World Test Championship 2019-2021: Top five performers from inaugural WTC

The first edition of the ICC World Test Championship ended with the New Zealand team winning the final by 8 wickets. The first edition was played from the year 2019 to 2021, in which some teams displayed great performances. The importance of bowlers in Test cricket was also realised by the teams as the result of the final could be achieved only due to bowlers.

We got to see some great performances from a number of bowlers, with their fine spells turning the game upside down. In this article, we will be discussing five Top Performers in the inaugural WTC cycle.

5. Steve Smith (1,341 runs)

Former Australian captain Steve Smith, who returned to the first edition of the World Test Championship straight after a one-year ban, played the first series against England. Smith got a lot of runs in the Ashes series. Overall, he scored 1,341 runs in the first edition of the World Test Championship, batting in 22 innings of 13 matches at an average of 63.85. He hit 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries, in which 211 runs was his highest score.

4. Kyle Jamieson (43 wickets and 247 runs)

Kyle Jamieson was the most impressive player for the winning side of New Zealand in the inaugural cycle of the World Test Championship. He picked up 43 wickets in 7 matches at an impressive average of 12.53. He also scored 247 runs at an average of 49.40 including a half-century.

3. Marnus Labuschagne (1,675 runs)

Marnus Labuschagne gave a perfect example of how to capitalize on opportunities in Test cricket. In the first edition, he batted in 23 innings of 13 matches, scoring 1,675 runs at an average of 72.82. He was the top-run scorer in WTC. Labuschagne also hit 5 centuries and 9 half-centuries during this period.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin (71 wickets and 324 runs)

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin played an important role in taking the Indian team to the final of the World Test Championship. Ashwin took a total of 71 wickets in 26 innings of 14 matches at an average of 20.33. During this, Ashwin also achieved the feat of taking 5 wickets in an innings 4 times. At the same time, he also made a significant contribution with the bat for the team scoring 324 runs including 1 century.

1.Ben Stokes (1,334 runs and 34 wickets)

England all-rounder Ben Stokes starred in the first edition with both the ball and the bat. The discussion of Stokes’ match-winning innings of 135 runs against Australia at Headingley was seen everywhere. Stokes batted in 32 innings of 17 matches in the first edition, scoring 1,334 runs at an average of 46. During this, he hit 4 centuries and 6 half-centuries. He also picked up 34 wickets in the first edition.