World Cup woes for South Africa

The 2019 Cricket World Cup has been an inevitable slow-burner. With all ten nations playing each other, it has taken three weeks to reach the stage where big names are facing the certainty of an early plane home, or even possibly an unexpected short-term contract with a county.

It hasn’t helped that so many fixtures have been so one-sided. My three live experiences at Cardiff have been enjoyable but really could have been enhanced by much closer encounters of a cricketing kind. New Zealand made short work of Sri Lanka, Roy, Buttler et al plastered the Bangladesh spinners for an array of sixes then Afghanistan predictably succumbed to South Africa.

Thank goodness for some surprises elsewhere. The West Indians’ pace dealt Pakistan an early blow, Bangladesh creamed an unassailable 330-6 off South Africa then even England’s cruise towards the semis hit a rock as Pakistan bounced back but still an exciting finale was lacking.

Rain caused some disappointing washouts and abandonments, particularly at Bristol, and robbed us of the intriguing India v New Zealand contest. The much-anticipated India-Pakistan fixture was also affected by the wet stuff, as well as the latter’s inability to shackle Rohit Sharma. However, when the British weather improved, so did the tournament, even if the big four threatened to run away with it. In just two days we had some crackers.

On the longest day at Headingley, England’s seemingly infallibility when batting second was severely dented by Sri Lanka. Nice to see Lasith Malinga finding some of his old magic as they triumphed by 20 runs. At Southampton the following day, Afghanistan’s spinners choked India so hard that their target was a distinctly manageable 225. They didn’t quite manage it, of course, thanks largely to the nous of Bumrah and Shami’s final over hat-trick, but we neutrals revelled in the excitement of a near-shock. Meanwhile, some lusty blows by Chris Gayle and an extraordinary century by Carlos Brathwaite so nearly rescued the Windies against the Black Caps, for whom Kane Williamson batted so beautifully.

With teams having just two or three matches left to play, the top four placings are not yet decided. As in the last World Cup, New Zealand have demonstrated their undoubted class slightly beneath the radar. At the time of writing they are unbeaten, as are Virat Kohli’s India and each muct surely reach the semi-finals. I wasn’t sure how Australia would fare in the aftermath of the Warner-Smith bans. However, they have been almost England-esque in their run accumulations, with David Warner and Aaron Finch striking some stunning scores, and are almost home and dry.

So what about England? With the exception of the Sri Lanka debacle, they have been passing 300 with impressive regularity. Sixes have come right down the order, and Eoin Morgan’s blitz against Afghanistan was particularly brutal. Intriguingly their final three games come against their three closest rivals, beginning with the Aussies, followed by India at Edgbaston and then NZ. I reckon they’ll win at least two of them but even so I can’t see the planets aligning so perfectly that one of the other pretenders such as Pakistan or even Bangladesh could disturb the status quo.

What have I learnt so far? Well, batsmen were always likely to be on top, but who would have predicted Shakib al-Hasan would have been top of the run charts? Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have been the most devastating bowling partnership as the short ball has proved the most effective bowling weapon of the tournament. Imran Tahir, Rashid Khan and co may yet have a say in proceedings but for certain neither SA nor Afghanistan will be raising the trophy this year. Faf du Plessis’ men have been out of sorts in most areas. Their batting line-up was already weaker than it’s been for a long time and their one true global star Hashim Amla, has scratched around for runs, even against the Afghans.

I’m sure there’ll be more twists and turns in the coming weeks but it looks likely that the ICC will get the top four it wanted, and that India-England final remains a distinct possibility.

2017 Cricket Team of the Year

2017 ended with all three cricketing formats intact following some memorable competitions and team performances. There was even some favourable headlines when Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Harry was to marry Morne Morkel – or didn’t I hear that correctly?!

Despite chucking out coach and national legend Anil Kumble, India remain the most consistent nation, ranked in the top three across all red- and whiteball format. However, their domination of Test cricket was the most notable, even if it was predicated on home series. Home advantage in the five-day game seems more evident than ever, and India’s only victory abroad came in neighbouring Sri Lanka back in the summer. In six matches between the two countries, India racked up at least 600 in their first innings, as skipper Virat Kohli, Dhawan, Pujara et al filled their boots. The forthcoming three-match rubber in South Africa will prove a more formidable challenge.

England advanced to third in the list, also on the back of summer wins on their swing-friendly pitches. The thumping they are currently receiving in Australia his winter proves that there is work to do before any consideration of regaining the ICC mace. Keeping Ben Stokes away from drinking establishments would be a start.

