Glenn McGrath picks the Test team of the year for Cricket Australia

2016 is living it’s last few days and everybody is busy preparing lists on the impact of the year and like the ICC and most other bodies Cricket Australia also released its Test team of the year. They brought in fast bowling legend Glenn McGrath to pick his team as well. McGrath is someone who is widely respected for his acumen and cricketing brain having concluded his career with a record 563 Test wickets.

He didn’t just go for the players who had heavy numbers to back them up but also went with his instinct considering the impact of the individuals and the energy they brought into the team. McGrath was quoted on cricket.co.au as saying, “I haven’t picked it just on stats alone,” he said. “Stats are important, but it’s all about attitude, the way you hold yourself in the game, and the effect you can have on the game.

“To me that’s probably more important than stats. But if you’ve got both, you’ve got the perfect cricketer, the perfect team and I’m happy with this team.”

For the opening slot, he went for Aussie David Warner and Joe Root. Though Root isn’t a regular opener but given he was the leading run-scorer in the year and the two other contenders Alastair Cook and Azhar Ali could have done better he went with the Englishman.

“I found the openers to be the toughest part. For me there hasn’t been any real standout in the last 12 months. Dave Warner hasn’t had the best 12 months, but still not too bad and his attitude and effect on the team is always pretty positive. He has a lot of energy and he’s very upbeat.”

“Alastair Cook has had a reasonable 12 months, as has Azhar Ali, but I found it difficult to pick four of the main batters in the team. And I noticed that Joe Root did open once this year so I’ve moved him into the number two position. Joe has had an incredible last 12 months … he’s the leading run-scorer for the year so he’s my other opener.” McGrath said.

No.3 is the most important batting position in the line-up and who better than Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli who loves responsibility to take it up. The former Aussie quick termed him the best batsman in the world at the moment and having been impressed with his attitude and what he brings to the table as captain, named him the leader of his team as well.

“Virat Kohli is probably one of, if not the best batsman in the world at the moment. He’s a quality player and I like his attitude and his aggression. He doesn’t back down and he also has the ability to back it up. And I think when he’s captain, it really lifts his game and I think he’s do very well captaining this team.”

The No.4 position went to the Australian skipper Steven Smith. “Steve Smith is one of the best batsmen in the world as it stands. He’s not as conventional as Joe Root or Virat Kohli and he plays shots to the parts of the field you don’t expect. But he’s still very effective and he still get results.” McGrath said.

To complete the formidable 4 is another promising young batsman and a captain, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. “Kane Williamson is one of those guys that people say they love watching bat. He seems to have all the time in the world and he is a quality, quality player. He’s easily one of the top three or four in the world.”

Jonny Bairstow probably had the best year among England players as he was equally good and effective with the bat and behind the gloves. He has featured in all the teams no matter who picked it and McGrath also went with him for the wicket-keeping role. “The wicketkeeper position I found a little bit tough, but Jonny Bairstow has had such an incredible year that I couldn’t go past him. I do like Quinton de Kock from South Africa, but Bairstow had an incredible year. He scored 1470 runs, just below Joe Root, and at an incredible average.”

The best seam bowling allrounder in the world at the moment takes the No. 7 spot. “For me, I’d nearly have Ben Stokes in the team as a bowler. What he can do with the ball is incredible … he’s taken 33 wickets for the year, so I’d probably expect a little bit more from him. But he’s also scored more than 900 runs with the bat. Averaging 45 with the bat, 25 with the ball – he’s my allrounder.” He said.

ICC Test player of the year and ICC Cricketer of the year, the leading wicket-taker in Tests in 2016 Ravichandran Ashwin leads the spin bowling charge. “Ravi Ashwin was named the ICC Test Player of the Year; he played 12 Test matches for India and took 72 wickets, so a very well deserved winner of that title. And he scored some very, very handy runs as well.”

Without a doubt the best fast bowler in the international arena, the man with steam and vigour Mitchell Starc. “When he’s on song, Mitchell Starc is the best bowler in the world at the moment for me. He can swing the new ball, bowls really good reverse swing with the old ball, but it’s the length that he bowls (that I like). He’s an attacking bowler so he can take wickets in any conditions, he takes the pitch it out of it and bowls full at the stumps and swings it.”

South Africa are blessed to have found a talent like him at such a crucial stage and he has definitely shown signs of only getting better with experience. “I’ve been a big fan of Kagiso Rabada from the moment I saw him bowl. He’s tall, he can get the ball through at a good pace, and he just has a knack of getting the ball to bounce and take some wickets. I think he’s defintely a guy to watch for the future and he will be a great bowler for a long time.”McGrath said.

To complete the bowling attack he picked the wrist spinner, Pakistan’s Yasir Shah has been an impactful bowler at home and away and that definitely puts him among the best spinners in the business today. “Now for the number 11, my favourite position in the team. As much as I wanted to go for a fast bowler, I’ve gone with Yasir Shah. He’s a quality legspinner and I like having someone who can take the ball away from the right-handed batsman. He’s a wicket-taker, he averages over five wickets a Test in his career and I like having that off-spin/leg-spin combination.”

Being a Stuart Broad fan himself McGrath picked him as the 12th man for his team. “I’ve gone for another English player as my 12th man, as tough as it for me to pick an Englishman. I’ve been a big fan of Stuart Broad for a long time and he just seems to get better and better. I found it tough not to have him in the team, but I thought he deserved to be in the 12.”

Glenn McGrath’s Test team of 2016:

David Warner, Joe Root, Virat Kohli (C), Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, Yasir Shah and Stuart Broad (12th man)