International Team of 2025

Despite all the dire predictions of its imminent demise, I applaud the persistence of international cricket, in particular the traditional red-ball formats. The franchise stuff continues to rake in sponsorship and TV cash but when leading countries accept the opportunity and challenge of a series spanning more than three Tests, cricket invariably rises to the occasion. If only other nations could embrace take note of England’s battles against India at home and the ongoing Ashes barney in Australia, producing high drama and great entertainment lasting several days, although a few Aussie groundsmen seemed hell bent on preparing Test match pitches geared to a T20 duration. 

Australia ended the year atop the ICC Test rankings but were undone in the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s. In a low-scoring encounter in June, South Africa, fired by Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada, at last scooped a major trophy. Both sides defeated India in five-day cricket series, while the Aussies inflicted an ignominous humbling of West Indies in Kingston, reducing their second innings to 27 all out. Mitchell Starc took 6-9. At the other end of the scale, England took the Indian attack for 669 at Old Trafford and Australia plundered their Sri Lankan hosts for 654-6 at Galle. 

I am amazed and encouraged by the plethora of nations participating in T20 internationals around the world. Many of them rely on the Asian diaspora but it’s great to see the likes of Austria, Bahrain and Rwanda playing so much cricket. However, I am not sure what their attendances are like. 

In women’s cricket, Australia barely broke sweat to take the multi-format Ashes without a single victory for England. However, Alyssia Healy’s squad were unexpectedly defeated by Harmanpreet Kaur’s India in the World Cup. The delight on their faces in triumph was a joy to behold. 

India also picked up the ICC Champions Trophy, but only after being allowed to play their fixtures in Dubai rather than Pakistan. The small-scale tournament contained its share of surprises, not least Afghanistan’s historic victory over England, whose Bazball boasting produced not silverware but nul points. Perhaps England weren’t as good as they thought they were…. 

So what about my Team of the Year? In first-class cricket, nobody outscored KK Nair or took more wickets than Mohammed Abbas. West Indian batters Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope seemed to be everywhere in T20. Compatriot Jason Holder garnered 97 T20 victims, the most by anybody in a single year.

Neither South Africa nor New Zealand played much Test cricket but their players nonetheless made an impact on the world stage. For the Proteas, Markram and Rickelton made runs, while Jansen and Maharaj looked dangerous with red ball in hand. The Black Caps’ Matt Henry was the top wicket-taker in ODIs and Daryl Mitchell proved himself one of the best batters. 

A new record was set by NZ openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham when they each scored a ton in both innings against the Windies in December, and Wiaan Mulder opted to avoid what he considered an undeserved place atop the list of individual Test match innings. On 367 not out, and Brian Lara’s world record at his mercy, he declared South Africa’s first innings against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. Many criticised him, and I understand why, but to cricket fans, any record achieved against a side as weak as Zimbabwe’s would inevitably come with a mental asterisk against it. 

For openers, KL Rahul and Travis Head are leading contenders. The Indian remained a formidable scorer in Tests and ODIs, and the South Australian proved to be a brutal hitter in any format. He may be inconsistent but saves his best performances for the biggest stage, not least when promoted as emergency opener in the ongoing Ashes series. NZ’s Rachin Ravindra announced himself in the Champions Trophy, nailing down the opener’s spot. 

Shubman Gill was a revelation with the bat in England and was by far the most prolific batter in men’s Tests, albeit 17 shy of the 1,000 mark. Who needs Rohit or Kohli? Harry Brook is clearly hammering on Joe Root’s door as the premier Yorkshireman in cricket but 2025 was the senior man’s year. His 805 Test tally was pretty useful but he surpassed that in ODIs: 808 was superior to anyone else’s. The unbeaten 138 at Brisbane filled a glaring gap in his CV and only Tendulkar has more Test career runs. Root’s average tops 50 and he now claims 22,000 runs in England colours across all senior formats. I don’t normally dwell long on T20 specialists but even I cannot ignore the splash created by Indian Abhishek Sharma, who ended the calendar year with a T20 strike rate above 200. Not even the likes of Gayle or De Villiers managed that but, as boundaries shrink, scoring continues to accelerate. 

Aussie Alex Carey‘s brilliance behind the stumps and decent return with the bat cemented himself as the best ‘keeper in Test cricket and, for me, Ravi Jadeja retains his all-rounder spot in 2025, although he seemed to improve his batting at the expense of his left-arm spin. Ben Stokes demonstrated that he is not finished yet, but fitness issues restricted his appearances to major Test series. 

