2020 World Cricket Team of the Year

Well, what a crap year! An unprecedented global epidemic wreaked havoc with all our lives and of course cricket suffered as much as any professional leisure activity, from village clubs to Test nations. When New Zealand beat India on 2^nd March, we could not have known it would be the last Test match for more than four months. There was a similar hiatus for ODIs and of course domestic competitions and the IPL were either cancelled or postponed until infection rates dipped by the autumn. 

It was a minor miracle that England managed to play a couple of Covid-secure series against an accommodating West Indies and Pakistan, and congratulations also to the counties who challenged not for a full County Championship but an abbreviated version climaxed by a five-day final. Just my luck that Somerset’s peerless group performance wasn’t rewarded with the Bob Willis Trophy. At least the dreaded Hundred nonsense was shelved for a year. 

At international level, major tournaments were ditched for several months but the remaining bilateral competitions did India few favours. Their first Test victory in 2020 came just days before the year ended, and New Zealand’s success has advanced them to the top of the Test rankings with Australia. England head the lists in white-ball cricket. 

As for individuals, the curtain fell on the year with Kane Williamson atop the Test table, displacing new dad Kohli and Smith who, while others tucked into turkey, experienced his first duck in the baggy green for years. Pat Cummins reached the top in bowling but in ODIs it was the turn of Trent Boult. But will they make my Team of the Year? 

As ever I have looked at first-class, List A and T20 to select a cross-format Eleven. They may not be brilliant at any one of the above but are who I consider to have been the best performers in world cricket across the whole year. 

With Tests in short supply, only Dom Sibley stands out as an opener so I’ve focussed on ODIs and T20. For me, Aaron Finch just edges out Aussie team-mate David Warner while one of my 2019 reserves, KH Rahul, is also promoted to the first XI. He may usually drop a few places in ODIs but with more than 1000 T20 runs and an ODI strike rate of over 100 he made the most of his limited opportunities. And he can also don the ‘keeper’s gloves if needed! 

In the middle-order, Virat Kohli is a rare absentee from my team of the year, but another Indian Shreyas Iyer made a considerable impact in white-ball cricket. Dawid Malan was named number one T20 batsman at the end of the year, West Indian Jermaine Blackwood was a rare beacon of light in what was another lacklustre twelve months for his side, while Dean Elgar, Henry Nicholls and Zak Crawley were also in contention. Then there’s Mumbai’s young Sarfaraz Khan who averaged an amazing 154, thanks to an unbeaten triple-century. However, Pakistan’s Babar Azam cemented his position as one of the very best all-round batsmen in the business, scoring more T20 runs than anyone. Steve Smith also makes it, but not for his Test performances. His strike rates were superior to Warner’s in ODIs and Maxwell’s in T20s. However Marnus Labuschagne, who deputised for the Aussie red-ball captain during his 2019 ban, maintained his form throughout 2020. 

For all the claims of Watling, Paine and Hope, my wicket-keeper’s spot again comes down to a straight race between Jos Buttler and Quinton de Kock. As in the previous year the South African is my pick. The England man had a decent Test summer but De Kock’s superior striking elsewhere had the edge. 

Ben Stokes may top the ICC all-rounder rankings but for a change I’m selecting his colleague Chris Woakes. He may not have the brutal batting ability of the Ginger One but took more wickets whilst scoring more limited-overs runs at a reasonable rate. 

There are so many excellent bowlers to choose from. Jimmy Anderson reached 600 Test wickets whilst his long-time England partner Stuart Broad topped 500. Nobody could match his 2020 haul of 38 at barely 14 apiece. Craig Overton was devastating for Somerset but couldn’t break back into the England set-up. All the New Zealand seamers excelled. Tim Southee achieved a career tally of 300 Test scalps, Boult and Wagner shared in the wickets but new boy Kyle Jamieson was even better in his debut Test season, definitely one to watch. Cummins, Hazlewood, Nortje and Haris Rauf are right up there and only Jofra Archer’s mediocre Test performances let him down. Jasprit Bumrah’s T20 economy rate of 6.62 is outstanding for a seamer but he’s edged out by a 6 foot 6 left-armer. No, not Mitchell Starc. Pakistan’s 20 year-old left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi has become a giant of the game in more ways than one. Few surpassed his 2020 T20 tally of 52 wickets and his four in four balls for Hampshire was pretty special. 

I’ve space for two spinners in my Eleven and, thanks to his continued magnificence in T20, Rashid Khan of Afghanistan is one of them. Meanwhile Adam Zampa has successfully spread his wings away from the safety of mere four-over stints in T20 to the 50-over game and I wonder if he could eventually replace Nathan Lyon in the Test squad. Anything’s possible. Here’s to a safe, less socially-distanced new year. 

So to summarise, here is my 2020 Team of the Year:- 

Rahul (Ind), Finch (Aus), Babar Azam (Pak), Smith (Aus), Labuschagne (Aus), De Kock (SA +), Woakes (Eng), Broad (Eng), Rashid Khan (Afg), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pak), Zampa (Aus). 

