Picking an Elite Test XI of Players Operating Right Now

For much of the past 12 months, the Test format has been something of an after-thought on the international cricket calendar. 

Since the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh early last year, the game's focus has centred on the limited-overs formats—two seasons of the Indian Premier League have captured attention, the recent Big Bash in Australia enjoyed a strong season and each nation spent considerable time planning for, and competing in, the 2015 Cricket World Cup. 

Now, however, it's the five-day game that's ready to take centre stage. 

Next week, England will meet a surging New Zealand outfit in the Test arena. Soon after, the Frank Worrell Trophy will be contested between the West Indies and Australia, before Michael Clarke's men travel to English shores to contest the Ashes.

And there'll also be compelling action in Asia, with Bangladesh set to meet India and Sri Lanka ready to take on Pakistan. 

So, ahead of such a busy schedule, who are the players we should be keeping an eye on? Which stars will shape the respective series? What would a dream Test XI right now look like after such a prolonged run of white-ball cricket?

Across the following slides, we take a look. 

1. David Warner

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Right now, there is no debate to be had: David Warner is the finest opening batsman in Test cricket. 

Having emerged from the limited-overs formats, the left-hander's progress against the red ball has taken time. But after a sparkling 12 months in the game, the Australian is now the prototype for the modern Test opener. 

Bullish, aggressive and in-your-face, Warner has raced his way to 1,241 runs since the beginning of 2014 (the highest figure among openers) at an average of more than 60 and a blistering strike rate of more than 80. 

Impressively, too, he's done it against the best, hammering seven hundreds across series with South Africa, Pakistan and India in that time. 

In short, he's the ultimate weapon at the top of the order. 

2. Murali Vijay

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Perhaps the most surprising inclusion for this XI, Murali Vijay has earned his place among the elite by doing what Indian batsmen have always struggled to do: score consistently away from home. 

When his team travelled to England last year, Vijay was among India's few bright spots in a disastrous Test campaign, registering a fine hundred and two half-centuries as his team-mates wilted around him. 

The right-hander then enjoyed a strong tour of Australia late last year, thwarting a high-quality pace attack to amass 482 runs at 60.25 against the world's strongest outfit. 

Calm, technically correct and a source of reliability, Vijay, now enjoying a resurgence, sits behind only David Warner for Test runs scored as an opener since the beginning of 2014. 

3. Kumar Sangakkara

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Kumar Sangakkara just keeps on going. And going. And going. 

Continuing to entrench his place among the greatest batsmen there has ever been, the Sri Lankan's form in the final stages of his career has been just staggering. 

Since the beginning of 2014, the left-hander has gracefully struck hundreds against Bangladesh, England, Pakistan and New Zealand (two were double-hundreds and one was a triple), showcasing almost unprecedented excellence in what some might label "father time."

In fact, with a Test average of 68.55 since his 35th birthday, only the great Sir Donald Bradman and England's Eddie Paynter have ever averaged more than Sangakkara from age 35 onward. 

Sadly, it seems the the 37-year-old will wave goodbye to international cricket in August, even when it seems he could play well into his 40s. 

4. Virat Kohli

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If this elite XI had been picked after India's tumultuous tour of England in the middle of last year, Virat Kohli wouldn't have made the cut. 

Entering that campaign with an extraordinary reputation, the Indian superstar was worked out and humbled by James Anderson and Co., and left English shores with questions hanging over him. 

Then he went to Australia, locked horns with Mitchell Johnson, and won—even if his team didn't. 

After opening the series with a pair of truly magnificent centuries in Adelaide, Kohli blasted two more emphatic hundreds in Melbourne and Sydney to not only restore his reputation, but to elevate it. 

He's the most sparkling batting talent in world cricket. 

5. Steven Smith

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Last December, ESPN Cricinfo's Jarrod Kimber told the brilliant story of Steven Smith's mind-boggling journey from a barely known state cricketer to worldwide superstar:

"Even when Smith was in charge, people didn't always know it. The announcer at the Shield final said, 'The NSW captain, Steve O'Keefe.' That was in March [2014]."

Fast-forward little more than 12 months, and Smith is a household name. 

