Test cricket in 2010s was a spectacle to behold. There were edge-of-the-seat thrillers, some extraordinary individual battles and some outstanding team performances. Here we try to identify the Test team of the decade by factoring in the following:
- Test batting average
- Test bowling average
- Performance in Home/Away/Neutral venues
*Stats in consideration - 2010 onwards.
Openers
While there were a handful of openers who made an impression in the 2010s, two left-handers as contrasting as the sun and the moon make it to the Test team of the decade. Retired England opener Alastair Cook averaged 46.15 in the 2010s with 23 hundreds and 37 half-centuries. The century count includes a spectacular double hundred against the pink ball, underlining his abilities in modern Test cricket.
His partner would be the indomitable David Warner who ended a run of poor form in 2019 with a triple hundred against Pakistan at home. Warner averages 49.08 in Tests with 23 centuries and 30 half-centuries. The contrast the two openers offer make them must-picks in the team of the decade.
David Warner, Alastair Cook
Middle-order
Two of the Fab four - Virat Kohli and Steven Smith - are certainties in the Test middle order of the decade. While the Indian captain averages 54.97 with 27 hundreds and 22 half-centuries this decade, Smith has a stunning average of 63.14 with 26 tons and 27 fifties. Kohli is the unanimous choice for captain too given how India's Test fortunes have taken off under him. He has the best win/loss ratio and most wins as captain in this decade.
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Identifying the all-rounder and the two other middle-order batsmen including a keeper is an arduous task with quite a few contenders popping up - Kane Williamson, Joe Root, AB de Villiers, Ben Stokes, Shakib Al Hasan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kumar Sangakkara, Jason Holder, BJ Watling all being worthy names in the middle-order, keeping and all-rounder categories.
AB de Villiers, for a stunning ability to switch between attack and defence and an average of 57.48 in the decade with 13 centuries makes the list as does BJ Watling as a keeper. The New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman has flown under the radar but has an average of 42.6 with seven centuries this decade batting at as low as no.7. We think he is good enough for no.6. Kumar Sangakkara, with a Test average of 61.4 and 17 centuries is in as 12th man in the team.
Jason Holder pips Stokes and Shakib for the all-rounder slot. The West Indian skipper averages 32.72 with the bat with three centuries and has 106 wickets at 26.37 with the ball this decade. His lower-order grit and bowling consistency is hard to look past.
Steven Smith, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, BJ Watling, Jason Holder
Bowlers
With Jason Holder already in the side as a pacer, we have gone in with two other pacers and two spinners in the Test team of the decade.
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While Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Pat Cummins, Stuart Broad and Neil Wagner all make sound cases, our pacers of the decade are Mitchell Starc and James Anderson. The left-arm pacer, Starc, averages 26.94 with the ball this decade and has 13 five-wicket hauls. Anderson, meanwhile, averages 24.19 with 20 five-wicket hauls and the two offer a good combination of skill and pace in the fast bowling department.
Rangana Herath and Ravichandran Ashwin are inevitable picks from the spin-bowling category. The Indian off-spinner has an average of 25.36 with the ball and nearly 30 with the bat and will slot in at no.8 behind the batsmen. He also has a whopping 27 five-wicket hauls this decade which is however, bettered by Herath's 30. The Sri Lankan left-arm spinner averages 26.41 with the ball and has 363 wickets this decade, one more than Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Rangana Herath, Mitchell Starc, James Anderson.
Test team of the decade
David Warner, Alastair Cook, Steven Smith, Virat Kohli ©, AB de Villiers, BJ Watling, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rangana Herath, Mitchell Starc, James Anderson.
12th man: Kumar Sangakkara
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Peter Parks