In ODIs, I enjoyed watching Pakistan and Bangladesh playing well in the Champions Trophy in Cardiff, before the former overcame India to win the final and a rare piece of silverware. However, South Africa displaced the Aussies at the top of the rankings despite losing again in England. New Zealand topped and tailed the year with satisfying series wins against the Aussies and West Indies. The highlights of Sri Lanka’s 2017 were probably their T20 successes in South Africa and Australia although Pakistan top the rankings.

In county cricket, newly-promoted Essex romped home to claim the Championship thanks largely to a shedload of wickets from Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter. Nottinghamshire, Perth Scorchers and the Mumbai Indians triumphed in the T20 Blast, Big Bash and IPL, respectively.

But who were the individuals who shone most brightly throughout the year? First: the batsmen. Nobody scored more first-class runs than South African Dean Elgar, who contributed valuable runs to Somerset’s early campaign as well as his country’s. Cheteshwar Pujara was the only other man to accumulate more than 2,000 runs with the red ball and averaged 67 in Tests. Kumar Sangakkara may have retired from Tests but he proved that age is just a number by stroking eight centuries for Surrey, ending his summer with a stupendous average of 106.50. 

In T20, the usual suspects Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch and Kieron Pollard outscored the rest but in List A games, that man Kohli ruled the roost once more, adding 1,460 runs to his already formidable tally. He and his team-mate Rohit Sharma each notched six one-day hundreds with strike rates a smidgeon under 100. Pakistan’s Babar Azam scored four, but his strike rate was a relatively mediocre 79. Dhawan, Bairstow, Warner and, in a relatively leisurely year, AB De Villiers were the only high scorers taking more than a run a ball across the whole year.

After accepting the England Test captaincy, Joe Root wasn’t his usual self with the bat but, in addition to Kohli, the proven class of Hashim Amla, David Warner and Steve Smith was again demonstrated in spades across all cricket. The Aussie skipper has now averaged more than 70 in four consecutive calendar years and is no slouch in the fifty-over stuff, although he didn’t play an awful lot of it this year. He makes my Eleven for the third year in succession. Amla aggregated more than 3,000 runs in all cricket, which I don’t think anyone else could approach.

It wasn’t a vintage year for all-rounders. The evergreen spinner Jeetan Patel took more than 100 wickets in total but his batting was weaker than in previous years. T20 specialist Sunil Narine improved with the willow, adding 760 runs to his 62 wickets in 64 games. India’s Hardik Pandya is perhaps one for the future but, when it comes to the international stage, I have to select Shakib al-Hasan for my Team of the Year.

In 2016, England’s Bairstow took more catches behind the stumps than any other Test ‘keeper. Last year, he was a distant second behind South Africa’s Quintin de Kock, who also dismissed 25 in ODIs. MS Dhoni may have greyer hairs these days but he was still more than useful as a keeper-batsman in limited-overs cricket. His India Test successor Saha made 61 first-class dismissals and young West Indian Shai Hope had a breakthrough twelve months. Unlike most of his countrymen, he looks to be better suited to the longer formats and may well be one to watch in the coming years. De Villiers may still have the edge in T20 but De Kock has been the star stumpie of 2017.

Now for the bowlers:

It seems to me that bowlers, even more than the batsmen, are becoming increasingly specialised. For example, Malinda Pushpakumara has long been a prolific wicket-taker in Sri Lankan domestic cricket and in 2017 claimed a barely credible 115 first-class victims at only 15.50 apiece. However, he made little impact with the white ball. Similarly for Essex’s top bowlers Harmer and Porter, Australian Test spinner Nathan Lyon, Ravi Ashwin and England’s number one-ranked swing king James Anderson.

Meanwhile, Alzarri Joseph, the 21 year-old Antiguan seamer, played several Tests with little distinction, no T20s whatsoever, yet had a decent ODI return of 19 at 30.63. Hasan Ali enjoyed a storming Champions Trophy for Pakistan and ended the year with 91 wickets in ODIs and Twenty20. He was the top wicket-taker in 50-over internationals but Indian medium-pacer Jasprit Bumrah boasted a superior total in all List A games, with 52.

One of last year’s picks, Kagiso Rabada, proved that 2016 was no flash in the pan. Last year he collected a round hundred wickets, including 57 in Tests for South Africa. He is making Steyn’s absence as attack leader less problematic. Another paceman, Marchant de Lange, hasn’t played for the Proteas for five years but was in excellent form for his various teams around the world. Mitchell Starc had injury problems so made little impact. However, that presented Josh Hazlewood with an opportunity to make a mark in Tests and ODIs. He certainly played his part in the Ashes clincher at Perth the other week.

