Year in Review: Test team of the year 2013

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and not reflective of the website as a whole.

As an eventful year of Test cricket approaches the end, Michael Clarke rounds up a crew to take on the best of the rest.

David Warner – The Muscle

Dave Warner – Smash. Bang. Wallop

875 runs at an average of 41.66 and a strike rate of 67.30. 2 100’s, 6 50’s, high score of 124

Smash. Bang. Wallop. Context is everything. When he was punching Joe Root in Birmingham, and having a middling Test series with a pugnacious 71 his only score of note, even his sketchy tour of India was looking rather bright. When he was doing the same to England’s bowlers, it was rather different. Warner reeled off scores of 49, 124, 29, 83*, 60 and 112 as he battered England into submission with a machismo moustache to match the villainy. Powerful and free flowing, he didn’t fail in India, but didn’t make the series defining contributions he should have. Warner will have an important role to play as a trash talking, trend setting, battle axe-wielding southpaw.

Joe Root – The Rookie (VC)

Joe Root – The Rookie

823 runs at an average of 35.78 and a strike rate of 40.84. 2 100’s, 3 50’s, high score of 180

Joe De Vivre. Adept on the front and back foot, comfortable against spin and pace, tall, elegant, serene and only 22 – Joe Root has a bright future ahead of him. The 180 at Lord’s and 100 at Leeds stand out, but Root’s year was not defined by them. A couple of match saving supporting acts in New Zealand were followed by a technically accomplished 71 in a Lord’s dog fight. His best innings though was a down in the trenches 87 in Adelaide.

Promoted to number 3 with England barely holding on, and up against a rampant Mitchell Johnson, Root took everything thrown at him, verbal or otherwise. His job as an opener is to see off the new ball and bat time. His mid-over conversations with David Warner should be interesting too. His elevation to the vice-captaincy is more of a mentoring role, think Danny Ocean and Linus Caldwell.

Cheteshwar Pujara- The Glue

Cheteshwar Pujara – the ideal number 3

727 runs at an average of 80.77 and a strike rate of 58.53. 3 100’s, 2 50’s, high score of 204

The ideal number 3, once well set, even Wile E. Coyote’s entire stash isn’t enough to dislodge him. Blessed with a solid technique, decisive footwork, the ability to accelerate and a hunter’s patience, Pujara began the year with a domineering 203 against the touring Australian’s and ended it with a match defining 153 against the South Africans on their home turf.

In between those 2 epics, he scored a breezy century against the West Indies and an unbeaten; match winning 82 on a Delhi minefield. Whether he comes in early or after a foundation has been set, his job will be to make the gargantuan scores he has shown he can.

Michael Clarke (c) – The Brains

Michael Clarke- the leader

1077 runs at an average of 48.95 and a strike rate of 57.16. 4 100’s, 3 50’s, high score of 187

O Captain, my Captain. Flash, yet classy and perhaps the best player of spin in the world, Clarke began the year with a century and 91 in India, as the captain stood on the burning deck whence all but him had fled. He had a decent tour of England, without meeting the high standards he has set for himself. He did score a majestic 187 at Old Trafford in Australia’s only legitimate push for victory. He plotted England’s downfall with clever fields, bowling changes based on gut feel as much as logic and 2 wonderfully paced centuries. Clarke has perhaps the most important role to play as captain extraordinaire, genuinely great batsman and snazzy slip fielder. Long live the King.

Ian Bell- The Artist

Ian Bell – the craftsman

978 runs at an average of 44.45 and a strike rate of 43.29. 3 100’s, 5 50’s, high score of 113

I-Ron Bell was the Sledgehammer of Eternal Justice in the best and truest sense of the term. Bell always had class, some of his cover drives alone are worth the price of admission, but in 2013 he proved he had added a steely resolve to his game. A match saving 75 in Auckland was the highlight of the first half of his year, but Bell came to the party when it mattered, scoring 3 crucial, match winning Ashes centuries, along with a couple of breezy 50’s. He didn’t reach the same heights down under, but looked as if he was batting on another surface against Australia’s snarling fast bowlers before throwing it away. He will look to paint more masterpieces.

AB De Villiers (WK) – The Grease Man

AB de Villiers – Well…he can do everything!

859 runs at an average of 78.09 and a strike rate of 58.04. 4 100’s, 4 50’s, high score of 164;

38 catches, 1 stumping

It hardly seems fair that De Villiers can bat the way he does and still keep wicket competently. He’s scored runs for fun this year, with 2 100’s at home against the Kiwis, a 150 in the UAE and a breezy 100 to give South Africa a chance at history. De Villiers has every shot in the book, perhaps his only weakness is that he gets bored and gets himself out. He is the Grease Man because he can bat any situation; he can dig the team out after a top order collapse or go absolutely berserk and put the match so far out of the opposition’s reach that the improbable really does become the impossible.

