The history of test cricket is years old, the oldest and longest running format of cricket, often considered the highest standard of the game. The popularity of this format of this game has reduced hugely in the twenty-first century.
But even with the advent of 50-over cricket and T20s, tests are still popular in a few parts of the world.
With many top players performing incredibly well over the past year or so, here is a list of a world combined Test XI:
#1 David Warner
The 29-year-old opening batsman is a must pick for the current Test XI and the Aussie made his debut for the Test side in 2011 against New Zealand.
The Australian left-handed batsman has been capped 54 times in the longest format of the game, scoring 4669 runs with an average of 48.63. Warner has a Test strike rate of 77.27 which came in handy scoring 16 centuries and 21 half-centuries.
In Australia’s recent tour to Sri Lanka, Warner scored 11 and 68 runs respectively in two innings. Warner has won 5 Man of the Match awards and two Man of the Series awards in Tests.
Three of these awards came in 2015-16 in the Trans-Tasman Trophy and the Frank Worrell Trophy. The New South Wales-born cricketer’s best performance in Test cricket came in 2015 against New Zealand in WACA Stadium, Perth where he scored 253 runs in the first innings.
#2 Misbah-ul-Haq
The right-handed Pakistani batsman has been praised by several pundits all over the world for his test batting display. Misbah’s test debut came against New Zealand in 2001. The Pakistani Test captain has since played 65 Tests scoring 4,634 runs with an average of 48.27.
Misbah is regarded as one of the few players of this generation to keep the scoring mechanism intact by scoring singles.
The Pakistani batsman has hit 472 boundaries compared to 68 over-boundaries till now. Misbah is also the most successful test captain of Pakistan with 22 wins out of 46 test matches.
The Mianwali-born batsman holds the record of the fastest half-century scored in test cricket, in 24 minutes against Australia. He also holds the record of most test centuries by a Pakistani test captain. Misbah has been awarded two Man of the Match and a Man of the Series award in test cricket.
#3 Kane Williamson
The 26-year-old New Zealand batsman is another must have choice for test cricket. The right-hand top order batsman has played 52 Tests scoring 4,393 runs with an average of 51.08. The New Zealand captain has scored 14 centuries and 22 half centuries till date.
His career best score 242 not out came against Sri Lanka in 2015. According to Martin Crowe, by the time Williamson retires from cricket, he will be the greatest batsman of New Zealand.
In his most recent test match against South Africa, the New Zealand Test captain scored 77 runs with a strike rate of 57.89. Williamson also has one Man of the Match and four Man of the Series awards in test Cricket.
#4 Virat Kohli
The right-handed batsman is often regarded as the best batsman in this decade. The 27-year old made his test debut against West Indies in 2011. Since then, Kohli has been capped 45 times in test cricket matches, scoring 3,245 runs.
The Indian test captain has a test average of 45.06 with a strike rate of 53.59. An aggressive batsman, Kohli is hailed as one of the best modern day test players in the world. Kohli has been awarded two Man of the Match awards against New Zealand in 2012 and the other being against South Africa in 2013.
Under Kohli’s captaincy of India so far, he has won seven and lost two out of 14 international test matches.
#5 Joe Root
The 25-year-old Englishman is the second placed test batsman in the latest ICC rankings. Debuted against India in Nagpur in 2012, Root scored 73 from 229 balls coming on at number six.
The right-handed batsman has scored 4,005 runs in 84 innings playing for England in test cricket matches.
Root has a strike rate of 55.05 with an average of 54.86. The Brit has scored 10 centuries and 22 half-centuries for England. Root’s career best test batting record came against Pakistan in 2016 when he scored 254 in the first innings.
The Sheffield-born right-handed batsman has two Man of the Series and six Man of the Match awards at his disposal. In 2015, Root created another record when he scored 1000 runs in a calendar year.