My last pick for the 2017 XI is only 19 years old and, because he’s from Afghanistan, doesn’t play Test cricket – yet. Nonetheless he had a storming twelve months with the white ball. Rashid Khan was by some margin the supreme wicket-taker in T20, with 80, and his economy rate of 5.53 was just as extraordinary. While most of his 43 ODI victims were representing Associate nations he is a great talent and I hope he is allowed the chance to do his stuff against the leading teams in five-day cricket. Afghanistan have finally had Test status bestowed upon them but the likes of India and South Africa have yet to schedule matches against them, even over four days. Perhaps they’re too scared of Rashid!

In summary, here is my 2017 Team of the Year:-

Elgar (SA), Dhawan (Ind), Amla (SA), Kohli (Ind), Smith (Aus), De Kock (SA, +), Shakib al-Hasan (Ban), Hasan Ali (Pak), Rabada (SA), Bumrah (Ind), Rashid Khan (Afg).

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Warner (Aus), Sangakkara (SL), Jeetan Patel (NZ) and Anderson (Eng).

West Indies and Bangladesh keep Test Cricket exciting

When the First Test was heading for a predictable massacre of the West Indies, I couldn’t bear to watch. Having been brought up on the exhilarating cricket of Lloyd, Richards, Holding and company, it was embarrassing to see their successors perform so lamely at Edgbaston. I didn’t have any higher expectations for the remaining contests. So I’d like to extend not only my congratulations to the Windies for winning at Headingley but also for restoring my faith in the Caribbean team’s ability to compete at the highest level and maybe even in Test cricket itself.

Despite Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach restricting England to 258 on day one, then Kraigg Brathwaite and Shay Hope each striking centuries to take a 169-run lead, my lack of faith in Jason Holder’s team was so ingrained that I felt they were merely delaying the inevitable defeat until the fifth day. England’s serene progress towards declaring on a second innings of almost 500 reinforced that prediction. Hardly anyone scores over 300 to win these days so how on earth could the Windies do it? And in England??

Blow me, they succeeded! Again relying heavily on Brathwaite and the younger Hope brother, they managed to withstand all that Anderson, Broad, Woakes, Stokes and Moeen Ali could throw at them. More catches were dropped but maybe these errors were creeping in not through bad luck but the pressures of impending home defeat to a side ranked five places below them.

When the opener fell on 95, the team were still 125 short. Would England’s ace seam and swing merchants wreak havoc and restore the natural order?

Credit to Shai Hope, he didn’t revert to West Indian type and take restless risks T20 style. However, they couldn’t shut up shop completely as they had to keep an eye on the clock. It would be disastrous to end on, say, 290-6! Hope dug in for his second century in the match but, on 246-4, Jermaine Blackwood reckoned he had enough wickets in hand to play an attacking role. He’d made 41 off 44 balls when, charging Ali for the match-winning boundary, he was stumped by Bairstow. Never mind, young Shai merely shrugged that off and finished the job.

What a fabulous finish! It wasn’t just the successful run chase, it was the way the Windies went about it. Remarkably, Shai Hope not only boosted his Test average from below 20 to nearly 30 but became the first person ever to slam two first-class centuries in the same game at Headingley. Not even Hutton, Boycott or Bradman ever achieved that, and here was an inexperienced 23 year-old doing something the world’s greatest never could – and in a winning cause. Brilliant!

Nobody should blame Joe Root for his declaration. Setting a weak team a target of 322 on the fifth day was a perfectly reasonable decision to make. It’s just that the opposition at last showed some commitment and courage to meet the challenge and ensure the Windies had their first Test victory in England since 2000.

And meanwhile, over in Dhaka, Bangladesh also turned the tables on one of the big boys, registering an historic maiden Test defeat of Australia. It was a close encounter in which the spinners were mainly on top. Neither side could manage more than 260 but in the end, despite David Warner’s defiant second-innings 112, Australia were undone by that man Shakib Al Hasan. He claimed five wickets for the second time in the game to go with his first innings 84. As the Aussies found to their cost, when the world’s best all-rounder is on form, anything is possible.

So what do this week’s results signify? Will the West Indies and Bangladesh repeat the feat next week? Despite their efforts in Leeds, I really can’t envisage Joe Root’s team succumbing again. It remains to be seen whether they persevere with the struggling Tom Westley but their second innings 50s probably extended the Test careers of Stoneman and Malan. On the other hand, it is by no means impossible for a resurgent Bangladesh to claim a second success over Steve Smith’s men. If saving the series isn’t enough, Australia have the added incentive of winning to avoid slipping to sixth in the ICC rankings for the first time.

