Test XI, by our ratings
Best Test XI of the 2010s
Players are included if they played at least 4 years of Test cricket in the 2010s and have at least 50 Tests: 109 players in the Beat My 11 database, with one all-rounder in the side. Ratings use each player's full Test career, not only those years. The XI has 2 openers, 3 middle-order batters, 1 wicketkeeper, 1 all-rounder, 1 spinner and 3 fast bowlers, picked by our ratings: the highest-rated players at each position, in whichever of the three XI shapes in the game rates best as a team.
This XI draws on 6 nations: South Africa (4), England (2), Sri Lanka (2), Australia (1), Bangladesh (1), India (1).
Career Test totals from the Beat My 11 database, as of 22 October 2026.
The XI, in batting order
| # | Player | Position | Nation | Played in | Career Test stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alastair Cook | opener | England | 2000s, 2010s | 161 Tests; 12,472 runs at 45.4, 33 hundreds |
| 2 | Graeme Smith | opener | South Africa | 2000s, 2010s | 117 Tests; 9,265 runs at 48.3, 27 hundreds |
| 3 | Kumar Sangakkara | middle-order batter | Sri Lanka | Legends, 2000s, 2010s | 134 Tests; 12,400 runs at 57.4, 38 hundreds |
| 4 | Steve Smith | middle-order batter | Australia | 2010s, 2020s | 125 Tests; 10,920 runs at 56, 37 hundreds |
| 5 | Sachin Tendulkar | middle-order batter | India | Legends, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s | 200 Tests; 15,921 runs at 53.8, 51 hundreds |
| 6 | Mushfiqur Rahim | wicketkeeper | Bangladesh | 2000s, 2010s, 2020s | 105 Tests; 6,876 runs at 39.1, 14 hundreds; 133 dismissals |
| 7 | Jacques Kallis | all-rounder | South Africa | Legends, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s | 166 Tests; 13,289 runs at 55.4, 45 hundreds; 292 wickets at 32.6, 5 five-wicket hauls |
| 8 | Rangana Herath | spinner | Sri Lanka | 2000s, 2010s | 93 Tests; 433 wickets at 28.1, 34 five-wicket hauls |
| 9 | Dale Steyn | fast bowler | South Africa | Legends, 2000s, 2010s | 93 Tests; 439 wickets at 22.9, 26 five-wicket hauls |
| 10 | Kagiso Rabada | fast bowler | South Africa | 2010s, 2020s | 73 Tests; 340 wickets at 22, 17 five-wicket hauls |
| 11 | James Anderson | fast bowler | England | 2000s, 2010s, 2020s | 188 Tests; 704 wickets at 26.5, 32 five-wicket hauls |
Next in line
| Player | Position | Nation | Career Test stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virender Sehwag | opener | India | 104 Tests; 8,586 runs at 49.3, 23 hundreds |
| Kane Williamson | middle-order batter | New Zealand | 110 Tests; 9,515 runs at 54.1, 33 hundreds |
| Brendon McCullum | wicketkeeper | New Zealand | 101 Tests; 6,453 runs at 38.6, 12 hundreds; 209 dismissals |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | all-rounder | India | 106 Tests; 3,503 runs at 25.8, 6 hundreds; 537 wickets at 23.91, 37 five-wicket hauls |
| Nathan Lyon | spinner | Australia | 143 Tests; 571 wickets at 30.2, 24 five-wicket hauls |
| Pat Cummins | fast bowler | Australia | 74 Tests; 322 wickets at 21.9, 14 five-wicket hauls |
What stands out
- Between them the eleven played 1,455 Tests. Sachin Tendulkar has the most (200) and Kagiso Rabada the fewest (73).
- The best batting average in this XI is Kumar Sangakkara's 57.4, and the best bowling average is Kagiso Rabada's 22.
- The deepest position is wicketkeeper, with 13 to choose from for 1 place. The thinnest is fast bowler, with 23 for 3 places.
- Left out: Kane Williamson has the best batting average of anyone left out (54.1, 110 Tests, middle-order batter), and Pat Cummins the best bowling average (21.9, 74 Tests, fast bowler). An average is only part of a rating, which also counts how often a player takes wickets or scores hundreds, and how long he lasted.
- Their Test careers run from 1989 (Sachin Tendulkar's debut year) to the present day.
- 5 of these eleven are also in the all-time XI: Kumar Sangakkara, Steve Smith, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn.
- Compared with the XI of the 2000s, 6 players stay: Alastair Cook, Kumar Sangakkara, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and James Anderson.
How this XI was picked
Pool by position: 17 openers, 35 middle-order batters, 13 wicketkeepers, 13 all-rounders, 8 spinners, 23 fast bowlers.
Our ratings use seven career measures. Openers, middle-order batters and wicketkeepers are rated on batting average, runs per player-match, century rate. Spinners and fast bowlers are rated on bowling average, wickets per bowler-match, five-wicket-haul rate, ten-wicket-match rate. All-rounders are rated on all seven. Every player is ranked against the whole database, and players with short careers are weighted toward the average so a hot streak cannot outrank a long career.
The XI takes the highest-rated players at each position, then uses whichever of the three XI shapes in the game rates best as a team. Ratings are not shown here: draft your own XI to see them.
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