Last year, bowlers could claim to receive a bum deal. Jasprit Bumrah was given some much-deserved breathing space, allowing Mohammed Siraj to capture 43 Test wickets. Jofra Archer’s return to England’s attack was hailed as the Second Coming but, although miracles weren’t forthcoming, the old fore and pace were much in evidence. However, that old Aussie warhorse Mitchell Starc was relentlessly brilliant, hoovering up 55 wickets in eleven Tests at barely 17, driving the Barmy Army nuts. 

Amongst slower bowlers, it was also nice to see Simon Harmer back in the South African Test fold at the age of 36. In the series success against India, he finished with a superlative seventeen wickets at a mere 8.94 apiece. However, my attention has strayed to the women’s game for my final pick. England may not have enjoyed the best year but Sophie Ecclestone had no peers when it came to limited-overs spin bowling, and she is still only 26. 

My 2025 Team of the Year:

Ravindra (NZ), Head (Aus), A Sharma (Ind), Shubman Gill (Ind), Root (Eng), Carey (Aus +), Jadeja (Ind), Starc (Aus), Henry (NZ), Siraj (Ind), Ecclestone (Eng). 12th: Rickelton (SA)

Ashes 2nd Test: A Starc reminder for England

Living in the UK, during the weeks leading up to the Ashes, I could have been forgiven for believing that England’s 5-0 whitewash was in the bag. The Aussies were no-hopers, their pace attack either crocked or simply past it. Just hand over the urn now, knighthoods and bonuses all round. Cheers! 

Who needs practice? Just turn up, let the batters whack it around the boundary and the bowlers reduce Steve Smith et al to nervous wrecks. It doesn’t matter whether the ball is white, red or pink; Bazball rules, ok? 

Then came the Perth debacle. In truth, both sides struggled with the pitch. After the first day, the ‘papers and websites lauded the pace of Carse, Archer and Stokes. Crawley, Root and Smith would come good on day two and the tourists would be celebrating three days early. 

Oops! Crawley bagged a pair, Brook lasted only three deliveries and his Yorkshire brother-in-arm played on to Mitchell Starc for eight. Top score was Gus Atkinson’s 37. Never mind. Unleash the speedsters! Khawaja’s injury brought more optimism, but the promoted Travis Head was having none of it. Ably supported by Marnus Labuschagne, he made a mockery of this relentless marketing maelstrom by slamming an 83-ball 123. No bowlers were spared the Head treatment. Inside two days, it was 1-0 to Australia. 

On to Brisbane, where history isn’t kind to England. But – hey! – we have the fastest pace attack in Ashes history! Well, at least the Second Test lasted four days but the result was the same: an eight-wicket triumph for the hosts. Despite a plethora of runs, there was only one century and, Ironically, it flowed from the bat of Joe Root whose lack of a ton Down Under had been an over-stressed stain on his fantastic Test record. He was left unbeaten on 138, proving that class is permanent. 

When Australia batted, nobody could get close to three figures but, in a Test rarity, everyone reached double-figures. Five passed fifty, and on day two they compiled runs at a rate which would have had Brendon McCullum purring were it his own batters at work. The bowlers wilted, simple catches were spilled all over the place. The England second innings saw Michael Neser grabbing the headlines with two caught-and-bowleds, and a succession of poor strokes edging behind to Carey and Smith. 

England’s woes were epitomised yesterday by the chirping of Archer toward Steve Smith. Even that pathetic sledging failed, as the stand-in skipper was motivated to hook another bouncer for six and clinch victory with a controlled pull from Atkinson for another. 

So what next? I am no fan of England’s cricket but even I am surprised by their embarrassing performances so far. As for the coach’s suggestion that his squad practised too much, it’s laughable. Of course, England could fire on all cylinders at Adelaide. Root, Brook, Pope, Smith and Duggett have made big scores before, and Aussie pitches can aid our bowlers. However, the Bazball strategy can only take you so far. Selecting batters based on their Hundred strike rates and bowlers purely based on their speed gun stats is, in my opinion, ridiculous. 

