The best all-rounders Test XI in the modern era

How do we define an all-rounder? Players who can bat and bowl with consummate ease and lend balance to the team with their dual skills.

Quality all-rounders are a rare breed out of the 4000+ cricketers who have played Test cricket. Whenever we think about quality all-rounders, we remember the great Sir Garfield Sobers, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Sir Ian Botham, and Richard Hadlee.

It is always hard to develop an all-rounder. All great all-rounders first got into the team due to their primary skills which were either their batting or bowling; later it was discovered that they were good in both skills.

In the modern era, there have been a few who are gifted with both the ball and bat. Only a few players can be a part of this exclusive group.

The parameters considered here are:

A Test batting average in the high 30's with a minimum of 3500 Test runs and a 100-wicket haul with a bowling average around 30 for a batting all-rounder with a few exceptions.

A bowling average in the '20s with a minimum of 300 Test wickets and 2000 Test runs with the bat with an average of '20s for a bowling all-rounder.

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Openers: Sanath Jayasuriya and Shane Watson

Sanath Jayasuriya and Shane Watson: An interesting opening combination

Sanath Jayasuriya was a giant during his days and one of the most influential figures in Sri Lankan cricket. The man from Matara can be regarded as one of the most underrated all-rounders in Test cricket. He was one of the best spin-bowling all-rounders the world has seen.

Jayasuriya was an attacking opening batsman who scored hundreds in Australia and England.

Out of his 14 test hundreds, six of them were scored on overseas shores. He was a potent left-arm spinner and played a supporting role in a spin-heavy Sri Lankan attack. By the time he retired, Jayasuriya finished with 98 wickets in tests.

Career Statistics: Sanath Jayasuriya - Left-hand bat and Left-arm spin

Matches: 110 Innings: 188 Runs: 6973 HS: 340 Average: 40.1 100's: 14 50's: 31

Innings: 140 Wickets: 98 BB: 5/34 Average: 34.3 4W: 6 5W: 2

Shane Watson was one of the most destructive all-rounders in the modern era. He always played under the shadows of Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting. One of the richest cricketers in the world, Watson had a major impact in ODI's and T20's.

Watson particularly played his best cricket from 2009 - 2014, where he scored quite a few runs in the sub-continent and the Ashes. He was also a very good slip-fielder and bucketed many catches in the slip cordon.

Brought up on the bouncy pitches of Tasmania, he was a medium-fast bowler capable of bowling some quiet overs; Watson had a potent bouncer which he would use it as a surprise.

Career Statistics: Shane Watson - Right hand bat and Right arm medium fast

Matches: 59 Innings: 109 Runs: 3731 HS: 176 Average: 35.2 100's: 4 50's: 24

Innings: 93 Wickets: 75 BB: 6/33 Average: 33.7 4W: 3 5W: 1

Middle Order: Jacques Kallis, Shakib-Al-Hasan and Ben Stokes

Kallis is regarded as one of the best all-rounders of all-time

Jacques Kallis is one of the greatest all-rounders in the modern era and one of the highly rated all-rounders in the history of cricket.

He was a technically proficient batsman, who adopted a classical approach and believed in batting time and taking the shine of the ball. The mighty South African was one of the top batting stars in the modern era scoring 45 centuries.

Kallis was a fast-medium bowler who picked up 274 wickets at an average of 32.51. He was part of a four-pronged pace attack for South Africa, whose job was to hold one end up and create pressure. His bowling record as a fourth seamer looks pretty formidable and makes him one of the all-time greats in cricket.

Career Statistics: Jacques Kallis - Right-hand bat and Right arm fast medium

Matches: 166 Innings: 280 Runs: 13289 HS: 224 Average: 55.1 100's: 45 50's: 58

Innings: 272 Wickets: 292 BB: 6/54 Average: 32.6 4W: 7 5W: 5

The best all-rounders in recent time: Stokes and Shakib

Shakib-Al-Hasan is one of the greatest all-rounders from Asia and ranks as one of the best spin bowling all-rounders, the world has seen. He is one of the prime reasons why Bangladesh cricket is on the ascendancy. Shakib is a middle-order batsman who is capable of runs across the world in all conditions.

On a turning track, Shakib is a quite a handful; he possesses accuracy and bowls a nagging length with subtle variations. He has achieved a unique distinction of an all-rounders double which includes 3000 runs and 200 wickets.

Career Statistics: Shakib-Al-Hasan - Left-hand bat and Left-arm spin

Matches: 55 Innings: 103 Runs: 3807 HS: 217 Average: 39.6 100's: 5 50's: 24

Innings: 93 Wickets: 205 BB: 7/36 Average: 31.3 4W: 8 5W: 18

When it comes to choosing the best all-rounder in recent times, it would be hard to think beyond the ambidextrous Ben Stokes. He is a counter-attacking batsman who bats at No.5 or No.6 and a potent right arm bowler who can come in as the first change and bowl accurate lines to unsettle batsmen.

If the ball is old, Stokes is one of the best proponents of reverse-swing and skilful in bowling the incoming deliveries. He is a complete package, who can counter-attack, play the waiting game, break crucial partnerships and take some acrobatic catches with his brilliant fielding.

