The COVID-19 pandemic has given us time to examine cricket’s storied history.
In this period of reflection, we have attempted to compile the best Test XIs of the various decades in collaboration with our followers on social media. There is no better way to start off this series than to look at the most recent decade between January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019.
As a minimum requirement for selection, only players who have made at least 50 appearances over the course of the decade have been considered. To arrive at our conclusion, we have narrowed the list of potential candidates to 22 before putting them to a vote on Instagram.
Three South Africans have made the final cut while one of the ‘Fab Four’ batsmen has been unfortunate to miss out.
Alastair Cook (England) – Opener
Poll Results: Cook 55 per cent, David Warner (Australia) 45 per cent
Australia’s David Warner has a strong claim to the spot with over 7,000 runs and 23 tons during the period of consideration. However, in what was one of the tightest contests in the polls, the Aussie has been pipped by England great Alastair Cook.
No other batsman has scored more runs than Cook in the past decade, with the England opener bringing the curtains down on an illustrious career in 2018.
The elegant left-hander scored a staggering 8,818 runs in 111 matches, at an average of 46.41. He also helped himself to 23 tons in the process, including five double centuries. While he was showing an alarming decline from his lofty standards in 2018, he managed to bow out with a bang by registering a fine 147 against India in his final Test appearance.
Hashim Amla (South Africa) – Opener
Poll Results: Amla 90 per cent, Azhar Ali (Pakistan) 10 per cent
Partnering Cook at top is another classy and respectable cricketer in the form of Hashim Amla. The Proteas stalwart beats off competition from Pakistan’s Azhar Ali to forge a fine left-right combination with Cook.
His exploits in the decade include a landmark triple ton against England in 2012, three double centuries and a total of 21 scores of over 100. With an average just shy of 50 during the period, Amla has been a pivotal figure in South Africa’s impressive Test record over the course of the decade.
Although his last 14 Test appearances failed to yield a single ton, Amla’s retirement from the sport in 2019 is already being felt by the South Africans.
Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – Number 3
Poll Results: Williamson 57 per cent, Cheteshwar Pujara (India) 43 per cent
Beating India’s Cheteshwar Pujara to the coveted No3 spot is New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. While Pujara has been a rock for India during their rise to Test ranking summit, Williamson has still managed the better overall numbers to secure a thumping win in the polls.
In just 137 innings, the Kiwi has registered 21 tons and 31 fifties in the process of racking up 6,379 runs. Having overhauled Martin Crowe and Ross Taylor as New Zealand’s most prolific century-maker, Williamson is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the game’s greats.
He has stepped up a gear since the turn of 2014, and has managed to average more than 50 with the bat in each year barring 2016 during which he still averaged a commanding 47.06. At 29, there is still plenty to come from Williamson in the coming years.
Steve Smith (Australia) – Number 4
Poll Results: Smith 88 per cent, Joe Root (England) 12 per cent
This one proved to be a no contest with Steve Smith unsurprisingly taking his customary No4 slot with a whopping majority in the polls. Although it came at the expense of his Fab Four counterpart Joe Root, there is really no competition with Smith when it comes to the best Test batsman of the decade.
Despite losing a large part of 2019 due to his ball-tampering suspension, the Australian has towered head and shoulders above the rest with 7,164 runs at a staggering average of 62.84. He has been putting up numbers not seen since the brilliance of his compatriot Sir Don Bradman, and is showing no signs of slowing any time soon.
His 26 tons in the period is only behind Virat Kohli (27), even though he has played 11 fewer innings than the India star.
Virat Kohli (India) – Number 5
Poll Results: Kohli 90 per cent, Ross Taylor (New Zealand) 10 per cent
Smith’s genius means Virat Kohli has to drop down a spot from his favoured position to No5 in the batting order. The India skipper staved off competition from Ross Taylor for his inclusion and has deservingly comes out on top with a huge margin.
After all, he has been Smith’s closest rival during the course of the decade, with the duo swapping the No1 ICC ranking on several occasions. While his decade might have started off with a disastrous Test introduction in 2011, Kohli ended it with a bang as the No1 Test batsman in December, 2019.
With 27 tons and 22 fifties in the period, the right-hander’s century conversion rate has been unparalleled. While he has managed to convert seven of those centuries into double tons, Kohli’s banishment of his England demons in 2018 is arguably his greatest accomplishment of the decade.
