Pakistani Spinner Named in Cricket Australia’s WTC Team of the Tournament

In a deserved nod to one of Test cricket’s most quietly devastating bowlers, Pakistan’s Noman Ali has been named in Cricket Australia’s Best XI of the 2023–25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

The 37-year-old left-arm spinner could only play six matches across the period, but his staggering numbers made him impossible to ignore, even in a team filled with stars from traditional powerhouses.

Noman Ali’s selection ahead of more widely recognized names like Nathan Lyon or Mitchell Starc by their own cricketing board is not a token gesture; it’s a reflection of his devastating impact. In those six appearances, he took 46 wickets at an extraordinary average of 14.76 and a strike rate of just 27.6. No other bowler who delivered over 100 overs across the WTC cycle came close to those efficiency numbers.

His defining moment came during Pakistan’s remarkable turnaround against England. After being hammered by Bazball in the series opener, Pakistan rethought their strategy. A used surface in Multan brought Noman Ali into the spotlight, and he responded with 8 for 46 in the second innings, the best figures by any bowler during the entire WTC cycle. Together with fellow spinner Sajid Khan, Noman was the architect of Pakistan’s unlikely series win after taking 19 wickets across the last two Tests to engineer a 2-1 victory.

But his brilliance wasn’t limited to just one series. Noman Ali opened the cycle with 7 for 70 in Galle against Sri Lanka and finished it with another defining spell, picking up 6 for 41 against the West Indies in January 2025.

In a lineup featuring global icons, Noman Ali’s presence is a refreshing reminder that excellence can still cut through the noise — even if it comes quietly, in just six appearances.

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