With the Boxing Day Tests over, the 2023 Test season has come to an end. A year that saw 34 Test matches played and Australia crowned as World Test Champions for the 2021–2023 cycle. On the final day of the year, Cricket Australia (CA) released their Test Team of the Year.
CA has named players from six different nations as their Test Team of the Year. However, the list features just two Australians and two Indians, the two teams in the WTC Final. The shocking thing is that of the four players in their Test XI, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Rohit Sharma failed to make the list.
Cricket Australia’s Test Team of the Year
- Usman Khawaja (Australia)
- Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)
- Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
- Joe Root (England)
- Harry Brook (England)
- Lorcan Tucker (wk) (Ireland)
- Ravindra Jadeja (India)
- Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
- Pat Cummins (c) (Australia)
- Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
- Stuart Broad (England)
CA’s Diverse Test Team of the Year
The top 6 batters in Cricket Australia’s Test team of the year are from five different nations. Of these players, the shocking inclusion is that of Lorcan Tucker of Ireland, despite Alex Carey, Tom Blundell, and Mushfiqur Rahim scoring more runs.
As far as the remaining five spots go, only Nathan Lyon had a chance to make the XI. The off-spinner ended the year as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket but has found himself lower down the pecking order as Ashwin was picked ahead of him.