AB de Villiers (South Africa) – Number 6
Poll Results: AB de Villiers 86 per cent, Younis Khan (Pakistan) 14 per cent
Among the batsmen with a minimum of 5,000 runs in the decade, only Smith has managed to average more than AB de Villier’s 57.48. It is one of the many reasons the Proteas batsman has managed to trump Pakistan’s all-time leading run-scorer Younis Khan in the polls.
His retirement from the format in 2018 came as a huge shock for the sport, given that the right-hander was still going strong at the time. Only in an injury-riddled 2016 did the South African’s lofty standards dip in a decade during which he displayed ridiculous consistency.
Coming down the batting order, he bailed the Proteas out of patchy holes several times in the period and was the difference maker in their series wins over India and Australia in his final year before retirement.
BJ Watling (New Zealand) – Wicketkeeper
Poll Results: Watling 69 per cent, Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh) 31 per cent
With just seven runs separating them over the decade, it was always going to be a close contest for the gloves between BJ Watling and Mushfiqur Rahim. Ultimately, it is the Kiwi who was victorious and he makes an excellent supplement to an already stellar batting unit.
Although he made his debut in 2009 as a specialist batsman, it was only in 2014 that Watling became a regular for the Black Caps following Brendon McCullum’s decision to give up the wicketkeeping gloves.
With a batting average of nearly 40, Watling is more than just a wicketkeeper for New Zealand and has been involved in some record partnerships down the order. He is the perfect man to bat around the tail and his series-clinching 205 against England last year is testament to his abilities to dig deep at No7.
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – Spinner
Poll Results: Ashwin 60 per cent, Nathan Lyon (Australia) 40 per cent
It was always going to be a tight battle between Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon for the spinner’s slot, and the former has just about shaved it. Either of the two would be worthy candidates for the sole spinner’s role, as would Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath who was left out of contention.
When it comes to pure numbers though, Ashwin is ahead of the competition with a bowling average of 25.36 in the period. His 362 scalps have been at the forefront of India’s unrivalled dominance at home over the decade, with his spin partnership alongside Ravindra Jadeja giving no quarter to visiting teams.
The fact that he has also registered four tons and 11 fifties with the bat means that his inclusion elongates a lengthy batting order here.
Trent Boult (New Zealand) – Pacer
Poll Results: Boult 85 per cent, Vernon Philander (South Africa) 15 per cent
While South Africa’s Vernon Philander might feel hard done by after losing out in the polls, Trent Boult’s left-arm seam provides the perfect balance to the bowling attack.
His new-ball partnership with Tim Southee has been outstanding for New Zealand, Boult alone accounted for 256 wickets in just 65 matches. He is the most prolific left-armed pacer in the period as Australia’s Mitchell Starc trails behind him on 240 scalps.
A man who can swing the red-ball both ways, Boult’s deadly in-swinger to the right-handed batsman remains his greatest asset. What differentiates him from the rest of the pack is his ability to generate movement in even the most unhelpful of conditions.
Dale Steyn (South Africa) – Pacer
Poll Results: Steyn 73 per cent, Stuart Broad (England) 27 per cent
With an exceptional average as well as strike-rate, Dale Steyn was always going to be a shoe-in despite Stuart Broad’s mountain of 403 wickets in the period.
The South African pacer was on course to threaten Glenn McGrath’s legacy as the most prolific fast bowler of all time, but a spate of shoulder injuries has meant that it is England’s James Anderson who has taken the mantle instead.
Despite his injury woes towards the end of the decade, Steyn’s average of 22.29 and an outstanding strike-rate of just 43.9 over the decade make him a force to be feared by any batsman.
The Proteas man has it all in his locker, from a beautiful action to swinging the ball at pace. That he has surpassed Shaun Pollock to become South Africa’s greatest pacer will be some consolation for a man who was otherwise reaching for the stars.
James Anderson (England) – Pacer
Poll Results: Anderson 88 per cent, Morne Morkel (South Africa) 12 per cent
Going up against a strong contender like Morne Morkel hasn’t really bothered James Anderson – the Englishman came out on top in the polls with an almost unanimous verdict.
At 37, the veteran seamer is still setting his sights on further conquests and the evidence of the past decade backs up his insatiable desire to continue.
Making as many as 106 Test appearances in the 10 years, Anderson has left the other bowlers in his wake with 429 dismissals. That they have come at an average of 24.35 shows the sheer consistency of his artistry with the red-ball for England.
Having gone past McGrath to become the all-time leading wicket-taker among pacers, Anderson has deserved every accolade that has fallen his way. There is still none better than him when it comes to swinging the Duke ball both ways with unwavering precision. A true master of his craft.
