This year's International Cricket Council teams of the year have been announced, with the great and the good of 2022 Test, one-day and T20 International matches making the lists. In the Test XI, Ben Stokes has been named as captain after <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/cricket/2022/04/28/ben-stokes-grateful-for-real-privilege-after-being-named-england-test-captain/" target="_blank">replacing Joe Root as England skipper</a> and – alongside new coach Brendon McCullum – guiding the team to an astonishing turnaround in fortunes that saw them win nine out of 10 matches in the red-ball game. That led them to series wins over New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan as well as a record-breaking victory against India. Stokes leads a line-up who have combined to score 6,988 runs during the calendar year and take 198 wickets. Two of Stokes' England teammates have made the cut, along with four from Australia, then one each from Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa and India. As we head into 50-over World Cup year, the ODI XI is made up from seven different nations – Pakistan, Australia, India, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and West Indies. Leading the team is Pakistan’s Babar Azam who is named as captain for the second consecutive year after scoring 679 runs at a phenomenal average to consolidate his position at the summit of the men’s ODI rankings. Leading the way in the T20 XI is Joss Buttler, who led England to World Cup glory in Australia, after they <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/cricket/2022/11/13/superb-ben-stokes-leads-england-to-victory-over-pakistan-in-t20-world-cup-final/" target="_blank">defeated Pakistan in the final by five wickets</a>. Sam Curran, who took 4-12 from his four overs in the final Down Under, also makes the team. The victory meant England became the first team to hold the men's 20 and 50-over world titles and it was also their second T20 world title following victory in the West Indies in 2010. The rest of the team is made up from Pakistan, India, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Ireland. They include Mohammad Rizwan, who scored ten half-centuries during the year for Pakistan, and India batsman Virat Kohli, who finished the World Cup as highest run scorer with 296 runs, at an average of 98.66.
