The thrill and excitement of Test cricket always pump up the fans, and with 2019 coming to its end, they would wonder as who should feature in the Test team of the year. Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has a solution as he recently released the best Test XI for 2019 on his YouTube channel.
Known for his enthusiasm and energy, Hogg picked up the duo of Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma as openers. By scoring double hundreds at home, both Mayank and Rohit impressed everyone with their performances in the longest format of the game.
Mayank is the leading run-getter for Team India in 2019. He amassed 754 runs in 8 Tests, with 243 being his best.
Rohit, on the other hand, has the highest average (92.66). He clubbed 556 runs in just five matches, with 212 being his best score.
In the middle-order, Hogg went for Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith along with India skipper Virat Kohli. Labuschagne is the leading run-scorer (1022) in Test cricket this year – the only batsman to reach a thousand run mark.
The next spot is acquired by Smith, who smashed 873 runs in 7 matches, with the highest score of 211.
From World Cup to the Ashes, England all-rounder Ben Stokes had a phenomenal year, and without any doubt, he finds the place in Hoggs’ XI.
Hogg has chosen New Zealand’s BJ Watling as the wicket-keeper. The Kiwi scored 530 runs in 7 matches, including an outstanding double ton against England.
Among bowlers, Hogg picked Mitchell Starc, Ishant Sharma, and Niel Wagner as the pacers. Nathan Lyon is the lone spinner in Hogg’s XI.
Starc has taken 40 wickets in just seven matches while Wagner claimed 36 in 5 games. Ishant, the
only Indian bowler in Hoggs’ team, took 25 wickets in 6 games.
Lyon, on the other hand, holds the second spot in the leading wicket-takers list of 2019 with 41 wickets in 11 matches to his name.
Brad Hogg’s Test XI of 2019:
Mayank Agarwal (IND), Rohit Sharma (IND), Marnus Labuschagne (AUS), Steve Smith (AUS), Virat
Kohli (IND), Ben Stokes (ENG), BJ Watling (NZ), Mitchell Starc (AUS), Ishant Sharma (IND), Neil
Wagner (NZ), Nathan Lyon (AUS)
