With some riveting cricket action, the longest format of the game surely attracted a lot of attention in 2018. The fans were indulged in Test cricket and thoroughly enjoyed it. With the bowlers performing so well, there were results possible in most of the matches thus leaving the aficionadi with something to cheer.

Moreover, the fact that the visiting teams did well to change the set-trend in the whites. While England whitewashed Sri Lanka in their own den, Team India competed so hard to in South Africa and England and ended the year with a 2-1 lead in Australia and have a real chance of winning their first ever Test series down under.

As we have entered into 2019, Crictracker ran a poll on its website asking the enthusiasts to pick the best Test XI of 2018. There were several responses to the same and the fans voted for their favourite cricketers.

Note: We have picked this XI purely based on the votes from the fans.

Here’s the Fans’ Test XI of 2018:

Openers (Tom Latham, Alastair Cook)

New Zealand’s Tom Latham and former English cricketer Alastair Cook were chosen to open the innings. The former amassed 658 runs in just 7 games at an average of 60 and also recorded the highest score (264*) of the year. His partner Alastair Cook though didn’t have the best of times. He scored 516 runs in 10 Tests and struggled in a majority of the innings. However, the left-hander finished on a high with a century against India in his last Test.

Middle-Order (Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Henry Nicholls)

The number three batsman picked is India’s Cheteshwar Pujara. The right-hander had a memorable 2018 with centuries in Australia and England. He batted for long hours, got through the testing phases and scored 837 runs in 13 matches at an average of 38. Following him is the run-machine and his captain Virat Kohli. Virat was yet again the leading Test run-scorer with 1,322 runs in 13 games at an average of 55. He struck five centuries in 2018.

The next pick by the fans is the English wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler. Having made a comeback into Tests last year, he escalated up the ranks quickly to evolve into a crucial member in the England line-up. He was also promoted as the vice-captain of the side and went on to score 760 runs in 10 matches. Buttler finished the year as the fifth highest run-scorer.

Another Kiwi batsman, Henry Nicholls was picked in this XI to bat at number six. Nicholls added a lot of stability to the New Zealand line-up with his exploits down the order. He accumulated 658 runs in 7 games at an average of 73.

Wicket-keeper (Rishabh Pant)

India’s wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was the next pick which sprung up as a small surprise. Pant did have his times of brilliance. He is definitely capable of much more and could have brought out more good performances. But, he rather threw his wicket away on quite a few occasions and the year should be a huge learning curve for him. Pant’s century in the fifth Test against England is one of the best you’ll ever see. He scored 537 runs in 8 games at an average of 38.

Bowlers (Nathan Lyon, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Abbas, Jasprit Bumrah)

Australia’s Nathan Lyon is the lone spinner who was picked in the XI. The 31-year-old gulped down 49 wickets in 10 Tests and bowled over 600 overs in the year. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas and India’s Jasprit Bumrah will form the pace attack. The troika was brilliant in their own respects and brought out some of the best performances for their respective teams.

Rabada was the highest Test wicket-taker in 2018. He gunned down 52 batsmen with his brilliant bowling in a total of 10 Test matches. Mohammad Abbas was another one of those highly impressive bowlers. The 28-year-old is one of the fastest to reach the landmark and got there bowling at an unbelievable average. In 2018, he picked 38 wickets in 7 games at an average close to 14.

Jasprit Bumrah was one of the best bowlers for India in the year. It never seemed as if it was his debut year as he bowled with great precision and was always bang on target. With 48 wickets in nine matches, he finished as the highest wicket-taker for his country and will round up this Test XI.

CricTracker’s Fans’ Test XI: Tom Latham, Alastair Cook, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Henry Nicholls, Rishabh Pant, Nathan Lyon, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Abbas, Jasprit Bumrah.

Get the latest Cricket News and all the Cricket in 2018 articles, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

The mega-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is done and dusted as all the eight teams looked happy after building a decent squad around their core and retained players. The two-day event threw a lot of surprises with the international cricketers ruling the first day. While the Indian domestic players had the last laugh on a concluding day as the performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy were rewarded with a huge IPL contract by the franchises.

Ben Stokes was the most expensive player of the lot as he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 12.5 Crore. Jaydev Unadkat took the honours in the Indian contingent as he too went for the same franchise as they paid him a whopping amount of Rs. 11.5 Crore. The uncapped players like Ishan Kishan, Krishnappa Gowtham were also the hot picks of the auction. In the end, a total of 169 players were sold across eight teams out of 578 who were supposed to go under the hammer.

Soon after the auctions, CricTracker conducted a fan poll on our official Facebook handle and asked them to pick the best IPL side. The poll received a huge response as it was a close tussle between the teams to take the honours.

Here are the results of the poll:

8. Rajasthan Royals: 5%

According to the fans, Rajasthan Royals didn’t have the best side for the upcoming edition of the Indian T20 league. They are returning after the gap of two years as the franchise was suspended for their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing saga in 2013. Though they were shelling out some big money over the players and have almost replicated Rising Pune Supergiant squad which had replaced them for a couple of years.

Steve Smith will lead the side which also consists the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Ben Stokes. The bowling attack will be led by Jaydev Unadkat who was the most expensive Indian player in the auction. Royals also managed to snap up Jos Buttler who is touted as one of the best limited overs wicket-keeper currently. Jofra Archer, the man who has lit up the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL), will also play for Rajasthan in his maiden IPL stint. Overall, this team has all the ingredients to do well in the upcoming tournament.

