Cricket Australia has made Virat Kohli the captain of their Test team a day after the Indian skipper was snubbed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in its Test team of the year.
The ICC, on Thursday, announced its yearly awards and very few can point fingers towards the winners. Ravichandran Ashwin deservedly won the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2016. The off-spinner picked up 48 wickets in eight Tests this year at an unbelievable average of 15.39 and also contributed with the bat by scoring 336 runs, averaging 42 during the voting period from September 14, 2015 to September 20, 2016. South Africa’s wicket-keeper-batsman Quinton de Kock was also a deserving winner for the ICC ODI player of the year after scoring 793 runs in 16 ODIs with four centuries and a half-century.
However, the ICC’s Test Team of the Year has received a lot of flak after ignoring the likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.
Both Smith and Kohli have been in superb form in the past one year or so but were sensationally left out of the team. But both were deservedly included in the Cricket Australia’s (CA) Test Team of the Year.
Overall, CA made six changes to the team that was announced by the ICC. Alastair Cook, who was leading the ICC team, made way for Virat Kohli. Pakistan opener Azhar Ali, who scored a triple-century against the West Indies, replaced David Warner in the team. Kane Williamson, Adam Voges and Dale Steyn also weren’t included.
Here is Cricket Australia’s 2016 Test Team of the Year:
Azhar Ali (Pakistan), Joe Root (England), Steve Smith (Australia), Virat Kohli (India, captain), Ben Stokes (England), Jonny Bairstow (England), Quinton de Kock (South Africa, wk), Ravichandran Ashwin (India), Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Kagiso Rabada (South Africa).