F.P. Report
QUETTA: Cricket Australia includes Pakistan Captain Babar Azam in the World Test Championship’s “best XI.” Players who excelled throughout the previous two years, from 2021 to 2023, were chosen by Cricket Australia to make up its World Test Championship Team.
To construct a side that would perform well under any circumstances, Cricket Australia declared, “This ‘best XI’ salutes those who delivered for the entirety of the World T20’s two-year cycle.”
With more than 1,500 runs in just 14 Test matches throughout the game’s longest format, the great batter had a spectacular 24 months. He is now ranked third on the squad after the opening pair. His 425-ball 196 against Australia in Karachi was an amazing performance that nearly brought Pakistan an improbable victory. In addition, he scored centuries in matches against Sri Lanka, England, and New Zealand.
Babar played eight Tests in Pakistan where the conditions were favorable for batters, and according to Cricket Australia, he averaged 56.30 in away matches, including 119 against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Australian Usman Khawaja who will play the opening position makes up the team’s remaining members. In just 16 Test matches, he has amassed 1,608 runs. Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka, who has 1,054 runs in just 12 games, is Khawaja’s opening partner.
England’s Joe Root has 1,915 runs in 22 games, Australia’s Travis Head has 1,208 runs in 17 games, India’s Ravindra Jadeja has 673 runs in 12 games, and Rishabh Pant, who has been selected as the wicketkeeper and has 868 runs in 12 games, are the other players.
Ravichandran Ashwin has been selected for the specialist spinner position in the bowling side with 61 wickets in just 13 matches.
The team’s new captain, Pat Cummins of Australia, has taken 53 wickets in 15 games. Kagiso Rabada of South Africa has taken 67 wickets in 13 games, and James Anderson of England has taken 58 wickets in 15 games.