7. Kolkata Knight Riders: 7%

It was surprising to see the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders is the second worst IPL side for the fans. Only 7% of the voters were in favour of the franchise who felt KKR is the best side after the auction. There is a possibility that many of them might have been miffed over the fact they released the skipper Gautam Gambhir. Moreover, they’ve also not picked any player who could be tipped as a perfect captain material in the 19-man squad.

KKR has invested in the gun players like Chris Lynn, Mitchell Starc and Robin Uthappa. They have as many as three U19 players, Shubman Gill, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, currently featuring in the ongoing World Cup. The bowling attack is the most lethal for KKR as they possess the likes of Sunil Narine, Mitchell Johnson, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar and Starc. Though it would be interesting to see whom they make the captain for the upcoming season.

6. Delhi Daredevils: 10%

Delhi Daredevils who will be coached by Ricky Ponting is the 6th best team on paper after the auction. As many as 10% of the cricket fans voted for them. Gautam Gambhir is back to where he belongs and will lead the young looking team which also includes some amazing T20 players as well. Glenn Maxwell was the most expensive player picked by them who was followed by Kagiso Rabada. Daniel Christian, Jason Roy, Trent Boult and Colin Munro are the other overseas players who will feature for Daredevils.

But the heart of the team is the Indian contingent as they’ve continued keeping their faith on them. DD retained Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer along with Chris Morris which surprised everyone. They built a decent side around them and most importantly picked the perfect captain in Gambhir. They also boast the experience of Shahbaz Nadeem and Amit Mishra in the spin department who will be assisted by young Abhishek Sharma. Even India U19 batsman Prithvi Shaw will don the jersey for Delhi and would look the make the most of the opportunity.

4. Kings XI Punjab: 12%

Kings XI Punjab was the most active franchise in the auction trying to buy every possible player to go under the hammer. In the end, they managed to build a decent squad of 20 players as 12% voters went with them and hoped that they win the coveted trophy this time around. Punjab side boasts of some T20 superstars like Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle who can tear apart any opposition on their day. Even the likes of Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller would be in the dressing room as the team combination is looking great for them.

KL Rahul and R Ashwin were the top two expensive picks of the franchise as they would be key to their fortunes during the tournament. They had retained only Axar Patel and cleverly used their RTM cards for David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Mohit Sharma. Virender Sehwag is the mentor of the team and surely his inputs would be helpful for the team as KXIP chase their maiden IPL title.

4. Mumbai Indians: 12%

Mumbai Indians, the defending and three-time IPL champions, tied with KXIP in terms of the votes went in their favour and are also the fourth best side according to the fans. Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the side undoubtedly as Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya was also retained alongside him. They used their RTM cards for Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya and formed the core of the side perfectly. They bolstered their bowling attack by picking Pat Cummins, Mustafizur Rahman, Ben Cutting and Pradeep Sangwan.

They will miss the experience of Lasith Malinga who was with the franchise for a long time. Even they let go of Harbhajan Singh who played for them the whole decade. They went for Akila Dananjaya in the auction to replace him and have kept faith on the domestic players in the spin department. Evin Lewis and JP Duminy were the other smart buys from them as MI would be eager to defend their title.

3. Sunrisers Hyderabad: 16%

Sunrisers Hyderabad is the third best IPL side after the auction as 16% fans voted for them. Certainly, the franchise was the smartest of them all making some decent buys going for impact players and not on reputation. David Warner will be the leader of the pack as Bhuvneshwar Kumar was also retained with him. They used RTMs for Rashid Khan, Deepak Hooda and Shikhar Dhawan which makes them one of the strongest sides in the tournament.

Moreover, SRH also picked the all-rounders like Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite and Mohammad Nabi which should bode well for the team. The striking thing though was their persistence with the Indian pace bowlers. Billy Stanlake is the only overseas fast bowler in the squad as the likes of Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi among others make up the pace attack. The team looks absolutely strong as all the sides should be wary of the underdogs this year who has won the title before in 2016.

2. Royal Challengers Bangalore: 17%

Royal Challengers Bangalore just pipped SRH as they garnered a total of 17% votes which is mostly due to the huge fan base which they possess. When the team has players like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum, they will surely be touted as one of the most dangerous teams. It was surprising that they didn’t even bid for Chris Gayle who has won them so many matches in the past with his whirlwind knocks. Though they’re looking a formidable unit this time around after bolstering their bowling attack.

Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile are the few of them and will be assisted by the likes of Mohammad Siraj, Navdeep Saini and Aniket Choudhury. RCB used RTM card for Yuzvendra Chahal which was expected and they also backed Pawan Negi to do the job for them this year. However, the only question is can they deliver as a team now after being lacklustre last year. The silverware has always been away from RCB and they would be eyeing to achieve it in the eleventh edition of the league.

1. Chennai Super Kings: 21%

Chennai Super Kings returns to the IPL fray and in style. They have topped the charts and as many as 21% of votes have gone their way. Though the experts felt they missed the trick in the auction, their fans have gone either way and have tipped them as the best IPL side after the auction. They are the only team to qualify for the playoffs in every season CSK has played. MS Dhoni is the best captain of India and is once again back at the helm for the franchise.

CSK retained Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja along with Dhoni and used RTM card for Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo. These 5 players have the capability of changing the game on its head. The two-time champions also shelled out a huge amount for Kedar Jadhav and backed Shane Watson to come good as well. Harbhajan Singh will play under Dhoni this year and they are once again the favourites to lift the title for the third time. It remains to be seen if they will be able to do it with a different bunch of players.