#6 Steven Smith
The 27-year-old Australian all-rounder started his test cricket career as a leg-spinner and used to bat seven down for the Aussies. Just five years after his test debut against Pakistan in 2010, he was ranked the no.1 test batsman in the world.
Smith has been capped 44 times in test matches scoring 4,099 runs with an average of 58.55. The three-time Man of the Match winner of the prestigious Ashes series is a quick-footed batsman and comfortable against spin attacks.
The all-rounder has also picked 16 wickets in 38 innings with an economy of 4.32. Smith’s career-best innings came in the summer of 2014-15 when he scored four centuries in all four first innings of the home tests against India.
#7 Sarfraz Ahmed
The Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman is a vital name to be added to the current test XI. The right-handed batsman plays in an orthodox aggressive manner. Sarfraz made his test debut against Australia in 2010 replacing Kamran Akmal.
Since then, the 29-year old has played 25 Tests scoring 1,489 runs with an average of 43.79. The wicket-keeper batsman has scored 3 centuries and 7 half-centuries in the time span.
Sarfraz has won his maiden Man of the Match award against New Zealand in 2010-11. In his 48-innings long test career, Sarfraz has made 61 caught-outs and 17 stamped-outs. The wicket-keeper’s most dismissals in an innings record stand at 5 caught-outs against England in 2015.
#8 Ravichandran Ashwin
The Indian off-spinner is hard to read when he’s at the top of the game. Ashwin was one of the biggest factors behind Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s rise to success. Debuting on 2011 against West Indies, Ashwin has 36 test cricket caps.
Ashwin is the only player of recent times, apart from Ajantha Mendis, to be able to bowl the carrom ball. Ashwin has 4 centuries in test cricket and has earned the reputation of a bowling all-rounder. The 29-years-old bowler has four 10-wicket hauls in test Cricket.
The Chennai-born off-spinner was also the fastest Indian bowler to reach 100 test wickets in only 18 matches. Ashwin has been named both Man of the Match and Man of the Series 6 times in international test Cricket.
#9 Stuart Broad
The Nottinghamshire born right-arm fast medium pacer is another nominee for the World Test XI.
Broad is widely known for his combative fast bowling and volatile temperament. Broad made his test debut for England on 2007 against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
The pacer has picked 358 test wickets in 179 innings with an economy rate of 3.01. Broad’s career-best performance came against Australia in Nottingham, when he picked 8 wickets with an economy rate of 1.57. The blonde-haired pacer has two 10-wickets hauls against West Indies and Australia in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
Stuart Broad was awarded the Man of the Match award in the second test of Pataudi Trophy in 2011. The left-handed batsman also has a test century in his belts against Pakistan in 2010.
#10 Mitchell Starc
The left-handed Australian pace bowler is known for his lethal bouncers. The 26-years-old left-arm fast bowler played his debut test for Australia against New Zealand in Brisbane in 2011.
Since then, Starc has collected 115 wickets in 53 innings with an economy rate of 3.42. Starc’s best record was against Sri Lanka in 2016 when he bowled 6 out with an economy rate of 4.00.
The Australian pacer has 7 five-wicket hauls in test cricket and a 10-wicket haul at his disposal. In the beginning of his test career for Australia, Starc used to struggle to get in the test squad but in 2015, Starc finally enjoyed his chance of a solid run of test cricket.
#11 Yasir Shah
The 30-year-old leg-spinner made his debut against Australia in 2014. He has since been a revelation to the Pakistani test squad, picking 95 wickets in 31 innings with an economy rate of 3.06. Shah has been capped 16 times by the Pakistani cricket team.
The spinner’s 10-wicket haul against England in 2016 helped Pakistan dominate over the England squad. The Pakistani bowler also has six 5-wicket hauls in test cricket. Shah’s career best performance was against Sri Lanka when he took 7 wickets with an economy of 2.51 in 2015.
Shah is a big fan of Shane Warne and tries to emulate Warne’s bowling style in his game. Yasir Shah was awarded Man of the Series against Sri Lanka and England in 2015.
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