Abbas shocked to see Sachin in 26 position

Lahore: Former Pakistan middle order batsman Zaheer Abbas is surprised that Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar does not figure in the elite list of batsmen released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Tendulkar was placed 26, ten places below the recently retired Aussie opener Matthew Hayden.

"There is no way you won't have Tendulkar in the list," Abbas was quoted as saying by The News.

The list has also infuriated officials and fans in India. Four leading Test run-scorers of all time Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh and Allan Border could not even manage into the top 20.

Meanwhile, the ICC released a statement yesterday after drawing flak from cricket fans especially in India over the rankings.

"Matthew Hayden's position of 10th and 18th in the all-time Test and ODI rankings for batsmen is an impressive achievement by anyone's standards but this does not necessarily mean he is the 10th best Test batsman or 18th best ODI batsman in the history of the

game," the statement said.

"The rankings give an indication of how players peaked during their careers but do not give a full picture of those players' level of consistency or longevity in the game.

"For example, a batsman or a bowler who averages around 700 ratings points for most of his career apart from a purple patch where he shoots up to 900 points before dropping down again may be ranked higher on the all-time ratings.

"But that does not mean he should necessarily be considered better than a player who hovered around the 850-point mark for his entire career," it added.