'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQf/2gAIAQEAAAAAlS3/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAECEAAAAH//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAeEAABAwUBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEABESEzEFBv/aAAgBAQABPwD4rwI/sSSy45o1MPTw4GQsq0tZlHR2xqNHgPxmnhEw2IC8cr2uOcr/xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMC/9oACAECAQE/AKzy0j//xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAEDAQE/AH//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It has been over a month since the start of the ICC World Test Championship, and the competition is heating up slowly and steadily. India have taken the lead with 120 points as they white-washed West Indies away, while Sri Lanka and New Zealand tied their two-match series and are now both sitting with 60 points to their name.
Australia and England are fighting it out in the five-match Ashes series. Australia might have retained the Ashes by taking a 2-1 lead in the series, but there are points still up for grabs in the fifth and final Test at Oval. England can equal their points with Australia if they win the last Test.
Bangladesh, Pakistan and South Africa are yet to come into the picture and once they arrive to the competition things will get even more interesting.
There is going to be tough competition between players of each team to be the leading run-scorer in the Championship. Let’s take a look at the top batsman from each team who could end up as the leading run-scorer for his team in the tournament.
9. Australia – Steve Smith
The best Test batsman of this generation, Steve Smith has scored 671 runs in five innings at an average of 134.20 and is the leading run-scorer in this calendar year. Smith has only just made a comeback from his one-year ban and still leads the charts by a huge margin.
You call him a cheat, you try to boo him, you sledge him, but at the end of the day he keeps scoring runs. At the moment, he looks simply unstoppable.
144, 142, 92, 211 and 82 are the numbers produced by Smith so far in the tournament. Bowlers are clueless when he comes out to bat; even Joe Root admitted that Smith has been the difference between the two sides in the Ashes.
The Australian has the second-highest Test average after Sir Don Bradman, even after playing as many as 67 matches. If you are averaging 64.81 after 67 Tests then you have to be a special player, and Smith certainly is one.
If he continues in this vein then there is no doubt that he will be the leading run-scorer for Australia in the World Test Championship.
Also see – World Test Championship Schedule
8. West Indies – Roston Chase
Roston Chase might have struggled in the recently concluded series against India but he is good enough to become the leading run-scorer for the West Indies. The off-spinning all-rounder has played 31 Tests for West Indies and has five centuries to his name.
Since the start of 2018, Chase has scored 628 runs for West Indies which includes two centuries. He has a good technique and a good head on his shoulders, and seems to be a player who wants to be there for his team.
Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich have also done well for West Indies lately, but Chase has a higher chance of being the top run-getter for his team.
7. New Zealand – Tom Latham
Tom Latham has been one of the most consistent batsmen for New Zealand in the longest format over the past few years. He has scored daddy hundreds and also carried his bat on a few occasions.
In the Test series against Sri Lanka, he scored 229 runs in four innings at an average of 54.52. The left-handed opener scored a match-winning 154 in the second Test which led to New Zealand squaring the series.
The Kiwis will be hoping that Latham keeps scoring runs along with their skipper Kane Williamson.
6. Sri Lanka – Dimuth Karunaratne
When you think about Sri Lankan Test cricket, one of the first names that comes to the mind is Dimuth Karunaratne. Amid all the chopping and changing in the team lately, Karunaratne has remained a constant for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka could win the first Test against New Zealand only because of their captain Karunaratne, who scored a fabulous century in the fourth innings while chasing 268. Currently, he is the leading run-scorer for Sri Lanka with 247 runs at an average of 61.75.
Sri Lanka keep changing their players but Karunaratne will likely always be in the team, which makes him the favorite to emerge as the top scorer.
5. Bangladesh – Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh haven’t played a single game in the World Test Championship so far. They played a Test against Afghanistan recently, but that wasn’t part of the championship.
If there is one batsman who has been scoring consistently for Bangladesh, it is Tamim Iqbal. Since 2015, the southpaw has taken his batting to the next level; he has scored several fifties and also a few centuries in important series lately.
Tamim missed the Test against Afghanistan but when he comes back, he will look to immediately score big runs for his team. His teammates Shakib Al Hasan and Mominul Haque might challenge him for the top spot, but Tamim will be the front-runner.
4. South Africa – Quinton de Kock
South Africa start their World Test Championship against India in the sub-continent, and it won’t be easy for the Proteas against the No. 1 team in their home conditions. While playing in the sub-continent you need players who can counter-attack, and South Africa have one in Quinton de Kock.
If the left-handed wicket-keeper gets going then he can take the game away from the opposition within a session. In 2019 he is already leading the charts for South Africa with 428 runs at an average of 61.14.
De Kock would look to score runs all over the world and be the top run-getter for his team in the Championship.
3. Pakistan – Babar Azam
Pakistan haven't started their campaign in the World Test Championship either so far. The Asian team are quite strong in their home conditions but need to find a way to win overseas. Their batsmen need to step up, and one of them has to be Babar Azam.
Azam has taken his batting to the next level in the limited overs formats, and now it’s time that he does the same in the longest format.
He has all the talent in the world; it’s just a matter of application. Azam was very good in the recently concluded World Cup and would look to carry his form to the longer format.
2. England – Rory Burns
England have struggled in the Ashes but if there is one positive about their batting then it’s their opener Rory Burns. Burns looked completely out of touch against Ireland but he worked hard and the results were there to see in the first Test as he scored a well-compiled century.
He has scored consistently in the series and it seems as though he has cemented his place in the team. He has scored 323 runs so far at an average of 40.38.
Ben Stokes and Joe Root would likely give strong competition to Burns, but if the left-hander continues his good form then he will be the top run-getter for his team.
1. India – Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli didn’t have the best start to the World Test Championship as he failed to score a century in the first Test series. He might not be leading the charts for India at the moment but we have seen enough of Kohli to know that he can make up the gap in no time.
Kohli has five double hundreds to his name and would look to score a few more in the next couple of years. He is going to remain the main batsman for India in the near future, and when he scores big hundreds there is no one in the team who can match him.
India’s Test home season starts in a couple of weeks and we can expect the Indian captain to score a lot of runs and become the leading run-scorer for the No. 1 Test team.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
