The Combined Best Test XI of 2018

Spin Bowlers

#8 Nathan Lyon (Australia)

Nathan Lyon making a huge difference in the ongoing Test series against India

Matches – 9, Innings – 18, Wickets – 48, Avg – 21, 5 wickets haul – 2

Out of the 9 matches that Nathan Lyon has played in the year, he has taken a total of 5 or more wickets in 4 Test matches and 4 wickets in 2 matches. In his last 3 Test matches, he has taken 8 wickets each. In the second Test against India at Perth, Lyon was the difference between the two teams as he managed to take 8 wickets on a wicket aiding the fast bowlers. That too against the Indian batsmen who were supposed to be proficient at playing spinners.

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#10 Taijul Islam (Bangladesh)

Taijul Islam - The silent performer for Bangladesh

Matches – 7, Innings – 13, wickets – 43, Avg – 23, 5 wkt haul – 4, 10 wkt for the match - 1

Taijul Islam, the slow left-arm orthodox spinner from Bangladesh has been the star performer for his team in 2018. Though his performances came against bottom-ranked teams like Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the West Indies, it was still a performance worth mentioning from a team like Bangladesh.

Bangladesh managed to win their last 3 Test matches in the year. Islam’s contribution in those victories was a total haul of 17 wickets. Bangladesh had their first innings victory against the hapless West Indies at Dhaka. Bangladesh won that two-Test series by a margin of 2-0. Interestingly, the Bangladesh spinners shared all the 40 Windies wickets that fell in the series. Islam’s share was 10. Islam is also a handy lower-order batsman.