Here’s the Facebook poll:

The two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders have a big question to answer before the start of the eleventh season. They let go Gautam Gambhir, the man who changed the face of their cricket in the IPL 2018 auction and now need a new captain. A look at the squad and there is no one who has the experience of having done that in the past.

Ahead of the auction when it was speculated that Gambhir wouldn’t be retained a lot of people believed that KKR will use the Right to Match card for Manish Pandey and appoint him the captain. But since his price shot up to as high as Rs. 11 crore, they backed off from shelling that kind of money and now will have to promote someone to the job.

The prime options at hand are Andre Russell, who they retained, Chris Lynn the man who has been a sensation for them, Dinesh Karthik their new buy this season and the veteran Robin Uthappa. CricTracker decided to ask the fans to make the choice in a poll and here is how it turned out.

Andre Russell – 7%

The big man from Windies has played 34 matches in his IPL career initially represented the Delhi Daredevils and once he moved to the Knight Riders has been one of their most valuable players. Though Russell was banned for a year and didn’t take part in the 2017 edition of the tournament, when they had a chance, KKR retained him over everyone else along with Sunil Narine.

He was considered to be the best all-rounder in business back in 2016 and his IPL performance of 188 runs at a strike rate of 164 along with 15 wickets with the best of 4/20 justifies the tag. 7% of the voters think Russell would make a good captain for KKR. So the fans clearly don’t see him as the next captain of the team.

Chris Lynn – 15%

Arguably the most destructive hitter of the cricket ball, Chris Lynn knocks the ball hard and it just travels. He was signed up by the Deccan Chargers for the first time in 2012 but got just one game and scored 6 runs. The team changed to Sunrisers Hyderabad and they benched him for the entire 2013 season. Come 2014 and KKR bought him and fielded him for a couple of matches. He again got just a couple of chances in 2016.

It was the 10th edition of the IPL where he got to showcase his real talent and put up a spectacular show. Having opened the batting in 7 matches, he scored 295 with an unbelievable strike rate of 181 and a magnificent average of 49. When his name popped up in the auction and he was snapped up by another team, KKR pulled out their RTM card and snapped him back.

However, Lynn isn’t the most preferred player among the fans as far as captaincy is considered.

Dinesh Karthik – 27%

Karthik one of those players whose represented a bunch of franchises in the IPL will now wear the Purple and Gold of the Knight Riders. In the past, he has played for Mumbai Indias, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions. Over the last few years, DK has evolved as a T20 cricketer and is a real asset for the team with the bat in the middle and lower order.

He has played an amazing number of 152 matches in the IPL and has played almost all the matches for his teams in every season of the tournament. Karthik has 2903 runs to his name along with 88 catches and 26 stumpings. He is the most experienced player in this team but only 27% fans favour his appointment as the captain.

Robin Uthappa – 51%

He is the man. After letting Gambhir go and failing to retain anyone among Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan, Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t want to leave it to fate and used the RTM card for Robin. He is one of the few players left with the franchise who has been with them since 2014. He is the Mr Consistent of the team and puts up a spectacular effect almost every season.

In his IPL career, the right-hander has played 149 matches and scored 3735 runs with a strike rate of 132, while doing that he also has 22 half centuries to his name. As a wicketkeeper, he has done justice to the role as well and grabbed 75 catches coupled with 32 stumpings.

All in all, he is the main man for KKR this season and the fans concur on this. In our poll, a total of 51% voted in favour of Robin and want to see the Karnataka man lead the Knights this season.

Who should be the Captain of @KKRiders in @IPL 11?

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) January 30, 2018

After being whitewashed in the Ashes, visitors England has established their dominion as they sealed the 5-match ODI series with three consecutive victories. Lions wicketkeeper Jos Butler starred in the deciding 3rd ODI as he hit a whirlwind ton to guide his team against Australia. Buttler faced 83 balls and helped himself to six fours and four sixes in his match-winning 100-run knock.

Following Butler’s ton, former England skipper Michael Vaughan heaped praises on the wicketkeeper-batsman and went on to compare him with legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni. The 43-year-old had recently rated Buttler higher than Dhoni in one of his media interactions. Although it remains subjective, Vaughan cited that based on recent form, Buttler is undoubtedly a level ahead than his Indian counterpart.

To clear any ambiguity, Vaughn even took to his Twitter handle and created a poll regarding the same. Much to his surprise, the Indian gloveman won the polls by a huge margin, getting 61 percent of the total votes. However, it did not go down well with Vaughan, as he wrote, “Note to self …. Never run a poll asking people to choose an England player over an Indian Player on here … !!!!! “

You can see the Tweets below

Intrigued what you all think…You are allowed 1 of these 2 now in your team… Who you going for on present form !??

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 22, 2018

Note to self …. Never run a poll asking people to choose an England player over an Indian Player on here … !!!!! #OnOn

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 22, 2018

Another poll for all my Knowledgable Indian Cricket fans …. You can only pick 1 … !??? This will Test your loyalty …..

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 23, 2018

The fans, meanwhile, were in no mood to let go the Ashes-winning skipper, as they slammed him for comparing Dhoni with Buttler. If the former England skipper had won over the Indian fans by lauding Virat Kohli and praising the Indian team on several occasions, he had also faced their ire for every time he criticised any Indian player or the Indian team.

And with this poll, the former batsman once again attracted the wrath of the Indian fans who trolled him mercilessly on the micro blogging site. Some of the reactions were nothing short of hilarious.

