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Meet the top 10 batsmen in Test cricket in 2012
Australia's Michael Clarke remains the top batsman in Test cricket in 2012, with 1489 runs.
Four others -- Alastair Cook, Hashim Amla, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott -- also crossed the 1000 run-mark.
There is no player in top-10 from the subcontinent, India's Virat Kohli being the highest run-aggregator, with 689 runs.
Clarke, who entered the Hobart Test against Sri Lanka trailing number-one ranked Shivnarine Chanderpaul by just one rating point, now leads the West Indian by nine points.
Clarke's knocks of 74 and 57 in the Test, which Australia won by 137 runs, played a part in helping him race to the top.
England's captain Alastair Cook, the other contender for the top spot, remains in fourth position after losing 38 ratings points following his double failure in the Nagpur Test, which ended in a draw.
He trails Clarke by 52 ratings points.
The bowlers' table is still headed by South Africa's Dale Steyn, while Sri Lanka's spinner Rangana Herath dropped two places to fourth.
Also moving up is England's pacer James Anderson in sixth (up by one).
Check out the top 10 Test batsmen this year:
[All statistics updated after the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka.]
Four double centuries for Clarke this year
Michael Clarke
The year 2012 was the most productive for Michael Clarke, who is in form of his life.
Australia's captain plundered runs like the legendary Sir Don Bradman.
In ten Tests he played this year, Clarke amassed 1489 runs, at an average of 106.35.
Everytime Clarke scored a century, he converted it in to a big one.
His four double centuries are the most a batsman has ever scored in a single year.
Ricky Ponting currently holds the Australian record of most runs in a calendar year (1544 runs).
With one more Tests lined up against Sri Lanka, it will only be a surprise if Clarke fails to establish a new record.
Cook ended the year with 1249 runs in 14 Tests
Alastair Cook
Cook jumped to second place, behind Clarke, thanks to his prolific form against India.
For most of 2012 he made useful contribution for England team, but nothing sort of a performance that critics would sit and take notice.
He, however, suddenly transformed into England's most dependable batsman in the series against India.
Cook scored 176 after occupying the crease for more than nine hours after England followed-on at Ahmedabad, even though he could not stop India from winning the Test.
His 122 was the cornerstone of England's remarkable comeback at Mumbai, and his 190 at Kolkata gave England an excellent chance to register their first series win in India in 28 years.
In doing so he also achieved the unique honour of scoring a hundred in each of his first five Tests as captain.
In all, Cook ended the year with 1249 runs in 14 Tests, with four centuries. He could have extended his tally, but fell to dubious decisions twice in the Nagpur Test.
Amla scored 1064 runs in 10 Tests
Hashim Amla
Amla has played an important part in South Africa's elevation to number one in the ICC Test rankings.
Coming in to bat at number 3 against the best of attacks, Amla always delivered whenever South Africa needed him.
His 13-hour vigil against England at The Oval - that saw him becoming the first South African to score a triple hundred - is now part of cricket folklore.
In all, Amla scored 1064 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 70.93, with four centuries.
Pietersen scored 1053 runs in 14 Tests
Kevin Pietersen
The year started on a dismal note for Pietersen as England were crushed by Pakistan in the UAE 3-0. All he could score was only 67 runs in six innings.
England then lost the first Test against Sri Lanka as well and Pietersen's contribution was only 3 and 30.
With his reputation and career at stake, he played one of the best innings by an England player in the subcontinent scoring 151 off just 165 balls with 16 fours and six sixes in the second Test at Colombo PSS.
He made another quickfire 42 in the second innings and helped England level the series.
There were useful contributions in the series against West Indies and South Africa.
But his two dismissals against left-arm spin in the Ahmedabad Test again gave critics opportunity to raise doubts about his technique and temperament.
All these were laid to rest when Pietersen played gem of an innings at a rank turner in Mumbai, scoring 186 off just 233 balls, paving way for England's remarkable comeback in the series.
Trott scored 1005 runs in 15 Tests
Jonathan Trott
Trott brought stability to England's middle-order with his calm and composed demeanour.
He failed against Pakistan in the UAE, but made useful contributions in every series he played thereafter.
Against India, he got two ducks in first three innings, but then scored 87 at Kolkata and 143 at Nagpur.
In all Trott scored 1005 runs in 15 Tests at an average of 38.65 with two hundreds.
Chanderpaul ended the year 13 short of 1000 run-mark
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
For years, Chanderpaul has been West Indies' most reliable batsman. He still holds this tag even at the age of 38.
The southpaw ended the year 2012 just 13 short of 1000 run-mark. These runs came at an average of 98.70 and included three centuries and five fifties.
Only once Chanderpaul has scored more runs in a calendar year (1065 in 2002).
What is remarkable is that Chanderpaul started and ended the year in identical manner -- by scoring a ton!
Kallis scored 944 runs, including four centuries
Jacques Kallis
It is really amazing the way Kallis keeps piling heaps of runs, year after year.
Along with Amla, he deserves the credit for South Africa's remarkable success in 2012, during which they did not suffer a single defeat.
His 224 at Cape Town against Sri Lanka in his very first innings in the year set the tone for a fruitful year, which saw him scoring 944 runs at an average of 67.43 with four centuries.
Samuels scored 866 runs in 7 Tests
Marlon Samuels
Samuels was always considered a player with immense talent, but he had hardly done anything to justify this tag.
At the end of 2011, Samuels's Test batting average was under 30. The year 2012 saw him finally doing justice to his reputation.
He scored 31 and 86 against England in the first Test at Lord's and followed it up with 117 and 76 in the second Test at Nottingham.
He then scored another fifty in the third Test at Birmingham.
When New Zealand toured the West Indies, Samuels made scores of 28,123 and 52 in two Tests.
After failing in the first Test against Bangladesh, he finally turned it big by scoring 260 at Khulna. He ended the year with 866 runs against his name from 7 Tests as second most successful batsman for West Indies after Chanderpaul.
Hussey scored 864 runs in 10 Tests, including four hundreds
Michael Hussey
Along with Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey was the backbone of Australia's batting right through the year.
These two have added 1249 runs in 14 innings while batting together.
Out of the four century partnerships put on by them, two crossed 200 and one went beyond 300.
In the whole 2012, Hussey was not dismissed in single-digit score.
In all, he has scored 864 runs in 10 Tests, including four hundreds.
In 10 Tests Graeme Smith scored 825 runs
Graeme Smith
Smith had a mixed year. He had his moments and failures too.
But he always delivered whenever South Africa needed him to -- a trait that sets him apart as a leader.
In 10 Tests this year Smith scored 825 runs at an average of 48.52 with three centuries.