2021 Cricket Eleven of the Year

Like many sports and other areas of life, cricket made a bold attempt to bounce back from the Covid cancellations of 2020, only to find that the deadly pandemic was far from finished. The delayed T20 World Cup was won by Australia, the suspended IPL was completed in October and the blasted Hundred competition launched in England to a mixed reaction. The franchise-based format left me cold, I couldn’t tell you who was on it but the one compensation was the enforced parity of the women’s version, with double-headers and live TV coverage on the BBC. 

India won four Test series, home and away, although officially the fifth match in England was merely deferred until next summer. Nevertheless, India lost the one that really mattered, the inaugural World Test Championship Final. Hosted by the Southampton Rose Bowl, it was New Zealand who romped home by eight wickets to claim their first global trophy. Revenge was duly taken in Mumbai where Agarwal, Ashwin et al destroyed the Kiwis by 372 runs. West Indies are a shadow of their former selves but edged a couple of very close encounters, notably a one-wicket nailbiter against Pakistan at Kingston. 

While Test cricket was less prevalent than in pre-coronavirus days, England still contrived to compete in fifteen, losing most of them. Their 2021 began with success in Sri Lanka but ended in Ashes humiliation at the MCG. The Aussies didn’t see a great deal of international action, while the likes of Ireland, Bangladesh and Pakistan had busy ODI schedules. 

2021 was also the year when AB De Villiers called time on his extraordinary professional career and South African team-mates De Kock and Du Plessis each bade farewell to red ball cricket. Mohammad Hafeez, Dwayne Bravo, Mahmudullah and Ross Taylor also announced their retirements from internationals while true greats such as Steyn and Malinga hung up their boots for good. Meanwhile in England, county stalwarts Peter Trego, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Rikki Clarke, Gareth Batty and Daryl Mitchell were amongst those quitting the treadmill, yet the venerable Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens continued to whack centuries and lead his county’s seam attack with aplomb at the age of 45! 

Now for my eleven male stars of the past twelve months. As ever, the selection is based on performances across all three formats and doesn’t represent an all-conquering side in any particular one. Thanks largely to Covid-related schedule vagaries, Asian nations are more dominant than usual and just for a change there is no room for the likes of Kohli, Starc or Smith. Amongst others missing out, I should give special mentions to Marnus Labuschagne, Ollie Robinson, Fakhar Zaman, Tim Southee, Hasan Ali and, for his incredible 10-wicket innings in a lost match, NZ spinner Ajaz Patel. 

At the top I’ve gone for Rohit Sharma and Devon Conway. There were other major contenders at the white-ball end of the spectrum (notably Ireland’s Paul Stirling) but what swung it for the New Zealander was his sensational 200 on his Test debut at Lord’s. Babar Azam has cemented his position as the most lethal limited-overs batter in the world as well as a top-class Test run-maker for Pakistan. Aussie Travis Head has also successfully transferred his stroke-making skills from white to red ball cricket, as illustrated by his devastating 152 at more than a run a ball against England to set up victory at The Gabba. 

Then there’s Joe Root. To top the Test match run aggregate by a mile and accumulate 1,999 first-class runs in the year while skippering a struggling national side is some achievement. Like Lara in the Noughties, he seemed to carry his team’s batting every game and is an obvious choice. His occasional off-spin is also a handy accompaniment and his Test bowling average for 2021 was superior to that of specialists such as Nathan Lyon. 

My wicketkeeper is Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan. Besides claiming almost eighty victims behind the stumps, nobody scored more T20 runs than his 2,036 at a decent strike rate of 132. With Ben Stokes opting out with injury and mental health issues, there was no stand-out all-rounder last year. West Indian Jason Holder just edges out Shakib for his Test match efforts. 

Rashid Khan managed only one Test match and, given the Taliban’s Afghan takeover, it may well be his last. However, he was again the most prolific T20 bowler, which propels him into my XI. He is joined by Ravichandran Ashwin, who enjoyed one of his most productive years in Indian ‘whites’ at the age of 35. His 106 against England at Chennai demonstrates his value as a late-order batsman as well as off-spinner. 

My seam attack is one I could never have envisaged twelve months ago. Giant left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi may have proved that 2020 was no fluke and I could have picked South African Anrich Nortje, but my final choice is Sri Lankan Dushmatha Chameera whose 20 ODI wickets topped the end-of-year table with his speed and bounce. 

To re-cap, here is my 2021 Team of the Year:- 

R Sharma (Ind), Conway (NZ), Babar Azam (Pak), Root (Eng), Head (Aus), Mohammad Rizwan (Pak +), Holder (WI), Ashwin (Ind), Rashid Khan (Afg), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pak), Chameera (SL). 

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Labuschagne (Aus), Fakhar Zaman (Pak), De Kock (SA +), Mustafizur Rahman (Ban), Shakib al-Hasan (Ban)

Spin It to Win It!

In these Covid crisis times, any Test cricket with spectators is worth celebrating, and if there is some genuine excitement to be had, so much the better. After three games in India, we’ve run the whole gamut from England’s run glut to a superb home side response then a crazy two-day-one-nighter. We’ve experienced everything bar a tie or a five-day washout. Who, apart from any Ahmedabad ticketholders for days three to five, could ask for more? 

The Root and Anderson show in Chennai three weeks ago seemed to herald a new era of England dominance on Asian soil. Serve up a turning pitch? No problem: Joe Root is one of the best players of spin in the world, Sibley (and the absent Crawley) are learning and the rest can just get out of trouble by hitting Ashwin et al out of the ground. In any case, we’ve Leach, Bess and Moeen Ali so World Test Championship final, here we come! 

