Picking an Elite Test Cricket XI of Players Operating Right Now

Despite the popularity of the Twenty20 format around the globe, despite the success of the Cricket World Cup earlier this year, Test match cricket is still the pinnacle.

The name explains everything: It's a test, not only of your physical skills but also of a player's mental strength.

To celebrate the five-day format, we have picked an elite Test XI from all the nations.

Those selected were judged to be the cream of the crop, though it was not easy to work out who exactly should make the final cut.

The only criteria was that those included had to be eligible to play for their national team right now.

It is time to reveal all, starting with a contrasting pair of openers at the top of the order.

Alastair Cook may have had his ups and downs in recent times, but England's captain is still one of the best openers in the world.

The left-hander has recently returned to form in Test action, scoring centuries away in the West Indies and then at home to New Zealand.

While he's not going to win any awards for style, Cook is perfect at the top of the order. He has a solid technique, a knowledge of where he can score his runs and a desire to bat for long, long periods of time.

His career average stands at 46.87, and he has struck 27 Test hundreds, a record for England.

The 30-year-old is also now his country's leading run-scorer in the longest form of the game, having moved past his mentor Graham Gooch in the second Test against New Zealand.

With Alastair Cook there to drop anchor, the XI needs his opening partner to be someone who is going to give the innings momentum.

David Warner is the perfect candidate for the role: He averaged 48.20 before the first Test against the West Indies in Dominica and scores his runs at a strike-rate of 74.54.

The left-hander made his name in limited-overs cricket, but he has been able to crossover his skills to the longer format.

He has hit 12 Test centuries already in his career—half of that total were scored in 2014 alone.

Warner relishes the chance to open the innings. More slip fielders in place means more gaps that can be exploited, while the new ball can be hit harder to the boundary rope.

Hashim Amla may have moved down to bat at four now he is captain of South Africa, but he made his name batting at the fall of the first wicket.

The right-hander averaged 56.40 in the position, hitting 20 of his 23 Test hundreds while batting there.

He became the first Proteas batsman to score a triple century when he made 312 against England at the Oval in 2012.

Since 2010, Amla has an average of 66.19—the highest mark for any player who has scored over 1,500 runs in the current decade.

The 32-year-old is a tough batsmen to bowl at: If you are too close to his pads, he will whip you through mid-wicket, yet if you stray too wide, he will drive and cut for fun.

It was a tough call—an extremely tough call—over the identity of the Australian who should fill the vacancy in the middle order.

Captain Michael Clarke has an amazing Test record (he averages 50.79 and has hit 28 hundreds), but his right-hand man, Steve Peter Devereux Smith, gets the nod.

The New South Welshman scored 1,146 runs in Test cricket in 2014, including reaching three figures on five occasions.

His technique may hardly be fresh from the pages of the MCC coaching manual, but Smith has a method that is clearly working well for him.

He captained Australia in Clarke's absence for the majority of the series against India on home soil—it seems the extra responsibility only enhanced his hunger for runs.

AB de Villiers has to be the most complete batsman in the world right now.

The right-hander averages 52.09 and 53.65 in Test and one-day cricket respectively, and although his Twenty20 record for South Africa isn't great, he has scored two hundreds in the Indian Premier League.

He always seems to have time against the quick bowlers and also the type of crisp footwork needed to cope against opposing spinners.

The 31-year-old has spent the majority of his Test career batting at five or six, but such is his versatility, he could go anywhere in the order.

Although he has kept wicket for the Proteas on plenty of occasions, De Villiers has been spared the gloves in this side so he can focus all his attention on batting.

Angelo Mathews was superb for Sri Lanka in 2014, scoring 1,317 runs in 21 Test innings.

He recorded three hundreds, with his 160 against England at Headingley setting up his side for a victory that also clinched them a rare series win on their travels.

There was also an unbeaten 157 against Pakistan that saved Sri Lanka from defeat, showing that Mathews is a man who can adapt to any match situation.

His bowling is steady enough (he has taken only 23 Test wickets but has an economy rate of 2.98) and in this team he would only be needed as the fourth seamer.

