With an action-packed 2023 drawing to a close that saw a host of high-profile Test series being held, it’s time to pick the best playing XI of the year.
Presenting CricketNext’s Test XI of 2023
Usman Khawaja (Opener): M: 13, Runs: 1210, Ave: 52.60, 100s: 3, 50s: 6
The Aussie star finished the year as the leading run-getter. Khawaja’s year started with a bang as he scored a mammoth 195 against South Africa in Sydney and then on the tough tour of India, made 180 in Ahmedabad. He wasn’t done though. In Australia’s Ashes campaign, he won the player-of-the-match award as they started the campaign with a win in the Birmingham Test to take a 1-0 lead. Khawaja was the top run-getter of the India Test tour and Ashes 2023.
Ben Duckett (Opener) – M: 8, Runs: 654, Ave: 46.71, 100s: 1, 50s: 3
The 29-year-old was the opener with the second-most runs in the year. He produced his career-best show of 182 against Ireland in a one-off Test, adding a century at Lord’s to his name. And then it was at Lord’s where Duckett scored 98 and 83 against Australia during the Ashes. He’s found the regime of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum more to his liking with his England career undergoing a revival.
Steve Smith (No. 3) – M: 13, Runs: 929, Ave: 42.22, 100s: 3, 50s: 3
The Australia superstar enjoyed a productive year with the bat, finishing as the second-highest run-getter behind his countryman Khawaja. After the disappointment of the India tour, Smith scored a century in the final of the World Test Championship as Australia beat India at The Oval. He had a decent Ashes tour too, scoring 373 runs from 10 innings including a century and two fifties.
Travis Head (No.4) – M: 12, Runs: 919, Ave: 41.77, 100s: 1, 50s: 5
Head had a year to remember. He scored two career-defining centuries during the year – the final of WTC and the final of ODI World Cup. His 163 against India at a strike rate of 93.68 put Australia in the driving seat. Head finished as the third-highest run-getter of the year behind two of his Australian teammates.
Jonny Bairstow (No. 5 and wicketkeeper) – M: 6, Runs: 322, Ave: 40.25, 100s: 0, 50s: 3
Bairstow’s Test appearances were limited to Ashes and perhaps his most talked about involvement was his run out by Alex Carey after he casually ventured out of his crease triggering a controversy that resulted in Australian cricketers being allegedly abused in The Long Room at Lord’s. He played an important role in helping England draw the Ashes 2-2.
Mitchell Marsh (Allrounder): M: 6, Runs: 550, Wickets: 4, 100s: 1, 50s: 4
The allrounder stepped up when it mattered. He scored a run-a-ball century against England to help Australia recover after a top-order collapse in Leeds. However, Australia lost that match. He put on another rescue act towards the end of the year against Pakistan in the Boxing Day Test. This time, he scored 96 after Australia were reduced to 16/4. It culminated in a series-clinching win.
Pat Cummins (Captain, Lead Pacer) – M: 11, Wickets: 42, Five-fors: 3
2023 was a year to remember for Cummins. He finished the calendar year as the second-highest wicket-taker and captained Australia to their first-ever WTC triumph. Australia then retained Ashes in England with Cummins hitting a memorable 44 not out at No. 9 in a thrilling chase in Birmingham.
Ravichandran Ashwin (Spinner) – M: 7, Wickets: 41, Runs: 150, 50s: 1 Five-fors: 4
Ashwin continued to prove why he’s one of the finest spinners to have played the game. He was the joint player-of-the-series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, finishing with 25 wickets – the most in the series. He dazzled on the tour of West Indies too, taking 12 wickets in the first Test of the two-match series. He finished the year as the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests.
Nathan Lyon (Spinner) – M: 10, Wickets: 47, Ave: 24.95 Five-fors: 2
The most prolific offspinner in Australian Test history joined the elite 500-wicket club during the Pakistan series. He was the joint second-highest wicket-taker during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India with 22 scalps and looked set to have an impressive Ashes series before an injury cut short his participation to just two matches. He won the WTC playing a vital role with five wickets in the contest as Australia beat India. He finished the year as the leading wicket-taker.
Kagiso Rabada (Pacer) – M: 4, Wickets: 20, Ave: 17.10, Five-fors: 2
Rabada may have played just four Tests during 2023 but he left quite an impression. In the Centurion Test against India in December, he kept bowling unplayable deliveries with surreal consistencies. A five-wicket haul in India’s first dig included the scalps of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer. In the second innings, he cleaned up Rohit with a peach to set in motion a massive batting collapse.
Stuart Broad (Pacer) – M: 9, Wickets: 38, Ave: 26.28, Five-fors: 1
Talk about a fairy-tale ending. On the final day of the fifth Test of Ashes 2023 with Australia fighting hard to force a draw and secure a series win, Broad led one final act with the ball for England. Wicketless in the second innings after having sent down 113 deliveries, Broad dug deep one last time, dislodging the final two Australian batters with rippers to seal a dramatic win. He finished the final calendar year of his Test career as the fourth highest wicket-taker.
Test XI of the Year: Usman Khawaja, Ben Duckett, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Lyon, Kagiso Rabada, Stuart Broad, Ravindra Jadeja (12th man)
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