Cricbuzz Team of the Year 2015

David Warner (Australia)

David Warner has become a vital member of the Australian side. Some even termed his failure to get a big score in the Ashes was the reason Australia lost the urn. Apart from that one series, Warner was very consistent throughout the year. The opener scored three consecutive tons against the touring Kiwis, including a career best 253. Though he had only one hundred to his name in the World Cup, he was responsible in getting Australia off to fliers.

Alastair Cook (England)

Ashes regained. Back among the runs. Alastair Cook couldn't have asked for a better 2015. Though he had ups and downs as a skipper - drawn series against West Indies and New Zealand before losing to Pakistan. The one thing that remained consistent was the runs flowing from his blade. Cook is the second highest run-getter in Tests this year and to put the icing on the cake, he was named captain of the ICC Test team of the Year.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

Kane Williamson is slowly turning into a phenomenon. His stature of one of the best batsmen in the world keeps growing by the day. Be it the Test, ODI or T20s, if you have to make a team of the year, then Williamson will be the first name anybody would jot down. Such has been his consistency that he has scored the most number of runs across all three formats. Eight international hundreds in 2015 and to top it, he overtook the No. 1 spot in Test rankings.

Steven Smith (Australia)

Steven Smith started the year with a hundred against India at Sydney. Took the form into the World Cup and scored over 400 runs, including a hundred in the semi-final and an unbeaten fifty in the final. Even when Australia lost the Ashes in England, Smith remained their most consistent batsman. He took over the captaincy from Clarke and won his first series versus New Zealand. To end a fantastic year, he was named the ICC Cricketer of the Year.

Joe Root (England)

The most consistent English batsmen across all formats. The highest run-getter when England won back the Ashes. Joe Root ensured his career graph kept going upwards. The New England ODI side which everyone has been talking about - Root has been one of the key pillars. With six international hundreds in the year, he is soon becoming one of the best in the business.

Ross Taylor (New Zealand)

Why Ross Taylor in this team? Two things should answer that question - four ODI hundreds in the year, and a 290 against Australia - the highest individual score by a visiting batsman Down Under. Rosco's achievements might have been slightly overshadowed by that of Kane Williamson, but he did have a good year with the bat. He averages over 46 in Tests and a staggering 61 in ODIs. That should sum up his inclusion in the side.

AB de Villiers (wk) (South Africa)

There was plenty of heartbreak for AB this year. South Africa crashed out of the World Cup semi-final. Lost a Test series away from home for the first time since 2006. However, on a personal front, he had tremendous success. Started the year by eclipsing Corey Anderson to hold the record for the fastest ODI hundred (off 31 balls), third highest run-scorer in the World Cup with an average of over 96 and ended it by being named the ICC ODI Cricket of the Year.

R Ashwin (India)

The year 2015 saw the resurgence of Ravichandran Ashwin. Since the tour of Australia and especially after the World Cup - where he took 13 wickets, the off-spinner has looked a completely different bowler. With 62 Test wickets in the year, he leads the bowlers charts. Ashwin is also the only bowler who is in the top 10 bowlers list in all three formats. He led India to a 3-0 series win against South Africa which also ended the Proteas' dominance away from home.Mitchell Starc (Australia)

Australia's new spearhead in Tests. Mitchell Starc had a fantastic 2015 where he beat the batsmen with his sheer pace. After having a successful World Cup, Starc became a permanent member of the Test side. Though he had a quiet Ashes, he rose like a phoenix in home conditions. During the second Test against New Zealand, Starc clocked 160.4kph - the fastest ball of the year which was close to 100mph.

Trent Boult (New Zealand)

A sensational World Cup. Over 70 wickets in all forms of the game. Trent Boult has had a fabulous 2015. The success New Zealand had at the World Cup was based on the Southee-Boult combination and Brendon McCullum's pyrotechnics. The left-arm quick was also the chief architect when the Black Caps levelled the Test series in England. Though he had a mediocre tour of Australia, Boult remained the top bowler for the Kiwi's.

Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

Mustafizur Rahman has to be the find of the year. It is not everyday a bowler picks a fifer on debut, Rahman achieved that against India and went on to better it by picking another in the very next game. Bangladesh beat India in a bilateral series for the first time and Rahman was named Man of the Series. He was also the chief architect in series wins against South Africa and Zimbabwe. In his short ODI career, Rahman already has three 5-wicket hauls - that is some start to a career.