Then came the Chennai replay, and such ECB optimism took a mighty blow. Ollie Stone didn’t disgrace himself with the ball and Moeen can always look back on the dismissal which not even run-less Virat Kohli could accept as reality. But that’s as good as it got. Rohit Sharma plundered 161 then England’s batsmen couldn’t cope with debutant Axar Patel and the wily Ravichandran Ashwin who rubbed it in further by contributing a second-innings ton of his own. The winning margin of 317 runs told the story but the 1-1 scoreline set up an intriguing day-night encounter in the spanking new stadium of Ahmedabad. 

As things turned out, it very nearly was just that: a single day-nighter. Apart from Ishant Sharma celebrating his 100^th Test with Sibley’s scoreless wicket and a solitary Archer effort, the Third Test was all about spin. Whilst England looked vulnerable picking only Jack Leach as a specialist, it was the part-time off-breaks of Joe Root which sparked a glimmer of hope on the second morning, taking 5-8, but the partnership of Ashwin and Patel was merciless. If they didn’t turn the ball off an edge they simply bowled it straight onto the pads. Batting looked impossible but of course much of the damage had been done in the mind. 

The whole match was wrapped up in a mere 140 overs, barely lasting into the sixth session. Incredibly this was the quickest Test victory by any side since 1935 and England’s first two-day defeat for well over a century. Of course this will probably go down as an extraordinary one-off and the final fixture will provide a more even contest between bat and ball. However, India must be buzzing. Ashwin has reached the 400-wicket mark in near-record time and Patel will make opponents pay extra attention to his fingers and flight in the future. Also England cannot now win the series, but there remains some pride to fight for.

Spinners the winners as Essex move ahead

While Eoin Morgan and his men celebrated their astonishingly close World Cup success over New Zealand, the County Championship approached another break, this time for the T20 Blast. The global 50-over tournament wasn’t a vintage one for spinners but it was the slow bowlers who delivered the best performances this week.

Leaders Somerset suffered an embarrassing innings defeat at Headingley where Keshav Maharaj took ten wickets, one of five bowlers to achieve the feat. Three Yorkshire batsmen also scored centuries as Somerset struggled throughout, missing Gregory and Leach on England Lions duty. Meanwhile Essex held their nerve to beat Warwickshire by 187 runs and knock Somerset off their perch for the first time. Alastair Cook struck a couple of eighties, but the greatest damage was inflicted by Peter Siddle and Simon Harmer with the ball.

Nottinghamshire were dealt another blow at home to Surrey despite two six-fors from Ravi Ashwin. The Indian star was outdone by the homegrown talent that is 20 year-old Sikh Amar Virdi. Yet to play a single one-dayer for his county, he finished with impressive match stats of 14-139.

At Southampton Hampshire and Kent played out a high-scoring draw. Felix Organ struck a maiden ton and Riley Rossouw was also in the runs, but the visitors’ Joe Denly produced the game’s highest individual score, 154. Darren Stvens rolled back the years with a trademark 60 and seven wickets. It will be interesting to see how his body deals with a T20 campaign, this time with Derbyshire!

All Second division counties were also in action, and Lancashire pulled away from the pack thanks to an innings victory over Sussex, whose recent meltdown has seen them plunge from third to eighth. Skipper Dane Vilas hit an unbeaten 132 and caught five Sussex batsmen, while Matt Parkinson took ten wickets. At least the Old Trafford visitors rallied a bit in the second innings, led by Delray Rawlins’ first ever hundred, but it was too little too late.

Glamorgan slipped up at home to Middlesex. Skipper Dawid Malan’s 166 was easily the best score of the county week, and Toby Roland-Jones maintained last week’s good all-round form proving that it wasn’t essential to be a slow bowler to succeed. Chris Rushworth was another example of a seamer who mixed it with the spinners. He claimed ten Worcestershire victims in Durham’s 109-run victory at Chester-Le-Street.

Northamptonshire advanced to third spot despite their win against Derbyshire being only their second of the summer. Thomas Bavuma top-scored with 132 and Ben Sanderson took seven wickets. In the final pre-Blast fixture to finish today, Gloucestershire finished off bottom-placed Leicestershire. Jack Taylor had been bowled one short of a century but his captain’s first-innings 125 set up the six-wicket success.

The promotion race behind Lancashire is now wide open but we must wait another month to find out whether Glamorgan can hang on. Middlesex are beginning to look ominous challengers at last, while Worcestershire and Sussex have probably put themselves out of reach. At least all eighteen counties have a chance of winning the Blast. Let’s hope the World Cup has inspired greater numbers to pour through the turnstiles from Canterbury to Cardiff, Lord’s to Leicester, Chelmsford to Chester-le-Street, and that the players keep them royally entertained.

Team of the Week: Cook (Ess), Robson (Mid), Denly (Ken), Bavuma (Nor), Malan (Mid), Vilas (Lan +), Roland-Jones (Mid), Maharaj (Yor), Ashwin (Not), Virdi (Sur), Rushworth (Dur)

India Still Top of the World

Congratulations, India! Not only have they consolidated their number one status in Test cricket with a 2-1 series win over second-ranked Australia but they managed it having been comprehensively crushed in the first game at Pune. In fact it’s only the fourth time in India’s history they have come from behind to clinch a series.

