Best Test Batters of the 21st Century

Contribution: total runs or wickets measure output within the selected period.

Fixed-era weighting: longevity is not scored because a player should not be penalised when only part of their career overlaps the era. Its allocation moves to runs or wickets.

Test average magnitude: overall averages use 85% peer position and 15% raw distance from the best qualified average. For bowlers the ratio is reversed because a lower average is better. Contextual averages remain pure percentiles.

Editorial scope: this is a transparent judgement model, not an official record table. It does not insert or promote named players.

Across eras: each rate factor — average, strike rate, economy and the rest — is expressed as an index against the decade it was played in, then ranked against peers. A player is therefore measured against the cricket around him, not against a flat century-wide baseline. Runs and wickets are counts and stay unadjusted.