Braithwaite and Wagner in my Test team of 2016

With the end of this tumultuous year swiftly approaching, I’ve decided to pre-empt the ICC and ESPNCricinfo by selecting my Test team of the year.

2016 has been an intriguing year for Test cricket. The number one ranking was juggled between no less than three teams, with Australia, India and Pakistan all pretenders to the crown at various stages.

Fittingly, in a year in which no side truly dominated (though India’s hot streak at home looks likely to continue well into 2017), my team is fairly evenly spread between the top eight teams.

Figures are correct as of December 15.

To start, the openers:

Azhar Ali
Innings: 18
Hundreds: 2
Fifties: 3
Runs: 874
Average: 54.62

Spots in the top three were hotly contested, with several top-order batsmen among the runs, but Ali’s blistering pink-ball 302* to go with an overall haul of 874 runs at 55 secures him a place.

Kraigg Brathwaite
Innings: 14
Hundreds: 1
Fifties: 5
Runs: 613
Average: 55.72

A controversial selection after recording just one century in 2016, Brathwaite gets the nod for his breakout year in a struggling team which previously relied almost entirely on the efforts of Darren Bravo. His brilliant 142* in Sharjah won him the man of the match award and was also the key contribution in a rare away win for the West Indies.

Brathwaite helped his side recover some grit in 2016 and looks to have a bright future at the highest level.

Joe Root
Innings: 30
Hundreds: 3
Fifties: 9
Runs: 1383
Average: 49.39

The accomplished Root stamped his authority at first drop this year, to currently be sitting in second place on the runscorers’ list. The England star was particularly impressive in a losing cause in India, compiling 124 in his first innings of the series.

Virat Kohli (c)
Innings: 17
Hundreds: 4
Fifties: 2
Runs: 1200
Average: 80

Already a master of the shorter forms, Kohli’s imperious form in the Test arena in 2016 marked his coming of age as a red-ball batsman. He became one of just five men in history to score three double centuries in a calendar year, joining Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Brendon McCullum and Don Bradman.

Under his fiery leadership, India have become indomitable at home and now thirst for success overseas. An automatic selection.

Steve Smith
Innings: 16
Hundreds: 3
Fifties: 4
Runs: 831
Average: 63.92

Another excellent individual year for the Australia captain in which he recorded his first century in Asian conditions and maintained a phenomenal career average, approaching 60. Smith was particularly impressive for his patience and determination, highlighted by a defiant 48* amid the wreckage of the recent Hobart disaster. Continues to humiliate his perennial doubters with impressive feats of runscoring.

Ben Stokes
Innings: 19
Hundreds: 2
Fifties: 3
Runs: 875
Average: 48.61

Innings: 19
Five-wicket hauls: 1
Wickets: 32
Average: 24.25
Strike rate: 48.6

Ben Stokes has had a remarkable year with bat and ball, and is beginning to explore the depths of his limitless talent. A thunderous 258 against South Africa was an awe-inspiring display of strokeplay, and he was far better than handy with the ball, picking up 32 wickets with his venomous fast-mediums.

Johnny Bairstow
Innings: 27
Hundreds: 3
Fifties: 8
Runs: 1420
Average: 61.73

Bairstow faced stiff competition from the impressive Quinton de Kock, but ultimately it was impossible to ignore the fact that he currently holds the lead on the Test runscorers’ table. A revelation for England with the bat, he has worked commendably on his keeping.

Ravi Ashwin
Innings: 21
Five-wicket hauls: 8
Wickets: 71
Average: 21.32
Strike rate: 43.5

Innings: 13
Hundreds: 2
Fifties: 3
Runs: 545
Average: 41.92

17 poles clear at the top of the pile in 2016, India’s gun offspinner ran rings around opposition batsmen, with consummate accuracy and masterful variation.

Easily the first bowler picked, he also notched two centuries and averaged almost 42 with the blade, making him arguably the most valuable player in Test cricket.

Mitchell Starc
Innings: 11
Five-wicket hauls: 3
Wickets: 38
Average: 20.68
Strike rate: 35.2

The left-arm firebrand ran amok in Test cricket this year, and though he only played seven matches his impact reverberated throughout the cricketing world. Most impressive was his devastating efforts in unfriendly Sri Lankan conditions and his uncanny ability to pick up first-over wickets.

Neil Wagner
Innings: 17
Five-wicket hauls: 3
Wickets: 41
Average: 21.04
Strike rate: 46.8

The only Kiwi on my list, Wagner is bafflingly not even certain of a place in New Zealand’s Test XI. The left-armer bowled brilliantly in 2016, and was invaluable to his skipper in prising out wickets on flat surfaces. A supremely underrated operator.

Kagiso Rabada
Innings: 11
Five-wicket hauls: 4
Wickets: 42
Average: 22.23
Strike rate: 35.3

A fantastic fast bowler with skill far beyond his years, Rabada was hugely impressive in all formats in 2016. The young quick displayed all the tools of a quality fast bowler this year, with his dangerous combination of pace and swing. South Africa will undoubtedly look to him to lead its post-Dale Steyn attack.

My Test team of 2016
1. Azhar Ali
2. Kraigg Brathwaite
3. Joe Root
4. Virat Kohli (c)
5. Steve Smith
6. Ben Stokes
7. Johnny Bairstow
8. Ravi Ashwin
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Neil Wagner
11. Kagiso Rabada

12th man: Rangana Herath

What’s yours, Roarers?