The eight-wicket margin at Dharamsala looks impressive but, not for the first time, the match was won in the second innings when India’s attack was simply too much for the Aussie batsmen. For much of 2016-17, India’s dominance has largely been the result of Ashwin’s bowling and Kohli’s batting. However, both have been uncharacteristically quiet in the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The home side’s captain aggregated a paltry 46 runs in five innings, while Ashwin was overshadowed by team-mate Ravi Jadeja and even, on occasions, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keeffe. Umesh Yadav picked up five wickets in the final Test and 22 year-old Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the first innings bowlers, marking his debut with 4-68. Yet Ashwin, with Jadeja, could still teach the Aussie slowies a thing or two about bowling on the fourth and fifth days.

Kohli’s lack of form and Fourth Test absence was compensated for by the excellence of Pujara and Rahul. This week, the latter made it six half-centuries out of seven, a display of remarkable consistency not achieved by an Indian since 1982-3. As the bowlers, especially the spinners, were so on top, there were only six hundreds scored across the whole series. What really stands out is that half of them flowed from the bat of Aussie skipper Steve Smith.

While the ‘brain fade’ incident left a sour taste in the mouth, Smithy was brilliant at the crease. He accumulated 499 runs at 71, remarkable on largely bowler-friendly pitches and seems to be in a golden patch right now. He has the rare gift of converting half his 50s into 100s and also boasts 40+ averages in every country in which he has played. Leading his country has not hurt him one jot either. As captain, his Test average is an amazing 73.27, and his strike rate is a none-too-shabby 57 per 100 balls.

He said he feels pride despite the latest defeat in Asia, and that’s fair enough. It was a great series and I hope there will be many more in the coming year. I particularly look forward to seeing how Kohli and co fare in their next away Test series.

Steve Smith’s Brain Fade, Australia Outplayed

At Pune, planet Earth was almost jolted off its axis when India suffered their first home Test defeat since Alastair Cook and co wrought havoc in December 2012. Indeed, it wasn’t so much a defeat as an annihilation by Australia. The opposition spin attack, so long derided by the cricket world, suddenly became world beaters, outclassing Ashwin and Jadeja at their own game on their own pitch.

Could Virat Kohli’s men put that embarrassment behind them, shake off the Pune dust and get back to winning ways at Bengaluru? Absolutely! For the first few days, it looked like a Test match of old. Spinners bowling maiden after maiden and batsmen concentrating on keeping their wicket.

However, whereas back in the Seventies, visiting batsmen often had the wherewithal to withstand such pressures, the current crop of Twenty20-softened strokemakers are often unable to grind out a score and save a match. When their mental resolve is further tested by exceedingly ungentlemanly, yet apparently legal, conduct (i.e. sledging), performances seem to suffer more. Which I guess is why the likes of Kohli, Warner and many other leading cricketers continue to indulge in the practice.

As for the cricket itself, Nathan Lyon’s sensational 8-50 on day one seemed to be setting the scene for the Aussies to make it two out of two. But on the next three days, India remembered why they were the world’s top cricketing nation and they fought back. Even Ishant Sharma conceded fewer than two runs an over as Australia struggled for runs. Ravichandra Ashwin twirled away for 49 overs but it was fellow spinner Ravi Jadeja who completed a six-four, restricting the opposition to a lead of 87.

When India batted next, it was the quicks, Starc and Hazelwood who did the damage. Rahul again passed 50, as did Pujara and Rahane, but the rest capitulated. The outcome was that Australia were left with almost two whole days in which to knock off the required 188 to win. However, they knew that this pitch was proving decidedly tricky with uneven bounce and lateral movement. It wouldn’t be easy.

In the event that was an understatement. David Warner signalled his intent not to block and nudge by striking an early six but he was second out, for 18, in the tenth over. As the day progressed, the wickets tumbled but it wasn’t just the batting which was disintegrating; so were relations between the two sides, sparked by the use and blatant misuse of DRS.

Kohli pointed out to the umpires the tendency of Steve Smith to glance towards the dressing room for guidance before deciding on any reviews. This is banned under the laws of cricket. When the Aussie captain did it again after being given lbw, umpire Nigel Llong wasted no time in sending him back to the pavilion. India were fired up even more, and Ashwin proceeded to his 25th five-wicket haul. More than that, his 6-41 meant that for the first time EVER, four different bowlers had achieved six-fors in the same match. Unlike in Pune, Steve O’Keeffe was not one of them.

That would be quite a record, one to remember this match by. However, instead it will go down in history as the one when Kohli said the Aussies had “crossed the line” and made it clear he reckoned Steve Smith had cheated. Smith was unconvincing when he described his look to the balcony as “brain fade”.

We all know that technology has its place when used to aid umpires in coming to difficult decisions. Nevertheless, it is encumbent on players and officials to ensure that DRS is not abused. If Steve Smith and others have been caught out, they should be punished, and umpires will unfortunately have to add checking players’ eye movements to their already long list of duties. I can see captains demanding a review on whether the opposition illegally sought a review. What next? Team A demanding a review of whether Team B sought illegal assistance on whether or not Team A had sought illegal assistance on whether or not to review a decision on Team B? Aarrggghhh!

Let’s just say that India deserved to draw level 1-1 and hopefully common sense will prevail when the sides next meet at Ranchi. Somehow I anticipate another dearth of runs, spinners in the ascendancy and more grumpiness from Kohli. I just wish the game is played in the proper spirit and is remembered for cricketing reasons.

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!

Kohli and Ashwin in a class of their own

OK, I give in. Not a quote from Alastair Cook – not in public, anyway – but recognition of my ridiculous-looking prediction of a drawn series between India and England.

