Men’s Test Cricket Team of the Year Announced by Guardian Spin Panel
The Guardian Spin panel, consisting of 13 cricket journalists, has selected the men’s Test XI of the year based on performances from 1 January 2025 up to and including the Adelaide third Ashes Test.
The selected XI includes Travis Head, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Joe Root, Temba Bavuma (captain), Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Simon Harmer, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Shubman Gill topped the year with a remarkable total of 983 runs at an average of 70, the highest among the listed players. Other notable batting performances include KL Rahul with 813 runs at an average of 45; Travis Head with 759 at 42; Joe Root with 790 at 56; Temba Bavuma with 310 at 52; and Alex Carey with 743 at 53, including 45 dismissals (40 catches and 5 stumpings).
Bowling and all-rounder statistics featured Jasprit Bumrah taking 31 wickets; Mitchell Starc with 51; Simon Harmer 30; Ben Stokes 29; and Ravindra Jadeja 25.
Vote distribution highlighted Shubman Gill, Alex Carey, and Mitchell Starc as top vote-getters with 13 votes each. Joe Root received 12 votes; Travis Head and Simon Harmer 10 votes each; KL Rahul 9; Jasprit Bumrah 8; and Temba Bavuma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ben Stokes received 7 votes each.
