Ranking each test playing nation’s classiest test batsman in the last 10 years

Every test playing nation produces players of real class. In this article I have ranked who I believe to be each countries classiest test match batsman to play in the last decade. I ave ranked them in order from 11 through to 1. While some of these players may not be known as the worlds best, it is important to understand the contribution they have made to their respective countries and consider that they may not have had the same opportunities as some of their fellow players from wealthier cricketing nations. In the nature of modern day test cricket, performing away from home, and scoring at a good clip are important. This is why the main theme throughout this list will center around each players ability to score all around the ground, and in all types of conditions.

11- Niall Obrien (Ireland)

Having played over 150 first class matches, amassing over 8000 first class runs for Kent and Northamptonshire we have decided to award Niall Obrien with being Ireland's representative on this list. Obiren only made his test debut in 2018 due to Ireland only recently gaining test status. However, Obrien has plied his trade in English county cricket his whole career since debuting for Kent in 2004. Obrien boasts a solid first-class average of 35.63, to go with 15 first class hundred’s and 46 fifties.

10- Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe)

Brendan Taylor has been a loyal servant to Zimbabwe Cricket his whole career. He is one of the hardest working cricketers in the world, and the best batsman Zimbabwe has produced since the glory days of the early 2000's. Taylor has played 26 tests since debuting in 2004. In that time he has scored 1594 runs at an average of 32.53. This includes 4 hundreds and 8 fifties. Brendan Taylor has recently returned to cricket in Zimbabwe after leaving the country to take up a County deal with Nottinghamshire after the 2015 Cricket World cup. While Taylore had few opportunities to play test cricket outside Zimbabwe, his performances in county cricket in England show his ability as a player who could play in all conditions. Taylor averaged just under 35, scoring 2 hundreds and 3 fifties in the season of 2016 for Notts.

9- Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Since his test debut against New Zealand in January of 2008, Tamim Iqbal has been consistently picked at the top of the order for Bangladesh in test cricket. The elegant but aggressive opening batsman has now played 54 test matches for Bangladesh. He has scored 3985 runs with an impressive 38.65 batting average. His 8 hundreds and 25 fifties for Bangladesh are the most by any Bangladeshi cricketer. What sets Tamim apart is his ability to perform away from home in test cricket. Tamim has scored 2 test hundreds in England, a feat not achieved by any Bangladeshi cricketer in history. Whats even more impressive is that his hundreds both came at a strike rate in the 90's. If Tamim remains committed to test match cricket theres no reason he couldnt finish his career with numbers more superior to these.

8- Misbah ul Haq (Pakistan)

The stalwart of Pakistan cricket, Misbah retired in 2017 after playing for 13 years at the top level. A graceful and elegant batsman, Misbah scored 5222 runs from his 75 tests with a very respectable 46.62 batting average. Misbah scored 10 hundreds and 39 fifties. The most memorable has to be his record breaking hundred against Australia in Dubai. At the time was the fastest hundred in test match history. In his career Misbah has only played 2 test matches at home in Pakistan. This means that 73 of his 75 tests have been played away from home. Misbah has been able to compile some very solid averages around the world, something not common among Pakistani batsman outside the sub continent. He averages 37 in New Zealand, 40.89 in England, and 64 playing in the West Indies. To have spent so much time away from home and faced so much adversity, but still put up these numbers is the reason Misbah ul Haq makes this list.

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7- Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)

As a 164-test veteran, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has always looked classy. Despite his unorthodox technique, his ability to time the ball and never look rushed at the crease has put Chanderpaul among the greats of modern day test cricket . Chanderpaul played his first test in 1994, and his last in 2015. In between he scored 11867 runs at an average of 51.37. this includes 30 hundreds and 66 fifties. When Chanderpaul first came into international cricket no one outside of the Caribean thought he would last in test cricket. His stance was more open than anyone to have played test cricket before him. Experts thought he would have all sorts of technical issues. However, Chanderpaul went on to become one of the most consistent batsman in test history all over the world. In a period where the West Indies were abysmal away from home, Chanderpaul averaged 66.62 in England. He averaged 46 in New Zealand to go with 37 in South Africa and 52 in India. Chanderpaul's ability to score runs all around the world with such an unorthadox technique is the reason he makes this list.

