Best all-format XI of the year 2021

After the curtains came down on 2021, it’s time to take a look at the great performers who impressed everyone with their caliber, class and determination. The cricket calendar of 2021 was quite busy as the previous year wasn’t good for the cricket fans. The year had the ICC T20 World Cup, England’s tour of India and T20 was at it’s best when the Kangaroos went in the land of the Kiwis. With the game having three different formats, players need to have different skillsets and mindset to perform in every version. A batter needs to show character in Tests to stay at the crease for long time while a pinch hitter in T20s need to score quick runs. Very similarly, the bowlers have to change their whole bowling pattern while switching the formats. Performing in every format in not a cup of tea for most of the players. But we have some quality three format players who make this job look very easy. This is the reason we have attributes like Test specialists 0r T20 stars. Here’s take a look at the best all format XI for 2021 1. Rohit Sharma (India) Rohit Sharma. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) The Mumbai opener had an amazing year across all three formats. He was India’s highest run-scorer in all three formats in 2021. In all Tests, ODIs and T20Is combined he scored 1420 runs with an average of 43.03. He also managed to hit 34 sixes and 162 fours in 2021. In Tests, he was the second highest run scorer in 2021 scoring 906 runs in 11 games with an average of 48.19 and scored two hundreds, one in England and one in the home soil. He hasn’t played much ODI’s in 2021 but in T20Is he scored 424 runs in 11 games with an average of 38.54. When India toured England, Rohit Sharma scored 368 runs in 8 innings with a hundred at the Oval. In the T20 world cup he scored 174 runs in 5 games with two fifties. So with this incredible performance, he is the first opener in best all format XI of 2021. 2. Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) Mohammad Rizwan. (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images) Mohammad Rizwan also was brilliant in 2021 since the day he started opening the innings. He was the leading run scorer in T20Is in 2021 scoring 1201 runs in 27 matches with an extraordinary average of 75.06. He was the only batter to reach the 1000-run mark in 2021 in T20I cricket. His performance was brilliant in ICC T20 World Cup too, where he scored 281 runs with an average of 70.25 in 6 matches and assured Pakistan a place in the semi-finals. He began his year with an unbeaten 104 against South Africa, followed by 7 half centuries that made him score most T20I runs in a single year by any player. This dream year of Mohammad Rizwan makes him the second opener in the best all format XI of 2021. 3. Babar Azam (Pakistan) (C) Babar Azam. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images) Babar Azam was one of the dominant performers in the year scoring 1674 runs in 41 games with an incredible average of 87.68 across all three formats. He scored 405 runs in only 6 ODIs he played with an average of 67.50 and scored a hundred against England in their home soil. In T20Is he was only behind his teammate Rizwan in terms of scoring runs in 2021. He scored 853 runs in the 27 T20Is he played with an average of 37.09. In ICC T20 World Cup he was the highest run scorer with 303 runs in 6 games with an average of 60.60. He was brilliant in Test cricket also as he scored 416 runs in 13 innings with an average of 34.66. He had an year to remember. These excellent performances by the classy batter makes him number 3 in the team and with a good captaincy record, he is the skipper of the best all format XI of 2021. 4. Joe Root (England) Joe Root. (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images) Joe Root was the leading run scorer in Tests in 2021. He scored an alluring 1544 runs across 25 innings in 13 Test matches he played with an outstanding average of 64.33. He also scored the most number of Test tons in the year scoring 6 hundreds, 2 of which were a double hundreds. He also scored a 218 in India on a challenging wicket, arguably the best knock of the year. The Yorkshire cricketer was handy with the ball too as he took 11 wickets which included a five-wicket hall in India where many world class batters failed to pick his tricky off-spin. He scored a total of 163 fours which are good number to have. The veteran led the English side to many good wins this year. He was very consistent with the bat and scored when the team needed his abilities the most. These things made him the number 4 in the best all format XI of 2021. 5. Rishabh Pant (India) (WK) Rishabh Pant. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Rishabh Pant scored the most Test runs in 2021 as a wicket-keeper. He scored 706 runs off 19 innings he played with 5 half centuries and one 101 in his home soil. He managed to hit the most sixes in Test cricket in 2021 hitting 15 balls out of the park and also hit 78 fours in the year. He had a good average of 66.47 in Tests. Across all formats the Delhi wicket-keeper scored 1074 runs with an average 41.30 hitting 36 sixes. He also played a brilliant gutsy innings at Gabba assuring India a historic Test win and was also the first player of the month in January 2021. The southpaw was also very good behind the wicket as he had 42 dismissals (33 catches and 9 stumpings) across all three formats in 2021. Due to these great performance in the year, he bags number 5 position as well as wicket-keeper’s spot in the best all format XI of 2021. 6. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) Shakib Al Hasan. