2025 Mar 14, 13:31
The Guardian's tenth annual men's Test XI of the year has been announced, after 32 Tests, 33,408 runs, and 1,016 wickets. The selectors for this year were Vic Marks, Ali Martin, Rob Smyth, Tanya Aldred, Taha Hashim, Geoff Lemon, Adam Collins, Emma John, Tim de Lisle, Daniel Gallan, and Andy Bull. However, the selectors had a difficult time choosing players from teams like South Africa, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, as they had played very few matches this year. Usman Khawaja was the only unanimous selection in this XI, having made 1,168 runs at an average of 55. Khawaja's late-career resurgence has been a pleasure to watch, and he made three monumental hundreds against South Africa, India, and England this year. Rohit Sharma, the vice-captain of the Australian team, had a strong batting performance this year with 540 runs at an average of 49
He made a brilliant century against Australia on a spinning pitch in Nagpur and another ton against the West Indies. Kane Williamson, who stepped back from the captaincy at the start of the year, had a great batting record with 696 runs at an average of 58. He won the man-of-the-match for his 132 in a one-run victory against England, and made consecutive double centuries against Sri Lanka. Joe Root had an impressive year with 787 runs at an average of 66 and also took 8 wickets. He made two fine centuries against New Zealand and Australia, and although he might not have been as effective as before, he was certainly entertaining to watch. Travis Head, who was appointed Australia's joint vice-captain, scored 679 runs at an average of 42. His batting can be unpredictable, but he was still able to pick up plenty of runs, including a rollicking run-a-ball 163 in the final of the World Test Championship. Ravindra Jadeja had a great all-round performance with 281 runs at an average of 35 and 33 wickets at an average of 19
He played a crucial role in India's victory against Australia, taking 22 wickets in four Tests and making a crucial 70 in one of the matches. Lorcan Tucker, the first Irishman to make the team of the year, made 351 runs at an average of 44 in his four Tests. He showed great skill and resilience, scoring his first century when his team was 51 for 5. Ravichandran Ashwin, considered the best Test bowler in the world, took 40 wickets at an average of 16. Despite not being selected for the World Test Championship final, Ashwin's performance against Australia was impressive, with 25 wickets at an average of 18. Pat Cummins, who was appointed captain of the XI, had a memorable year with both bat and ball. He scored 225 runs at an average of 16 and took 32 wickets at an average of 33
His captaincy led Australia to victory in the Ashes series. Mitchell Starc had an outstanding performance in the Ashes series, taking 34 wickets at an average of 29. Despite uncertainty around his place in the team, Starc proved his worth and emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the series. Stuart Broad had a remarkable season, taking 38 wickets at an average of 26. He played a crucial role in England's victories, from his confrontations with Australia in the press to his crucial wickets in the series. Broad ended the season as the leading wicket-taker among the fast bowlers.