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WTC 2021-2023: Wisden’s World Test Championship XI

by Naman Agarwal June 11, 2023 - 4:15pm 4 minute read

The second edition of the World Test Championship has come to an end with Australia defeating India in the Final and getting their hands on the WTC mace for the first time. As the tournament comes to a close, Wisden.com has picked an XI comprising the best performers in this edition of the WTC.

Wisden’s WTC 2021-2023 XI

Usman Khawaja

17 matches, 1621 runs @ 64.84, HS: 195*, 6 hundreds, 7 fifties

Khawaja finished this WTC cycle as the second-highest run-scorer after Joe Root. His average of 64.84 is the second highest for any batter with more than 800 runs in the championship. He scored runs both at home and away, with three of his six centuries coming in Asia. At home, Sydney was his hunting ground, scoring three centuries at the SCG including two in the same match against England and an unbeaten 195* against South Africa.

Dimuth Karunaratne

12 matches, 1054 runs at 47.90, HS: 147, 2 hundreds, 8 fifties

Karunaratne was the highest scorer for Sri Lanka in the championship and the second-highest among openers overall. Like Khawaja, he too made runs away from home including a century in Bangalore in the pink ball Test against India, and three fifties in four innings in the recently concluded series against New Zealand.

Marnus Labuschagne

20 matches, 1576 runs at 52.53, HS: 204, 5 hundreds, 5 fifties

Labuschagne was the highest scorer at No.3 of any batter in the entire two-year cycle, scoring almost double that of the second-placed batter Cheteshwar Pujara. He absolutely annihilated opposition attacks at home, scoring nearly 1000 runs including three hundreds and a double ton against the West Indies in Australia’s latest home summer. His record was also decent away from home, where he averaged 39.37 and scored a century in Galle.

Dinesh Chandimal

10 matches, 958 runs at 68.42, HS: 206*, 2 hundreds, 5 fifties

The No.4 position in the order was one of the most difficult decisions the panel faced in selecting their XI. Chandimal pipped the likes of Babar Azam, Steve Smith, and Joe Root – all of whom had more runs than him – to claim the No.4 spot given the context in which he scored those runs. One of Chandimal’s centuries was a double ton against Australia in Galle, which helped Sri Lanka to an innings victory, while the other one was a well-crafted 124 against Bangladesh in Mirpur which led them to a 10-wicket win. These performances were enough to elevate him above the competition, a high percentage of who’s runs came on batter friendly surfaces

Jonny Bairstow

15 matches, 1285 runs at 51.40, HS: 162, 6 hundreds, 2 fifties

Bairstow probably had the biggest impact in this WTC cycle with the bat in the middle order. His bordering on unhinged application of the Bazball approach saw him score five consecutive 50+ scores – arguably the greatest run of Test innings ever – including four hundreds, with three at strike rates greater than a run-a-ball. While Daryl Mitchell had a brilliant campaign with the bat at No.5 too, Bairstow pips him for the kind of impact he regularly had when counter-attacking his team out of trouble on numerous occasions. He also scored two overseas hundreds in this cycle – one in West Indies, and one in Australia – to go with his extraordinary home summer in 2022.

Rishabh Pant (wk)

12 matches, 868 runs at 43.40, HS: 146, 2 hundreds, 5 fifties

Pant was the highest run-scorer among wicketkeepers in this WTC cycle. He scored runs in all the conditions he played in, including centuries at Edgbaston and Newlands. Two of his five fifties were 90+ scores, one coming in India and one in Bangladesh. Tom Blundell and Litton Das had more than decent campaigns as well, but Pant’s scoring rate (strike rate of 80.81 through the WTC cycle) and consistency in all conditions gives him the edge.

Ravindra Jadeja

13 matches, 721 runs at 36.05, HS: 175*, 2 hundreds, 3 fifties
47 wickets at 23.68, BBI: 7-42, 3 five-fors

Jadeja was the only player in the entire cycle to score more than 500 runs and take more than 40 wickets. He batted like a specialist regardless of his position in the order and did whatever was asked of him with the ball. On spinning pitches in India, he was able to attack and pick up wickets. Away from home, he was able to defend and hold up an end. His highest score in this cycle was 175* and his best innings bowling figures were 7-42. Two remarkable cricketers rolled into one.

Pat Cummins

16 matches, 57 wickets at 22.15, BBI: 5-38, 3 five-fors

Cummins was the fifth-highest wicket-taker in this WTC cycle. He was lethal in Australia, picking up 36 wickets at an average of 17.11, and was also decent away from home with 21 wickets at 30.81 apiece. He took three five-wicket hauls through the championship, the most impressive of which came on a flat track in Lahore.

Kagiso Rabada

13 matches, 67 wickets at 21.05, BBI: 6-50, 3 five-fors

Rabada took wickets at an astonishing strike rate of 34.8 balls. With 67 wickets from 22 innings, he averaged more than three wickets per innings and was the pick of the fast bowlers in the cycle. His top four bowling figures all came in different countries – 6-50 in South Africa, 5-52 in England, 5-60 in New Zealand, and 4-13 in Australia.

Nathan Lyon

20 matches, 88 wickets at 26.12, BBI: 8-64, 5 five-fors

Lyon was the highest wicket-taker in this WTC cycle and had the most five-wicket hauls as well. He marginally overtakes R Ashwin for his equally good performances on spinning pitches and on wickets that favoured seamers. Lyon took 38 wickets at 23.50 in Australia and 50 wickets at 28.12 away. Ashwin took just 10 wickets away from home at an average above 40. Australia won four Tests away from home in this cycle including the WTC Final. Lyon took a five-for in three of them, and a four-for in the WTC Final at the Kia Oval.

Jasprit Bumrah

10 matches, 45 wickets at 19.73, BBI: 5-24, 3 five-fors

The final seamer position was the most hotly contested with Shaheen Afridi, Ollie Robinson, and James Anderson all vying for the spot. But, Bumrah‘s 45 wickets at 19.73 marginally push him ahead of the rest. He took 10 wickets at an average of 9 in India and 35 wickets in England and South Africa combined at an average of 22.80. His performances on the relatively flat tracks in England were much better than the numbers suggest and were pivotal in India eventually reaching the WTC Final.