I don’t believe this week’s results have any bearings on the Ashes but they have definitely demonstrated that Test cricket is thriving and deserves to keep its status as the number one format.  

Champions Trophy: Bangladesh Tigers roar and Baggy Greens whimper

The competition is certainly hitting its stride now, but England were in ominous form from the word go. It’s no surprise to me that the hosts have scorched their way to the top of Group A with a 100% record. My preview failed to predict the impact of the British weather, always the great leveller in cricket competitions, especially when all the games matter as in the Champions Trophy.

In particular, the rain interrupted all of Australia’s fixtures. Of course, you can’t say that they would have been victorious had the heavens not opened and the covers rolled on. Even Steve Smith admitted his side were in trouble against New Zealand at Edgbaston last week. On the other hand, they were looking good against Bangladesh, Mitchell Starc’s final 4-wicket burst setting up what had seemed a simple target under clear skies.

Today’s defeat to England on Duckworth/Lewis was no fluke, though. Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes had dragged the hosts out of a tricky situation and the Aussies were down and out when play was finally halted for good. That they did so was the result of another dramatic turnaround; one I was delighted to have witnessed at first hand.

As is common in Cardiff, there had been plenty of rain in the previous 24 hours, so it was unsurprising to arrive at the stadium to see the big screen announcing a pitch inspection at 10.45. Fortunately a few sunny spells were helping to dry out the square and outfield and so umpires Llong and Gould gave their go-ahead for an 11.30 start. Phew!

I’d gone for a ticket to see Bangladesh v New Zealand as I’d never before seen the former nation in live action. It was also many years since I’d seen the Black Caps play – in a 3-day game against Essex. I could not have anticipated experiencing the drama of a side’s reversal of fortunes in a 50-over international.

Kane Williamson had won the toss and elected to bat first. With a meagre crowd of neutrals like me, vociferous tiger-waving Bangladesh fans and some keen primary schoolchildren, much of the New Zealand innings was unremarkable. Martin Guptill’s early six was not an indication of things to come, as the wicket seemed to help the Tigers’ seamers. Williamson and Ross Taylor mixed delightful boundaries and play-and-misses but once they fell, a familiar collapse ensued. Broom, Neesham and Santner scampered a number of singles and twos but Mossadek’s spin yielded three quick victims and Rubel Hossain bought the Bangla fans to their feet. 265-8 isn’t a bad total for Cardiff but it should have been more.

Bangladesh’s innings got off to a dreadful start. Tim Southee trapped the previously prolific Tamim Iqbal first ball and the same bowler did for Soumya and Sabbir in his next two overs. Trent Boult also caused huge problems, and the diminutive Mushfiqur Rahim in particular was struggling against pace and short-pitched deliveries and it was probably a merciful release when Milne produced a perfect nip-backer to flatten middle stump. That brought Mahmudullah to accompany Shakib al Hasan. A young supporter beside me asked what I thought the pair should do. Er, be patient, build a partnership and not get out?!

So far, so obvious, but that is exactly what they did. There was no resort to T20-style histrionics; just finding gaps for singles and the occasional four, maintaining the run-a-ball target rate. As time went on, the experienced pair played themselves in, improving their timing against the seam of Neesham, Milne and Anderson. When Boult and Southee were brought back early, Mahmudullah and Shakib were no longer vulnerable; they were on a roll. Mitchell Santner’s spin looked more effective at first but any poor deliveries were punished. The hundred partnership came and went, and each player advanced into the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. The children in the crowd had gone but the few Bangladesh fans were compensating for their absence as they sensed an unlikely victory.

When Shakib reached three figures with his first six, it was game over. Skipper Williamson was powerless, the number of wides increased as bowlers tried a bit too hard and Shakib cracked further beautiful drives and pulls before he risked a swipe too many against Boult and lost his off stump. The partnership had swelled to 222, an ODI record for Bangladesh. It seemed appropriate that Mahmudullah also reached his third one-day century shortly after but it was Mossadek’s boundary which clinched a five-wicket victory with almost three overs remaining.

NZ were definitely out and Bangladesh knew they had to wait another 24 hours to see whether England would do them a favour by beating the Aussies. Which we now know is exactly what Morgan’s men did.

Congratulations to Bangladesh for proving me and many others wrong. I now await to see who I will be seeing meet England at Sophia Gardens next Wednesday. It’s anybody’s guess…

Smith, Shakib, Jadeja and Pujara at the top of their game

With apologies to South Africa, who took an unassailable series lead against New Zealand, this has been a week when cricket’s focus has been on events at Colombo and Ranchi.

