INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
playing just six matches in the year.Meanwhile, the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 finalists Australia and India have dominated the ICC
Karunaratne secures a spot in the team with memorable outings throughout 2023 in Tests having amassed 608 runs at an average of
60.8.Karunaratne led by example in the away series in New Zealand with three fifties in four innings, amassing 207 runs, the most by a Sri
Lankan batter on the tour.The skipper scored a century in each match against Ireland as Sri Lanka completed a dominant 2-0 whitewash,
Cricketer of the Year.The Aussie opener was the only batter in 2023 to score more than 1000 runs in Tests, aggregating 1210 runs in 13
matches at an average of 52.60, which included six centuries and six fifties.Khawaja kicked off the year with a career-best innings, scoring
an unbeaten 195 against South Africa in Sydney
He continued his impressive form by concluding as the highest run-scorer (333 runs) in the Border-Gavaskar series in India.After a
Yet, for a player of his calibre, it took little time for him to return to form and back among the runs, finishing 2023 with four centuries
run.Continuing his stellar form, the 33-year-old guided the Kiwis to victory in a thriller with an unbeaten 121 against Sri Lanka, winning
the match of the last ball
Williamson made it three centuries in a row with a double hundred in the second Test as New Zealand completed a 2-0 whitewash.Williamson
time in his career and is also in contention for the Test Player of the Year Award.Root commenced the year on an impressive note with three
scores of 50+ against New Zealand, which included 153* and 95 in the aforementioned thriller in Wellington.Following a fifty against Ireland
in the one-off Test, Root was one of the few bright spots for England in the Ashes.He began the series with aplomb, scoring an unbeaten 118
in a thriller in Birmingham where England ended on the losing side
Despite a brief dip in the next two games, Root played a crucial role with a half-century in the remaining two Tests, helping England draw
throughout the year.The year began with a half-century against South Africa at home
However, it was his remarkable showing in the Border-Gavaskar series in India that garnered praise for navigating challenging
from a precarious situation with a counter-attacking 163 in the first innings that blew India away.Continuing his fine form in the
subsequent Ashes series, Head contributed with half-centuries in each of the first three matches and played crucial innings to assist
Australia in retaining the urn.Ravindra Jadeja (India)Lending balance to the ICC Test Team of the Year with his brilliant left-arm spin and
handy batting is Ravindra Jadeja.Jadeja kicked off the year in spectacular fashion, delivering a standout performance against Australia in
Nagpur with a five-wicket haul and a half-century
He followed up with an even more impressive showing in the next game, securing a 10-wicket match haul, including a seven-for in the second
innings, instrumental in India retaining the trophy.Continuing his fine form, he claimed five more wickets in the series and carried the
momentum into the World Test Championship Final against Australia, where he contributed with four wickets and a valuable 48 with the bat,
despite India ultimately facing defeat.Jadeja began the new iteration of the World Test Championship in the same vein, scalping seven
wickets and scoring a fifty against West Indies in the two-match series away from home.Alex Carey (wk) (Australia)No wicket-keeper had more
dismissals than Alex Carey in 2023
With 54 dismissals (44 catches and 10 stumpings) in 12 matches, Carey was head and shoulders above the rest, with the next keeper on the
He gave some much-needed impetus in both innings, scoring 44 off 68 in the first and an unbeaten 66 in the second that took the game away
from India.He followed it up with another fifty against England in the first Ashes Test and finished the year on a high with a fifty against
Pakistan.Pat Cummins (c) (Australia)Anything that Pat Cummins touched turned into gold in 2023
Championship and successfully retaining the Ashes in the same year
Cummins was also unstoppable with the ball, topping the wicket-takers charts for pacers with 42 wickets in 11 matches.Cummins bagged four
wickets in the New Year Test against South Africa
Despite facing challenges in India, where he secured only four wickets in two Border-Gavaskar Tests, he made a resounding comeback in the
final, claiming a crucial four-wicket haul in the second innings.The confidence of the win carried over to the Ashes, where Cummins bagged a
brilliant six-for in Leeds while leading Australia to the urn.Cummins capped off the brilliant year with a five-wicket haul in each innings
the Year to be a part of the Test team of the year.Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker for India in the Border-Gavaskar series, finishing
with 25 wickets in four matches
In the very first Test, Ashwin bagged a five-for in the second innings to go with handy contributions with the bat in each innings.His
all-round showing fetched him the Player of the Series
comeback into the Test team with 12 wickets (5/60 and 7/71) in the first game against West Indies followed by fifty and three wickets in the
next game.Mitchell Starc (Australia)Adding left-arm variety to the pace attack of the Team of the Year is Mitchell Starc, who secured an
impressive 38 wickets in nine matches during 2023.Starc had a relatively quieter performance in the Border-Gavaskar series, claiming only
two wickets in two games but was a thorn in the side of India in the WTC23 Final both with the bat and ball.The left-arm pacer took four
contributions in the Ashes, which included a five-for in Leeds and a four-wicket haul in each innings at the Oval
He led the charts in the series with 25 wickets in total and took home the Player of the Series.The year concluded on a high note for Starc
as he secured nine wickets in two Tests against Pakistan.Stuart Broad (England)In his final year as a cricketer, Stuart Broad demonstrated
that he was still at his lethal best, earning a well-deserved place in the Test Team of the Year.Broad commenced 2023 impressively with a
four-wicket haul in each match against New Zealand, finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker (10) for England alongside long-time bowling
partner James Anderson.After a five-for against Ireland, Broad showcased his prowess against Australia yet again and was the highest-wicket
thrilling series draw against Australia.He capped off by picking up the final wicket, securing the win for England in a closely contested
match and providing a fitting end to his remarkable cricketing career.--ICC--