Ravichandran Ashwin- The Jacques of all Trades

Ravichandran Ashwin – the all-rounder

41 wickets at an average of 22.51 and a strike rate of 52. 4 5 wicket hauls, best of 7-103 ;

192 runs at an average of 27.42 and a strike rate of 59.07. 1 100, high score of 124

A canny off spinner with more variations than a chameleon, Ashwin was often accused of not having the patience for this level. He changed that this year, bowling long spells, weaving his web of deceit ever so subtly. He proved that he can be a genuine all-rounder too, with a superbly constructed and elegant 100. His job will be to score useful lower order runs, bowl tightly on green tops and spin teams to defeat on turners.

Stuart Broad- The Getaway Driver

Stuart Broad – walks into the team…errr

59 wickets at an average of 25.37 and a strike rate of 45.5. 5 5 wicket hauls, best of 7-44

Chester-le-Street and Lord’s were vintage Broad demolition jobs, quick, sudden and utterly compelling. There are few more thrilling sights in world cricket than Broad running through the opposition like an England selector of the 1989 Ashes through team sheets. Even if you were to ignore those spells, the leading wicket taker for the year would walk (sorry, couldn’t resist), into any team of the year. Tall, fast and always up for a fight, Broad rose to the occasion when his team needed it.

He began the Ashes series with a crucial half century to set up victory and bowled exceptionally without getting the wickets he deserved. All that changed at Durham, before that magical spell, he bowled beautifully in the 1st innings and was unlucky to pick up only 5. By the end of the series, he had gotten under the Australian’s skin so much that they started a public campaign to vilify him.

His response? A 6 wicket haul that silenced (albeit briefly) a mouth breathing Gabba crowd baying for blood. His job will be to bowl the full length that has suited him so well, make more of his undoubted batting ability and bowl his team to victory from the jaws of defeat with his ‘getaway driving.’

Ryan Harris- The Pro

Ryan Harris – Can’t keep him out of the action

36 wickets at an average of 20.91 and a strike rate of 45.1. 2 5 wicket hauls, best of 7-117

Ryan Harris might have ended up the leading wicket taker of the year had he played more. Ryan Harris might have also gotten injured had he played more. It was the same old story for Harris, there was always the risk that he would do about as much damage to himself as the batsman as he charged to the crease.

Fast, skiddy and bowling with exceptional control, Harris picked up crucial wickets at just the right time, sometimes with some lateral movement, sometimes through disciplined line and length, always with a whole lot of heart. A break through always seemed imminent when he bowled, but so did a break down, so he was used sparingly.

He found enough time to end up Australia’s leading wicket taker and Man of the Series despite playing only 4 Tests in England, and followed that up with a joyful half century in the return bout and sustained excellence with the cherry. His job will be to bowl well with the new ball, and return at pivotal moments.

Dale Steyn- The Hit Man

The Steyn- Gun!

42 wickets at an average of 17.95 and a strike rate of 43.8. 3 5 wicket hauls, best of 6-8

Seldom has the term Hit Man seemed so appropriate. Fast, furious, snarling, terrifying, brilliant, compelling, genius, intimidating, hostile, game changing, how about we zone in on the best? When we look at bowlers from this generation, we will see Dale Steyn, daylight, and then the rest. Lean, mean and baring a resemblance to Daniel Craig (license to kill seems apt); Steyn has a beautiful action, pace, stamina and devilish outswing. He’s smart too, bowling within himself, a scary thought in itself given the ease with which he picks up wickets, before cranking up the speed gun and terror and intimidation when he feels like. The 6-8 that routed New Zealand stands out, but Steyn was a beacon of excellence and the alpha male throughout the year. His job will basically be to continue to be Dale Steyn. All hail Dale.

Trent Boult- The Horse

Trent Boult – the work horse

46 wickets at an average of 25.08 and a strike rate of 56. 3 5 wicket hauls, best of 6-40

The horse might sound ambiguous and confusing. Trent Boult is both the work horse and dark horse in a team full of superstars. He earned his place in the team with disciplined and consistent bowling throughout the year, before exploding against the West Indies with a series of thunder bolts.

Even before his match winning efforts, Boult had toiled away manfully, never letting his standards drop. His left arm angle, control, and swing stand out, but it is the fight and heart he has shown that has been the most endearing. His job will be to bowl the long spells, and if he can take a few more blinders and railroad the odd innings along the way, all the better.