Our World Test Championship Team of the Tournament

After a two years that saw historic tours, shattered records and the arrival of 'Bazball', the second instalment of the World Test Championship has come to a close. Well, almost.

There's still the final, to be contested between Australia and India on June 7 in London, but all the preliminary jousting is finally done.

This 'best XI' salutes those who delivered for the entirety of the WTC's two-year cycle, and tries to create a team that would flourish in all conditions. 

For that reason, three quicks and two spinners (Ravindra Jadeja as an allrounder) have been selected, as well as ultra-aggressive middle-order batters to celebrate a style of play that emerged as popular, and effective, in the second half of the window. 

1. Usman Khawaja (Australia) 

Matches: 16 | Runs: 1,608 | Average: 69.91 | Strike rate: 50.40 | 100s: 6 | 50s: 7 | Highest score: 195no 

An easy selection for the opening position, Khawaja has been in blistering form since his return to the Australian XI for the 2022 New Year's Test. He began with twin tons against England in Sydney and also reached three figures in Pakistan (twice), against South Africa at home and in India. 

That tour of Pakistan in early 2022, his first to the country of his birth, was peak Khawaja. He scored 496 runs at the unbelievable average of 165.33, with a pair of dismissals in the 90s the only downside to an otherwise faultless series. 

2. Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)  

M: 12 | Runs: 1,054 | Ave: 47.90 | SR: 51.92 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 8 | HS: 147 

Sri Lanka captain Karunaratne slots in alongside Khawaja after another extremely consistent two years that saw his side, against all odds, get within touching distance of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.  

His centuries came against West Indies at home and against India away, and he also scored at least 80 in Bangladesh, in New Zealand and against Australia.  

He gets the nod ahead of Abdullah Shafique because of his consistency across the two year window – Shafique burned brightly early but didn't pass 50 in his final nine innings. The Sri Lankan also edges out Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite due to having a higher average and more 50-plus scores (in fewer innings).  

3. Babar Azam (Pakistan) 

M: 14 | Runs: 1,527 | Ave: 61.08 | SR: 53.15 | 100s: 4 | 50s: 10 | HS: 196 

The Pakistan captain had a phenomenal 24 months in Test cricket, compiling more than 1,500 runs in only 14 Tests. 

His 425-ball 196 against Australia in Karachi was a performance of epic proportions that almost resulted in an unlikely Pakistan victory. He also notched centuries against Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand.  

Certainly, it helped his cause that he played eight Tests in the batter-friendly home conditions of Pakistan, however he still averaged 56.30 away from home, including 119 against Sri Lanka in Galle which was instrumental in his side's win.  

4. Joe Root (England) 

M: 22 | Runs: 1,915 | Ave: 53.19 | SR: 60.81 | 100s: 8 | 50s: 6 | HS: 180no 

Root played more Tests than anybody else during the WTC cycle, featuring in all 22 of England's matches, scoring over 300 runs more than the next-most prolific batter in the cycle, Babar Azam.  

While his Ashes series was lean (he averaged 32.20 from five Tests), Root scored big runs against the quality attacks of India (four centuries) and New Zealand (two centuries).  

The former England skipper averaged a whopping 78.60 in home Tests during the period, which included six centuries and two match-winning fourth-innings tons – 115no against New Zealand at Lord's and 142no against India in Birmingham.  

He was also the one of the few shining lights on England's disastrous Test tour to the West Indies, where he scored another two centuries before relinquishing the captaincy.  

5. Travis Head (Australia) 

M: 17 | Runs: 1,208 | Ave: 52.52 | SR: 80.69 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 6 | HS: 175no 

The swashbuckling Head announced himself as one of the most destructive middle-order batters in the world with a stunning 24 months that included three centuries and three dismissals in the 90s.  

In an era that has been dominated by attacking batting, Head just gets the nod over England's Jonny Bairstow due to his superior strike rate (Head's was 80.69, Bairstow's was 68.90). 

Head is also selected in favour of his Australian teammate Marnus Labuschagne, although Labuschagne scored 300 more runs in his extra seven innings. Extra weighting has been given to Head's performances in difficult batting conditions, such as his 152 off 148 against England in Brisbane, 101 off 113 against the same opponent in Hobart, his 92 off 96 against South Africa in Brisbane and his 49no off 53 against India in Indore.

6. Ravindra Jadeja (India) 

M: 12 | Runs: 673 | Bat ave: 37.38 | SR: 48.10 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 3 | HS: 175no 

Wickets: 43 | Bowl average: 23.23 | Economy: 2.40 | SR: 57.8 | 10WM: 1 | 5WI: 3 | Best bowling: 7-42 

India's Jadeja reinforced himself as the world's premier Test allrounder with big performances with bat and ball against every opposition he faced.  