I know I’m old-fashioned, and fume at the proliferation of T20 and the shortening of boundaries, but you need a Plan B, C or even D, depending on the players available, the conditions and the opposition. For too long, England have relied on sledging, bouncers, Root’s runs and Stokes’ big-stage heroics. Skills can still be honed, but there are many other sub-90mph bowlers and experienced spinners available on the county circuit ready and willing. 

As for Australia, they have performed admirably, uniting the nation against the Barmy Army. Aged 31, Weatherald has enjoyed a solid start to his Test career, Alex Carey has been as brilliant behind the stumps as Smith has been poor, while Boland, Doggett and Neser have compensated for the absence of Cummins and Hazelwood. Then there is ‘past-it’ Mitchell Starc. A six-fer in three successive Tests, a trio of Player of the Match awards and a top score of 77 at Brisbane. His career wicket tally has eclipsed Wasim Akram’s to make him the most prolific left-arm seamer in history. Smith collects records for runs and catches but the tall Sydney man deserves more credit than he receives. Tests, ODIs, T20, he excels in all formats. A glut of Aussie retirements cannot be far away but it is Starc who will be missed the most.

Australia win India's World Cup!

In 2019, the ICC World Cup Final delivered as close a contest as you could possibly imagine, and it was the home nation, England, which managed to come out on top. Four years on, and it was the hosts who again were hot favourites. However, the Bollywood scriptwriters were absent and, instead of the predicted coronation of Rohit Sharma’s men as champions, the 120,000-odd spectators at Ahmedabad were stunned by a determined Australia, and the outstanding performance of Travis Head. 

On paper, this tournament was the property of the ICC but in practice it felt like it was owned by Narendra Modi, the autocratic Prime Minister of India, after whom the final’s magnificent stadium is named. As India cruised through the group stages unbeaten, he must have been convinced that the trophy was in his hands, too. 

India undoubtedly looked the most complete team. From skipper Rohit Sharma’s blistering starts down to Jasprit Bumrah’s ideosyncratic pace bowling, they had all bases covered. And they had Virat Kohli. 2023 hasn’t been a vintage year for the former captain but he retains the faith of a billion cricket fans, and with good reason. He was by far the leading scorer and when he was dismissed in the final for a mere 54, the silence was deafening. The ovation for his record-breaking fiftieth career ODI century, against New Zealand in the Mumbai semi-final reverberated around the globe, as befits such an imperious batter. 

Looking back, New Zealand were quickest out of the traps. They achieved some sort of revenge for the 2019 defeat by destroying England emphatically. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra each made tons and shared what was to prove the highest partnership of the tournament, an unbeaten 273. For the losers, it created an unwanted foundation for a disastrous defence of the trophy. However, Jos Buttler tried to spin it, there were no positives whatsoever, but more on that another time. 

The Black Caps eased to four successive wins against relatively unfancied opposition, while Australia fell to both India and South Africa. However, when the Aussies withstood a late Neesham onslaught to beat their neighbours thrillingly by five runs at Dharamsala, the tables were turning. Meanwhile, South Africa were also looking ominous. In his final World Cup, Quinton de Kock was scoring centuries for fun, and their 428-5 against Sri Lanka, featuring a trio of tons, was awe-inspiring. 

However, as the weeks passed, the top four seemed to be separating themselves from the rest. Going into the final few rounds, Kane Williamson’s side started to look vulnerable to a possible late charge from Pakistan and even Afghanistan, who won a lot of friends in this competition. Had it not been for Glenn Maxwell’s phenomenal one-legged slogfest, they would have finished the group with five victories and a slender chance of breaking into the knockouts. 

It didn’t happen, of course, and the perennial bridesmaids NZ and SA almost inevitably fell victims to India and Australia, respectively. They are not – repeat NOT – chokers. It’s just that they are never quite the best in the business. History has nowt to do with it. If it did, the West Indies would still be whupping everyone’s arses at the World Cup instead of sitting on their own arses in the Caribbean. 

Fans of T20 and the horrible Hundred have criticised the 50-over format for producing too few close contests in this World Cup. Yes, there have been some one-sided affairs but that happens in all tournaments in all sports. It’s just that many people have attention spans too short to appreciate a proper game of cricket. If I have a beef with the World Cup, it is the ten-team, all-plays-all group format, leaving only two knockout fixtures plus the final. Why not have twelve teams, two groups of six and a quarter-final stage? I know the answer, of course: money. Had this been adopted in 2023, India would have played a minimum of six games, not ten (assuming they qualified from their group), with the resulting reduction in revenue. Furthermore, the uncertainty of knockout cricket has the potential of an early upset. 

