Sangakkara's omission surprises Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist, the Australia wicketkeeper, has questioned the inclusion of Mark Boucher instead of Kumar Sangakkara as the World XI's wicketkeeper for the Super Test which starts on October 14 at Sydney.

"Kumar keeping so regularly and so well to Murali is probably what jumped out at me," Gilchrist was quoted as saying by AFP. "I thought he might have been in the Test position for that reason alone because I imagine it would be so difficult to take on in a one-off scenario. But their selection panel had plenty of time to ponder over it and they have come up with that one and Mark Boucher is a very well-performed cricketer for South Africa as we know."

Sangakkara was the World XI's best batsman in the one-day series with 138 runs in three games including two half-centuries. Sangakkara averages 48.02 - eight hundreds with a highest of 270 - in Tests compared to Boucher's 30.38.

Gilchrist expected the World XI to make a strong comeback in the Super Test after the 3-0 drubbing in the one-day series. "They have something to prove which is a bit scary given the calibre of the players they have got on paper; they should be favourites to beat us. And they should have been favourites on paper in that one-day series, and on paper in this Test match but as you have seen it does not always turn out that way."

Meanwhile, Simon Katich, the Australian batsman, is being treated for a groin strain and Brad Hodge, the Victoria batsman, is likely to make his Test debut if Katich is found unfit.