First of all, congratulations to Bangladesh for recording only their fourth away Test victory in their 100th match. Beating Sri Lanka by four wickets was arguably their best performance on foreign soil, and coming fewer than 6 months after giving Alastair Cook’s England a momentous hiding. To some extent the result in Colombo this week is an indication of Sri Lanka’s regression as much as Bangladesh’s progression, but let’s not take anything away from Mushfiqur Rahim’s side.

Whilst not being one of the three centurions in the game, Tamim Iqbal was named Player of the Match. Whilst never really fulfilling his early potential on the global stage, Tamim remains an important part of the Bangladeshi line-up. And yet the world’s undisputed number one all-rounder Shakib al Hasan still had a major role to play in this latest triumph. He has participated in almost half of his nation’s Tests, accumulating almost 3,500 runs at over 40 and 176 wickets at barely 34 apiece. That’s pretty good going, especially as most of his performances have come in a losing cause.

India’s spin kings Ravi Jadeja and R Ashwin are hot on his heels, and both stand on top of the ICC bowling rankings. The former has emerged from the shadow of his team-mate over the winter, and added a further nine wickets and a rapid half-century in the latest contest with Australia. After the surprise thumping in the series opener, Kohli’s men seem to have regained the upper hand. It’s been an impressive period for Cheteshwar Pujara, too. Amidst all the headline-catching six-hitters and tight slowies, the 29 year-old right-hander has grown in my estimation. It’s brilliant to see a five-day specialist adding a third double-century to his tally, boosting his average to almost 52.

The opposition skipper Steve Smith may be heading for a series defeat but his personal stock as ace batsman continues to rise. His imperious first innings 178 not out did, in hindsight, probably saved his side in the 3rd Test although it was the resilience of Shaun Marsh and Handscomb which kept the Indian attack at bay on the final day.

In 98 Test innings, Smith has already amassed 19 hundreds and 20 fifties, boasting an incredible average of a shade below 61. His ICC ranking score of 941 is also up here with the best batsmen not only of his generation but any era. Not bad for a much maligned converted leg-spinner! Not bad, either, for someone burdened with captaincy of the green baggies, forever in the media spotlight. Few can outshine Virat Kohli but, at least in the five-day format, Smith is doing just that.

The Smith-Kohli battle in the remaining two fixtures will be almost as fascinating as that of the two teams, and I’d love the overall result to rest on the final match. Five-Test series outside the Ashes are rare but this one thoroughly deserves it.

2014 Overall Team of the Year

To complete my review of the year, I'll examine the performances across all three formats, and not restrict myself to international cricket.

have not been the most successful batsmen outside Twenty20 but David Warner has played himself into my good books. Having played for Australia in T20 before even playing a single first-class match, he has since become a vital cog in the Green Baggie wheel. With Chris Rogers playing the anchor role, Warner has been given free rein to play his strokes and in 2014 collated more than 2,000 runs, averaging over 63 in Tests and a T20 strike rate of 142. He has been paired with Hashim Amla of South Africa. He just oozes class and unflappability whatever the format, and made more than 2500 runs in total. He doesn't seem to have many weak points. Even in T20 his strike rate in 2014 was on a par with McCullum and Finch, superior even to that of Chris Gayle.

Kumar Sangakkara may now be 37 years old, but his batting just seems to improve with age. Top scorer in Tests and ODIs, who cares about T20? His Test average last year was 71, pushing his career figure to a mighty 58, ahead of Ponting, Lara and Tendulkar. A shoo-in at number three, and did I mention he keeps wicket better than Dhoni, too?

Virat Kohli is also starting to carry his 50-over talents across to proper cricket, even on the hard pitches of Australia. He was another of the 2,500-run select few, whose most noteworthy statistic was his ODI strike rate of 99.62! Somewhat less of a global phenomenon, Kane Williamson has shone in what was an excellent year for New Zealand. He averaged 62 in Tests and, with his county cricket exploits included, scored 1,558 first-class runs. Add his List A and T20 figures and the run tally extends towards 3,000. I really hope he shines at the World Cup.

Angelo Mathews also had a fantastic year, converting fifties into hundreds in Test matches, averaging 88 alongside 62 in ODIs. He has grown as a captain for Sri Lanka, too, a great example of a man who has not just fulfilled expectations but exceeded them. Steve Smith has perhaps enjoyed an even steeper rise to the top. With Michael Clarke sidelined by injury, Mike Hussey retired and the rest of the middle-order inconsistent, Smith has rescued Australia for much of the year. Five centuries and an average of 82 in Tests and a good record in ODIs, and by December he had also assumed the captaincy. A wonderful year for him!

