Players Who Missed Out In ICC Test And ODI Teams Of 2016

Dec 22, 2016 at 5:37 PM

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Players Who Missed Out In ICC Test And ODI Teams Of 2016

Like every cricketing year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its ODI and Test teams of the year, with performers being duly rewarded for their consistent performances. Apart from naming the teams for respective formats, the ICC also handed out its awards to performers of the year gone by. For naming any individual in a prestigious category, the ICC considered the period from September 14, 2015 to September 20, 2016 as the cut off or qualification date.

For this period, explosive South Africa wicket-keeper Quinton De Kock was named the ICC ODI Player for the Year. De Kock had a sensational ODI year as he amassed runs for fun and did so at an astonishing strike rate. At 793 runs in 16 ODIs, with four centuries to his name, de Kock indeed was the standout performer as far as ODIs are concerned.

The ICC Test Player and ICC Cricketer Of the Year belonged to India’s very own Ravichandran Ashwin, whose wicket-taking abilities remain top notch. For the mentioned period, Ashwin took 48 wickets in eight games at an awe-inspiring average 15.39. These stats from Ashwin also include a couple of Man of the Series awards in Tests against South Africa and the West Indies, the latter one being away from home.

However, as far as the ICC ODI and Test teams are concerned, there is surely room for further improvement. A few individuals, who churned out some impressive performances, could feel a bit hard done. Keeping that in mind, we have a look at the respective teams, that could be altered a bit in order to accommodate a few players.

ICC ODI XI:

Before we analyse the case, let’s have a look at the selected XI:

1 David Warner, 2 Quinton de Kock, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Mitchell Marsh, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Sunil Narine, 12 Imran Tahir

  1. Alex Hales for David Warner:

If we look into the matter closely, we’ll understand that Warner has piled up ODI records mainly outside the cut off period. In the very same time, England opener Alex Hales was the second highest run-getter in ODIs with 914 runs at an average of 57.12. In terms of runs, Hales was second only to Joe Root. As compared to Warner, Hales averages seven more per innings. What makes the England star a dynamic package is that in the ODI series against South Africa away from home, he amassed five consecutive scores in excess of 50 and was the Man of the Series.

  1. Adam Zampa for Ravindra Jadeja:

Probably, the biggest question mark is regarding how did Jadeja make it to the playing XI. For the cut off period, Jadeja played just five games and in those, he took three wickets at a dismal average of 85. Instead of Jadeja, there’s room for rookie Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa. He has been a great find for Australia this year, with 22 wickets in 12 games at an economy rate of 4.95.

  1. Matt Henry for Mitchell Starc:

It’s hard to understand what was the reason behind ignoring Matt Henry, who had 23 wickets in eight innings in the cut off period. Henry also played a crucial role behind New Zealand’s series win over Australia at home in early 2016. Starc, on the other hand, had 20 wickets in 10 games, at numbers lower than that of Henry.

  1. Imran Tahir instead of Sunil Narine in the playing XI:

While Tahir features as the 12th man, it only makes sense to have him in the playing XI. Tahir had been the leading wicket-taker in the period with 28 scalps in 16 games. Apart from that, Tahir played a crucial role in helping South Africa win the ODI series in India.

ICC Test XI:

1 David Warner, 2 Alastair Cook (capt), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Joe Root, 5 Adam Voges, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Ben Stokes, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Dale Steyn, 12 Steven Smith

As far as the Test team is concerned, there is just one individual who needs to come into the scheme of things.

  1. Stuart Broad for Dale Steyn:

Steyn has been brilliant over the years but injuries took a colossal toll over him in the cut off dates. One key performer overlooked for Steyn was England’s Stuart Broad, who would feel a bit hard done by the ICC. Broad took 50 wickets in 14 Tests for the period but more than anything else, it was his series winning spell at Johannesburg that makes him an asset. In a charged up spell, Broad took five wickets while conceding just a run to ensure that a rare overseas victory occurred. A performance where South Africa were trumped in their own backyard deserves a clear mention.

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