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6- Joe Root (England)

You get the feeling the best is still to come for Joe Root. However, with the start to his test career it would have been hard not to have him representing England on this list. Root has played 69 tests, even though he is just 27 years of age. He has scored 5960 runs with an outstanding average of 52.28 and has 13 hundreds and 40 fifties. It would not be a surprise to see Joe Root finish his career as one of the top run scorers in test match history. The reason that Joe Root is England's classiest batsman comes down to his ability to play spin and perform in the subcontinent. Root has swept his way to an impressive batting average of 53.3 in test matches in India, 57.4 in the UAE, and a more modest 24.5 in Bangladesh. Its because of his ability to perform in all conditions that Root makes this list ahead of Kevin Pietersen.

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5- AB De Villiers (South Africa

Better known for his twenty 20 exploits and explosive batting, its easy to forget AB De Villiers played 114 tests and scored an incredible 8765 runs in test cricket. De Villiers averaged 50.66 in test cricket and scored 22 hundreds and 46 fifties in his recently finished career. One of the most enjoyable to watch batsman in history, De Villiers had the ability to destroy an attack without playing any shots in anger. What needs to be commended was De Villiers ability to perform outside of South Africa, especially in the sub continent. He averaged 45.00 in India, 57.6 in Sri Lanka, and a very imprssive 116.5 in the UAE. This shows how classy and adaptable his game was, and why he deserves to be on this list.

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4- Kane Williamson (New Zealand

Almost a savior for NZ cricket, Williamson was one of the few bright spots around cricket in New Zealand when he debuted back in 2010. There had been talk about Williamson since his primary school days, and he has certainly lived up to the hype. In his 65 tests he has scored 5338 runs with an impressive average of 50.32. His conversion rate is also impressive. Williamson has scored 18 hundreds and 26 fifties. What sets Williamson apart is how beautiful he is to watch. He has the best back foot punch in world cricket, and a front foot defence you would use to model the perfect technique. There is still a couple of things that make Williamson stand out among his fellow kiwi batsman. In 2016 Williamson became just the 13th player in test history to bring up a test century against every test playing nation (not including Ireland). Williamson also possesses an ability to play spin bowling with ease, something that is extremely rare, and has often been the let down for New Zealand batsman in the past.

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3- Kumar Sangakarra (Sri Lanka)

Given that Sangakarra was a wicket keeper for half of his career its even more impressive that he will go down in history as one of the games great batsman. Sangakarra scored 12400 runs at a remarkable average of 57.4. This included 38 hundreds and 52 fifties throughout a career spanning from his debut in 2000, to his last test in 2015. What sets Sangakarra apart from his countrymen is his ability to perfom outside of his home conditions. An example of this is his batting average in Australia which sits at 60.33. Sangakarra's ability to play off the back foot enables him to do this. He has one of the best back foot punches in the game, and a good pull shot. It is worth noting that since he gave up wicket keeping, Sangakarra averages 69.86 from 74 test matches. This is the highest batting average for a batsman who has played over 50 tests since Bradman.

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2- Ricky Ponting (Australia)

With one of the most asthetically pleasing pull shots in history, Ricky Ponting in form remains one of the most amazing things to witness on a cricket field. So beautiful on the eye, it didn’t matter if it was the lunging cover drive or a whip off his hips. Ponting was class. He scored 13378 runs that included 42 hundreds and 62 fifties. What made Ricky Ponting so good to watch, and so hard to play against was his ability to play all around the ground. If he managed to get through his first 20 balls without nicking off or getting caught LBW he could score anywhere. This made him a nightmare to bowl against. As an opposition captain not only could you not dismiss him, but is was extremely difficult just to slow his strike rate.

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1- Sachin Tendulkar (India)

The classiest batsman of the modern era, Tendulkar found a way to score runs in every country and always managed to look good doing it. He scored 15921 test match runs (the most in history) that included 51 hundreds and 68 fifties (both the most in history) in a test career spanning more than 20 years. What made Sachin's record more amazing was the added pressures he had to deal with. Michael Vaughn sums it up well when he says: 'The ground would fill up when Sachin was next into bat. He couldnt even go out to a resturaunt in his home town. Everytime he walked out to bat he had the weight of 1.2 billion people on his shoulders'. To be able to deal with this and still produce the numbers he did only adds to the class of Sachin Tendulkar.