In this current cycle the 34-year-old notched both his highest Test score, 175no against Sri Lanka, and his best career bowling figures, 7-42 against Australia.  

Jadeja missed a big chunk of cricket with a right knee injury in the second half of 2022 but returned to make a big impact in India's Border-Gavaskar trophy victory over Australia, taking 22 wickets and scoring a crucial 70 in the first Test in Nagpur.  

7. Rishabh Pant (India) (wicketkeeper)

M: 12 | Runs: 868 | Ave: 43.40 | SR: 80.81 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 5 | HS: 146 | Catches: 44 | Stumpings: 6

Pant was the standout wicketkeeper-batter of the WTC cycle, with only New Zealand's Tom Blundell (819) getting close to his run tally.  

Only Ben Stokes (28) hit more sixes than Pant's 22 and the keeper's strike rate of above 80 highlighted just how eager he was to put pressure back on the bowlers.  

Both of Pant's centuries came in series deciders – a lone-hand 100no against South Africa in Cape Town and a blistering 146 off 111 against England in Birmingham.  

Unfortunately, a serious car accident ruled him out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February and March and he is unlikely to be available for the WTC final in England in June.  

8. Ravichandran Ashwin (India) 

M: 13 | Wickets: 61 | Ave: 19.67 | Econ: 2.48 | SR: 47.5 | 5WI: 2 | BB: 6-91 

Ashwin pips Australia's Nathan Lyon for the specialist spinner role even though Lyon topped the wicket tally with 83 scalps in 19 Tests.  

Ashwin didn't play as regularly as Lyon but has a superior strike rate and conceded fewer runs per wicket compared to his Aussie counterpart.  

The India off-spinner's form dipped at the start of 2022 on India's tough tour to South Africa, but he returned to the wickets with strong series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, before putting in a player-of-the-series performance against Australia in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.  

He currently holds top spot on the ICC Test Bowling Rankings and sits second on the ICC Test Allrounder rankings (behind compatriot Jadeja) after compiling 444 runs in the WTC cycle.  

9. Pat Cummins (Australia) (captain)

M: 15 | Wickets: 53 | Ave: 21.22 | Econ: 2.68 | SR: 47.3 | 5WI: 3 | BB: 5-38   

Australia captain Cummins continued to personify consistency throughout the WTC cycle, going wicketless only three times in 25 innings.  

While two of his five-wicket hauls were in Brisbane (against England on captaincy debut and against South Africa), his other was in Lahore, returning astounding figures of 5-56 on a surface heavily favoured to the batters.  

Cummins impressed with his captaincy, leading Australia to Test victories in Pakistan and Sri Lanka and that thumping Ashes win at home.  

The NSW quick finished the Championship with the fifth-most wickets (53) will skipper this side, as well as Australia in their maiden WTC final in June.  

10. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) 

M: 13 | Wickets: 67 | Ave: 21.05 | Econ: 3.63 | SR: 34.8 | 5WI: 3 | BB: 6-50 

With a barely believable strike rate of 34.8 from 13 matches, South African spearhead Rabada is a no-brainer for this side.  

He dominated in England, New Zealand and at home, taking three five-wicket hauls and taking a wicket in every innings he bowled in.  

Perhaps the only blemish on his superb cycle were his final two matches in Australia – after taking eight wickets for the match on a green seamer in Brisbane (4-76 and 4-13), he managed only three wickets in the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.  

However, Rabada played a pivotal role in the Proteas' resurgence in 2021-23, orchestrating Test victories away from home against England and New Zealand and series victories against India and West Indies at home.

11. James Anderson (England)

M: 15 | Wickets: 58 | Ave: 20.37 | Econ: 2.27 | SR: 53.7 | 5WI: 2 | BB: 5-60   

The 40-year-old paceman has continued to defy the socially acceptable age limit for Test fast bowlers by not just maintaining strong form throughout the WTC cycle, but actually getting better the further it progressed. 

After he took just one wicket for the match in the Sydney Ashes Test in early 2022 and wasn't picked for the pink-ball fifth Test in Hobart, there was a thought that England, under new leadership of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes might look beyond Anderson going forward. 

However, it's a good thing they didn't, as from that moment on the ageless quick took 35 wickets in eight WTC matches, at an average of 17.85 and a strike rate of 43.1. 

Anderson proved he is a much improved performer in less bowler-friendly conditions too, taking a four-wicket haul in Melbourne and in Rawalpindi, as well as dominating at home like he has always done.  

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