Test cricket's best judged by month

The year 2017 is officially 1/3 of the way through and as the cricket world moves into May so the trends change of where and by whom runs and wickets are taken.

A close examination of a month-by-month breakdown of Test match statistics reveals Australians dominate from November to January, West Indians in April, the English in June through to August before it starts all over again.

Below is a snapshot of Test cricket’s greatest run-scorers and wicket-takers across the 12 months of year with some very familiar names popping up more than once.

January

Most runs: Jacques Kallis (SA)

M: 29 | Inns: 46 | NO: 8 | Runs: 2,771 | HS: 224 | Ave: 72.92 | 100s: 11

Top five: Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Sunil Gavaskar, Neil Harvey. Seven Australians in the top 15.

Standout performer: Don Bradman averaged a modest 110 with 8 centuries in 10 matches in January.

Most wickets: Kapil Dev (Ind)

M: 20 | Overs: 726.3 | Runs: 2,214 | Wickets: 84 | Ave: 26.36 | BB: 8-85 | 5w: 6 | 10w: 1

Top five: Kapil Dev, Shaun Pollock, Dennis Lillee, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Dale Steyn.

Standout performer: Australia’s Allan Davidson, No.11, claimed five five-wicket hauls in only 12 matches at an average of 16.53.

February

Most runs: John Wright (NZ)

M: 21 | Inns: 37 | NO: 2 | Runs: 1,656 | HS: 185 | Ave: 47.31 | 100s: 7

Top five: John Wright, Sachin Tendulkar, Andrew Jones (NZ), Javed Miandad, Doug Walters.

Standout performer: Hashim Amla, No.6, averages 102.60 with four tons in eight matches and a high score 253no.

Most wickets: Richard Hadlee (NZ)

M: 22 | Overs: 912 | Runs: 2,358 | Wickets: 104 | Ave: 22.67 | BB: 7-23 | 5w: 8 | 10w: 3

Top five: Richard Hadlee, Wasim Akram, Danny Morrison, Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn.

Standout performer: Proteas spearhead Dale Steyn has a strike rate of 35 in February.

March

Most runs: Rahul Dravid (Ind)

M: 18 | Inns: 32 | NO: 3 | Runs: 1,751 | HS: 180 | Ave: 60.38 | 100s: 4

Top five: Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, Rickey Ponting.

Standout performers: Garfield Sobers and Kumar Sangakkara scored six centuries each. Sangakkara in 13 matches, Sobers 19.

Most wickets: Shane Warne (Aus)

M: 27 | Overs: 1,345.4 | Runs: 3,742 | Wickets: 127 | Ave: 29.46 | BB: 6-86 | 5w: 7 | 10w: 2

Top five: Shane Warne, Muthiah Muralidaran, Anil Kumble, Richard Hadlee, Glenn McGrath.

Standout performer: Hadlee averaged 17.18 with 84 wickets in 15 matches. March madness!

April

Most runs: Brian Lara (WI)

M: 21 | Inns: 35 | NO: 2 | Runs: 2,654 | HS: 400no | Ave: 80.42 | 100s: 8

Top five: Brian Lara, Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Viv Richards. Right of the top ten are West Indian. Ponting and Dravid the others.

Standout performer: AB de Villiers averages 92.29 in April with two centuries and 646 runs in eight innings.

Most wickets: Courtney Walsh (WI)

M: 21 | Overs: 789.2 | Runs: 1,910 | Wickets: 82 | Ave: 23.29 | BB: 6-54 | 5w: 2 | 10w: 0

Top five: Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Makhaya Ntini. Seven players from the Caribbean in the top 10.

Standout performer: Ntini captured four five-wicket hauls in seven matches at an average of 16.69, and a strike rate of 32. Australia’s Stuart MacGill is the only genuine spinner in top 10 with 30 wickets in 5 matches.

May

Most runs: Alastair Cook (Eng)

M: 18 | Inns: 30 | NO: 4 | Runs: 1,592 | HS: 162 | Ave: 61.23 | 100s: 6

Top five: Alastair Cook, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott.

Standout performer: Marvin Atapattu, No.8, with 629 runs, an average of 105, three tons and a duck in only seven innings.

Most wickets: James Anderson (Eng)

M: 15 | Overs: 550.1 | Runs: 1,539 | Wickets: 79 | Ave: 19.48 | BB: 6-42 | 5w: 7 | 10w: 1

Top six: James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Muthiah Muralidaran, Graeme Swann, Mervon Dillon, Matthew Hoggard. Seven of the top 10 represent England.

Standout performer: In only two matches, Darren Gough snared 14 wickets at 14 with a strike rate 25.5!

June

Most runs: Graham Gooch (Eng)

M: 21 | Inns: 37 | NO: 1 | Runs: 1,771 | HS: 210 | Ave: 49.19 | 100s: 6

Top five: Graham Gooch, Dennis Compton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Len Hutton, Michael Atherton. Seven of the top 10 belong to England.

Standout performer: Brian Lara with a casual five centuries in 13 matches.

Most wickets: Fred Trueman (Eng)

M: 19 | Overs: 783.1 | Runs: 2,096| Wickets: 96 | Ave: 21.83 | BB: 6-31 | 5w: 6 | 10w: 1

Top five: Fred Trueman, Muthiah Muralidaran, Alec Bedser, Brian Statham, John Snow. Eight of the top 10 play/played for the Three Lions.

Standout performer: Bob Willis with 54 wickets in 10 matches at 19.8 runs apiece.