You can see them below

Sir, how many centuries you have scored in your entire ODI career? #JustAsking

— Sunil- The Cricketer (@1sInto2s) January 23, 2018

Let's keep SRTs stats aside…Virat hi kaafi hai!!
Kohli's total Runs in 2017 alone= 2818
Vaughan's total runs in ODI = around 1900 ??
kohlis Centuries in 2017 =11
Vaughan's total centuries in ODI = 11-11 ????
Virat Kohli's vote % 28 > Vaughan's ODI average ????

— Shashi Tharoor #HMP (@bhukkad_) January 23, 2018

Gandu…Kaam kiye ho bsdk… Sachin kohli se bahut agey hai…

— इजरायल (@isreal008) January 23, 2018

This is for you MV. Mind your own business. Thanks @virendersehwag . Proud of Indian Kabbadi team. pic.twitter.com/aDmXHDn7Xg

— Shashi Singh (@kingshashisingh) January 23, 2018

Even if Kohli himself took this poll, he'd vote Sachin. That's loyalty.

— Nishant Bidichandani (@Nishantb08) January 23, 2018

BC BHAAG YAHA SE

— capt. (@thephukdi) January 23, 2018

The year 2017 was an exciting one in terms of cricket. Scores of records fell as new ones were made and the heroes of the current times continued to dominate the game. In batting, the Virat Kohlis and Steve Smiths continued to scale greater heights while in bowling, it was the spinners who took the top spots as four of them booked their spots among the top five.

Team-wise, too, 2017 was a year of great feats in ODI cricket. It was Pakistan, one of the greatest sides of the game that had lost favour in recent times which lifted the coveted Champions Trophy in England, hammering arch-rivals India. India, however, had an excellent year otherwise, winning all six bilateral series they played in the year. Australia also had a memorable 2017, drubbing England in a one-sided Ashes series. The Indian eves’ losing a close match against England in the World Cup final was yet another pride for Indian cricket.

As it does every month, CricTracker ran a fan poll on its official Facebook page to pick the best one-day international player of the year and the list included, besides familiar names like Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and a couple of Pakistanis like Babar Azam and Hasan Ali and others. And guess who turned out to be the winner. It’s easy, it’s Virat Kohli.

7. Joe Root (England) – 1% vote

Joe Root had a decent run in ODIs in 2017 as he finished as the fourth best scorer with 983 runs in 19 matches at a superlative average of 70.21. The English Test skipper though ends the year at a low in the Ashes but overall had a year full of contribution in the coloured clothing. That though wasn’t enough to impress the fans and he managed just 1% votes.

Ben Stokes (England) – 1% vote

His colleague Ben Stokes, also a pillar of England’s batting line-up, accumulated 616 runs in 15 ODI games at an average of 61.60 to finish as the third best scorer for England in 2017 after Root and Eoin Morgan. Stokes, however, did not have the best of times of his career in 2017, thanks to injury and off-field controversies.

6. Jasprit Bumrah (India) – all 2% votes

Jasprit Bumrah is trolled often for taking wickets in no-balls but that doesn’t take away his credit of finishing as India’s best ODI bowler in 2017 with an impressive tally of 39 wickets. The medium pacer has taken 23 games to take these many scalps, finishing with an average of 26.25.  Overall, he finished third, behind Pakistan’s Hasan Ali and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.

Bhuvneshwar Kuma (India)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar also had a good 2017 as he finished with 28 ODI wickets, finishing as the third best Indian bowler after Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. The Indian spearhead took 24 matches for his scalps at an average of 33.89. And like Bumrah, he also finished with a five-wicket haul this year.

Quinton de Kock (South Africa)

Quinton de Kock finished as the sixth highest run-getter in the ODIs in 2017, amassing 956 runs in 19 matches at an average of 53.11. He is, however, the best-placed South African batsman in that list, beating Faf du Plessis (905 runs). He hit two tons in 2017, with the highest being an unbeaten 168 against Bangladesh in October.

5. Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 4% vote

Babar Azam finished among the top 10 run-getters in ODIs in 2017, accumulating 872 runs in 18 matches at an average of. The 23-year-old right-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm off-break is one Pakistan’s high hopes for the future. His average of 58-plus in ODIs speaks for his batting prowess and he already has seven centuries to his name in 36 games he has played since May 2015. He also has seven fifties which showcases his terrific conversion rate.

Azam, along with Hasan Ali, played a crucial role in Pakistan’s 5-0 win over Sri Lanka at the UAE this year and with such promising youngsters performing after the historic Champions Trophy triumph, Pakistan can fancy a return to its glory days in cricket once again.

4. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) – 7% vote

As a player from a country which has just started surprising the cricketing world, Rashid Khan has accomplished a mammoth feat. The 19-year-old leg break bowler has grabbed 43 wickets in 2017, finishing just two short of the topper Hasan Ali and he has done it at a magical average of 10.44. Khan’s best figure of 7 for 18 – the fourth best in this format – was achieved against the West Indies in the Caribbeans this year and it was a massive statement from the diminutive bowler.

Rashid Khan’s significance for his team also increases because he is a decent bat, averaging 22.45 in the ODIs with two fifties to his credit. The man will certainly be one of Afghanistan’s major pillars when they begin their missions in Test as well.

3. Hasan Ali (Pakistan) – 14% vote

Hasan Ali, the 23-year-old medium fast bowler from Pakistan, ended up as the highest wicket-taker in ODIs in 2017, bagging 45 scalps in 18 matches at an average of 17.04. Ali, who made his ODI debut in 2016, has already picked 56 wickets in 26 matches with three five-wicket hauls. The man had the moment of his life in the final of the Champions Trophy when his country annihilated India. Ali, along with Mohammad Amir, took three wickets but conceded just 19 runs.