Indeed, after breaking all sorts of records in the Test series against India, the idiosyncratic right-hander sparkled throughout Australia's one-day campaign that culminated in the triumphant capture of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. 

Such astonishing excellence has confirmed Smith as a star across all formats, and a player who is widely expected to be the next Australian Test captain. 

6. AB De Villiers

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When AB de Villiers' career eventually comes to a close, it's possible we'll view the South African as the most astonishingly versatile batsman of all time. 

In the Test arena, he averages more than 50. Ditto for one-day internationals. And on the Twenty20 stage, he can sparkle like few others. 

It doesn't matter what it is, De Villiers can do it: spark a run chase, counter-attack, defend for hours and negotiate tricky spells. He can block, cut, drive, pull, hook, flick, scoop, sweep and everything in between. 

And he's a wicketkeeper. Or an outfielder. And he's brilliant at both. 

There is no other like him. He can't be left out of any team. 

7. Angelo Mathews

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Before he'd even shown anything close to world-class excellence, Angelo Mathews was being touted as the future of Sri Lankan cricket. 

At the time, it seemed like hyperbole. Now, however, it makes complete sense. 

In the last two years, Mathews has come of age, particularly with the bat in hand, leading from the front in some impressive series victories for the Sri Lankans. 

In the middle of 2014, the captain was superb with both the bat and ball against England, leading his nation to an historic triumph on English soil, before being equally impressive against Pakistan. 

From a numbers perspective, Mathews is averaging a staggering 70.72 with the bat since the beginning of 2013, and with the ball he's chipped in with 12 important wickets in that time. 

As an all-rounder—admittedly a batting all-rounder—he's as effective as they come. 

8. Mitchell Johnson

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Late last year, there was a widely held view that Mitchell Johnson was enduring a significant decline from the ferocious brilliance we witnessed during the 2013-14 Ashes series and the subsequent tour of South Africa. 

Johnson's pace seemed down. That zip off the pitch wasn't there. And batsmen seemed, more than anything, comfortable against him. 

There might have been some truth to that perception. But the major factor that can't be ignored was the utterly lifeless pitches Johnson operated on, first in the UAE, and then at home in Australia against India. 

Indeed, for five straight Tests, the left-armer toiled away on surfaces devoid of life at bacterial level—the enemy of any fast bowler. But still he managed to claim 19 wickets at a tick above 30. 

In the World Cup, he showed that the ferocity is still there. And if he's presented with some friendlier surfaces in England this year, expect him to be back to his frightening best. 

9. Dale Steyn

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Now into his early 30s, Dale Steyn isn't the same blistering speedster he once was. He's older. A touch slower. Not quite as dynamic. 

But that doesn't mean he's not as effective. 

In 2014, Steyn claimed 39 Test wickets at 19.56. In one match this year, he's grabbed seven more. 

With time has come an evolution in the great South African seamer. He now uses guile and subtle variations. He can adapt to different surfaces (see tour of Sri Lanka). He's more accurate than ever. And he out-thinks a batsman now, rather than just blowing him away. 

He's different, but he's still just as good. And that's why he's still the No. 1-ranked bowler in the ICC Test rankings. 

10. Rangana Herath

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What it is about Sri Lankan spinners? How can they be this good for this long?

For so much of his career, Rangana Herath stood in the shadows of Muttiah Muralitharan, a fine example of longevity. But now at 37 himself, Herath is sparkling in the spotlight that always felt like it might pass him by. 

In 2014, the left-armer was the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, claiming 56 scalps in just nine matches. More remarkable was Herath claimed the best Test bowling figures for 12 years when he took nine for 127 against Pakistan in Colombo.

Possessing supreme control and delightfully subtle variations, the veteran Sri Lankan is enjoying his finest period in the game, even as he approaches 40. 

11. James Anderson

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When James Anderson broke Sir Ian Botham's long-standing record of 383 Test wickets for England during last month's tour of the Caribbean, Botham labelled Anderson as "magnificent."

That pretty much sums it up. 

Watching "Jimmy" operate is a truly magnificent experience—the swing, the seam, the control and the knowledge of when and how to use it all. 

A pillar of excellence in a team that's fluctuated between that and mediocrity in recent times, Anderson remains the finest English player in the game and one of the best of his generation.