My insistence a few weeks ago that there wasn’t much between the two sides is also looking a bit lame, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Cook can point to dropped chances here and there but the innings defeat of England at Mumbai demonstrates that India undoubtedly had the greater strength in depth on their home pitches.

It all started so well. New South African import Keaton Jennings maintained his incredible rise in form this year by scoring a century on the first day of his Test debut. Jos Buttler also chipped in with a rare first-class 50 to take England to 400. Never before had they lost in Asia after making such a total. Of course, all records are made to be broken. Indeed, only two Test sides had ever lost by an innings after scoring 400 in the first innings.

In the event, India’s top four aggregated more than 400 between them, with three century partnerships. Two featured opener Murali Vijay but the star performer was captain Virat Kohli. His 235 from 340 balls was sheer class, not bad for a player who was, just three or four years ago written off as a one-day specialist. This effort, his third ‘double’ of 2016, took his Test batting average above the significant 50 mark. Not only that, but Kohli now boasts an unparalleled 50+ average in all three international formats. Not even AB De Villiers comes close (his T20 performance lets him down badly) and Kohli currently sits in the top three of all the ICC’s individual player rankings.

We shouldn’t ignore the contribution to India’s mammoth 631 all out. They were shambling along at 364-7 when spinner Jayant Yadav came to the crease to join his captain. 59 overs later, he became the first Indian Test number nine to reach three figures, putting in a mighty 241 for the eighth wicket. England would now have to bat a day and a half to avoid defeat, a target which is becoming all too familiar!

There was to be no fairytale ending for Jennings; he fell first ball! Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow did their best but the rest failed miserably, choosing a policy of attacking Ashwin and Jadeja. Huh? When trying to survive 120+ overs?!

Kohli duly collected the Man of the Match award but Ravi Ashwin’s twelve wickets were also eye-catching. Facing this situation, he proved far too wily for England’s stroke-making batsmen. He is also the bowler in form: in the seven Tests against New Zealand and England, he has now snaffled 54 wickets at not much over 20 apiece. For the second year running, he has claimed more than 60. And he has improved his batting somewhat, too.

India made it seventeen Tests unbeaten and five consecutive series victories but I wouldn’t quite place them on the same platform as Clive Lloyd’s West Indians or Steve Waugh’s Aussies. I’d first like to see Kohli’s side replicate their home successes overseas.

As for England, it’s too simplistic to say they picked the wrong bowlers and didn’t “know their best team”. Sometimes you don’t know how series will play out, or anticipate injuries. However, a reliance on the venerable Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad has proved to be a flawed strategy. Even when Anderson played, he only took four wickets, and none at all in Mumbai. No wonder he was so ungraciously prickly.

It’s stating the bleedin’ obvious to claim that Ashwin, Jadeja and Yadav were superior to Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty. Indeed, I presume Ansari only went on tour because of his Asian antecedents and Batty because he also plays for Surrey. I don’t know which other twirlers England could have selected.

Anyway, there’s one more Test to come and – who knows? – England may stage a comeback at Chennai. However, the series is lost and the knives are out for Cook. Unfair. England are pretty dominant at home, and sit second in the Test rankings. It’s quite eve at the top, really. South Africa smash Australia, New Zealand beat Pakistan, Australia wallop NZ in ODIs. It’s good that international cricket is so competitive, and I wouldn’t be astonished if England beat both South Africa and West Indies next summer.

Let’s sit back and enjoy England giving it a go in the deep south or, alternatively, more fabulous displays by Kohli, Ashwin et al.

India Take the Upper Hand

No sooner had I re-asserted my prediction of a drawn series that India re-assert their dominance over the rest of the Test cricket world by winning the second fixture in Visakhapatnam. The toss was always going to be crucial as neither side wanted to be batting come the fifth day. Alastair Cook lost on the coin, and so the mountain climb began.

Virat Kohli had no hesitation in batting first, yet when India lost both openers to Anderson and Broad inside five overs, he may have felt a slight twinge of regret. However, by the third session, the pitch was behaving itself and he and Pujara were making hay, putting on 226 for the third wicket. The restored James Anderson had both Pujara and Rahane caught behind before stumps.

England may well have been pleased to dismiss India for under 500 on day two, but they struggled at the crease. Apart from Root, Stokes and Bairstow, the batting looked poor, leaving Ravi Ashwin to claim another five-for and India to establish a 200-run lead.

To their credit, Stuart Broad (4-33) and Adil Rashid (4-82) bowled well second time around, and Kohli’s 81 was by far the highest score. Nevertheless, a target of 405 in four sessions was almost impossible to achieve. Based on the experience of Rajkot, if any pair looked capable of knuckling down and preserving their wickets, Cook and Hameed did. The first wicket didn’t fall until the 51st over. OK, s they had a mere 75 on the board , but that didn’t matter. It was all about survival.

On the final day, the crucial wicket was Joe Root’s, brilliantly set up and despatched by Shami. The spinners did the rest, and England did their impression of a cheap caravan in the teeth of Storm Angus. Eight wickets tumbled in 30-odd overs. The 246-run margin looks enormous, but battling for 97 overs was a creditable performance by the losing side.

However, the weakness of England’s batting was once more exposed. Hameed has shown he has the right stuff alongside Cook, Root, Bairstow and possibly Stokes. Moeen Ali and Ben Duckett accumulated a pathetic six runs between them. While Moeen will surely keep his place for Mohali, new boy Duckett has already been dropped (“withdrawn”).