Ali has risen through the ranks from a young age and in him, Pakistan aspire to see an asset for a long time to serve. The lad has just started but is showing a big promise, especially in the ODI and T20 formats. We wish Ali a terrific bowling career ahead.

2. Rohit Sharma (India) – 19% vote

Though a distant second, Rohit Sharma too had a fantastic year, especially towards its end. The man, who led India in the one-day international series against Sri Lanka in Kohli’s absence, wielded his bat like a magic wand. He hit an unbeaten 208 against the Lankans to see his team square the series and it was his third double ton in the limited-over format. To say it’s incredible is to make an understatement.

Sharma finished at 1,293 runs in 21 matches that he played for India in 2017 at a staggering average of 71.83. As mentioned above, Sharma is the only other batsman to hit six centuries in 2017 while he scored five fifties, two less than his regular skipper.

1. Virat Kohli (India) – 48% vote

Kohli had a terrific 2017 in the shorter format, just like his team. The 29-year-old even though did not play in the final series of the year against Sri Lanka, yet his tally of 1,460 runs remained unconquered, Rohit Sharma’s earth-shattering 208 not out notwithstanding.

Virat Kohli hit six tons in 2017, matched only by Rohit who finished second in the list. His average recorded was an impressive 76.84 while his highest score was 131 against Sri Lanka.

Have a look at – CricTracker Fan Poll: Top 10 Test cricketers of the year 2017

In another fascinating year of Test cricket, some of our beloved cricketers gave it their best shot and provided some unforgettable moments. From Steve Smith‘s exploits against archrivals India and England to Virat Kohli’s record-breaking tenure, this was a year which saw few cricketers in all new horizons, which were considered terrestrial at one point.

Going purely by cricketing terms, Smith has to be the best player in the longest format this year. South Africa’s Dean Elgar, who also got an opportunity to lead his side on a few occasions this year, was brilliant in the opening department and also joined the unenvious elite club of people who got out on 199.

Sri Lanka‘s Dimuth Karunaratne, Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon, Ravichandran Ashwin and a lot of other cricketers made it to CricTracker’s top 10 unranked list of Test cricketers. When we conducted a poll on our official Facebook handle, this is how people responded and few of the results might come in as a surprise for the fans.

10. Dean Elgar – 1%

After years of struggle, Dean Elgar has finally established himself as a dependable opener in the South African lineup. Arguably the best cricketer for the Proteas in 2017, he and Rabada scaled new heights over the last 12 months and barring their embarrassing loss to England, their calendar year has been outstanding. He also captained his side in Du Plessis’ brief absence and for his wonderful rendition, he was ranked number 10 by the fans.

9. Dimuth Karunaratne – 1%

Dimuth Karunaratne’s votes might not speak the true story, but the southpaw had a splendid year. He played a very crucial role in registering a historic series win in UAE against Pakistan and backed his brilliant performances with some other stunning knocks. The gritty opener managed to finish the calendar year on a low point by registering below par scores against India, but that doesn’t really take away anything.

8. Kagiso Rabada – 1%

One of the finest talents on the planet right now, Kagiso Rabada is steamrolling past lineups with his explosive pace and consistency. The youngster is still a newbie in the fraternity but has already gone past the 100-wicket mark in Tests. He also reached the helm of the ICC Rankings for bowlers in Tests, but his stay there was temporary. Rabada is another one of those cricketers who got 1% votes from the fans.

7. Nathan Lyon – 1%

To make a name for yourself as a spinner in Australia is relatively difficult and Nathan Lyon is proving to be a match-winner with the ball these days for his National side. In the ongoing Ashes, he already made Alastair Cook and Jonny Bairstow his bunnies. Although he managed to bag just one percent of the votes from the fans, many experts like Ricky Ponting believe he will eclipse the 400-mark in his wickets’ column in Tests.

6. Ravindra Jadeja – 3%

One of the most important members of the Indian contingent, Ravindra Jadeja reached the number one rank amongst the bowlers in Test cricket. He also reached a career-best rating of 899 this year, which indeed explains how much he has been contributing to India’s incredibly successful year. Just like his companion Ashwin, he has been sidelined from the limited overs to ensure they are more lethal in the Tests and it seems as though the plan is working as of now.

5. Shakib Al Hasan – 4%

Arguably the best cricketer coming from the land of Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan had a phenomenal year. They scripted a historic win against Australia, which happened to be their first against them in the longest format. The all-rounder, as always, contributed immensely to the side across all the dimensions of the game. He bagged 4% of the votes and won the 5th rank from the fans.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin – 5%

One of the most important cricketers in Indian cricket right now, Ravichandran Ashwin’s contribution is beyond description. The off-spinner is becoming an even more integral part of the Indian side these days in the Tests. Whenever there is an opportunity, he will contribute immensely with the bat as well. He bagged 5% of the votes and stood 4th in these rankings.

3. Chestershwar Pujara – 11%

Calm, composed and diligent, Cheteshwar Pujara continues to have a stellar impact on Indian cricket with his marathon knocks. After registering one of the best double tons of his career against Australia in March, he continued his good form and reached a career-best 2nd ranking in the ICC Test rankings. The nonchalant individual who makes his bat do the noise will have a crucial role to play in the South Africa tour coming ahead. With 11 percent of the votes in his favour, he was ranked number 3 by his fans.

