ICC World Test Team of the Year announced
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced its Test Team of the Year, as chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd.
The announcement was made at the LG ICC Awards celebration at the Grand Castle, Bengaluru. Presented in association with FICA, the ICC Awards recognise the best international players of the past 12 months.
The ICC World Test Team of the Year is (in batting order):
Virender Sehwag (Ind)
Simon Katich (Aus)
Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)
Hashim Amla (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind, captain and wicketkeeper)
Graeme Swann (Eng)
James Anderson (Eng)
Dale Steyn (SA)
Doug Bollinger (Aus)
Five countries are represented in the 11-man line-up and two players make the line-up for the second year in a row ? India?s Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni both appeared in the ICC World Test Team of the Year 2009. Meanwhile, South Africa?s Dale Steyn makes it three years in a row that he appears in the ICC World Test Team of the Year ? the fast bowler featured in both 2008 and 2009.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is named as captain of the team as he was for the ICC World Test Team of the Year 2009.
Chairman of the LG ICC Awards selection panel, Clive Lloyd said: ?This year?s Test team has an extremely strong batting line-up that I think would set a suitable challenge to the world?s best bowlers and coupling with the superb batting skills, I feel we have selected a bowling attack which could dismiss its own batting line-up.?
Lloyd was joined on the panel by former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden, former England bowler Angus Fraser, former Zimbabwe player and England coach Duncan Fletcher and former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri. Statistics were available as a guide but were not necessarily the overwhelming factor in the choices made.
The ICC Test Team of the Year was one of two teams selected by the ICC selection panel along with the ODI line-up. There were also nine individual prizes given at this year?s LG ICC Awards.