Cricket Australia names three Pakistani Test players in 2021 team of the year

After the ICC award nominations were announced, Cricket Australia has also jumped in and joined the trend to reveal their team of the year for the longest format of the game.

The cricketing board selected three Pakistani players in the final XI which included left-arm middle-order batter Fawad Alam, and pacer duo of Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Fawad Alam made a comeback to the Pakistan Test team and his performances in 2021 have further cemented his position in the side as he established himself as a consistent source of runs. 

"After celebrating the end of his 11-year Test exile with a hundred in New Zealand in late 2020, the unorthodox left-hander showed he's a man for all conditions by adding hundreds in Karachi, Harare and Kingston to finish the year as one of only three men to score three or more centuries," wrote Cricket Australia.

Alam played 9 matches and scored 571 runs in 13 innings. He averaged 57.10 and scored 2 half-centuries and 3 centuries.

On the other hand, Hasan and Shaheen remained one of the most prolific pacer duo from 2021. The pair picked up 41 and 47 wickets respectively.

"The third seamer's spot was the most hotly contested in this side, but Pakistan's Hasan Ali gets in ahead of India's Jasprit Bumrah and England pair Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson after a triumphant return to the Test arena in 2021," wrote Cricket Australia.

Although Hasan Ali took 14 wickets against Zimbabwe, his numbers are hard to argue with. He also took a 10-wicket haul in a famous win over South Africa in Rawalpindi.

As for Shaheen, he remained as one of the best bowlers across all formats as he proved it in the T20 World Cup, ODI series, and his faultless Test run in 2021. 

The left-arm pacer took 47 wickets in 9 matches with an average of 17.06. He picked up three five-fors whereas Hasan Ali leads in that category worldwide with five five-fors in 2021.

Final XI

1. Rohit Sharma (India)
   • M: 11 | Inns: 21 | Runs: 906 | Ave: 47.68 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 4 | HS: 161
2.  Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka) (c)
   • M: 7 | Inns: 13 | Runs: 902 | Ave: 69.38 | 100s: 4 | 50s: 3 | HS: 244
3. Marnus Labuschagne (Australia)
   • M: 5 | Inns: 9 | Runs: 526 | Ave: 65.75 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 4 | HS: 108
4. Joe Root (England)
   • M: 15 | Inns: 29 | Runs: 1708 | Ave: 61.00 | 100s: 6 | 50s: 4 | HS: 228 | Wkts: 14 | Ave: 30.50 | BBI: 5-8
5. Fawad Alam (Pakistan)
   • M: 9 | Inns: 13 | Runs: 571 | Ave: 57.10 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 2 | HS: 140
6. Rishabh Pant (India) (wk)
   • M: 12 | Inns: 21 | Runs: 748 | Ave: 39.36 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 5 | HS: 101 | Ct: 30 | St: 6
7. Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
   • ​​​​​​​M: 9 | Wkts: 54 | Ave: 16.64 | SR: 43.0 | BBI: 6-61 | BBM: 9-207 | 5W: 3 | 10W: 0 | Runs: 355 | Ave: 25.35 | 100s: 1 | HS: 106
8. Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand)
   • ​​​​​​​M: 5 | Wkts: 27 | Ave: 17.51 | SR: 41.8 | BBI: 6-48 | BBM: 11-117 | 5W: 3 | 10W: 1
9. Axar Patel (India)
   • ​​​​​​​M: 5 | Wkts: 36 | Ave: 11.86 | SR: 33.6 | BBI: 6-38 | BBM: 11-70 | 5W: 5 | 10W: 1
10. Hasan Ali (Pakistan)
    • ​​​​​​​M: 8 | Wkts: 41 | Ave: 16.07 | SR: 31.0 | BBI: 5-27 | BBM: 10-94 | 5W: 5 | 10W: 1
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)
    • ​​​​​​​M: 9 | Wkts: 47 | Ave: 17.06 | SR: 37.3 | BBI: 6-51 | BBM: 10-94 | 5W: 3 | 10W: 1