2018
wasn’t a vintage year for cricket, and there were no major international
tournaments in the men’s game. However, Meg Lanning’s Australia reigned supreme
in the Women’s T20 World Cup while Suzie Bates, Smiriti Mandhana. Poonam Yadav
and Leigh Kasparek were the most successful exponents of the women’s game.
India
remained the leading nation, retaining Test cricket’s ceremonial mace despite coming
a 4-1 cropper last summer in England. Their travel woes currently seem behind them,
temporarily at least, thanks to a resounding victory at the MCG this week. The
Aussies are in minor disarray after having their captain and vice-captain
banned for a year for their disgraceful policy of getting young Cameron
Bancroft to cheat in South Africa. It didn’t help them much. Despite having
destroyed England last winter, Australia were thoroughly outplayed by De Kock’s
team.
England
also ended the year in the top three of all formats and must be favourites in
the 2019 World Cup. Pakistan head the T20 rankings while Sri Lanka’s decline
has dropped them below Afghanistan and in danger of not qualifying for the next
T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the Afghans played their first ever Test match in
June, but India trounced them inside two days. Rashid Khan may be the greatest
limited-overs spin bowler in the world but he was granted a rude awakening in
the first-class game, taking 2-154 on his Test debut.
Alastair
Cook, Morne Morkel and Rangana Herath were amongst those announcing
international retirements although only the former received a knighthood! Dale
Steyn was fit for long enough to finally eclipse Shaun Pollock’s Test wicket
record but Jimmy Anderson – wrapped in cotton wool for much of the year - just
kept on swinging to become the most prolific fast bowler in Test history.
So
who makes my team of the year?
Bangladesh’s
Mominul Haque scored more first-class runs than anybody else, compiling four
centuries in his last six games of the year, but openers were conspicuously
absent from those near the top of the list. Instead I’ve had to raid the white
ball stars. Shikhar Dhawan again makes my XI and, while Colin Munro was the
leading T20 scorer, Jos Buttler beats him, thanks to a surprisingly successful
recall to England’s five-day line-up. Only Jonny Bairstow had a superior ODI
strike rate than Buttler’s 113.53.
Virat
Kohli was the first name on my team sheet. Despite shouldering the burden of India’s
captaincy in all three formats, it was his runs which did more than anything to
keep his country at the top of the pile. I think he was the only man to
accumulate more than 3,000 runs in all cricket, and that’s without any domestic
first-class or 50-over fixtures. The man was a machine. It’s such a shame that
New Zealand play so few internationals because Kane Williamson remains a global
star, adding a T20 strike rate of 137 to his already impressive CV.
Hashim
Amla endured an uncharacteristically mediocre run, Steve Smith was crying on a
beach somewhere, and Joe Root still couldn’t quite turn enough fifties into
tons. In their places, Rohit Sharma, Bairstow and Khawaja were all in the frame
but I’ve gone for Babar Azam. Whilst not as rapid as other contenders in the
shorter formats, the Pakistani batsman was almost as consistent as Williamson across
all types of cricket.
Shakib
al-Hasan is officially the number one all-rounder but in 2019 I’d say he was
marginally overtaken by West Indian seamer Jason Holder. Perhaps if Shakib had
played more matches for Bangladesh he would have done enough to hold on to his
place in my Eleven.
Behind
the stumps, I could have plumped for De Kock or Buttler. However, I think 21
year-old Rishabh Pant has developed sufficiently to enjoy a stellar year. He
made his Test debut in England while his T20 strike rate during the year of 173
was superior even to De Villiers and Finch! If only MS Dhoni would relinquish the
ODI gloves, young Pant could step up to superstardom because he’s also no fool
as a ‘keeper.
My
leading pace bowlers are the same as 2018’s. Indeed, Kagiso Rabada is there for
the third consecutive year. His Test figures were the strongest including 52
wickets at barely 20 apiece. Morkel, Anderson, Pat Cummins, Matt Henry and
Duanne Olivier each staked a claim but I’ve selected Mohammad Abbas, whose 104
first-class wickets were achieved at a superb average of 15.37. He was brilliant
for Leicestershire last summer and devastating against Australia in October.
Jasprit
Bumrah’s peculiar straight-armed action proved equally adept in Tests as in the
shorter stuff this year. His ODI economy was excellent as ever but he also took
48 wickets at 21 in the five-day game, including 6-33 in the recent contest with
Australia at Melbourne. My final selection could have gone to South African
Simon Harmer but there’s no ignoring Rashid Khan. He was by far the leading
wicket-taker in T20, with 96 in 61 appearances at barely a run a ball, and also
rattled off 48 victims in ODIs, albeit mostly against weak nations. The World
Cup could be his stage this coming summer, and he’s still only 20. I wish him
well.
In summary,
here is my 2018 Team of the Year:-
Buttler (Eng),
Dhawan (Ind), Kohli (Ind), Williamson (NZ), Babar Azam (Pak), Pant (Ind, +), Holder
(WI), Rabada (SA), Bumrah (Ind), Abbas (Pak), Rashid Khan (Afg).
My ‘squad
replacements’ would be Khawaja (Aus), Bairstow (Eng), Hasan Ali (Pak) and Shakib
(Ban).
