AGENCY
DUBAI: He might be on an 18-match unbeaten streak as India’s Test captain but Virat Kohli was today ignored from the ICC Test team of the year even though he was named skipper of the ODI all-star XI which also featured Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.
Kohli, who is the vice-captain of India’s ODI and T20 teams, has been named as leader of the 12-member side which features four South Africans and three Australian cricketers besides one each from England and West Indies.
Explosive batsman AB de Villiers, wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock, pacer Kagiso Rabada and leg-spinner Imran Tahir are the South African cricketers, while David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc represent Australia in the ICC ODI team of the year.
Englishman Jos Buttler and wily West Indian spinner Sunil Narine are the other two players in the side.
But despite becoming man-of-the-series with 655 runs while leading India to the 4-0 drubbing of England recently, Kohli surprisingly missed a berth in the ICC Test team of the year 2016.
Star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the lone Indian in the Test side, which surprisingly will be led by Alastair Cook, who faces an uncertain future as England’s captain.
Warner and Starc are two cricketers who have found out a place in both the teams.
The other selected cricketers in ICC Test team of the Year 2016 are New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, England’s Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper) and Ben Stokes, Australia’s Steven Smith and Adam Voges, South African speedster Dale Steyn, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
Besides, South Africa’s Marais Erasmus has been honoured with the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year, while Pakistan captain, Misbah-ul-Haq won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award.
ICC ODI team of the year 2016: Virat Kohli (captain), David Warner, Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma, AB de Villiers, Jos Buttler, Mitchell Marsh, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, Sunil Narine, Imran Tahir.
ICC Test team of the year 2016: Alastair Cook (captain), David Warner, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Adam Voges, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rangana Herath, Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn, Steve Smith.
