The Men's Test Team of the Year, picked by the ICC, consists of 11 players who made outstanding contributions in 2022, whether with the bat, the ball, or their all-around abilities.
These 11 players were chosen for the ICC's Men's Test XI of the Year in 2022 because of their excellent performance in Test cricket.
Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja's return to Australia's Test XI couldn't have started any better as he scored hundreds in both of his innings against England, including a magnificent 137 in the first and an undefeated 101* in the second. Despite the fact that Australia only managed to draw the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney, Khawaja's high run total guaranteed him more chances in 2022, and he well capitalized on them.
In the series victory in Pakistan, the brilliant left-hander scored 496 runs and averaged an astounding 165.33, hitting two hundreds and two other scores in the nineties to play a significant role in Australia's well-earned victory.
Despite a modest decline in his performance, Khawaja still scored three more half-centuries in 2022, finishing the year with 1080 runs and an average of 67.50.
Kraigg Brathwaite
In a series victory against England early in 2022, the West Indies captain and opening bat easily led his team in runs scored and finished the year as their best batter.
In an individual performance that would have kept his opponents up at night, Brathwaite made a half-century in each of the first two Tests against England in addition to a marathon 160 in the first innings of the second Test.
The right-hander showed his talent with 174 runs in the match at Perth against Australia in November, including a remarkable rearguard 110. He hit 94 and 51 in the first innings of each of the Test victories over Bangladesh in June.
In total, he scored 687 runs in 14 innings with an average of 62.45.
Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne, who scored numerous runs in the second half of 2022, comes in at number three.
The Australian got a 90 against Pakistan in the opening innings of the first Test, which was his highest total in that series. In July, he scored 104 against Sri Lanka in Galle to score his maiden century of the year.
But Labuschagne's best performance came at the opening of the Australian summer, when he stunned the West Indies by hitting an incredible 502 runs in just four innings.
His 957 runs in total for the year were accomplished at an average pace of 56.29.
Babar Azam
The Test captain of Pakistan had an outstanding year with the bat in 2022, hitting four hundreds and an additional seven half-centuries.
He scored an extraordinary 1184 runs in nine games at an average of 69.94, with one century against each of the four Test opponents he played.
Babar scored 390 runs during the much anticipated home series against Australia. Later that year, England paid him a visit, and he added 348 more runs. His greatest individual Test score was and remains to be 196 against the Australians in Karachi in March.
Jonny Bairstow
Despite having a broken leg that stopped him from competing in the winter tour of Pakistan, Jonny Bairstow of England had his strongest year yet.
He began the year with hitting a century against Australia in Sydney. He also had an outstanding maiden innings of the West Indies tour, hitting for 140.
But a golden patch at the start of the English summer will make Bairstow's year stand out. Bairstow scored successive runs of 136, 162, 71*, 106, and 114* throughout the course of five innings, beginning in the second innings of the second Test against New Zealand and continuing to the conclusion of the match against India at Edgbaston.
However, it wasn't only the number of runs that made him stand out; it was also how he scored them.
England was prepared for an unbelievable fourth-innings chase against the odds because to Bairstow's 136, which came off just 92 balls on the last day. At Headingley, he scored 162 runs at less than a run per delivery, despite England being 55/6 at one point, before slamming 71 runs off just 44 deliveries in another remarkable final day run chase. His 269-run partnership with Joe Root during England's highest-ever successful fourth-innings chase, which resulted in a total of 378/3 at a rate of nearly five an over, was a component of his 114* against India.
Ben Stokes
Although Bairstow may have succeeded with the bat during England's incredible comeback in 2022, it was Ben Stokes who encouraged the change and brought about such an extraordinary attacking mindset.
Since becoming England's captain at the opening of the English summer, Stokes has led his team to nine victories.
However, he has shown competence with both the bat and the ball.
At a lower average of 36.25 down at number six, Stokes scored 870 runs and scored two centuries throughout the year.
In addition, he played many different positions during the year and took 26 wickets. His bowling had a big effect on the series victory over South Africa, taking 10 wickets at an outstanding average of just 15.70.
Rishabh Pant
With 61.81 runs per innings and hitting out at a strike rate of 90.90, India's keeper-batter had another amazing season with the bat. He scored 680 runs in 12 innings.
Two century and four fifties in a given season only tell part of the story, as Pant's destructive approach of batting provides his team's innings a boost all year long. In 2022, he hit 21 sixes in Test matches. He also had good glove work, scoring six stumpings and taking 23 catches.
However, it might be a while before we see Pant in a Test match again since the 25-year-old is still recovering from the wounds he received in a serious car accident only two days before the year's end.
Pat Cummins
At the end of 2022, the World Test Championship standings were won by Australia under the leadership of their Test captain.
In addition to having one of his finest annual results with the ball, Cummins' leadership was outstanding throughout the entire year.
Cummins took 36 wickets at a modest average over 10 games in 2022. He excelled everywhere, not just at home.
The captain's most impressive bowling performance of the year came in the series-deciding victory over Pakistan in Lahore, where he took eight wickets, including a spectacular five-wicket haul in the first innings. When the series was decided in that game, Cummins was named Player of the Match.
He also had a strong year-end, hitting five more times against South Africa in Brisbane in December.
Kagiso Rabada
The spearhead of South Africa's offense had an incredible year with the ball in a variety of situations.
In total, Rabada took 47 wickets from nine games in 2022, achieving this at a modest average of 22.25.
The 27-year-old took at least 10 wickets against each of the four opponents he faced, and his achievements were constant across all of the series in which he played.
Rabada impressed the most at home with 14 wickets at 20.53, but he was also very effective in England, Australia, and New Zealand. Additionally, his average was very consistent throughout the various conditions.
Nathan Lyon
With more than 500 overs bowled throughout the year, Australia's front-line spinner was put to work in 2022.
Lyon did an outstanding job for his squad both at home and on the road, taking 47 wickets in 11 Tests with an average of 29.06 overall.
In the successful Test series against Pakistan, he was asked to bowl an enormous number of overs before showcasing his skills on turning pitches by taking 11 wickets.
Additionally, he was particularly productive at home, as he took 24 wickets at an average of 21.33.
As far as wicket-taking in Test cricket goes, Lyon and Rabada matched for first place.
James Anderson
The veteran swing bowler for England keeps performing at a high level despite his advanced age.
In 2022, Anderson reached 40 years old, but he is still among the best bowlers in the entire world of cricket.
In nine Test matches, he claimed 36 wickets for an economy of 2.42 and a mere 19.8 average. Given the high scoring nature of England's games for the majority of the year, that final number is rather unusual, with Anderson's economy being by far his team's best.
Anderson, an expert at working in English-speaking environments, has again showed his remarkable efficacy away from home by doing exceptionally well for his side in Pakistan.
The 40-year-old bowler completed the series with eight wickets, an average of 18.50, and an economy rate of just 2.20. This performance was totally strange and had the best average and economy of any bowler on either side of the series.
Who would be on this for this coming year?
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