Shakib, Mushfiq in CA’s best Test XI of 2017

Bangladesh Test and T20I skipper all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and his immediate predecessor in Test Mushfiqur Rahim have been placed in the cricket.com.au's best Test eleven of 2017.

Shakib placed in the 6th spot while Mushfiqur 7th where Dean Elgar of South Africa has been a rock at the top of the order this year, notching centuries in each of the four Test series South Africa has played.
Australian captain Steve Smith and India captain Virat Kohli have been placed in the 4th and 5th places respectively.
Besides two Bangladesh players, there are three cricketers each from Australia and India while two from South Africa and one from England got their places in the best XI.

The cricket.com.au elected their best side from the calendar year with current captain of the Australia national cricket team Steve Smith, David Warner and Nathan Lyon all featuring.

Shakib played 14 innings to score 665 runs on average of 47.50, including highest 217, and he hammered two centuries and three half centuries.

The Cricket Australia official portal on Sunday said, "One of the finest all-rounders the game has produced took a sabbatical from the longest format late in the year but nonetheless made his mark in seven Tests in 2017 to claim the No.6 berth in our side."

Shakib was instrumental in Bangladesh's historic victory over Australia in August, claiming 10 wickets for the match and posting 84. It followed on from his 217 against New Zealand in January, the highest total ever made by a Bangladeshi in Test history while he also struck a century for his side's win over Sri Lanka in the Bangladesh's 100th in March. In a bumper year for spin bowlers, Shakib is a more than handy fifth bowler in this side.

Mushfiqur played 16 innings in the year and scored 776 runs on average of 54.71, including highest 159 in a match. Mushfiqur hammered two centuries and three half centuries.

"It was a big year for Bangladesh and their recently-ousted captain Mushfiqur Rahim is a deserved inclusion for the keeping position. While Quinton de Kock led all comers on the dismissals front (50 in 12 matches), Mushfiqur's return of 766 runs at 55 was comfortably the best effort by a wicketkeeper in run-scoring terms in 2017 (Sri Lanka Niroshan Dickwella aside, who managed seven more runs albeit at a reduced average of 39)," said cricket.com.au.
The diminutive Mushfiqur scored tons in his first two Tests of the year and led his country to memorable wins over Sri Lanka and Australia.

Cricket.com.au's best Test XI of 2017: Dean Elgar (South Africa), David Warner (Australia), Chesteshwar Pujara (India), Steve Smith (Australian captain), Virat Kohli (Indian captain), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh), Ravindra Jadeja (India), Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), Nathan Lyon (Australia) and Jimmy Anderson (England).

UNB/GY