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The year 2013 ended on a high note for Australia, recovering the Ashes 4-0 with a 5-0 whitewash in the pipeline in Sydney next week.
The year can be summed up as from zero to hero for skipper Michael Clarke and Australia, losing seven Tests overseas without winning one and then turning it around on home soil sensationally.
However it was from hero to zero for captain Alastair Cook and for England on Australian soil.
The enduring memories for me are:
• the return of Mitchell Johnson to Test-fold with a bang that turned England’s master batsmen to jelly.
• the debut of spinner Ashton Agar. He came from nowhere when he scored 98 as a no. 11 batsman — a Test record — in the first Test at Nottingham in July. But after one more Test he disappeared in oblivion. Will he be a two-Test wonder?
• highly acclaimed farewells to Test legends Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis and
• the least applauded farewell by England’s spinner Graeme Swann who refused to become “the boy who stood on a burning deck”, or rather, on bouncing pitch.
Now to select the Best Test XI of 2013.
I’ll go by statistics, using both aggregates and averages (minimum five Tests, 400 runs or 30 wickets), as also the impact a player had in winning a match.
Who will open the batting? Here are the contenders:
England’s Cook (916 runs at 33.92 in 14 Tests), Australia’s David Warner (909 at 39.52 in 12), Australia’s Chris Rogers (700 at 41.17 in 9) and South Africa’s Graeme Smith 651 at 50.07 in 9).
My choice: Smith and Warner. In 2013 G Smith also scored the highest individual score 234. Warner is also a brilliant fielder and can bowl spin.
No. 3 batsman candidates are England’s Ian Bell (1005 runs at 41.87 in 14 Tests) and India’s Cheteshwar Pujara (829 at 75.36 in 8).
Bell has had a forgettable season down under the last two months whereas Pujara excelled himself in South Africa in two Tests in December with scores of 25, 153, 70 and 32 against the speed trio of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.
So the selection is Pujara.
South Africa’s bearded Hashim Amla will walk in at no. 4 having stroked 633 runs at 57.54 in eight Tests.
His two rivals would be New Zealand’s Ross Taylor (866 at 72.16 in 10) and India’s Virat Kohli (616 at 56.00 in 8). On stats in 2013 Taylor is ahead but Amla is a match-winner.
No argument about the selection of no. 5 bat, Michael Clarke who scored 1093 runs (the most this calendar year) at 47.52 in 13 Tests. Only two batsmen have hit four centuries in 2013, Clarke and South Africa’s AB de Villiers.
de Villiers will be my next batsman and he will keep wickets as well. Apart from his 933 runs at a terrific average of 77.75 he also dismissed 46 batsmen (45 caught, one stumped in nine Tests).
Australia’s Brad Haddin is his only competitor with 647 runs at 38.05 and 52 dismissals (51 caught and one stumped) in 10. Both are temperamentally sound and crisis specialists but AB’s batting average is significantly higher.
Who will be the all-rounder? Neither Shane Watson nor Kallis nor Ravi Ashwin has done enough to be included.
The best we have is England’s Stuart Broad (326 runs at 16.30 and 62 wickets at 25.80 in 14 Tests). His tally of 62 wickets was the highest in 2013.
Not exactly an all-rounder but he will bat no.7 and be the first change bowler.
The new ball will be shared by South Africa’s Dale Steyn (51 scalps at 17.66 in nine Tests) and the moustached Mitchell Johnson with a killer instinct.
He took 34 wickets at 17.52 in only six Tests.
Aussie Ryan Harris (38 wickets at 21.94 in eight Tests) with pinpoint accuracy will be the fourth seamer if the match is to be played in Perth, Brisbane or Durban.
But if it is staged in the subcontinent I’ll go for India’s versatile Ravi Ashwin (41 wickets at 22.51 in seven Tests).
He also scored a century this calendar year. Pakistan’s off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has also credentials, 37 victims at 24.72 in seven Tests.
The specialist spinner will be Australia’s off-spinner Nathan Lyon who captured 42 at 34.02 in 11 Tests. England’s Swann also did extremely well outside Australia, with 43 wickets at 34.09 in 10 Tests but give me Lyon anytime.
So here is my XI in batting order:
1.Graeme Smith (SA), 2. David Warner (Aus), 3. Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind), 4. Michael Clarke (Aus), 5. Hashim Amla (SA), 6. AB de Villiers (SA) w.k., 7. Stuart Broad (Eng), 8. Mitchell Johnson (Aus), 9. Ryan Harris (Aus)*, 10. Dale Steyn (SA), 11. Nathan Lyon (Aus).
* If this match is played in the subcontinent, Ashwin will replace Harris.
12th man: Ross Taylor (New Zealand).
Reserves: Fast bowler Jimmy Anderson (Eng), opening bat Alastair Cook (Eng), middle order bat Virat Kohli (Ind) and spinner Saeed Ajmal (Pak).
Who will captain the side, Michael Clarke or Graeme Smith? My choice is Smith under whom his country is ranked no. 1.
I do not expect Roarers to agree with me in the selection. So start the New Year by giving your Test XI of 2013.
Let the debate begin.