The choice of his replacement was a horrible one: a hopelessly out-of-form Gary Ballance or a man who hasn’t played a first-class match in a year, Jos Buttler. The latter got the nod. Of course, if you can strike the ball well in T20s, you can strike the ball in Tests. Being aggressive to the spinners may work for a while. But Jos needs to remember that Ashwin et al know how to bowl tight, playing the waiting game. As Curtly Ambrose used to say, they should let the batsman get himself out. Ansari must surely be left out, too, presumably for Chris Woakes, unless Broad’s foot injury is too serious.

Even in the flush of success, India are also strengthening their squad. But not with Dhawan, deemed not to have proved his fitness in the Ranji Trophy this week. On the other hand, Bhuvi Kumar has, and he will surely beef up the seam and swing attack.

India will be favourites but even if England lose again, they can console themselves with one thought: they aren’t as bad as Australia!

India’s 500th Test Milestone

When India wrapped up their First Test victory by 197 runs over New Zealand at Kanpur, nobody was surprised. Go back fifty years or more, and it would have been a cause for celebration. This was India’s 500th Test match, excluding the two cancelled or abandoned, which is a genuine landmark in the nation’s sporting history.

In total, they have won 130, lost 157 drawn 212 and tied one, the classic against Australia in 1986. But those results, spread over 84 long years, are too broad to tell the true picture of India cricket.

Of the first ton, spanning 35 years, India won a mere 10, losing 40, and it took 25 matches and 20 years before they notched their first success, against England at what was then Madras. Mind you, Donald Carr’s wasn’t the greatest side ever to tour the Asian sub-continent, but Vinoo Mankad’s twelve wicket haul is impressive against any opposition.

The next 100 took just 15 years, and the win percentage improved to 25%. That period included a 15-game unbeaten run in 1979-80, although all bar three (drawn) were played on home soil. Those were the days of Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Venkat and a young Kapil Dev. Just before that sequence, there had been and that famous series success against the otherwise all-conquering West Indies.

From heroes to zeroes. Between 1982 and 1984, India went 21 without a single win, and the third century comprised a 21:26 win:loss ratio. It wasn’t as if they had bad players in the early Nineties, and in 1993 Mohammad Azharuddin’s team featuring Tendulkar, Kamble and Kumble destroyed Gooch’s England 3-0.

Between 1996 and 2006, India finally won more than they lost (32 vs 31), albeit aided by the introduction to Test cricket of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. It was still a struggle for them on their travels but there were some memorable match victories, none more so than an innings trouncing of Mark Taylor’s Aussies at Eden Gardens in ’98.

However, it’s in the fifth hundred that offers the evidence of India’s progress. With 42 triumphs and 30 draws, the past decade has seen the nation become the best side in the world before slipping back in transition. Nevertheless, that transition is looking close to completion.

This week’s win over the Black Caps took their latest unbeaten run to eleven, of which eight were won. Snapping at the heels of Pakistan, a return to the ICC number one position is surely just a matter of time. It’s strange to think that their current top-scoring batsman, Virat Kohli, has fewer than 4000 Test runs to his name.

For ages the Achilles heel has been the bowling, and it still looks a very inexperienced attack. Only Ravi Ashwin has taken more than 100 wickets, but he is breaking records galore. His 203 have come in a mere 37 Tests, quicker than even Muralitharan managed. That’s even more remarkable when he seems to be one of the side’s heaviest run-makers, too. Jadeja’s miserly maiden-fest deservedly won the Man of the Match at Kanpur but he remains more of a one-day man. Should more of India’s ODI and T20 specialists spread their wings in the five-day format, India’s sixth century of Tests could be very special indeed.

2015 Cricket Team of the Year

The cricketing year produced its usual share of successes and disappointments, retirements and blossoming new talent. Australia won the World Cup but lost the Ashes. India and Sri Lanka lost momentum, New Zealand won a lot of new friends and respect, while Pakistan and England experienced maddening inconsistency. Bangladesh finally showed they are more than Shakib plus fillers, but the West Indies have many mountains to climb if they are to be once again competitive in the Test arena. Gayle, Pollard, Bravo and Russell may be amongst the principal T20 globetrotters but sadly their success seems to be diminishing their prospects at proper cricket.

So who have been the stars of 2015? Steve Smith, Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle were the leading scorers in each of the three international formats. Ravi Ashwin and Mitchell Starc topped the wickets tables in Tess and ODIs. AB De Villiers proved yet again how important he is to South Africa in all types of the sport, and now on top of all his batting and captaincy responsibilities he has taken the gloves in the Test series against England. No wonder he is looking for some time off in 2016. Yet, as his appearances were relatively few, he doesn’t even make my team of the year as it is intended to reflect performances across all forms, domestic and international.

For example, Steven Smith may be righty feted for his form in Tests, but his Aussie team-mate Adam Voges comfortably outscored him (and everybody else) when it came to all first-class cricket. He aggregated 2,547 in the twelve months, but yet even HE doesn’t make my team, as he wasn’t very active in limited overs cricket.

With the ball, Stuart Broad produced one incredible session for England, backed by other useful contributions alongside Jimmy Anderson. Jeetan Patel, Abdur Razzak and Nathan Lyon all added plenty to their career wicket tallies, but time out taken to remodel illegal actions has diminished the effectiveness of traditional spin stars such as Narine and Saeed Ajmal. Instead, there seems to have been a renaissance in left-arm seam and swing bowling.

