The ICC have named their Test Team of the Decade as part of their ICC Awards of the Decade series.

The side, picked by the ICC’s Voting Academy of journalists and broadcasters, features players from six nationalities; selections for the XI were based on performances from January 1, 2011 and October 7, 2020.

England were the side with the most representatives in the XI, with Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and James Anderson all included in a team captained by Virat Kohli. Joe Root, AB de Villiers, Younis Khan and Cheteshwar Pujara were among the most notable absentees. Root scored more Test runs than anyone else in the qualification period, while Younis averaged more than Williamson and was part of the Pakistan side that reached the summit of the Test rankings in 2016.

The only specialist batsman in the XI to average more than de Villiers’ 54.17 across the qualification period is Steve Smith. Sangakkara’s inclusion as the side’s designated wicketkeeper may also raise eyebrows considering the Sri Lankan legend didn’t keep wicket in a single Test during the qualification period.

The decade’s leading two wicket-takers – Broad and Anderson – both made the XI, while Ravichandran Ashwin pipped Nathan Lyon for a spot in the side. Dale Steyn, who boasted a formidable record of 207 wickets at 22.55 across the qualification period, was the other specialist quick included.

The only two players picked in Wisden’s Test Team of the Decade, selected on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast in December 2019, that weren’t in the ICC’s Test Team of the Decade were Kagiso Rabada and AB de Villiers.

ICC Test Team of the Decade

Alastair Cook (England)
David Warner (Australia)
Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
Virat Kohli – captain (India)
Steve Smith (Australia)
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
Ben Stokes (England)
Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
Dale Steyn (South Africa)
Stuart Broad (England)
James Anderson (England)