Test XI, by our ratings
Best Test XI of the 2020s
Players are included if they played at least 4 years of Test cricket in the 2020s and have at least 50 Tests: 62 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: Australia (3), India (3), England (2), New Zealand (1), South Africa (1), Sri Lanka (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 | David Warner | opener | Australia | 2010s, 2020s | 112 Tests; 8,786 runs at 44.6, 26 hundreds |
| 2 | Dimuth Karunaratne | opener | Sri Lanka | 2010s, 2020s | 100 Tests; 7,222 runs at 39.2, 16 hundreds |
| 3 | Steve Smith | middle-order batter | Australia | 2010s, 2020s | 125 Tests; 10,920 runs at 56, 37 hundreds |
| 4 | Kane Williamson | middle-order batter | New Zealand | 2010s, 2020s | 110 Tests; 9,515 runs at 54.1, 33 hundreds |
| 5 | Joe Root | middle-order batter | England | Legends, 2010s, 2020s | 169 Tests; 14,278 runs at 50.5, 41 hundreds |
| 6 | Rishabh Pant | wicketkeeper | India | 2020s | 52 Tests; 3,725 runs at 43.8, 8 hundreds; 187 dismissals |
| 7 | Ravichandran Ashwin | all-rounder | India | 2010s, 2020s | 106 Tests; 3,503 runs at 25.8, 6 hundreds; 537 wickets at 23.91, 37 five-wicket hauls |
| 8 | Nathan Lyon | spinner | Australia | 2010s, 2020s | 143 Tests; 571 wickets at 30.2, 24 five-wicket hauls |
| 9 | Kagiso Rabada | fast bowler | South Africa | 2010s, 2020s | 73 Tests; 340 wickets at 22, 17 five-wicket hauls |
| 10 | James Anderson | fast bowler | England | 2000s, 2010s, 2020s | 188 Tests; 704 wickets at 26.5, 32 five-wicket hauls |
| 11 | Jasprit Bumrah | fast bowler | India | 2020s | 52 Tests; 234 wickets at 19.8, 16 five-wicket hauls |
Next in line
| Player | Position | Nation | Career Test stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Latham | opener | New Zealand | 95 Tests; 6,450 runs at 39.1, 17 hundreds |
| Virat Kohli | middle-order batter | India | 123 Tests; 9,230 runs at 46.9, 30 hundreds |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | wicketkeeper | Bangladesh | 105 Tests; 6,876 runs at 39.1, 14 hundreds; 133 dismissals |
| Ravindra Jadeja | all-rounder | India | 91 Tests; 4,160 runs at 37.8, 6 hundreds; 356 wickets at 25.3, 15 five-wicket hauls |
| Taijul Islam | spinner | Bangladesh | 62 Tests; 272 wickets at 30.3, 19 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 1,230 Tests. James Anderson has the most (188) and Jasprit Bumrah the fewest (52).
- The best batting average in this XI is Steve Smith's 56, and the best bowling average is Jasprit Bumrah's 19.8.
- The deepest position is all-rounder, with 9 to choose from for 1 place. The thinnest is spinner, with 4 for 1 place.
- Left out: Virat Kohli has the best batting average of anyone left out (46.9, 123 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 2003 (James Anderson's debut year) to the present day.
- 1 of these eleven is also in the all-time XI: Steve Smith.
- Compared with the XI of the 2010s, 3 players stay: Steve Smith, Kagiso Rabada and James Anderson.
How this XI was picked
Pool by position: 10 openers, 19 middle-order batters, 6 wicketkeepers, 9 all-rounders, 4 spinners, 14 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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