5 Cricketers who missed out in the ICC's Test team of the decade

The ICC, on December 27th, 2020, announced the Test team of the decade. It was revealed that Indian skipper and batting superstar Virat Kohli will lead the team that has some blockbuster names in it. Apart from Kohli, the other Indian to make the list was Ravichandran Ashwin. The England team had the maximum number of players in the Test team of the decade, with as many as four of their players finding a mention. Opening batsman Sir Alastair Cook, all-rounder Ben Stokes and the legendary fast bowling duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson found their names in the list. The other fast bowler who was picked in the side was Dale Steyn. David Warner was picked to open the batting alongside Cook, and Kane Williamson, Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kumar Sangakkara completed the batting line up. But then, there were some big names that were left out of the side by the ICC. In this article, let us look at 5 cricketers who missed out in the ICC’s Test team of the decade: 5. Younis Khan Pakistan’s Younis Khan. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Younis Khan was in the stellar form right through this decade from 2011, till he retired from the game in 2017. The Pakistani legend played 97 innings in this decade, and scored close to 4700 (4659) runs. The right-hander scored 17 hundreds in this decade, and there was not a single year in this decade till his retirement in 2017, where he averaged less than 35. Younis averaged 54.17 in Tests played between 2011 till his retirement in 2017, and also scored 4 double hundreds in this period. There was an accusation from the fans that there was not even a single cricketer from Pakistan who made it to the ICC Test Team of the decade. And, if there is one name that surely deserved a mention, it had to be that of Younis. In his entire career, Younis featured in 213 innings in Tests for Pakistan and scored a colossal 10,099 runs in Tests at an average of 52.06. Till date, apart from Younis Khan, no Pakistani batsman has scored more than 10,000 runs in Test cricket. 4. AB de Villiers AB de Villiers. (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images) One look at this man’s batting record in the time period between 2011 till his retirement from the Test format in 2018 makes us wonder as to how AB de Villiers was left out of the ICC Test XI of the decade. The South African batting Genius played 80 innings in this decade and scored 4063 runs at a stellar average almost touching 55. De Villiers also scored as many as 10 hundreds and 23 fifties during the bygone decade. Another revealing factor that shows the remarkable consistency of the batting icon is the fact that De Villiers averaged in excess of 45 in 7 out of the 8 years that he played in this decade. De Villiers’ overall numbers too, are glittering. The 36-year-old scored a total of 8765 runs in his Test career, at an average of 50.66. He is also the fourth highest century-maker for his country, with 22 tons to his name in the white flannels. 3. Nathan Lyon Nathan Lyon. (Photo by JEREMY NG/AFP via Getty Images) No spinner has taken more wickets than him in this decade in Tests. With a tally of 394 wickets in all the Tests played between 2011 and 2020, Nathan Lyon has emerged as a colossus in the whites. Yet, strangely, his name was omitted from the Test team of the decade. Lyon picked up as many as 18 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket hauls in this decade, and emerged as a vital cog in the bowling department of the Australian side, especially in Tests. In fact, Lyon is currently the third-highest wicket-taker for Australia and is just 6 wickets shy of breaking the 400-wicket barrier in Test cricket. One wonders on what basis his name was excluded from the ICC Test Team of the decade in spite of him generating such riveting numbers. 2. Joe Root Joe Root. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Another name that surely deserved a mention in the ICC Test Team of the decade is England skipper Joe Root. The right-hander played 177 innings in this decade and scored almost 8000 (7823) runs at an average of 47.70. Root also scored 17 hundreds and 49 fifties in this decade to emerge as a red ball colossus with the willow. In fact, among the Modern Day Fab Four (Kohli, Steve Smith, Williamson, and Root), the England skipper has scored the most runs in Tests played this decade. Yet, while the other three batsmen have found a place in the ICC Test Team of the Decade, Root has missed out. Root is currently the seventh-highest run-scorer ever for England in Test cricket, and in all likelihood, will go down as one of the greatest Test batsmen of the modern era. 1. Hashim Amla Hashim Amla. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images) He goes about his business in a silent, yet graceful way. He is a gladiator as far as run accumulation is concerned. Hashim Amla can slice through bowling attacks at will, and leave opposition captains scratching their heads with his ability to pierce the field. In the decade gone by, from 2011 till he bid adieu to the sport in the year 2019, Amla was at his prolific best. The right-hander scored 5446 runs in this decade, including 16 hundreds and 23 fifties. Apart from this, Amla also plundered a stunning 311* in the year 2012 as well. The batting maestro also scored three double centuries in the past decade and was the lynchpin of the South African side in the longest format of the game with the willow. Amal is the second-highest run-scorer for South Africa in Tests, with 9282 runs to his name, at an average of 46.64. He is also the second-highest century-maker for the Proteas as well, with 28 hundreds to his name.

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5 Cricketers who missed out in the ICC's Test team of the decade

There were some big names that were left out of the side by the ICC.

2. Joe Root

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