last skipper to leave Australia victorious in both Test and ODI encounters," the ICC stated in a release yesterday. Rahul Dravid will be Smith's vice captain in the Test squad and Tendulkar will be Pollock's deputy in the ODI squad. The final squads also include outstanding players of the calibre of Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Daniel Vettori, Kumar Sangakkara and Mark Boucher, representing the cream of the rest of the world's talent. Sunil Gavaskar, the record-breaking former India captain who chaired the Johnnie Walker selection panel, said that the ICC World XI sides would put Australia under severe pressure to maintain their dominant home record. "This is the first time for decades that the greatest players from the rest of the world have combined their talents, and I expect them to put Australia under real pressure. "Australia will be looking to regroup after the intensity of the Ashes series in England, but I don't think the cricket will be any easier for them against these World XI sides," Gavaskar said. ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said that the Johnnie Walker selectors had picked two squads of superb players who would test Australia to the limit: "There are no weak links in either of these squads; everywhere you look there is an outstanding player whose talent enriches the game. I firmly believe that Sunil and his co-selectors have chosen wisely in making their choices and have given Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock an enviable number of options to cover all match circumstances. Personally, I can't wait for the series to begin." Former India coach John Wright will coach the ICC World XI teams, with Goolam Rajah of South Africa acting as team manager and England's Kirk Russell taking on the role of team physiotherapist. The Johnnie Walker ICC Super Series one-day matches will take place at the Telstra Dome, Melbourne, on October 5, 7 and 9, and the six-day Super Test will be at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, from October 14-19 October. The 13 players named for the ICC World XI Super Test side and 14 for the One Day International squad are: ICC World XI Test squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid (vice captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher, Steve Harmison, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori. ICC World XI ODI squad: Shaun Pollock (captain), Sachin Tendulkar (vice captain), Virender Sehwag, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Flintoff, Kumar Sangakkara, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Makhaya Ntini, Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com