Since their 2-0 win over Sri Lanka in January, they have exclusively faced the top three ranked sides on the planet and more often than not finished second best.

In the end, they lost nine times in the calendar year – a joint world record they share with the Bangladesh side of 2003. A whopping 25 players represented England over the course of the year, here’s how they all fared:

Rory Burns: 4/10

530 runs @ 27.89, one hundred and three half-centuries; HS: 132

It feels like a long time ago but Burns – after first losing his place in the side during the tour of India – was the form batter in the country heading into the home Test summer. His Lord’s hundred withstanding, 2021 became Burns’ most difficult year as a Test cricketer. He ends it as both England’s second leading run-scorer this year and out of the side, a neat summary of England’s year with the bat.

Dom Sibley: 3/10

356 runs @ 19.77, three half-centuries; HS: 87

Another who started 2021 in the side and ended the year out of it. He was clearly out of rhythm by the time the home summer came about and was duly dropped during the home series against India. There were encouraging signs that he might be on his way to rediscovering his good 2020 form at the back-end of this year’s County Championship.

Zak Crawley: 1/10

173 runs @ 10.81, one half-century; HS: 53

A harrowing year for the youngster whose end of year aggregate is one of the worst in the game’s history among regular top-order batters.

Haseeb Hameed: 3/10

205 runs @ 18.63, two half-centuries; HS: 68

His return to the set-up was a heartwarming comeback story but in truth, his recall – after hundreds in just two County Championship matches in four years – was always a bit of a punt.

Dawid Malan: 6/10

308 runs @ 34.22, three half-centuries, HS: 82

Other than Joe Root, Malan is probably the only England batter whose reputation has been enhanced in 2021 – he’s looked the part without having registered a major score of note since his return to the side.

Joe Root: 9/10

1,708 runs @ 61.00, six hundreds and four half-centuries, HS: 228

Where would England be without him? A staggering year from one of England’s all-time greats. Loses a mark for not yet reaching three figures in Australia and for overseeing the ongoing carnage Down Under.

Ollie Pope: 2/10

368 runs @ 21.64, one half-century, HS: 81

One fifty from 18 innings is a deeply disappointing return for someone who is still widely regarded as the most exciting young batting talent in the country. A frantic energy has seeped into his game – he looks a world away from the player who scored a hundred at Port Elizabeth in 2020.

Dan Lawrence: 5/10

354 runs @ 27.23, three half-centuries, HS: 87*

A mixed year for Lawrence, his first in Test cricket. There have times where he’s looked the part – his debut 73, his 46 and 50 at Ahmedabad and his 81* against New Zealand come to mind – but he’s also managed to squeeze four ducks into his first eight Test appearances.

Jonny Bairstow: 4/10

391 runs @ 24.43, one half-century, HS: 57

Messed around in Asia and then twice recalled later in the year to help rescue an ailing lower middle order. There have been fleeting moments where he’s looked the part but like Pope, one fifty from 17 innings just isn’t good enough.

Ben Stokes: 3/10

304 runs @ 21.71, two half-centuries, HS: 82
Nine wickets @ 44.66, no five-fors, BBI: 4-89

There are significant mitigating factors at play but Stokes has been unable to paper over the side’s cracks in 2021 in the way he did in 2019 and 2020. In hindsight, expectations were too high ahead of his return in time for the Ashes.

Jos Buttler: 3/10

353 runs @ 25.21, one half-century, HS: 55

Inconsistent with both the bat and with the gloves in 2021, it’s possible that the ongoing Ashes series will be Buttler’s last in Test cricket.

Ben Foakes: 4/10

78 runs @ 15.60, no half-centuries, HS: 42*

His rating may look generous given his numbers and in comparison to some of his peers, but he did keep beautifully in India and all three of his appearances this year came on that doomed tour where hardly anyone in the England side could buy a run.

James Bracey: 1/10

Eight runs @ 2.66, no half-centuries, HS: 8

Earmarked as a potential top three batter at the start of the summer, Bracey then debuted as a keeper batting at seven. Those two Tests against New Zealand couldn’t have gone much worse.

Moeen Ali: 5/10

132 runs @ 18.85, no half-centuries, HS: 43
14 wickets @ 37.50, no five-fors, BBI: 4-98

Mismanaged in Asia after testing positive for Covid-19 in Sri Lanka before answering England’s SOS call during the home India series after Stokes was ruled out of the series. A strange end to Moeen’s Test career.

Sam Curran: 2/10

87 runs @ 14.50, no half-centuries, HS: 32
Six wickets @ 58.66, no five-fors, BBI: 2-27

Failed to grasp the opportunity that Stokes’ absence presented him in the summer. Curran is now some way down the pecking order nearly four years after he burst onto the scene against India.

Chris Woakes: 5/10

173 runs @ 28.83, one half-century, HS: 50
10 wickets @ 36.60, no five-fors, BBI: 4-55

Woakes made just three Test appearances in 2021 after an excellent 2020. He was arguably England’s best player at The Oval against India but was relatively unthreatening his first two outings in the 2021/22 Ashes.

Craig Overton: 6/10

8 wickets @ 21, no five-fors, BBI: 3-14

Probably the main beneficiary in Curran’s falling stock. He bowled well in England’s win at Headingley – their sole home victory in 2021 – but doubts still linger over his ability to dismiss world class batters on benign surfaces.

Ollie Robinson: 8/10

37 wickets @ 21.16, two five-fors, BBI: 5-65

An outstanding first year in Test cricket. The two criticisms would be how his speeds occasionally drop over the course of a day and how he can sometimes take a few balls to really get into a spell. But he has otherwise been brilliant.

Stuart Broad: 5/10

12 wickets @ 39.50, no five-fors, BBI: 4-48

Broad, now 35, is further down the pecking order than he has been in some time, featuring in just one of the first three Ashes Tests – it appears that Robinson has jumped ahead of him. But if there’s anything that we’ve learnt from his 14-year Test career, it’s that you write Broad off at your peril.

Olly Stone: 7.5/10

Seven wickets @ 23.57, no five-fors, BBI: 3-47

Stone’s body once again let him down in 2021 cruelly depriving him of a spot on an Ashes tour he was primed to make an impact on. His sole outing in India showed what a menace he can be with the ball at Test level.

Jofra Archer: 6/10

Four wickets @ 30.50, no five-fors, BBI: 2-75

Another whose year was ravaged by injury. Archer hasn’t played a game at any level since July.

James Anderson: 8/10

39 wickets @ 21.74, two five-fors, BBI: 6-40

Thirty-nine wickets for the 39-year-old in 2021, a staggering achievement. He bowled England to victories in both Sri Lanka and India and has been England’s best bowler so far in Australia. The only blot on his copybook is his dwindling second-innings returns.

Mark Wood: 6.5/10

19 wickets @ 34.78, no five-fors, BBI: 34.78

The numbers don’t leap off the page but Wood has been impressive this year, delivering a number of hostile spells for his captain, often on pitches offering minimal assistance.

Jack Leach: 6/10

30 wickets @ 34, one five-for, BBI: 5-122

Good in India, ignored in England and thrown in at the deep end against Australia – only Anderson ended up bowling more overs for England than Leach in 2021. He’s the best spinner England have available to them and he should be backed as such in 2022.

Dom Bess: 3/10

17 wickets @ 26.58, one five-for, BBI: 5-30

Burgled a five-for in Sri Lanka before having a torrid time of it in India where he totally lost his control, most notably in the second Test at Chennai. He had a quietly encouraging second half of the summer with Yorkshire and found himself back in the Test squad, if not the XI, by the end of the year.