A good all-rounder is considered to be one of the greatest strengths that a cricket team can possess, regardless of the format being played. Over the years, a number of great all-rounders have left their mark in the Test arena.
The likes of Ian Botham, Gary Sobers, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Jacques Kallis among many others have vowed the cricketing world with their ability to deliver with both bat and ball. The current generation, too, has its own set of players who are adept in both primary departments of the game.
Some of them have been highly consistent in terms of their performance in the last one year or so. Here are 5 all-rounders with the best statistics over the past 12 months:
#5 Chris Woakes
England pacer Chris Woakes may have been included in the team mainly as a bowler but he has shown some amount of talent with the bat as well. The Warwickshire cricketer has been among the top all-rounders in the past one year or so and has the statistics to back him up.
Since November 2015, Woakes has played 10 Tests so far and picked up 39 wickets at an average of just under 22. In terms of his batting, he has scored 446 runs at an average of over 34 with 2 half-centuries and a top score of 66 against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
If he can continue in the same vein, Chris Woakes can certainly become one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket.
#4 Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja’s career has gone through a huge transformation in recent years and he is currently one of India’s top bowlers in the longest format. However, he has still managed to keep his credentials as an all-rounder intact with some useful runs down the order.
Over the past 12 months, Jadeja has maintained a phenomenal bowling record with 43 wickets in 9 matches at an average of just under 18. With the bat, he has scored in excess of 300 runs at an average of 30.40, including a top score of 50 not out against New Zealand in Kanpur.
Provided Ravindra Jadeja can be a little more consistent with the bat, he could end up becoming one of India's best all-rounders ever.
#3 Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali has turned out to be one of England’s most reliable batsmen in Test cricket of late. Moreover, his bowling has only improved with every match that he has played and he has surprisingly been his team’s lead spinner in the longest format for quite a while now.
Ali has played 15 Tests since November last year and scored close to 900 runs at a very impressive average of 45.57 with 3 centuries, his highest score being an unbeaten 155 against Sri Lanka. His average may be slightly high with the ball but he has still claimed 40 wickets with best innings figures of 5 for 57.
Considering the fact that there is little competition in the English spin bowling department, Moeen Ali has every chance of blossoming even more as an all-rounder.
#2 Ben Stokes
England’s Ben Stokes has been taking giant strides towards establishing himself as the finest all-round cricketer in the world at present. The Durham cricketer has been in exceptional form in recent times and has starred for his team in both departments.
In 10 matches that he has played during this period, Stokes has scored more than 700 runs at an average exceeding 47 with 2 centuries and a top score of 258. Apart from that, he has also picked up 27 wickets at a brilliant average of slightly over 23.
If Ben Stokes can carry on with his current good form, he may set himself on course for becoming a great for his country.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin
From being an off-spin bowler who could contribute with the bat, Ravichandran Ashwin has gone on to become a reliable middle-order batsman for India. To add to that, he is also arguably the best spinner in world cricket at the moment thus making him the all-rounder that the Indian team has longed for.
Ashwin has really been at his best with both bat and ball in the past 12 months with more than 500 runs in 12 Tests at an average of nearly 40 and as many as 78 wickets at an average of slightly over 18. During this period, he has scored 2 centuries and also picked up an incredible 9 five-wicket hauls.
Going by his statistics, Ravichandran Ashwin has certainly been the most consistent all-rounder in Test cricket over the past year or so.
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