2. Steve Smith – 19%

If there is anyone as good as Kohli in the contemporary market right now, it has to be Steve Smith. The Australian skipper is in a different stratosphere when it comes to the longest format and only 19% of the fans opting to vote for him makes us wonder why. Australia successfully regained the Urn by defeating the English in the third Test at the WACA and Smith’s double-ton was a perfect icing on the cake. He also registered astronomic rating points in the ICC Test rankings, which is driving many experts crazy.

1. Virat Kohli – 53%

It’s the Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who reigns supreme from the fans’ point of view. If these were to be election polls, Kohli can form a government on his own as he secured more than 50% of the votes. Hard to argue against that as well, because the Indian skipper registered a whopping three double tons and broke plenty of records en route to completing 5,000 runs in Tests. Already being touted as one of the game’s greatest ever cricketers, Kohli’s record-breaking year in the longest format came to an end with two consecutive double-tons, can’t get more perfect, can it?

Here’s the poll we conducted on our official Facebook page

Another exhilarating month of cricketing action came to end with the Ashes kicking off towards the end. India and Sri Lanka entertained one and all with the first Test match, but as one would expect, the second Test was dominated by the hosts. Australia pulled off one of the most enthralling Ashes triumphs ever as they managed to defeat England by 10 wickets at Gabba, thanks to a majestic century from their skipper Steve Smith.

Virat Kohli‘s fantastic performance against the Kiwis in the limited overs series was a great way to kick off the month and the lad continued to amass more runs. Towards the end, he scored a fantastic century on a tricky pitch at the Eden Gardens and followed it up with a double-ton. Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a month to remember who chipped in with loads of wickets.

As we do every month, CricTracker fan poll was conducted on our official Facebook handle and the fans gave a unanimous verdict for the month. Although there was some tough competition coming from Steve Smith’s 141*, more than 50% of the votes went to a single person and here’s the complete result of the Fan Poll.

1. Virat Kohli – 55% votes

Who else could be? Virat Kohli managed to bag 55% of the votes for his splendid rendition over the last 30 days. The Indian skipper led his side to a hard-fought series triumph against the Blackcaps, but when the Sri Lankans came, he was at his best. They did struggle against the Islanders at the Eden Gardens, but pulled back things brilliantly towards the end and almost snatched a victory.

His double century at Nagpur is one of the talking points of the months. The ease with which he clobbered their bowlers to all parks was just a case of the batsman being a little too over-qualified for the team. His 213-run knock entertained everyone and won heaps of praises from experts all around the globe.

2. Steve Smith – 24% votes

It might come in as a surprise for a lot of people to see Steve Smith in the second position of this poll. Although he played just one Test match in the entire month of November, 24% of the fans voted for Smith as the best International player of the month. Well, when a cricketer plays such a brilliant innings in such a huge game, this is what happens.

Going by the magnitude of the game, the Gabba Test was colossal for the Aussies. They had their 29-year unbeaten record at Brisbane at stake, but Smith’s 141 saved the day. The skipper rose to the occasion and led from the front to ensure they annihilated the English in the next two innings. This definitely was the best innings played by Smith in his career.

3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 12% votes

Another obvious entry into the list is the talismanic fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is well on his way towards achieving a legendary status in International cricket. The swing king exhibited some high-quality death overs bowling in the T20 series against New Zealand and in the first Test against Sri Lanka, he returned with 8 wickets in the match.

He played a crucial role in making the final day a nail-biting encounter. He chipped in with crucial wickets at the right time and only bad light could stop him from helping India register an unforgettable win. He also got hitched to Nupur Nagar after the first Test and definitely, this was a memorable 30 days for the Uttar Pradesh lad.

4. Mitchell Starc – 7 % votes

After a long period of time, Mitchell Starc once again was hitting the headlines with two hattricks in two innings of a Sheffield Shield encounter back in Australia. Arguably one of the best bowlers of this generation, his presence was pivotal in the Aussie squad for the Ashes and people were a bit worried about his injury concerns.

He announced his arrival in a grandiose way and then, he picked up 6 crucial wickets in the Gabba Test. It was Smith’s hundred that made a huge difference in the game, but Starc was brilliant with his lines and was notching up good speeds. He made life difficult for the English batters and should’ve picked up more wickets than he did.

5. Dinesh Chandimal – 2 % votes

Th Sri Lankan Test captain Dinesh Chandimal is not having a memorable time as a skipper, but as a batsman, he is doing pretty well. Under his leadership, they pulled off a historic series victory in UAE against Pakistan and they came very close to upsetting the Indians at the Eden Gardens. Despite sitting in the driver’s sea for a major while, they failed to do anything significant.

He scored 166 runs in the two games he has played in the last four weeks, earning him a spot in the top five cricketers list for this month. He has a lot of burden on his shoulders right now to take the Sri Lankan cricket to the level where he must’ve seen in his childhood. Currently, they ar off track but a skipper of Chandimal’s calibre can really make his fans smile.

After an action-packed session in the month of October, the intensity will only go a notch higher as the month of November commences. India and New Zealand will be taking on each other to decide who reigns supreme in the T20 series, whilst Zimbabwe and Windies are really battling it out in the Test series.

October saw the resurgence of Pakistan and a perfect icing on the cake was their comeback in hosting International matches. Virat Kohli went past the much-awaited landmark of Ricky Ponting, scoring his 31st hundred in ODIs. Bangladesh got humiliated in the hands of the mighty Proteas and there was no dearth of drama over the last 31 days.

As we do every month, CricTracker fan poll was conducted on our official Facebook handle and the fans were stuck in a two-way situation. So for this month, we have two cricketers leading the race for the best cricketer of the month and here are the results for October’s fan poll.