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images) Shakib Al Hasan is one of the best all-rounders of the current lot. In 2021, he scored 771 international runs off 30 games that he featured in and took 47 wickets across all three formats. In Tests he only played 4 innings in which he scored 167 runs with two fifties and took 5 wickets. The Bangladeshi played 9 ODIs in which he scored 227 runs and bagged 17 wickets with a five-wicket haul to his name. In T20Is, in 18 games he scored 327 runs and dismissed 25 batters with two four-wicket hauls to his name. The all-rounder was on 9th position in the list of highest wicket takers in all three formats combined. His performances were not up to and mark and up to the standards he sets for himself but he is still better than the others and that’s why he earns the number 6 position in the best all format XI of 2021. 7. Jason Holder (West Indies) Jason Holder. (Photo Source: Twitter) Jason Holder has evolved as an all-rounder in recent times. His performances are very good both with bat and ball. He scored 549 runs in 31 innings across all formats with three fifties with the highest score of an unbeaten 71. He took 36 wickets in all formats this year with a bowling average of 28.72. In Tests he played 8 games and scored 362 runs scoring two fifties and took 22 wicket with best bowling figures of 5/27. In T20Is he took 10 wickets in 13 games he appeared and in ODIs he took 4 wickets as well. He underperformed to some extent with white ball but with red ball, he was fantastic. The tall Caribbean all-rounder has shown his growth and he is very promising. His good cricketing year makes him bat at number 7 in the best all format XI of 2021. 8. Ravi Ashwin (India) Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI) Ravi Ashwin was highest wicket taker in Test cricket in 2021 picking up 52 wickets in 16 innings of 8 matches with 3 five wicket hauls at a bowling average of 16.23. He was the only bowler in the year to pick 50 wickets this year. The off-spinner also scored 337 runs in Tests this year. He also has a century to his name this year after he scored 106 vs England in his home soil. He also made a comeback in limited-overs cricket when his name was announced in the 15-member Indian squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2021. In his comeback tournament he picked 9 wickets in 5 games with the economy rate of 5.25 which is par excellence in T20 cricket. The Tamil Nadu spinner is brilliant in his home soil as he completed the mark of 400 wickets in Test cricket and became only the fourth Indian bowler to do so. He also surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become India’s second-most successful spinner in Test cricket after Anil Kumble. He is on number 8 in the best all format XI of 2021. 9. Hasan Ali (Pakistan) Hasan Ali bowling. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) In 2021, the Pakistani pacer played 8 Test matches in which he was amazingly well taking 41 wickets with incredible bowling average of 16.07. Taking as many as 41 wickets, he also picked 5 five wicket hauls and in one match he completed his 10 wicket haul. He was also good in the ODI format as in 4 matches he took 7 wickets with one five wicket haul in the year. He had a bowling average of 31.71. In the shortest format he played 18 games in which he had 25 dismissals with bowling average of 19.28. The Pakistani also has shown character that he can also hit high percentage shots lower down the order. He was given this role and he took his responsibility with both hands winning a couple of games for Pakistan with the bat. The talented pacer is also featuring in the best all format XI of 2021. 10. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan) Shaheen Afridi. (Photo by Michael Steele-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) It will not be any wrong to say that the best performer in 2021 was Shaheen Shah Afridi. He emerged as a star this year and he continued the legacy of Pakistani pacers. He was the leading international wicket taker with 78 wickets to his name. He had 3 five wicket hauls to his name. In 17 innings of Test cricket he played, he picked 47 wickets with a bowling average of 17.06. His best figures in Tests was 6/51 this year. In 6 ODIs he played, he took 8 wickets. In T20Is he picked 23 wickets in 21 games with a bowling average of 26.04. He bowled a beautiful spell against India at the ICC T20 World Cup picking the three big wickets and helped Pakistan register their first win against India in the World Cups. These outstanding performances makes Shaheen Shah Afridi the 4th Pakistani to feature in the best all format XI of 2021. 11. Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa) Tabraiz Shamsi. (Photo by Gareth Copley-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) The 2021 was a breakthrough year for one of few left-arm wrist spinners in international cricket circuit, Tabraiz Shamsi. He performed consistently this year and became the number 1 bowler in ICC T20I rankings for a good span of time. The 31 year old took 36 wickets in the shortest format in 22 matches he played with bowling average of merely 13.36 and a pleasing economy of 5.72. Shamsi was one of the trump cards for the Proteas this year in white ball cricket. In ODIs he played 9 games in which he had 14 wickets to his name and took a brilliant five wicket haul (5/49). The wrist spinner was on fifth position in the list of highest international wicket takers in 2021 with a total of 50 wickets. He also bowled really well in the ICC T20 World Cup picking up 8 wickets in 5 matches with economy of 6.36. He becomes the only South African to feature in the best all format XI of 2021.

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