With Mahela Jayawardene now retired and Kumar Sangakkara nearing the end of the line, much will depend on Mathews to become the fulcrum for his country in all formats.

Brad Haddin has been selected as the wicketkeeper, due to his handling behind the stumps and spunky batting.

The Australian is a hard-nosed cricketer who never takes a backward step, whether it's in the field or when he's batting.

He averaged 33.75 prior to the current series in the West Indies, while he had claimed 251 catches and seven stumpings when wearing the gloves.

Considering the top six batting above him, Haddin would have the platform to come out and play his natural game down the order.

While now aged 37, the New South Welshman fought his way back into the Test team in 2013 and is an integral part of Michael Clarke's side ahead of the Ashes tour.

Mitchell Johnson is a fast bowler any captain would want in their Test side.

The left-arm paceman has claimed 283 wickets at an average of 27.84. He has taken a 10-wicket match haul on three occasions in a career that has seen its ups and downs.

The beauty with Johnson is he can turn the match in one spell—his pace and slingy arm action can make him a handful, particularly if there is some bounce in the surface.

Johnson can also contribute with the bat—the left-hander has made a Test hundred for Australia.

His all-round talents will fit nicely into the lineup, particularly as the depth in the bowling unit will allow him to come running in for short, sharp bursts.

Dale Steyn may not be the archetypal build for a pace bowler. He is not tall, nor is he someone who looks like he spends all his spare time in the gym.

What he does have, however, is a natural ability to send the ball down at a seriously quick pace while also getting it to swing, predominantly away from right-handers.

There is also a mean streak running right through Steyn—when he is pumped up and firing on all cylinders, he is great to watch (provided you're not standing 22 yards away waiting to face him).

He sits on the brink of 400 Test wickets (396 to date) and strikes for South Africa every 41.6 balls he delivers in the Test arena.

Steyn is comfortably the top bowler in world cricket, per the ICC rankings. Who are we to go against such stats?

Rangana Herath has been chosen as the spin option, having taken 60 Test wickets in 2014.

Graeme Swann (who has retired) is the only spinner to have taken more wickets since 2010 than the Sri Lankan left-armer, whose full name is Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath.

He has taken 10 wickets in a match on four occasions, with his career-best figures being the 14 for 184 he claimed against Pakistan last August.

In a time when mystery spin is seen as the way to go, Herath has shown there is still a place in the game for orthodox, traditional slow bowling.

The 37-year-old has an easy run-up but gives the ball a rip, while also relying on subtle changes of speed and flight to bamboozle opposing batsmen.

Since 2010, no bowler has taken more wickets in Test cricket than James Anderson's 255.

The Lancastrian is the king of the swingers, as he has the ability to move the ball both ways when conditions are in his favour.

He burst onto the international scene in one-day cricket, playing in the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, but it is in the longer format where he excels.

He became the first Englishman to reach 400 Test scalps in the home series against New Zealand, having already overtaken Sir Ian Botham in the English wicket-taking charts.

Anderson, who is able to reverse the old ball, and Steyn would be a real handful up front.

When it comes to picking a world XI in any format, there are always going to some players who are unfortunate to miss out.

The unluckiest of the lot is Kumar Sangakkara, a fabulous player who has been squeezed out due to doubts over just how much longer he will be playing at international level.

Michael Clarke could not be fitted in, while we ran out of room for England's Joe Root and India's new Test skipper, Virat Kohli. Sorry gents, but we'd love one of you to be 12th man.

Pakistan's trio of Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq could all have been picked as batsmen, but spinner Saeed Ajmal's issues with his action ruled him out of contention.

In the bowling department, South Africa's Morne Morkel can feel aggrieved to not see his name in the team.

Shakib Al Hasan was the other option to Angelo Mathews as the all-rounder, and perhaps conditions could dictate whether he played in front of the Sri Lankan.

And finally, a quick apology to all New Zealand fans. It's nothing personal, but Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult didn't quite make it.

So, what do you think of the final lineup? Have we made a massive error in overlooking someone?

Let us know your views, and feel free to select your own XI, in the comments section.

All statistics used in the article were from ESPN Cricinfo