While Warner, Williamson, Smith and Mathews have all bowled at international level, surely the best all-rounder in 2014 was Shakib-al-Hasan. Admittedly Bangladesh didn't always face the big boys but as a bowler who also averaged 47 with the bat in Tests he was again a class act. Narine (T20), Herath (Tests) and Mendis (ODIs) may have taken more wickets but in limited overs, few were consistently more economical than Shakib.

Mitch Johnson and Dale Steyn comprise my pace attack. The Aussie's main contribution was in Tests, the highlights coming in the 2013/14 Ashes series. He wasn't a prolific ODI wicket-taker but was surprisingly mean when it came to economy. Steyn is an amazingly consistent trouper over many years. 2014 may not have been his best year but his 39 Test scalps came at just 19.56 apiece and there were 22 ODI wickets at 26.54, too. A fearsome death bowler in T20, too, but not at the top of the tables. My last bowler is Jeetan Patel. The evergreen Kiwi has been a fantastic spinner for Warwickshire in recent years and his 2014 featured 133 wickets all told. His rare talent is to appear equally good in all three forms of cricket. Statistically maybe his best last year came in T20; in 28 games he took 35 wickets at a mere 15, and an economy rate of 5.86, better even than Saeed Ajmal and Malinga.

Just missing the cut were Joe Root, Brendon McCullum, Saeed Ajmal and AB de Villiers.

So my Eleven of 2014 stands as follows:-
Warner (Aust), Amla (SA), Sangakkara (SL, +), Kohli (Ind), Williamson (NZ), Smith (Aust), Mathews (SL *), Shakib al Hasan (Ban), Patel (War/NZ), Johnson (Aust), Steyn (SA).

Roll on 2015..!

Sohag Gazi's Sixth and First!

It may not be the achievement that cricket-loving boys and girls dream of but credit to Sohag Gazi for becoming the first player to score a century and take a hat-trick in the same Test match. It's quite surprising that, after 140-odd years and 2,097 games, nobody has done it before, really. Not Rhodes, not Sobers, not Benaud, Miller, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram or indeed someone who made little other impression on international cricket but for an obscure record in Wisden.

The Bangladesh v New Zealand 1st Test was heading for a probable draw after two high-scoring first innings when the 22 year-old off-spinner from Barisal induced an edge from Bracewell which caught the 'keeper's pads before Shakib Al Hasan dived forward to take the catch and seal a hat-trick. This prompted an immediate declaration but there was time neither for Bangladesh to reach the 256 target nor the Black Caps to capture the requisite ten wickets in 50-odd overs.

Sohag Gazi was presumably delighted with his 6-77 to accompany his first innings unbeaten 101. However, I suspect it was much later when he was informed his hat-trick had created a Test first in only his seventh appearance for Bangladesh in five-dayers. It's less than a year since his debut against the West Indies at Dhaka. He picked up a six-for in that one, too. For four days, it was a similar game to this week's; both sides topped 500 first time out (Chanderpaul scored 203 not out), then the debutant gave Bangladesh a chance of victory. However, their batting wasn't up to the task and Tino Best's 5-24 secured a 77-run win for the visitors.

The following week, his colleague Abul Hasan also launched his Test career with a record, as he smashed 113 at number ten. Sohag had a tough first innings, opening the attack and ploughing through 57.3 overs while Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels (260) racked up the runs. Four months forward to Sri Lanka and nobody took more than his three wickets at Galle - eight centuries suggests it was a track as flat as a pancake. In the succeeding tied series 1-1 in Zimbabwe, Sohag collected a few more wickets and contributed some late-order runs but nothing prepared us for the hundred/hat-trick double of this week.

Time will tell whether he can prove to be more than a fifteen-minute wonder. A satisfactory start to his Test and ODI career bodes well but how will he fare against some of the top sides lie India, South Africa and England? Bowling with Shakib could be an awkward proposition on an Asian turner but given that Bangladesh are awarded precious few series against the ICC big boys, we may never know. At least Sohag Gazi's name will remain in the record books forever.

Tight finishes in Mirpur and Colombo

It was a great day for cricket in Asia. In their final warm-up game, England weren't satisfied with a gentle workout, producing a Somerset-esque blitz to turn a probable draw into an exhilarating four-wicket victory over the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI. Meanwhile, further north, Bangladesh pushed Pakistan all the way in the Asia Cup final but failed to win their first trophy by just two runs.

