Test XI, by our ratings
Best West Indian Test XI
The pool is the 34 West Indian players in the Beat My 11 database with at least 50 Tests, across every era, with one all-rounder in the side. The XI has 2 openers, 3 middle-order batters, 1 wicketkeeper, 2 all-rounders 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.
All eleven players are from West Indies.
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 | Gordon Greenidge | opener | West Indies | Legends, 1970s, 1980s | 108 Tests; 7,558 runs at 44.7, 19 hundreds |
| 2 | Desmond Haynes | opener | West Indies | 1980s, 1990s | 116 Tests; 7,487 runs at 42.3, 18 hundreds |
| 3 | Brian Lara | middle-order batter | West Indies | Legends, 1990s, 2000s | 131 Tests; 11,953 runs at 52.9, 34 hundreds |
| 4 | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | middle-order batter | West Indies | 1990s, 2000s, 2010s | 164 Tests; 11,867 runs at 51.4, 30 hundreds |
| 5 | Viv Richards | middle-order batter | West Indies | Legends, 1970s, 1980s | 121 Tests; 8,540 runs at 50.2, 24 hundreds |
| 6 | Jeff Dujon | wicketkeeper | West Indies | Legends, 1980s | 81 Tests; 3,322 runs at 31.9, 5 hundreds; 272 dismissals |
| 7 | Garfield Sobers | all-rounder | West Indies | Legends, 1970s | 93 Tests; 8,032 runs at 57.8, 26 hundreds; 235 wickets at 34, 6 five-wicket hauls |
| 8 | Jason Holder | all-rounder | West Indies | 2010s, 2020s | 69 Tests; 3,073 runs at 29.8, 3 hundreds; 162 wickets at 30.4, 8 five-wicket hauls |
| 9 | Malcolm Marshall | fast bowler | West Indies | Legends, 1980s | 81 Tests; 376 wickets at 20.9, 22 five-wicket hauls |
| 10 | Curtly Ambrose | fast bowler | West Indies | Legends, 1990s | 98 Tests; 405 wickets at 21, 22 five-wicket hauls |
| 11 | Courtney Walsh | fast bowler | West Indies | 1980s, 1990s | 132 Tests; 519 wickets at 24.4, 22 five-wicket hauls |
Next in line
| Player | Position | Nation | Career Test stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | opener | West Indies | 103 Tests; 7,214 runs at 42.2, 15 hundreds |
| Clive Lloyd | middle-order batter | West Indies | 110 Tests; 7,515 runs at 46.7, 19 hundreds |
| Denesh Ramdin | wicketkeeper | West Indies | 74 Tests; 2,898 runs at 25.9, 4 hundreds; 218 dismissals |
| Roston Chase | all-rounder | West Indies | 61 Tests; 2,808 runs at 26, 6 hundreds; 96 wickets at 49.2, 4 five-wicket hauls |
| Michael Holding | fast bowler | West Indies | 60 Tests; 249 wickets at 23.7, 13 five-wicket hauls |
What stands out
- Between them the eleven played 1,194 Tests. Shivnarine Chanderpaul has the most (164) and Jason Holder the fewest (69).
- The best batting average in this XI is Garfield Sobers's 57.8, and the best bowling average is Malcolm Marshall's 20.9.
- The deepest position is middle-order batter, with 13 to choose from for 3 places. The thinnest is all-rounder, with 3 for 2 places.
- Left out: Clive Lloyd has the best batting average of anyone left out (46.7, 110 Tests, middle-order batter), and Joel Garner the best bowling average (21, 58 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 1954 (Garfield Sobers's debut year) to the present day.
- 1 of these eleven is also in the all-time XI: Malcolm Marshall.
How this XI was picked
Pool by position: 6 openers, 13 middle-order batters, 4 wicketkeepers, 3 all-rounders, 8 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.
Think you can pick a better XI? Draft yours across seven eras and see if it beats mine.
Start drafting