Career Statistics: Ben Stokes - Left hand bat and Right arm fast medium

Matches: 49 Innings: 89 Runs: 2966 HS: 258 Average: 33.7 100's: 6 50's: 16

Innings: 85 Wickets: 117 BB: 6/22 Average: 32.7 4W: 4 5W: 4

Lower Middle Order - Adam Gilchrist (Wicket-Keeper), Andrew Flintoff, Shaun Pollock

The attacking trio: Gilchrist, Flintoff

and

Pollock

Adam Gilchrist needs no introduction to the cricketing world. He's been the best wicket-keeper batsman in the history of the game. "Church" as he was fondly known, was a counter-attacking batsman who came in at No.7 and had the special ability to turn the game on its head. He also holds the record for highest number of sixes in test cricket with 100.

When it comes to keeping, he's had the second most number of dismissals behind Mark Boucher. Had Gilly debuted at a very young age for Australia his records would have been untouchable?

Career Statistics: Adam Gilchrist - Left-hand bat and Wicket-keeper

Matches: 96 Innings: 137 Runs: 5570 HS: 204 Average: 47.6 100's: 17 50's: 26

Catches: 379 Run-outs: 4 Stumping: 37

England's undisputed hero of the 2000s, Andrew Flintoff was one of the best all-rounders in the 21st century.

He is best known for his heroics against a formidable Australian unit in the 2005 Ashes series which helped England regain the Ashes for the first time since 1986/87. Flintoff was known for bowling sharp spells in excess of 140 Kph and picked up 226 wickets at an average of 32.78.

Flintoff was more of an aggressor with the bat who played some vital knocks for England when the chips were down. Statistics don't make justice to his contribution in English cricket as he performed when it was actually required.

Career Statistics: Andrew Flintoff - Right-hand bat and Right-arm fast

Matches: 79 Innings: 130 Runs: 3845 HS: 167 Average: 31.8 100's: 5 50's: 26

Innings: 137 Wickets: 226 BB: 5/58 Average: 32.8 4W: 11 5W: 3

One of the most underrated all-rounders in cricket history, Shaun Pollock's Test record is better than that of Imran Khan and Sir Ian Botham.

He was one of the great South African cricketers of all time. He was a bowling all-rounder capable of chipping in with the bat. Pollock was never the one to bowl freebies and always maintained a disciplined line and length.

As a batsman, Pollock batted at number eight and scored two centuries to his name. Since he usually batted in the lower middle order, it was hard for him to justify his batting talent. He did pretty well with the bat and averaged a decent 32.31 in test cricket.

Career Statistics: Shaun Pollock - Right hand bat and Right arm fast

Matches: 108 Innings: 156 Runs: 3781 HS: 111 Average: 32.3 100's: 2 50's: 16

Innings: 202 Wickets: 421 BB: 7/87 Average: 23.1 4W: 23 5W: 16

Lower Order - Ravichandran Ashwin, Wasim Akram (Captain) and Shane Warne (Vice Captain)

The ability to make the ball talk: Ashwin, Wasim

and

Warne

Ashwin has been one of the giants in Indian cricket and one of the best all-rounders in the modern era.

An engineering graduate from Chennai, he is primarily in the team for his off-spin bowling and possesses a deadly record in the sub-continent. Ashwin usually critiques his performances which helped him to shed his tag as a poor traveller with improved returns outside Asia in 2018.

Ashwin is a decent lower-order batsman who has scored four Test centuries and a handful of fifties to bail India out of trouble on numerous occasions. By the time he will retire, he is sure to be in a very elite list of all-rounders.

Career Statistics: Ravichandran Ashwin - Right-hand bat and Right arm off-spin

Matches: 65 Innings: 93 Runs: 2361 HS: 124 Average: 29.1 100's: 4 50's: 11

Innings: 150 Wickets: 92 BB: 7/59 Average: 25.4 4W: 16 5W: 26

Wasim Akram who was also known as the "Sultan of Swing" is arguably the best fast bowler of all time.

Whether it was the old ball or the new ball, this champion knew how to extract swing out of it. Because of the raw pace he possessed, he would take the pitch out of the equation and bowl some deadly spells.

He was the best proponent of reverse swing and used it to good effect on dead tracks to trouble the batsmen.

Wasim would make a flawless batsman of the calibre of Rahul Dravid to doubt their defence. He was a hard-hitting lower order batsman who even scored a double hundred for Pakistan against Zimbabwe.

Career Statistics: Wasim Akram - Left-hand bat and Left Arm Fast

Matches: 104 Innings: 181 Runs: 2898 HS: 257 Average: 22.6 100's: 3 50's: 7

Innings: 147 Wickets: 414 BB: 7/119 Average: 23.6 4W: 20 5W: 25

Shane Warne is one of the most influential and controversial figures in cricket history. The first man to scale the peak of 700 Test wickets, the great man bowled half of his deliveries on the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia which didn't offer him any grip or purchase, still, he consistently troubled his opponents.

When Australia toured the Subcontinent, they seldom required another spinner as the leggie had mastered bowling on all types of pitches and took the art of leg-spin to unprecedented heights. Warne was an equivalent of Sachin Tendulkar when it came to bowling.

He is also the only batsman in the history of test cricket to score 3000 test runs without a hundred.

Career Statistics: Shane Warne - Right hand bat and Right arm leg-spin

Matches: 145 Innings: 199 Runs: 3154 HS: 99 Average: 17.3 50's: 12

Innings: 273 Wickets: 708 BB: 8/71 Average: 25.4 4W: 48 5W: 37