So to my Eleven of 2015: Chris Gayle may be a T20 specialist (apart from a few World Cup 50-over outings) but his dominance can’t be ignored. His opening partner is Michael Klinger. Arriving at Gloucestershire from a successful domestic season Down Under, the Aussie clumped three T20 centuries in quick succession, before helping them to an unexpected 50-over cup triumph against Surrey. He also amassed 1,666 first-class runs in only 17 matches, making an all-format aggregate of 3,383!

Kumar Sangakkara bowed out of international cricket in 2015 but his form and class were maintained to the end, not only for Sri Lanka but Surrey, too. His overall run total was also comfortably above 3,000 and his glovework did enough to make him my wicketkeeper, too. A modern legend.

Steve Smith’s rise and rise from so-so leg-spinner to Aussie captaincy and leading Test scorer in 2015 is remarkable. His consistency eased the transition from the Michael Clarke era, although it was painful to watch ‘Pup’ struggle for runs in England, which eventually led him to call time on a wonderful career. Yet perhaps the most enjoyable growth in talent belonged to New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. Brendon McCullum’s aggressive yet sporting approach reaped benefits in all forms, but Williamson’s runs were just as important. It is to his great credit that I can find no room for the admirable Joe Root.

My number six is perhaps a little surprising. With a full season with Glamorgan as well as in South Africa, Colin Ingram was free to amass runs in all form of cricket. He could play carefully in the County Championship, yet explode into strokeplay in List A and T20. His strike rate in the latter was 146, right up there with Pollard and Pietersen. I appreciated his willingness to sign autographs for children at the Swalec Stadium boundary, too.

Genuine all-rounders seem to be in short supply at the moment. Dwayne Bravo came into my reckoning but as a T20 one-trick pony, I’ve passed him over in favour of Aussie James Faulkner. Still only 25, his left-arm seam bowling may be his greatest asset, yet in his batting career he averages more than 30 in first-class and List A cricket, and he boasts impressive strike rates. His 2015 performances nudge him into my XI of the year.

Ravi Ashwin was head and shoulders above not only his fellow Indian slow bowlers in height but also every other bowler in Test cricket. He scooped 62 wickets at a mere 17.0 apiece. With 35 ODI victims, too, he’s the first bowler on my team sheet.

Another bowler who can add useful late-order runs is John Hastings. Like Faulkner, a current one-Test wonder, yet a vital cog in the wheels of Durham and Victoria. He took 115 wickets across the year, but even that was eclipsed by the statistics of another Aussie quick. Mitchell Johnson may be the most recognisable of the Mitches, but Starc was the outstanding bowler of 2015. 63 first-class victims at 21, a world-leading 67 List A at a mere 14 apiece, and 21 T20 wickets at an admirable sub-7 economy rate speak for themselves. 100 mph deliveries, too! I just hope he can stay fit for 2016.

My final bowling position is a tough one. Tharindu Kaushal has made little impact on the international scene. However, the 22 year-old off-spinner from Galle amassed a remarkable 111 first-class wickets last year, primarily for the Nondescripts club. Trent Boult has blossomed for New Zealand, yet can I afford to include another left-arm seamer? Perhaps Broad’s right-arm status makes him a contender after all.

Anyway, it’s been an interesting year for cricket in lots of ways. For the record, here is my 2015 Team of the Year:-

Gayle (WI), Klinger (Aus), Sangakkara (SL +), Williamson (NZ), Smith (Aus *), Ingram (SA), Faulkner (Aus), Ashwin (Ind), Hastings (Aus), Starc (Aus), Kaushal (SL). My ‘squad’ also contains Alastair Cook (opener), Root (batsman), Broad and Boult.

India Ravi-ge South Africa

Before the start of the Freedom Trophy series, you could be forgiven for predicting a reasonably close encounter. South Africa were the number one Test nation but India’s home advantage would inevitably result in spinners’ wickets. In the end, reputation counted for nothing and the Indian slow bowlers enjoyed extraordinary success.

I can’t recall a series of any length when two bowlers each took more than 20 wickets at under 12 apiece. Ravi Ashwin wasn’t even content with 31 scalps at 11.12; he even weighed in with 56 runs first innings runs at Delhi – more than the South African top seven (AB excepted) combined! Ravi Jadeja was also brilliant, and the visiting batsmen (AB excepted) were totally outplayed throughout.

Only seven days’ play was possible from the first three Tests, four lost because of rain, four lost because the Saffers’ batting (AB excepted) was so frail. Then at Delhi, Indian fans were treated not only to five days’ cricket but also their side’s record margin of victory in runs terms in history!

I had become concerned at the future of Test cricket with so many abbreviated games. Batsmen thrashing the ball in T20 mode, giving away their wickets, does not make for interesting Test matches. A bit of short-term entertainment perhaps but leaves you wanting more. That’s what made the Delhi climax so unusual.

When perusing the scorecard I thought I must have accidentally come across stats from the 1920s not 2015. 143 in 143.1 overs?! The top two spinners bowling 95 overs for 87 runs??!! AB De Villiers, of course, top-scored in both South Africa’s innings and in that epic defensive effort broke the record of the most balls faced in a sub-50 Test innings. For a player so brilliant in limited overs cricket – he scored those three hundreds in the ODI series, remember – this was an amazing statistic. And they so nearly survived the marathon spin attack.

Yet amidst the carnage when SA batted, Ajinkya Rahane conjured up an unbeaten century to set up the declaration. That was only the second three-figure score of the whole series, and Rahane had also scored the first. Credit to Kyle Abbott, too, claiming a rare five-wicket haul for the pace brigade. Dale Steyn may have been largely missing from action but he wouldn’t have made the slightest difference to the overall result.

