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Kane Williamson to lead ICC Test team of the year, three Indians including Pant make the XI

The International Cricket Council on Thursday announced the ICC Test team of the year 2021 and three Indians including Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin were selected in the playing xi. Apart from India, Pakistan also had three representatives in the team and New Zealand had two and one each from Australia, England and Sri Lanka completed the team. 

Sri Lanka’s skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, who scored 902 runs in 7 matches at an average of 69.38 with four centuries will open the innings alongside India’s Rohit Sharma who hit 906 runs in the calendar year at an average of 47.68 with two centuries. 

At number three the ICC have chosen Aussie Marnus Labuschagne who cemented his place at number three in the year gone by. The 27-year-old who finished 2021 at the top of the charts of the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings for batting, hit 526 runs in 5 matches at an average of 65.75 with two centuries. 

The position at number four will be taken by the highest run-scorer of this calendar year and the third-highest ever, Joe Root. The England skipper might not have desired results as a captain and team but personally, it was a great year for him. He scored 1708 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61 and also hit six tons. 

New Zealand skipper and winner of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, Kane Williamson has been chosen as the leader of this pack. Not only as a leader but as a player also Williamson was on the mark in whatever little that he plated this year. The Kiwi scored 395 runs in 4 matches at an average of 65.83 with one century. 

Pakistan’s Fawad Alam was the only batter from that side to have made it to the Test team of the year. At the age of 36, Alam was at his very best this year, scoring 571 runs in 9 matches at an average of 57.10 with three centuries. 

The wicketkeeper of the team is India’s, Rishabh Pant. among all choices available, he only had tough competition from Mohammad Rizwan as the rest of the wicketkeepers didn’t really perform well. In total, the 24-year-old scored 748 runs in 12 matches at an average of 39.36 with one memorable ton against England at Ahmedabad. He also had to his kitty 39 dismissals in 23 innings, with his glovework continuing to improve. 

With seven proper batters, the team also has four quality bowlers with Ravichandran Ashwin being the lone spinner. Ashwin was in top form this year, scalping 54 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 16.64. Apart from his brilliant work with the bat, Ashwin was also very handy with the bat and chipped in with 355 runs at an average of 25.35. 

The other bowler in the side who could handle the willow well is New Zealand’s latest fast bowling sensation Kyle Jamieson. The tall fast bowler, who was also Player of the Match in the WTC Final, picked up 27 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 17.51. He also scored 105 runs at an average of 17.50. 

The other two bowlers are the Pakistani pace duo of Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi. While Hasan picked up 41 wickets in 9 matches including his career-best bowling figures in a match of 10/114.  On the other hand, Afridi picked up 47 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 17.06, including three five-wicket hauls.

ICC Test team of the year 2021

Dimuth Karunaratne (SL), Rohit Sharma (IND), Marnus Labuschagne (AUS), Joe Root (ENG), Kane Williamson (c) (NZ), Fawad Alam (PAK), Rishabh Pant (wk) (IND), Ravichandran Ashwin (IND), Kyle Jamieson (NZ), Hasan Ali (PAK), Shaheen Afridi (PAK)

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