In Colombo, it was always going to be tough forging a result on a placid pitch in only three days but to both teams' credit, that's precisely what happened, with some competitive declarations and 515 runs scored on the final day! That's more than Pakistan and Bangladesh served up in even fewer overs in their Asia Cup clash, although both served up thrilling finales.

After Strauss and Trott both retired out in the first innings, they remained in the pavilion to give others some batting practice, albeit more suited to preparation for an ODI series instead of two Tests. Only Ian Bell flopped twice, while Pietersen, Bopara, Patel and Prior each passed fifty, the latter smashing 84 in 60 balls. Graeme Swann clinched matters by striking six boundaries in twelve balls. Great for the England batsmen but what about the bowlers?

Stuart Broad was the pick of the attack, but Swann, Patel and Finn took some treatment. However, they shouldn't be too downhearted because a Test match is a different kettle of fish. On the Sri Lankan side, Chamara Silva and Angelo Perera nudged the selectors with their runs, and Tharanga Lakshitha bowled tidily first time out. The coming Tests could produce a couple of close contests.

If they are as close as the competition climax created by Bangladesh and Pakistan, I won't be complaining. India and Sri Lanka looked tired at times over the past week or so, and it's hardly surprising. However, Pakistan continued their recent rise in fortunes and, on home territory, Bangladesh finally showed they can mix it with the big boys. Spinners Abdur Razzak and Shakib al Hasan were the pick of the bowlers, restricting Pakistan to just 236, with no batsmen reaching 50. Tamim Iqbal made it four consecutive half-centuries, knocking Umar Gul about early on. However, the man from Peshawar gained revenge in he 24th over, by which time Bangladesh were already slipping behind the required strike rate because Iqbal's colleagues were suffering.

Shakib did his best, firing 68, but Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal turned the screw. Nevertheless, it was a low target and Mahmudullah and Abdur Razzak needed nine from the last over from Cheema. Sadly for Bangladesh, with four needed from the last two balls, Razzak played onto his stumps and Hossain could only dig out a yorker for a single, and Pakistan had won the trophy. Last week I questioned whether the Asia Cup was worthy or a waste of time. It was certainly the latter for India and Sri Lanka, but a great confidence booster for today's finalists. Bangladesh may have lost the game but hopefully gained the appetite to push on and challenge for future one-day titles.

Team of the Year: Test Cricket

Last week, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme named the 'England Cricket Team' as the Team of the Year. These days, of course, there is no one international side and what they really meant was the Test squad. The ODI and T20 lot have been inconsistent but in the five-day game England have undoubtedly reigned supreme, beating Australia away and Sri Lanka and India at home on their way to becoming world number one. When compiling my multinational team of 2011, it is therefore no surprise that for once England have more members than any other country. There aren's even any Australians! Here is my selection.

Opening batsmen have not fared well this year. Is it because they are so used to going for their shots in one-day Powerplays that they forget how to build an innings? Is it the result of more teams opening their bowling with a mix of seam and spin? For whatever reason, only one genuine opener deserves his place and that is Alastair Cook. In only eight Tests across the year he nevertheless notched up 927 runs at an average of 84 and nobody can touch him. While so much attention was directed at Sachin Tendulkar and his quest for that 100th hundred, it is his old partner Rahul Dravid who has scored more Test runs than anyone else in 2011. Because of his previous credentials and unflappability, I'm promoting himto open with Cook!

There were lots of candidates for the middle order. Darren Bravo made a late bid with centuries against Bangladesh and India, while fellow West Indian Chanderpaul, Pietersen and Laxman all had reasonable years. However, at number three I have gone for Kumar Sangakkara, the only other batsman to pass 1000 runs, finishing the year with his fifth century. At four, Pakistan's Younis Khan is recognised for his consistency, although his unbeaten 200 came against Bangladesh in December. Ian Bell has to be there. After all, nobody else finished the year with a three-figure batting average, outscoring even Cook.

I have opted for a traditional all-rounder rather than an extra batting specialist, and he comes in the form of Bangladeshi Shakib al Hasan. His ability as a left arm slow bowler has never been in doubt but his recent batting against Pakistan and the Windies on Asian pitches not known for being particularly kind to batsmen gives him the nod. There are no other obvious star Test all-rounders in world cricket at the moment.

For wicketkeeper, I have plumped for Matt Prior of England. If Sanga wore the gloves at Test level, he'd walk into the team but as he doesn't, the enthusiastic Sussex man deserves his place. Ever tidy behind the stumps, if not when near dressing room windows (!), his late-order strokeplay produced a 2011 average of almost 65, reaching three figures three times, and that's world-class.