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Elgar (SA), Buttler (Eng), Bumrah (Ind), Archer (Eng), Jamieson (NZ)

Kohli, Ashwin and Bairstow lead the 2016 Team of the Year

2016 ended with no one nation able to claim domination of world cricket. In my mind, that’s a good thing. It means most of the top nations have something to boast about, to aspire to and keep the fans interested. All the above are vital if cricket is to remain a viable professional sport not only for TV viewers but those who shell out good money to support the team or the game they love.

England began the year in good spirit. A new aggressive approach to one-dayers yielded some spectacular performances yet only a modest ODI world ranking of five and T20 position of equal sixth. They even managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the World T20 final at Eden Gardens. This was the scene of probably the most incredible moment in the calendar. Fresh from his daredevil Test double-century, Ben Stokes served up four ‘death’ balls for Carlo Brathwaite to slam four successive sixes to take the trophy back to the West Indies, making a remarkable double to accompany the successful Women’s team.

Pakistan’s prolific press-up pumpers briefly held the ICC mace, but India remained unbeaten in Tests throughout 2016 to lead the rankings comfortably at the end of December. Australia have held off South Africa to top the ODI table while New Zealand are the stars of T20. It’s been a miserable year for Sri Lanka, no higher than sixth in any of the formats and dependant on 38 year-old Rangana Herath for their Test match wickets. His 28 in three summer games against Australia constitute a remarkable solo performance.

So who have been the stars of 2016? In the three international formats, Joe Root, David Warner and Virat Kohli were the leading run scorers while Ravi Ashwin, Adam Zampa and Jasprit Bumrah topped the wickets tables. Across all first-class cricket, Jonny Bairstow was the only man to break the 2,000 run barrier and the ever-dependable Jeetan Patel the sole 100-wicket taker, thanks largely to continued sterling work for Warwickshire. However, he doesn’t make my 2016 Team of the Year.

As opener, David Warner is a no-brainer, accumulating well over 3,000 runs in total, including seven ODI centuries. Alastair Cook had plenty of Tests in which to boost his career aggregate beyond 11,000 runs, but I’ve gone for South Africa’s 50-over opener Quinton de Kock for his consistency and reliable strike rate.

There are plenty of candidates for the middle –order. Azhar Ali, Pujara and Williamson have pressing claims but it’s impossible to leave out Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. The Englishman accumulated more than 2500 first-class and ODI runs, including numerous fifties even if centuries were in short supply. The India captain is in the form of his life, leading his country with distinction whilst averaging 76 in Tests and maintaining a 100+ strike rate across ten ODIs and 147 in his 31 twenty-over fixtures. Steve Smith didn’t quite hit the heights of 2015 but he remained a crucial part of Australia’s teams. Remarkably, his career Test average stands above 60, and his ability to reach three figures when it matters is better than anyone in the world.

Jonny Bairstow may not have taken the gloves in many one-dayers but his 70 Test dismissals easily outnumbered his rivals. Together with his runs, this gives him the edge over the likes of De Kock and Sarfraz Ahmed as my wicketkeeper.

Few genuine all-rounders have shone in the past twelve months. Shakib al- Hasan was as reliable as ever, Chris Woakes had his moments and Dwayne Bravo whacked and bowled with customary relish for his numerous employers in T20. Ben Stokes spat, snarled, swore and occasionally produced breathtaking innings and spells for England and, setting aside that final over in Kolkata, I reluctantly hand him a place at seven in my XI.

Ravichindra Ashwin was easily the star bowler in Test matches throughout 2016, taking 72 wickets in 12 matches at under 24 apiece. His lower-order runs have also elevated him to all-rounder status and, while he is not an obvious choice for ODIs, he remains an extremely economical T20 spinner, too. Young Aussie leggie Adam Zampa has a dreadful first-class record but his limited-overs stats last year were mighty impressive, propelling him into my team of 2016.

For the second consecutive year, Mitchell Starc walks tall into the team. He takes plenty of Test and ODI wickets while conceding few runs, and what else could you ask of a fast bowler in any form of cricket? As a new-ball partner, it’s between England’s Stuart Broad, New Zealander Neil Wagner and 21 year-old Kagiso Rabada. Broad played plenty of Tests but injury rest restricted his appearances elsewhere. Wagner was prolific for Lancashire, Otago and the Black Caps but my selection is right-armer Rabada. With Steyn often missing, the young quick from Jo’burg has been propelled into the frontline with considerable success, especially at home against England and, more recently, in Australia.

So, to sum up, here is my 2016 Team of the Year:-

Warner (Aus), De Kock (SA), Root (Eng), Kohli (Ind *), Smith (Aus), Bairstow (Eng +), Stokes (Eng), Ashwin (Ind), Starc (Aus), Rabada (SA), Zampa (Aus). My ‘squad replacements’ would be Cook, Azhar Ali and Wagner.

Can Smith, Ashwin and Starc make it three in a row this time next year? We’ll see!