Just after the completion of the 2019 ODI World Cup held in England, the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) kicked off from August 1. It was the indication that from now Test Cricket will also witness the vigorous competition between several teams.
Overall, 78 Test matches were played this year, out of which 42 were the part of WTC. Australia played the most number of Tests (9) in this prestigious tournament. India, on the other hand, played seven and is at the top of WTC standings with 360 points. The Aussie team is in second place with 256 points.
Like every year, batsmen from different nations showcased their talent with some amongst them being the best. From Marnus Labuschagne to Joe Denly, only a few batters climbed the hill of maximum runs this year.
Mayank Agarwal is the only Indian player to be featured in top-10 run-scorers this year. Agarwal has clubbed 754 runs. The Karnataka born cricketer converted two out of his three centuries this year into double-hundreds.
Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne had a tremendous 2019 as he ended up scoring the maximum no. of runs (1104). He’s the only player who has crossed the 1000-run mark in the current calendar year. The 25-year-old also hit three tons and seven fifties. Labuschagne’s compatriot Steve Smith sits just behind him with 965 runs.
England skipper Joe Root, opener Rory Burns, and all-rounder Ben stokes are comfortably placed at the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively. The trio added 2496 runs for the English team this year.
Quinton de Kock, who entered the latest released ICC rankings, also had a terrific 2019. The left-hander scored 713 runs at an average of 47.53. De Kock is the only player from the Proteas side in the list of top-10 run-scorers.
Apart from Labuschagne and Smith, Travis Head (742) and David Warner (725) found their place in top-10 scorers as well. England’s new No. 3, Joe Denly has placed himself in the last spot after scoring 651 runs in 2019.
Batsmen with most Test runs in 2019
1. Marnus Labuschagne (AUS)
- Runs: 1104
- Innings: 17
- Highest Score: 185
- Strike-Rate: 55.44
2. Steve Smith (AUS)
- Runs: 965
- Innings: 13
- Highest Score: 211
- Strike-Rate: 56.26
3. Joe Root (ENG)
- Runs: 851
- Innings: 23
- Highest Score: 226
- Strike-Rate: 46.32
4. Rory Burns (ENG)
- Runs: 824
- Innings: 23
- Highest Score: 133
- Strike-Rate: 43.78
5. Ben Stokes (ENG)
- Runs: 821
- Innings: 21
- Highest Score: 135 not out
- Strike-Rate: 52.66
6. Mayank Agarwal (IND)
- Runs: 754
- Innings: 11
- Highest Score: 243
- Strike-Rate: 59.04
7. Travis Head (AUS)
- Runs: 742
- Innings: 17
- Highest Score: 161
- Strike-Rate: 54.35
8. David Warner (AUS)
- Runs: 725
- Innings: 16
- Highest Score: 335*
- Strike-Rate: 62.28
9. Quinton de Kock (SA)
- Runs: 713
- Innings: 15
- Highest Score: 129
- Strike-Rate: 78.95
10. Joe Denly (ENG)
- Runs: 651
- Innings: 21
- Highest Score: 94
- Strike-Rate: 41.54