Top wicket-taker this year (with 50) has been Pakistan's off-spinner Saeed Ajmal. Although he hasn't had the opportunity to test himself against the top ranked teams, his sheer volume of wickets just edges out Rangana Herath and colleague Abdur Rehaman for the second spinner spot. Seamers have also enjoyed a fine 2011. Later on, a raft of young quicks have enjoyed instant success. Think Pattinson, Cummins, Philander and now de Lange. However, I have picked three who performed well over a greater number of games this year. James Anderson has had a rollercoaster career which is now as high as it has ever been. He is probably the finest exponent of swing at pace in the game. Ravi Rampaul took fewer wickets (31) than Broad, Edwards or Umar Gul but his average (25) and economy rate were excellent and the Trinidadian proved his worth against Pakistan and India (home and away), whie also showing he can bat a bit, too.

Standing head and shoulders above all other Test bowlers is Dale Steyn. South Africa played few matches this year but whenever he had the opportunity he demonstrated his value to his country. He just never seems to have a bad game and ended the year with another 'five for' against Sri Lanka. Regularly claiming around five wickets per match at around only 20 apiece he is truly remarkable and is an automatic choice to round off my Test XI of 2011.

Cook (Eng), Dravid (Ind), Sangakkara (Sri L), Younis Khan (Pak), Bell (Eng), Shakib (Bang), Prior (Eng), Rampaul (WI), Steyn (SA), Anderson (Eng), Saeed Ajmal (Pak).

Now look out for my one-day team of the year, coming shortly!

Shakib - No.1 All rounder

It's nice to see a representative of an emerging cricketing nation claim top spot in the official rankings. We have known for a while that Bangladesh's Shakib al Hasan is a very capable cricketer who can bat a bit and bowl a bit, but I wasn't expecting him to become number one in the ICC Test all-rounder league table at the age of only 24. Perhaps it is because we have become so used to Jacques Kallis at the top that it is such a surprise. However, his career-best 144 and 6-82 against Pakistan this week elevated him to the pinnacle, displacing the veteran South African after a decade's supremacy.

Maybe Shakib's success should not be so astonishing. After all, he was already the number one all-rounder in ODIs and, if his country played more T20 internationals he would undoubtedly be in the top 10 there, too. However, I'm not sure whether he would really walk into any Test side in the world. Is he a better spinner than Daniel Vettori or Graeme Swann? He is just about a better batsman than those two but it would need to be a spinner's wicket to get him a place alongside, not instead of those two should Shakib suddenly turn English or become a Kiwi. Nevertheless it is rare these days for a genuine all-rounder to boast a batting average higher than his bowling average (35 against 31), something neither Vettori or Swann can claim.

Considering the rise of slow bowling in one-day formats, it is intriguing that the aforementioned trio are the only spinners (all orthodox left- or right-armers) in the Reliance rankings.
Apart from the legendary Kallis, only Shane Watson and maybe Dwayne Bravo appear genuine all-rounders in the five-day game, but world-class?? The others in the top ten are Broad, Bresnan, Steyn and Mitch Johnson, all fine pace bowlers but none particularly fine with the willow, save the occasional flashy innings late in the order. OK, so Broad compiled that incredible 169 at Lord's in 2010 but that's the only occasion when he got even close to three figures. Perhaps his time will come, although Shakib is even younger.

Many may suggest that he is merely the best of a bad bunch. Not like it was in the old days, eh? Well, back in the 1980s the world was indeed blessed with some excellent all-rounders, with Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and then Wasim Akram strutting their stuff. However, it was a bit of a stretch to consider Richard Hadlee and Malcolm Marshall as more than just fantastic fast bowlers who could bat a bit. The Waugh brothers were primarily brilliant batsmen who could deliver competent medium-pacers while resting the big guns. The great West Indian teams? Nary a true all-rounder in twenty years but it did them no harm!

Can Shakib sustain his position as top Test all-rounder? Well, Kallis can reclaim his old number one status with some useful performances against Sri Lanka in the coming weeks, and both Watson and Broad are hard on his heels. I think it will help him not to have the burden of captaincy on top of his undoubted status as best player. However, if some of his teammates started to maintain some consistency with bat and ball, then he could thrive even more. His performance last week, as so many of his others, came in an ultimately lost cause, and that must drain the confidence a bit. For now, let's celebrate his achievement and see what a fascinating winter's international cricket can bring.