As the year is near to end, Cricket Australia (CA) has released the Test XI of the decade on Monday (23 December). Indian skipper Virat Kohli, the no.1 Test batsman, is the only Indian included in the team and also has been given the responsible job of captaincy.
Here is the Test XI of the decade
It has four players from England, one from New Zealand, two from South Africa, one from India and three from Australia.
Top-order batsmen
The England cricketer Alastair Cook and David Warner are selected as the opener of the team. Cook has retired from the game in 2018 but he had a prolific decade of scoring runs. Last year, he was the highest run-scorer in the longest format of the game.
David Warner has shined as the opener in the cricket world. He got his maiden triple century in the recent Test match against Pakistan when he scored unbeaten 335 runs. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been picked at the no. 3 in the batting order this decade.
1.Alastair Cook
2.David Warne
3.Kane Williamson
Middle-order batsmen
Australia’s unorthodox player Steve Smith had a great year after his comeback in the game. Smith was the highest scorer in the Test series against England (Ashes 2019), scoring above 700 runs. He has been unstoppable since his debut in the Test team. His average is 63.14 in this decade.
Virat Kohli (captain)
In 2011, he marked his entrance in the longest format when Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, and other big names were retiring from the game. Since then, he has been the best in the Tests and every other format. He was handed over the captaincy of the Indian team in 2014 when Dhoni retired from the Tests. Kohli has led the team to the No.1 position in the longest format. He played 84 Tests and scored in 7202. Seeing his ability, he has been given the command of the team, placed at no.5 in the team.
Former South African captain AB de Villiers, who is regular in the franchise league, is appointed as the wicket-keeper. England’s Ben Stokes has been selected as the only allrounder in the team.
4.Steve Smith
5.Virat Kohli
6.Ab De Villers
7.Ben Stokes
Lower-order batsman (Bowlers)
In the bowling department, South African Dale Steyn, England Stuart Broad, and Jimmy Andreson are the pacers while Australian Spinner Nathon Lyon is the spinner.
8.Dale Steyn
9.Stuart Broad
10.Nathon Lyon
11.Jimmy Andreson