1. Virat Kohli – 29%

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli can never remain afar from such lists. Virat Kohli has been in flabbergasting form in the ongoing calendar year and he managed to win 29% of the votes. It has been a memorable and record-breaking month for him and he’ll cherish it for a long time to come.

Kohli managed to score 324 runs in 6 games at a staggering average of 64.80 and things have been going quite well for him. Under his captaincy, India has remained unbeaten in every series this year and barring the Champions Trophy final, this year has been spectacular for him.

2. Hasan Ali – 28% votes

The exuberant fast bowler from Pakistan, Hasan Ali has been sensational over the course of the year. His exploits in the death overs make him quite a potent weapon in Sarfraz’sarmouryy. Every time his skipper needed a good over under pressure, he threw the ball to him and the 23-year-old didn’t disappoint.

He picked up a total of 20 wickets in the 8 games he has played and managed to bag 28% of the votes. His exceptional performances are winning him laurels across the globe and he also managed to grab some lucrative contracts in T20 leagues like the BPL.

3. Hashim Amla – 26%

The unsung hero of South African cricket, Hashim Amla tends to kill the opposition so nonchalantly that even they wouldn’t realize what happened. In the ODI and T20 series against Bangladesh, Amla amassed tons of runs and made a mockery of the bowlers.

With 415 runs in 5 games at an average of a whopping 103.75, Amla didn’t remain too far away from the table-toppers of the month Hasan Ali and Kohli and bagged 26% of the votes. The 34-year-old stands third on the list and his performances were crucial in the Proteas annihilating the Tigers.

4. Babar Azam – 12%

Babar Azam is touted as the next big thing in Pakistani cricket and though he had a rough patch in September, he pulled things back brilliantly. In the ODI series against Sri Lanka, on difficult batting tracks, Azam played few sensational innings and registered two centuries in the first two ODIs.

The youngster amassed 347 runs in nine International games in the month of October at an average of 49.57. He bagged only 12% of the votes, Babar Azam didn’t get many votes from the fans with Hasan Ali dominating the proceedings, Azam really had a month to remember.

5. Kagiso Rabada – 4%

Another fast bowler in the elite list is South Africa’s mainstay Kagiso Rabada. The youngster from the land of Proteas has grown in stature in a very short time and with seniors like Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, and Morne Morkel missing out due to injuries, he is leading the line and is doing a sensational job for his side.

The 4% votes don’t really determine the effort he has put in, but Rabada has been outstanding. He picked up 15 wickets in just 4 International games he has played and the 22-year-old is managing to get the better of the batsmen with his raw pace. With the World Cup less than 2 years to go, his performances are a huge boost for his skipper and the fans.

Here is the result of the poll:

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is into its 10^th season and over the years we have been spectators to some fine performances. Brendon McCullum’s heroic unbeaten 158 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the very first game of the IPL, the sight of Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Ricky Ponting walking out wearing a dash of gold and blue, lording of the ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle over lethal attacks are some of the references to the overwhelming history of the premier league.

Today, we let the fans take the centre stage and vote for their all-time best opening pair.

Chris Gayle – Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders

More like the lull before the storm, Chris Gayle likes to make his way out in the middle, in his typical laid-back manner. But once he gets going, no roof is too tall for the big man. In 94 IPL matches, the left-hander has fetched 3464 runs at an average of 42.76. He has 5 hundred to his name, including the massive 175 off 66 balls against a hapless Pune outfit way back in 2013.

Gayle didn’t start off too well, scoring just over 170 runs during his first stint with KKR in the year 2009, but the homecoming came three years later with him scoring 733  and 708 runs in two successive seasons – 2012,2013 for RCB. He is one of the most dangerous openers, who threatens to take away the game from the opposition in no time. Having hit over 250 sixes, he can be your perfect choice to start the proceedings at the top.

David Warner- Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils

His blade is as thick as his scoring sheet, David Andrew Warner on his day can take his side home single-handedly – literally! He is the current skipper of the defending champion side- Sunrisers Hyderabad and has already started with a fifty to his name.  In 102 IPL games, Warner has amassed 3442 runs at a strike rate of 142.58.

He has 33 fifties and couple of hundreds to his name. 2016 was the best season for this man from New South Wales, as he scored 848 runs, leading his time to the maiden title. If you are a fan of a character who leads from the front, then you don’t need to look too far to vote for your favourite opener.

Brendon McCullum- Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Chennai Super Kings

One of the most impactful freelancer in the T20 circuit, Brendon McCullum knows a thing or two about getting his team to a flying start. He kick-started the IPL with a bang in 2008 and went on to add 2451 runs from 94 matches so far. He has stroked 249 fours and 100 plus sixes so far and played for some of the biggest teams in the premier league.

He found his touch playing for CSK, as he added more than 800 runs to his kitty in two seasons. Having retired from the game last year, ‘Baz’ hasn’t stopped from being the brutal best. He holds the distinction of towering 200 sixes in ODI and is certainly the right choice to open for your fantasy XI.

Virender Sehwag- King XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils

The Nawab is an all time favourite among cricket fans. Currently ruling the social media, the former Punjab opener had set the ball rolling ‘nth’ number of times. Viru has scored over 2700 runs from 104 IPL games at a solid strike rate of 155.44. He fancied his almost every shot that wasn’t mentioned in the book and yet came out winning. He started off with the Daredevils scoring 406 runs in the inaugural season and swiftly moved to become the king of Punjab in the same fashion.

He was consistent throughout, with the best coming in the 2012 season, where he scored 495 runs from 16 games. He came close to lifting the trophy but ended up just noses behind the finishing line. An ideal for all conditions, Virender Sehwag might just be the opener you desire.