Image Id: 0DC65BD6A2844D49BF0DEDF250AFB377 Image Caption: Gooch swings hard in 1990 // Getty

July

Most runs: Kumar Sangakkara (SL)

M: 18 | Inns: 29 | NO: 6 | Runs: 2,099 | HS: 287 | Ave: 91.26 | 100s: 7

Top five: Kumar Sangakkara, Graham Gooch, Mahela Jayawardena, Alastair Cook, Dennis Compton. Positions 4-15 all England.

Standout performer: Sangakkara averaged 91, but Bradman averaged 131 with four tons, scored 1,044 runs with a high score 334 in seven matches.

Most wickets: Fred Trueman (Eng)

M: 16 | Overs: 556.4 | Runs: 1,441 | Wickets: 90 | Ave: 16.01 | BB: 8-31 | 5w: 7 | 10w: 2

Top five: Fred Trueman, Muthiah Muralidaran, James Anderson, Alec Bedser, Jim Laker.

Standout performer: In 10 matches Murali captured 86 wickets at 12.76 with 12 five-wicket hauls and six 10-wicket hauls.

August

Most runs: Alec Stewart (Eng)

M: 24 | Inns: 42 | NO: 6 | Runs: 1,841| HS: 170 | Ave: 51.14 | 100s: 3

Top five: Alec Stewart, Alastair Cook, David Gower, Michael Atherton, Len Hutton. The top seven spots belong to England.

Standout performer: Herb Sutcliffe averaged 101 in seven matches from 1924-34.

Most wickets: Muthiah Muralidaran (SL)

M: 14 | Overs: 938.3| Runs: 2,294 | Wickets: 91 | Ave: 25.21 | BB: 9-65 | 5w: 7 | 10w: 2

Stuart Broad (Eng)

M: 19 | Overs: 627.2| Runs: 1,863 | Wickets: 91 | Ave: 20.47 | BB: 8-15 | 5w: 7 | 10w: 1

Top five: Muthiah Muralidaran, Stuart Broad, Ian Botham, James Anderson, Dereck Underwood.

Standout performer: Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka, at No.7, has claimed 64 wickets in 8 matches in August at 18.38 with seven five-wicket hauls and two lots of 10 wickets for the match.

September

Most runs: Allan Border (Aus)

M: 8 | Inns: 13 | NO: 2 | Runs: 790| HS: 162 | Ave: 71.82 | 100s: 4

Top five: Allan Border, Andy Flower, Aravinda de Silva, Grant Flower, Sunil Gavaskar.

Standout performer: Jacques Kallis in three matches scored 489 runs, two tons and averaged 244.5.

Most wickets: Muthiah Muralidaran (SL)

M: 13 | Overs: 557.1 | Runs: 1,338 | Wickets: 76 | Ave: 17.61 | BB: 6-18 | 5w: 7 | 10w: 1

Top five: Muthiah Muralidaran, Chaminda Vaas, Kapil Dev, Paul Strang, Irfan Pathan.

Standout performer: Irfan Pathan like September. In two matches he took 21 wickets at 11, with three five-wicket hauls!

October

Most runs: Ricky Ponting (Aus)

M: 13 | Inns: 22 | NO: 2 | Runs: 1,249 | HS: 169 | Ave: 62.45 | 100s: 4

Top five: Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Matthew Hayden, Younis Khan, Javed Miandad.

Standout performer: South Africa’s Gary Kirsten in eight matches amassed four centuries, four half-centuries at 85.

Most wickets: Anil Kumble (Ind)

M: 15 | Overs: 790 | Runs: 2,000 | Wickets: 85 | Ave: 23.53 | BB: 7-48 | 5w: 6 | 10w: 2

Top six: Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Daniel Vettori, Waqar Younis.

Standout performer: Shane Warne took 54 in nine matches at 20 and a strike rate of 44.

November

Most runs: Ricky Ponting (Aus)

M: 30 | Inns: 48 | NO: 9 | Runs: 2,087 | HS: 197 | Ave: 53.51 | 100s: 7

Top five: Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar, Ross Taylor. Five of the top 10 are Australian.

Standout performer: Mike Hussey. In seven matches, Mr Cricket scored seven hundreds at an average 77.26.

Most wickets: Shane Warne (Aus)

M: 22 | Overs: 1016.1 | Runs: 2,700 | Wickets: 116 | Ave: 23.28 | BB: 8-71 | 5w: 7 | 10w: 2

Glenn McGrath (Aus)

M: 24 | Overs: 1003.5 | Runs: 2,524 | Wickets: 116 | Ave: 21.76 | BB: 6-17 | 5w: 5 | 10w: 1

Top five: Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ravi Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Courtney Walsh.

Standout performer: Proteas legend Shaun Pollock at No.6 claimed 56 wickets in 10 matches at 16.

December

Most runs: Ricky Ponting (Aus)

M: 34 | Inns: 63 | NO: 6 | Runs: 2,877 | HS: 257 | Ave: 50.47 | 100s: 7

Top five: Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, Jacques Kallis, Sunil Gavaskar. Six of the top 10 wear a Baggy Green.

Standout performer: Australia’s captain Steve Smith loves the holiday season. In 12 matches so far he’s plundered 1,414 runs, seven centuries at an average of 94.

Most wickets: Muthiah Muralidaran (SL)

M: 20 | Overs: 1142.3 | Runs: 2,732 | Wickets: 127 | Ave: 21.51 | BB: 7-46 | 5w: 8 | 10w: 4

Top five: Muthiah Muralidaran, Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Mitchell Johnson.

Standout performer: Mitchell Johnson was fearsome in December, striking every 41 deliveries in taking 87 wickets in 15 matches.