Men’s Test Team of the Year
1. Dean Elgar, South Africa16 matches, 1,386 runs at 49.50, 6 centuries, 5 half-centuries
The diminutive left-hander was the bedrock of South Africa’s top order and no opener scored more centuries in the qualification period. Elgar’s average of 53.71 for 2017 was his highest in a calendar year.
2. David Warner, Australia16 matches, 1,421 runs at 49.00, 5 centuries, 5 half-centuries
Warner was the highest scoring opening batsman in the qualification period and along with Kohli, Stokes and de Kock was just one of four players to be included in both the Test and ODI Team of the Year.
3. Virat Kohli (cap), India18 matches, 2,023 runs at 77.80, 8 centuries, 3 half-centuries
Winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and ODI Cricketer of the Year awards, as well as captain in both the Test and ODI Team of the Year, Kohli has had a year to remember. He scored more runs than any other player in the qualification period and, according to CricViz, his false shot percentage of 6.1 in 2017 was the lowest of any batsman who scored 1,000 runs.
4. Steve Smith, Australia16 matches, 1,875 runs at 78.12, 8 centuries, 5 half-centuries
Australia’s captain has enjoyed a run of form of Bradman-esque proportions, completely dominating England in the Ashes to win back the urn. Arguably even more impressive were his performances in India, where Smith hit three centuries in four matches and faced 1,014 deliveries in testing conditions.
5. Cheteshwar Pujara, India19 matches, 1,914 runs at 63.80, 7 centuries, 9 half-centuries
Pujara has been the ice to Kohli’s fire in India’s top order. Only his captain scored more runs in the qualification period and he played the longest innings of 2017, facing 525 balls against Australia at Ranchi last March.
6. Ben Stokes, England14 matches, 1,000 runs at 40.00, 3 centuries, 6 half-centuries; 35 wickets at 27.68, 2 five-wicket hauls
England’s talismanic all-rounder was a match-winner with both bat and ball. His innings of 112 from 153 deliveries against South Africa at The Oval was a masterclass in controlled boundary-hitting and he was a constant threat with the ball, with CricViz ball-tracking data showing he found more swing on average (1.061 degrees) than any other player who bowled more than 1,000 deliveries in 2017.
7. Quinton de Kock (wk), South Africa16 matches, 1,006 runs at 41.91, 2 centuries, 7 half-centuries; 62 catches, five stumpings
The South African replaces England’s Jonny Bairstow as wicket-keeper in the 2017 team of the year after impressing with both bat and gloves. His aggressive approach to batting is demonstrated by CricViz data which shows he had the highest attacking shot percentage (37.2) of any player who scored more than 1,000 runs.
8. Ravichandran Ashwin, India19 matches, 111 wickets at 25.87, 8 five-wicket hauls, 3 ten-wicket hauls; 616 runs at 25.66, 5 half-centuries
The Indian off-spinner, who picked up the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for 2016, retains his place in the Test Team of the Year after another prolific year in which he became the fastest bowler to 300 Test wickets in the history of the game. In 2017 he drew more false shots (964) than any other bowler.
9. Mitchell Starc, Australia11 matches, 52 wickets at 27.88, 1 five-wicket haul
The left-arm quick was a constant menace, getting batsmen hopping and jumping with a combination of venomous bouncers and toe-crunching yorkers. His best performance of the qualification period came against England at Adelaide, when his eight wickets were instrumental in a crushing victory. CricViz ball-tracking data reveals Starc to have the fastest average speed (144.73kph) of any bowler in 2017.
10 Kagiso Rabada, South Africa15 matches, 76 wickets at 21.47, 4 five-wicket hauls, 2 ten-wicket hauls
The 22-year-old Proteas fast bowler continued his rapid rise with another prolific campaign. His haul of 57 wickets in 2017 was the highest by a South African for seven years and he capped a wonderful year by moving to the top of the ICC Test bowling rankings in January 2018.
11. James Anderson, England14 matches, 59 wickets at 20.01, 4 five-wicket hauls
Age appears to be no barrier for England’s all-time leading wicket-taker. The 35-year-old was in outstanding form during the English summer of 2017, and was named Player of the Series for his 19 wickets at 14.10 against West Indies, passing 500 Test wickets in the process. No bowler took the edge more times in 2017 than Anderson, who did it on 238 occasions.