Gautam Gambhir- Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils

He lets the bat do the talking and boy! Didn’t he justify the moolah showered at him? He has started the 2017 season in similar fashion, scoring an unbeaten 76 and it looks like he won’t stop before leading his men to their third title. Gambhir has played a total of 133 IPL games so far, scoring 3710 runs at an impressive average of 31.44. He has 32 fifties to his name and is the most successful Indian opener in the IPL history.

He scored 534 runs for Delhi in their maiden campaign in 2008 and went on to represent the unit for two more seasons before turning into a Knight on 2011. He has been the most consistent player for KKR since then, scoring 378, 590, 406, 335, 327 and 501 runs in the following years. A perfect blend of aggression coupled with the right temperament, Gambhir can be your ‘go-to’ man at the very start of the innings.

The month of March 2017 saw the serious action of cricket unfold across all the three formats of the game. Almost all major teams were in international action and the performances put forth by the players were exceptional. The fact that the 2017 edition of the IPL will be following the month made the fans stay glued to their screens to watch how the big names fare up. The excitement was huge and so were the performances.

The month witnessed serious and cracking cricketing action in – India v Australia, Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Afghanistan v Ireland, West Indies v Pakistan, New Zealand v South Africa and West Indies v England as well. With such plethora of cricket action on display, it was tough for the players to stay consistent on the performance radar. However, there was a few gentleman who managed to rule the roost during the month of March 2017.

The 5 players who featured in the CricTracker fan poll of best international cricketers of March were as follows:

5. Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh) – 12% votes

Bangladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal was in supreme touch this season. When the Bangladesh side toured Sri Lanka for a full tour, very few had given them a sniff in the Tests and ODI series. However, they managed to stun the hosts with series-levelling results in both ODIs and Test series. One man who was the key to their success this season was veteran batsman Tamim Iqbal. In the 5 innings that he played in the past month, he aggregated 334 runs.

He struck a guiding 82 in the second innings of the 2nd Test at Colombo that set the tone for the series-levelling Test win for Bangladesh in their 100th Test. In the ODI series, he smashed a brilliant 127 in the first ODI to help his side win the match with ease. Also, en route his majestic ton, he became the first Bangladeshi batsman to score 10000 international runs.

4. Steve Smith (Australia) – 15% votes

With 499 runs in the series against India, Steve Smith finished as the leading run-scorer of the 4-match Test series. The number one ranked Test batsman totally justified his numero uno position by smashing three tons in the series where the bowlers ruled the proceedings for a major part. He struck a match-winning 109 in the first Test at Pune, on a track where the Indian team failed to cross the 110-run mark in either of their two innings.

In the third Test at Ranchi, he went a shade better by scoring a magnificent unbeaten 178. In the final Test at Dharamsala, he scored yet another ton and was the standout performer for his side. In the 6 innings he played in March, he amassed 363 runs and received 15 percent of votes in the CricTracker Fan Poll.

3. Ravindra Jadeja (India) – 15% votes

Ravindra Jadeja rose to the top spot in the ICC Test bowlers rankings riding on his stellar show in the home Test season this year. He emerged as the second leading wicket taker for India in the 13 Tests the Indian side played this season. In the last Test series of the marathon season against Australia, Jadeja finished as the leading wicket taker with 25 wickets to his name. Needless to say, he was the most prolific player for his side.

In addition to his bowling heroics, he made news with the bat too. With two fifties to his name in the series, he ensured that he stays the all-rounder that the team has always looked out for. In the 6 innings he played in March, he scalped 20 wickets and scored 122 runs as well. He received 15 percent of votes – as many as the Australian skipper Steve Smith received in the CricTracker Fan Poll.

2. Cheteshwar Pujara (India) – 20% votes

Cheteshwar Pujara in undoubtedly the best Test batsman of the Indian team at the moment. The Saurashtra lad scored runs at will in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The pitches were not favourable, the bowlers were hostile – yet the steady head of Pujara overcame all as he finished as India’s leading run-scorer in the series. With 368 runs in the 5 innings that he played in March, Pujara managed to reestablish himself as the batting mainstay of the Indian Test line-up.

It comes only as a matter of utter disgrace that the Rajkot boy will be out of action for the next two months since he has not been picked in the IPL this year. Talking about his performances, he struck a gritty 92 in the Bengaluru Test to see India win the match. Later, he went miles ahead by becoming the batsman to have played most number of balls in a Test innings when he faced 525 deliveries for his double ton at Ranchi. He finished off the series with a half century at Dharamsala as well.

1. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) – 38% votes

And the winner of the CricTracker Fan Poll for the Best international player in March 2017 is Afghanistan leggie, Rashid Khan. Rashid has been a massive performer for the Afghan side and his most recent exploits have only done a world of good to his ever-increasing stature in international cricket. In the month under consideration, Rashid scalped 25 wickets in 8 innings. Afghanistan hosted Ireland in their adopted home Noida for a 5-match ODI series and 3 T20Is.

One man who ruled the roost was Rashid Khan. He already had a lot of eyes on him after having been picked in the Indian Premier League by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping sum. He bagged miraculous figures of 5/3 in the second T20I against Ireland. He then followed it up with a three-wicket haul in the final T20I. In the ODI series, he returned with figures of 4/48 in the series opener. A performance that was an inch better saw him scalp 6/43 in the next match. Rashid Khan bagged 38 percent of votes that saw him win the poll by a country mile with the near 2nd Pujara trailing him by 18% votes.

Here is the Facebook poll: