3 players unlucky to miss out on ICC men's Test team of 2023 ft. Nathan Lyon
Australia dominated the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year for 2023, which is also led by their captain Pat Cummins. There are as many as five Australian players, with Usman Khawaja named the opener of the side alongside Dimuth Karunaratne.
Travis Head, who had an outstanding year across all formats, was named in the middle order. Additionally, Australia's Alex Carey and experienced fast bowler Mitchell Starc also found themselves in the ICC Men's Test Team of the year. Now, there were a number of notable omissions from this side - players who were quite consistent right through the cycle last year.
Here we take a look 3 players unlucky to miss out on ICC men's Test team of 2023:
#3 Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Marsh made one of the most stunning centuries of last year when he punished England in Headingley. It was a good year for Marsh in Test cricket as he kept Cameron Green out and chipped in with both bat and ball. He could have been included in this ICC Test team of the year as an all-rounder.
As far as his numbers are concerned, he played five matches in 2023, scoring 540 runs at an average of 67.50. He was more than handy with the ball as well in these matches and was the balancing factor in the Australian team. He picked up four wickets in these matches and held his side of the bargain for Australia - especially in the Ashes and then against Pakistan in the home Test match.
#2 Harry Brook
No player created an impact in such a short time in international cricket than Harry Brook. The very embodiment of England's 'Bazball' approach, Brook made a significant impact as he established himself as one of the most exciting young players globally.
He was remarkable across formats, but made a real impression in England's revamped Test team. Making his debut against South Africa in September 2022, Brook was part of the tour to Pakistan and New Zealand. He was outstanding in these series as he notched up scores of 153, 87, 9, 111, 89, 54, and 186.
Such was his impressive start that he smashed 809 runs in nine innings, with an extraordinary strike-rate of 98.77. He would have been a real handful in this ICC Men's Test team of the year and his exclusion is certainly very surprising.
#1 Nathan Lyon
It was a memorable year for Nathan Lyon as he picked up his 500th Test wicket, against Pakistan in the Perth Test. He had a great year with the ball as he picked up 47 wickets across 10 matches in 2023.
He was exceptional for Australia in India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He became the leading wicket-taker in the series' history in the third Test in Indore where he ended the match with impressive figures of 11/99 and led Australia to a win.
In the fourth Test in Ahmedabad, Lyon went past Derek Underwood as he became the highest wicket-taker by an overseas bowler in India. This was certainly a surprising exclusion from the ICC Test team of the year.