A great series for India, an even better one for slow bowling but a major headache for South Africa who must now dust themselves down and recover some poise before meeting England. I wouldn’t rule out a few surprises but I’d lay odds that it won’t be Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid deciding the result!

2013 Test Cricket Players of the Year

For many, 2013 was about two all-time greats: Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis. Both took their bows from Test cricket, albeit in very different circumstances. The Little Master's departure was choreographed along the lines of a British royal wedding while, typically, the South African all-rounder signed off with much less fuss, a sedate century, his 200th catch and plaudits of cricket fans worldwide. But because neither really took the eye on the pitch, neither make my Test XI of the year. Indeed, it's not necessarily the best eleven players, either, and doesn't follow the ICC rankings. After all, Sri Lanka played virtually no Test matches at all. But for me the team are those who produced the most consistent run-scoring, wicket-taking, etc at the top level during 2013.

It wasn't a great year for openers. David Warner and Alastair Cook probably scored more runs than anybody else in this position but both had very mixed years. I have therefore plumped for two men currently in opposition and who played relatively few matches. Graeme Smith continues to be a successful skipper and run maker for the world's number one ranked team, South Africa, while Murali Vijay has made some decent scores against boh Australia and South Africa. He can also bowl a few overs to keep the attack leaders fresh.

Candidates for the middle-order are much thicker on the ground. Dhawan and Rutherford made sensational debuts last winter, Ian Bell had a superb home Ashes series, Virat Kohli finally demonstrated the maturity to excel at the most demanding form of cricket and Hashim Amla also averaged more than 50. However, none manage to squeeze into my team of the year. Instead, I have included India's number three, Cheteshwar Pujara. Besides amassing huge innings in domestic cricket, he contributed more than 800 runs and, at the time of writing, three hundreds for the national cause. First defeated, then victorious Ashes captain Michael Clarke was one of only two batsmen to compile more than 1000 Test runs in the calendar year (Bell being the other) whilst coping with the considerable mental pressures of leading his side in the most gruelling of series. New Zealand's Ross Taylor marked his return to the fold with centuries in three successive Tests against the West Indies. Then there's the incomparable AB De Villiers. Officially the best Test and ODI batsman in the world, AB has delivered almost a thousand runs at an average of 90+, whilst taking the gloves. He's hardly ever off the field of play!

Nevertheless, I want a specialist wicketkeeper in my team and Brad Haddin's combination of glovework and vital lower-order runs throughout the year, at the age of 36, fit the bill superbly.

The retirement of Kallis hits home the dearth of international all-rounders in the modern game. I can think of nobody in Tests capable of delivering match-winnng batting and bowling on any consistent scale. Vernon Philander may have the potential and Ravi Ashwin hit 124 against the Windies at Kolkata a few months ago. However, Ashwin earns his place for his spin demolition of Australia and the Windies. Will he be able to reproduce such form on away pitches, I wonder?

Watching him and his hapless team-mates struggling in Australia in the past few weeks, it is har to remember the impact Stuart Broad made earlier in 2013. He has by far the most Test wickets in the year (62), including five five-fors, and all atr an average of 25.80. When he's poor, he looks very average but when the modd and fancy takes him, he is almost unplayable. Even Jimmy Anderson was knocked from his pedestal as England's best bowler. The contrast with Mitchell Johnson is stark. His career having hit the doldrums after previous Ashes horrors, he stormed back with a vengeance to destroy English hopes and batting with a twirl of a new moustache and a renewed line in aggression. He claimed 34 wickets in only six Tests at under 18 apiece. His colleague Ryan Harris would have joined him but for a certain Mr Dale Steyn. He may have been displaced at the top of the ICC tree by Philander but he continued to exude skill and venom on the friendliest of batting pitches, amassing 48 wickets (with a day to go). Like Johnson, his average sits below 18 and his economy rate of 2.49 is one of the best around of the major wicket-takers.

If my Team of the Year has to play on a pitch requiring five front-line bowlers, then I'd drop Haddin for New Zealand's left-arm seamer Trent Boult, who took 46 wickets at 25 against a range of opposition, home and away. No Pakistanis make the XI but I hope their dominance of my ODI side of the year is adequate compensation!

To summarise, here is the Test Team of 2013: Smith (SA), Vijay (Ind), Pujara (Ind), Clarke (* Aus), Taylor (NZ), De Villiers (SA), Haddin (+ Aus), Ashwin (Ind), Broad (Eng), Johnson (Aus), Steyn (SA).

My overall players of the year, taking in all senior cricket, will be revealed shortly....

Farewell Tendulkar - the most celebrated cricketer ever!

I wrote yesterday about Sachin Tendulkar's last innings and his place in history but now the Little Master's illustrious career really has ended there is room for an extra blog from me. A million other writers will convey their love and admiration with greater skill or passion than I could muster, but I can't let the occasion pass without comment.

The boy from Bombay (as was) may not actually have been the most entertaining or exciting batsman ever, nor even the one with the highest average, but who can doubt his immense popularity. Bradman, Richards, Sobers, Compton and co may have edged Tendulkar in many ways but none of them could have bowed out in such a theatrical climax on home territory. Were there any Indians not watching on TV either as he left the pitch for the final time, either as batsman or victorious fielder?

