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Cricket's first official Hall of Fame will be inaugurated at Lord's tonight by New Zealand's greatest all-rounder, Sir Richard Hadlee.

There are some notable omissions from the first 50 of ``the greatest players of all time'' but the fact that the selections have followed wide consultation on behalf of the newly formed Federation of International Cricketers' Associations should calm sensitivities. Nineteen Englishmen to 12 West Indians, 10 Australians, and a total of only six from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will look to some an unbalanced selection.

The fact that international cricketers intend to exploit their own potential and guard their interests under the banner of FICA is more important than the idea of a Hall of Fame itself. Nevertheless, they are playing with fire by postponing the inclusion of, among many, Victor Trumper, Frank Woolley, Alan Davidson, Herbert Sutcliffe, Vijay Merchant, Vinoo Mankad, Wilfred Rhodes, Hedley Verity, Clarrie Grimmett, Ted Dexter, Mike Procter, George Lohmann, C B Fry, Ken Barrington, Graham Gooch and K S Ranjitsinhji.

I trust in time that of those still playing - FICA wisely avoided even more heated conjecture by eliminating them from the selection Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Aravinda de Silva, Allan Donald, Curtly Ambrose, Wasim Akram, Steve Waugh and Shane Warne will be among those inducted.

FICA's secretary, Tim O'Gorman, admitted that the selection process had been ``fiendishly difficult'' but added: ``You can't knock the integrity of a panel including Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Lord Cowdrey, Dickie Bird and nine current Test captains.''

Their integrity certainly not; their judgment just possibly. Consider, for example, some of the fast bowlers who have been left out: Fred Spofforth, Ted McDonald, Jack Gregory, Jeff Thomson, Frank Tyson, Bob Willis, Andy Roberts, John Snow. . . .

Such controversy should work admirably in stimulating the serious reason for this promotion, namely to establish FICA as a body with a part to play in world cricket. As Tim May, secretary of the Australian PCA, said: ``Matters of rules and playing conditions, commercial considerations, codes of conduct, drug codes, racial and religious vilification codes, revenue streams, and programming all need to be addressed on a global scale.''

Hall of Fame

S F Barnes (England)                Imran Khan (Pakistan)
B S Bedi (India)                    R B Kanhai (W Indies)
A V Bedser (England)                Kapil Dev (India)
R Benaud (Australia)                A P E Knott (England)
A R Border (Australia)              J C Laker (England)
I T Botham (England)                H Larwood (England)
G Boycott (England)                 D K Lillee (Australia)
D G Bradman (Australia)             R R Lindwall (Australia)
G S Chappell (Australia)            C H Lloyd (W Indies)
D C S Compton (England)             R W Marsh (Australia)
M C Cowdrey (England)               M D Marshall (W Indies)
S M Gavaskar (India)                P B H May (England)
L R Gibbs (W Indies)                Javed Miandad (Pakistan)
D I Gower (England)                 K R Miller (Australia)
W G Grace (England)                 W J O'Reilly (Australia)
T W Graveney (England)              R G Pollock (S Africa)
C G Greenidge (W Indies)            B A Richards (S Africa)
R J Hadlee (New Zealand)            I V A Richards (W Indies)
W R Hammond (England)               G St A Sobers (W Indies)
Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan)           J B Statham (England)
R N Harvey (Australia)              F S Trueman (England)
G A Headley (W Indies)              D L Underwood (England)
J B Hobbs (England)                 C L Walcott (W Indies)
M A Holding (W Indies)              E deC Weekes (W Indies)
L Hutton (England)                  F M M Worrell (W Indies)