The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the ICC Test Team of the Year 2023 on January 23 (Tuesday), which is notably dominated by Australia. Led by Australia's skipper Pat Cummins, the team features only two Indian players. Unfortunately, India's captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli did not secure spots in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year. Pat Cummins, the victorious captain of the World Test Championship 2023 also emerged as the second highest wicket-taker in Tests in 2023 and features in the team alongside four other Australian players.
Other Australian players include in the ICC Test Team of the Year are Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Alex Carey, and Mitchell Starc. Khawaja accumulated 1,210 runs in 13 Tests, with Head contributing significantly with 919 runs, including a memorable century in the WTC Final. Carey led the list of wicket-keepers with 44 catches and 10 stumpings. Starc, the left-arm pacer, claimed 38 wickets in just nine matches.
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Notably, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli did not secure a spot in the team, with Ravindra Jadeja along with Ravichandran Ashwin, who is currently ranked as the No. 1 bowler in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, being the only two Indian players in the 11. Jadeja played a crucial all-round role for India in the Test format, while Ashwin picked up 25 wickets in the Border Gavaskar Trophy and added 15 wickets in the series against the West Indies.
The batting lineup also features Dimuth Karunaratne, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson. In the bowling department, Stuart Broad joins Cummins and Starc in the Test Team of the Year, marking his last year in international cricket.
ICC Test Team of the Year 2023: Usman Khawaja, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Travis Head, Ravindra Jadeja, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Starc, Stuart Broad