People have performed objective and subjective statistical analyses of Tendulkar's contributions to India over the past 24 years, including the ICC rankings, and concluded that his stature owes more to longevity and consistency than world-leading brilliance at any single point. True, he was almost always part of an excellent batting line-up and so he didn't necessarily stand out in his team as much as, say, Peter May, Greg Chappell or, more recently, Brian Lara. Nevertheless, 24 years at the top, seeing off almost all modern competitors to the title of greatest ever, is an achievement in itself. His thanks to the doctors was probably truly heartfelt but of course his talent, temperament and humility have elevated him above even Ponting, Lara and his often under-rated partner Rahul Dravid in the eyes of many cricket supporters.

The 2nd Test slaughter of the woeful Windies included memorable centuries by Sharma and Pujara and a terrific ten-wicket haul for Pragyan Ojha. The two-match series also featured excellent all-round contributions by Ravi Ashwin. It also featured an embarrassing couple of performances by the Caribbean opposition. Yet such is the drama of a legend's farewell that the series and the day belonged to Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Good luck to his successors Kohli, Dhawan, Sharma et al. It's down to them, along with the new spin twins, to maintain India's place at or close to the top of world cricket. No pressure!

Record Whitewash for India

With the plethora of Test series these days, and bearing in mind India's recent spell as world number ones, it is perhaps surprising that this is the first time they have ever won a rubber 4-0. To do so against Australia must be particularly pleasing to Dhoni and co coming barely a year after the same opposition achieved the same result against them Down Under.

In 2012, it was Michael Clarke - supported by the now-retired Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey - who simply dominated the Indian bowling attack. In the last month, spin has mostly been king on the Asian pitches, and the new-look Aussie battig line-up has come up distinctly second-best. Nathan Lyon has had his moments but it has been Ravi Ashwin's turn to shine, taking 29 wickets to claim the Man of the Series award. Ravi Jadeja picked up 24 in all, and was notably successful in nullifying the threat of Clarke in the first three Tests. His 5-57 this weekend helped set up the run chase which Pujara led convincingly to secure the fourth win out of four.

It wasn't just with the ball that India dominated. Murali Vijay top-scored with 430 runs, Cheteshwar Pujara and even MS Dhoni notched double-centuries and Shikhar Dhawan stepped into the side and thrashed one of the highest innings by a debutant in Test cricket history. Should Sachin Tendulkar take this opportunity to retire with dignity and after a thrashing of the Aussies, he will leave the Indian top order looking more solid than it did last year. Rahane failed on his debut but has the ability to merit another chancPerhaps we need to see how they fare overseas before delivering a final verdict. We know Ashwin, Ojha and Jadeja can do the business on spin-friendly tracks but they were thumped in Australia last year and will always struggle in England and South Africa. Kumar and Sharma are hardly world-class seamers although Ishant was pumped up - too much! - on what proved to be the final day of this series.

As for the Aussies, they will surely bounce back. 'Homework-gate' should be forgotten. That only became an issue because heads were down following a battering. Few players like to analyse their own performance in defeat but in private surely everyone needs to diagnose their own weaknesses in order to improve their game. Australia certainly miss Ponting and Hussey and their tail looked embarrassingly long in the Fourth Test when Steve Smith replaced then injured skipper and Shane Watson was recalled to number four. Peter Siddle, though, outscored them all, becoming the first number nine ever to score fifties in both innings of a Test. Maybe he needs to swap places with Phil Hughes?!

Congratulations to India on their wonderful series victory, their biggest since crushing England twenty years ago. They must hope to take this new-found confidence and turn it into another assault on South Africa's current dominance of Test cricket.

Player of the week: Ravi Ashwin

Not much international cricket last week, but what little there was made a huge impact and built upon the drama provided by Australia and South Africa to produce one of the closest Test climaxes in history.

I'll return to the India v West Indies later because there were a few other performances of note. In Brisbane, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Brendan McCullum clearly forgot they weren't playing 50-over cricket and smashed 29 sixes between them in New Zealand's two innings against Australia 'A'. Ryder cleared the ropes a world record-equalling sixteen times on the way to 175, including 28 off an Ed Cowan over.
In Bangladesh, West Indies won the final of the Women's World Cup Qualifiers thanks largely to an impressive display of off-spin by Anisa Mohammed. The 23 year-old claimed 7-14 in only 51 balls.

However, the most memorable and talked-about cricketing performances of the week came in that 3rd Test match in Mumbai. For Sachin Tendulkar it was another case of 'if only' while Darren Bravo showed the Indian legend how to hit a century. In fact the young Trinidadian struck his third hundred in four Tests and five team-mates each passed 60 against a struggling home attack. However, the spinners gained their revenge second time around. Regular opener Pragyan Ojha took 6-47 as the Windies collapsed to 134 all out, setting up a memorable final day when the game ended as a dramatic draw with the scores level and India nine wickets down. With a few balls to go, any of four outcomes were possible, almost unprecedented in Test cricket. My Player of the Week was involved throughout, with both bat and ball.

While Bravo et al were building a huge innings, Ravi Ashwin wheeled away for 52 overs, including five wickets. Then, he gave the Little Master a lesson on reaching three figures, making 103 well-crafted runs at number eight. With Ojha bowling at the other end, he proceeded to take 4-34 in the second innings then played his part with the bat as India closed in on their target while desperately trying to preserve wickets. For some he was at fault for not running quickly enough to beat Ramdin's throw for the second run which would have secured an amazing last-ball victory. However, he had more than played his part in such a thrilling encounter and so gets not just my forgiveness but also my Player of the Week award.