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As 2018 draws to an end, the cricketing world looks back at this fascinating year to recollect events and analyze the game as it went through the year. It's just that time of the year.
India's own cricket analyst and commentator, Harsha Bhogle has picked his Test XI of the year through a vlog series for Cricbuzz which also included the ODI and T20 XIs of the year.
Totally unbiased and going only with the numbers and the skillset, Bhogle picked the squad with the intention of choosing players who made it big only this year. Goodwill or reputation didn't bring a player into the team if there were no numbers to show.
Here's the world Test XI picked by Harsha Bhogle for 2018.
Note: Statistics in this article are as of 28th December 2018
#1 Tom Latham (New Zealand)
Bhogle, in his vlog, himself states that 2018 was one of the worst years in cricket history for opening partnerships. Openers all around the world had a subdued season barring 2-3 of them, and one of them being this southpaw from New Zealand.
Tom Latham had a pretty decent year with the bat but his last two Tests of the year against Sri Lanka improved his numbers significantly. He recorded 658 runs in seven Tests at 59.81 with a highest score of 264* and two centuries.
#2 Dimuth Karunaratne (SL)
This was another horrid year for Sri Lanka in international Cricket but they had a few players who delivered, and Dimuth Karunaratne was one of them.
The southpaw managed to score at an average of 46 which was enough to be much better than most of the regular openers as he made the cut even after scoring only a solitary 100 during the whole year. He recorded 743 runs in nine Test matches.
#3 Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
One of the fabs of this generation's famed Fab-4, New Zealand captain Kane is the least likely of his counterparts to be in the news. Still, he doesn't need to be in the news all the time cause cricket fans know he is out there somewhere surely performing with his bat like he always does.
Termed as NZ's greatest batsman ever, Williamson had another good year with the bat as he scored 651 runs in seven Tests with an average of almost 60. He performed well in all conditions and made three 50s and two 100s during 2018.
#4 Virat Kohli (India)
Cricketer of the year! Non-stop performances, everywhere, any format. Yet, this was a very very special year in Test cricket for the Indian skipper. Virat Kohli scored runs in heaps and bounds at No.4 as he ended up the year as the highest run-getter with 1322 runs in 13 matches at an average of 55.08.
Kohli is also the only player with 1000+ runs in this calendar year in Tests. What made this year special for him was his magical overseas performances throughout the year as he became the only Asian batsman to score 100s in South Africa, England as well as Australia in the same calendar year.
He redeemed himself with an outstanding performance in the England tour. He scored five 50s and five 100s this year with only two of his Tests being at home. Legend.
#5 AB De Villiers (South Africa)
AB de Villiers might have thought that he has shocked us all enough with his batting heroics and now this year it was time for a greater shock. The Mr. 360 of world cricket, with all his blazing guns still intact, announced a shocking retirement in May this year from all international cricket, leaving everyone baffled. Having played just three months of Test cricket this year, AB managed to score enough to secure a place in Harsha's XI at the end of this year.
In the seven matches he played, three against India and four against the Aussies, AB scored 638 runs at 53.17 with six half-centuries and one hundred as he carved out some match-winning efforts in just those seven matches for his team.
#6 Jos Buttler (England)
Buttler claimed his Test spot, ironically, with head-turning consistency and performances in this year's edition of the IPL. Jos enjoyed a very great year in cricket in all formats as he became the vital cog in English cricket and delivered in every format whenever needed.
Though he mostly played as a specialist batsman, Buttler can obviously also keep wickets too. This year in Tests he scored 760 runs down the order in 10 matches at an average of 45 with six 50s and a single 100. Reliable indeed!
#7 Jason Holder (West Indies)
Holder isn't part of a team that makes too much noise in Test cricket at the moment. The Windies are in a building phase, again. And it is this lanky all-rounder who's in the middle of it all. Holder increased his value as a Test cricketer this year as he became a very very handy fast bowler and a stubborn Test batsman to play against.
In the batting front, Holder scored 336 runs at an average of 37 in six matches and snatched up an impressive number of 33 wickets this year at a mind-blowing average of just 12.39.
#8 Pat Cummins (Australia)
It was a toss-up between Kagiso Rabada, and him. The difference in their stats wasn't much to chose one of them based on their numbers.
But, with Pat Cummins pulling off an impressive show against India in the current Test series, Bhogle decided to go with him as his third quick and No.8. Cummins can also bat and bat admirably long enough which adds to his value.
Cummins enjoyed a great year as he picked 42 wickets in eight matches at 20.52 a piece and one fifer to his name.
#9 Nathan Lyon (Australia)
Nathan Lyon is probably the best off-spin bowler in the world right now. He can perform at home on fast pitches in Australia as well as abroad. His ability to take wickets in all conditions is probably what makes him better than many spinners in the world today. Even in the on-going series against India at home, Lyon is causing trouble for the Indian batsmen.
In 2018, he picked up 49 wickets in 10 matches with two five-wicket hauls.
#10 Mohammad Abbas (Pakistan)
Everything he touched turned gold this year. Abbas was just phenomenal in all the matches he played. No one would have expected so much of him but he has delivered very well. What was surprising was the number of wickets he got in matches in UAE. He became the first pacer to take a 10 wicket haul in a match in UAE while playing against the Aussies.
The brilliant seamer took 38 wickets in seven matches with three fifers and a 10-fer this year.
#11 Jasprit Bumrah (India)
What do you do when you're Virat Kohli and you need wickets? Call Jasprit Bumrah.
With already being tagged as the best limited-overs pacer in the world, Bumrah, in just the space of 12 months and across only nine matches, has established himself as one of the best Test fast-bowlers in the world.
He started off brilliantly in South Africa in his debut series where he got a fifer, then missed the start of England tour but managed to become India's best bowler in the series in just three matches and is now rocking down under too where he has impressed very highly.
He has also become the only Asian bowler to take fifers in SA, England and Australia in a calendar year.
The numbers speak as he has snatched up 45 wickets in his debut year at 21.24 with three fifers to his name.
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