The ICC said the list would be updated annually and have adequate Indian representation.

“This is not the final list. I do believe that a number of magnificent Indian cricketers deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. We will soon develop a mechanism and have plans to add more players to the list on an annual basis,” ICC president David Morgan said in a telephonic interview from London.

Former captains Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev are only Indians in the 55-strong list that includes 22 Englishmen, 11 Australians, 13 West Indians, three from Pakistan, two South Africans and a lone New Zealander.

Strangely, not a single Sri Lankan made it to the list.

Morgan said when updated the list will look balanced.

“There would be balance among nations, on merit,” he added.

The list does not contain cricketers who retired post-1995.

Eminent Indians missing from the list include C K Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Polly Umrigar, Subash Gupte, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Gundappa Viswanath.

Among Englishmen, W G Grace, one of the pioneers of the game, has been included but not Ranjitsinhji, who invented the leg glance and scored close to 1000 runs for England.

Morgan also took the opportunity to rubbish the notion that India has been a bully in the ICC, arm-twisting the governing body because of its financial clout.

“I have never regarded India as a bully at the ICC. I refer to my experience with India at the ICC under the leadership of Mr Dalmiya, Mr Pawar and now Mr Shashank Manohar. I do not accept that India acts in a bullying fashion,” Morgan said.

He also sought to dispel the fear of an Indian takeover of the ICC when Sharad Pawar succeeds him as the ICC president.

“I have another year in office and have every confidence in Sharad Pawar that he would be a good leader when he takes over in a year’s time,” Morgan added.

The ICC, while announcing Colin Cowdrey as the 19th cricketer to be formally inducted in its elite list of cricket greats, provided the list of persons who have been chosen for the Hall of Fame, but yet to be formally inducted.

The list contains 22 Englishmen, 11 Australians, 13 West Indians, three each from India, Pakistan and two South Africans and a lone New Zealander.

Apparently the list does not contain cricketers who have retired post-1995.

“The Hall of Fame, run in association with the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA), recognises some of the truly great players from crickets long and illustrious history”, ICC said while naming former England captain Cowdrey and its first chairman as its 19th formal inductee.

The world governing council for the game, celebrating its centenary year, also said that further cap presentations will be made during the course of the year and a limited number of inductees, in addition to the 55 already chosen, will be named during 2009.

Strangely, none from Sri Lanka has been found good enough to make the list though the island nation has won the World Cup, ICC’s showpiece event, in 1996.

Even from among Indian cricketers the list does not include C K Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Polly Umrigar, Subash Gupte, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Gundappa Viswanath and Dilip Vengsarkar, to name a few.

Among the Englishmen the name of Dr W G Grace, one of the pioneers of the game, has been included but not Ranjitsinhji, the erstwhile Jamsaheb of Nawanagar, who invented the leg glance, scored close to 1000 runs for England and averaged marginally below 45 in 15 Tests.

More than anything Ranji’s name has been permanently associated with Indian cricket with the national championship being named after him.

Also missing is his nephew Duleepsinhji, who too played for England in pre-independence days and scored close to 1000 runs in only 12 Tests at a high average of 58-plus.

In his memory, the Cricket Board is conducting the inter-zonal championship, once considered as the main selection trials for Tests, since the early 1960s.