For fans like me, it would have the advantage of springing surprises, disrupting the status quo, which is anathema to the bodies who effectively run world cricket. Past tourneys have been memorable for the triumphs of Kenya, Ireland and the Netherlands. I love it when the likes of Bas de Leede and Ibrahim Zadran can demonstrate their talents on the highest stage. 

I have no idea what the ICC will do next time. However, I suspect that the 2027 affair will see a new batch of stars. Will the current cabal of mid-thirty-somethings still be around? Surely, the Aussies will need a new group of quicks to replace Pat Cummins and co. David Warner was leaping around the field like a spring chicken but he will be pushing forty. So will, for heaven’s sake, Virat Kohli! Somehow, I fancy that he will postpone his retirement, as did Tendulkar, for one last hurrah and a chance to hold this still significant trophy. I hope so. 

Mike’s Team of the Tournament:  De Kock (SA, +), Sharma (Ind), Ravindra (NZ), Kohli (Ind), Mitchell (NZ), Maxwell (Aus), Jadeja (Ind), Zampa (Aus), Shami (Ind), Bumrah (Ind), Coetzee (SA).

 

Honourable mentions: Warner (Aus), Ibrahim Zadran (Afg), Iyer (ind), Madushanka (SL) 

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)

Yorkshire surge a-Head

While England were giving Pakistan a hiding in Test cricket, the remaining county players were involved in a week of the white ball stuff. Most sides played a couple of Royal London Cup group fixtures before a Friday night of T20 Blast.

Yorkshire are top of the North group in the 50-over competition and heading for the Blast quarter-finals, too. Travis Head and Jack Leaning shared a county record stand of 274 against Leicestershire the young Aussie left-hander making 175 in 139 balls. Leaning also thrashed a 29-ball 64 against Northants later in the week. If the specialists didn’t make the runs, then the likes of Tim Bresnan stepped up to the mark.

Jesse Ryder starred with the bat for Essex, who lead the South division with Somerset. The latter won both their games, gaining revenge for recent defeats at the hands of Middlesex. Peter Trego doesn’t bowl much these days but against the Londoners, he followed a century with a useful 2-27. A shame Somerset are struggling so badly in the Blast. With no chance of qualifying for the knockouts, they fielded a very unfamiliar team against Hampshire and received a sound beating. Liam Dawson took 5-17.

Northants had a mixed week. Lying second in the Blast North division, they welcomed back Ben Duckett after his prolific one-day performances for the England Lions. He didn’t score any more centuries but contributed quite a few runs to the cause. Instead, Richard Keogh struck 134 in 110 balls in the win over Durham.

There were other ton-makers, too. Sam Hain also hit 107 for Warwickshire (against Durham again), while Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Worcs), Paul Stirling and, in a rare outing, Eoin Morgan for Middlesex, Riki Wessels (Notts) and Joe Denly (Kent) also got in the act. Surrey’s opener Jason Roy hit the highest T20 score of the week – a 62-ball 120 against Kent – but special plaudits go Colin Ingram’s way. He reached three figures in each format for Glamorgan, although sadly his 101 off the Essex attack was in vain. The Welsh side endured two no-results, although they were already guaranteed a place in the quarters.

Bowlers pitched in, too. In addition to Dawson, there were five-fors from Gareth Batty, Rikki Clarke and the Northants pair Azharullah and Gleeson. Kent’s Matt Coles was recalled and nabbed six Hampshire wickets, albeit for 56 runs.

So what next in the Blast? For all Roy’s heroics this week, and Surrey’s encouragingly large crowds this summer, the county narrowly failed to qualify, edged out by Essex whose last game was abandoned thanks to rain. In a few weeks’ time, Essex now face a trip to Trent Bridge, where the Notts batsmen have been in fine form this year. Northants will host Middlesex, Gloucestershire play Durham, while Glamorgan will welcome Yorkshire to Sophia Gardens. That could be a real cracker, especially if Ingram and Head come – er - head to head.

Team of the Week: Roy (Sur), Hain (War), Head (Yor), Leaning (Yor), Ingram (Gla), Trego (Som), Ambrose (War +), McLaren (Ham), Bresnan (Yor), Coles (Ken), Gleeson (Nor)