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) 

2019 Review - My Team of the Year

As most years, 2019 experienced a range of cricket-related emotions. David Warner and Steve Smith returned from their bans to mixed reviews. Warner enjoyed some success in the IPLwhile his former Test captain swapped tears for a deaf ear to barracking England fans and almost single-handedly retained the Ashes for Australia. However, possibly the world’s only genuine world-class all-rounder, Shakib al-Hasan, ended this year in disgrace, suspended for at least a year for ‘failing to report corrupt approaches’. He really ought to have known better. 

Ben Stokes escaped a jail sentence and the dial on his luck-ometer remained fixed at eleven throughout the summer. His diving deflection and strokeplay carried England to an extraordinary World Cup Final triumph at Lord’s against a desperately unfortunate New Zealand, followed by a heroic unbeaten century of eight sixes and strike-farming to save the Headingley Test. India consolidated their number one Test ranking by winning all four Test series, including rubbers in Australia and the West Indies. After losing their inaugural Test in 2018, Afghanistan claimed their first wins, against Ireland and, more significantly, Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka struggled again and, despite retaining their T20 top-rank status, Pakistan had a nightmare year in all formats. Their only series success came against Sri Lanka in 50-over cricket in their long-awaited return to home-territory internationals. Let’s hope bringing internationals home after a decade will be the springboard to a change in fortunes.

South Africa were another side in transition. The Test team was slaughtered in India, but whitewashed Sri Lanka in ODIs before a lacklustre World Cup. They also suffered a whole host of international retirements, including Amla, Steyn, Duminy and Imran Tahir. At least they ended the calendar year with a first-class victory over England. Veterans Lasith Malinga and Shoaib Malik also bade farewell to ODIs this year, and Yuvraj Singh won’t be playing at the top level again. I wouldn’t mind betting, though, that they will continue to rake in the dollars and rupees in Twenty 20.

So who makes my team of the year? 

David Warner’s return to the fold reaped immediate rewards. Whilst not playing much 50-over cricket, he nonetheless accumulated more than 2,500 runs in all formats. KL Rahul was in superb white-ball form, nobody scored more List A runs than Aaron Finch and Mayank Agarwal struck some huge scores for India, but my other opener is Rohit Sharma. Outscoring even Virat Kohli in ODIs, he also scored three centuries in six Test innings, including two in the First Test against South Africa. 

His captain Virat Kohli’s place in my end-of-year Eleven is almost guaranteed. Will he ever suffer a loss of form? Skippering the world’s undisputed top Test nation hasn’t hurt him as a batsman, averaging 68 in eight Tests and achieving strike rates of 96 and 145 in ODI and T20 cricket, respectively. However, someone scored more than four times as many first-class runs as the Indian master in 2019. Not Smith, not Root, not Williamson. No, I’m talking about Marnus Labuschagne. I confess to being ignorant of him prior to his string of hundreds for Glamorgan in the early summer, but he proved to be no mere bully of Second Division county attacks. At first deputising for Steve Smith, he went on to out-score him, ending the year with three big Test hundreds in succession against Pakistan and New Zealand advancing him to four in the ICC rankings. Including his performances for Queensland he amassed 2,703 first-class runs in 2019, way ahead of anyone else, and his leg-spin gives him an extra dimension, too.

Faf du Plessis, Ross Taylor and even Dawid Malan had a commendable twelve-month period but for my final middle-order slot I’ve leaned towards Pakistan. Last year I narrowly plumped for Babar Azam in my XI. This time there can be no doubt he deserves his spot. In an under-performing Pakistan outfit he shone strong and bright. Not only was Azam the world’s top scorer in senior T20 cricket (1,607 runs) but he also completed 2019 in a red-ball purple patch, striking three tons and a 97 in four consecutive Tests. Aged just 25, he is young enough to develop into a truly world-class all-round batsman.

My wicketkeeper-batsman is an absolute shoo-in: Quinton de Kock. Carey, Paine, Hope and Buttler each had their moments but the South African left-hander was imperious in all forms of the game. He compiled more than 2,400 runs and 80 dismissals, boasting a three-figure strike rate in ODIs. AB De Villiers may have been missed in the World Cup but De Kock  maturing nicely into a formidable member of the Proteas and T20 gun for hire.

With Shakib al-Hasan in disgrace, genuine all-rounders were in short supply. Jason Holder is a big fish in a desperately diminished Caribbean pond where he contributes a few wickets and the occasional astonishing innings; more than half his 2019 Test runs were scored in that 202 not out against England at Bridgetown. With better team-mates around him, he would be in my team of the year but for sheer personality and big-match temperament I’ve plumped for Ben Stokes. His seam bowling may not have been world-class, and he didn’t really earn his millions for the Rajasthan Royals, but for promoting cricket to the UK front pages for the first time in yonks (probably since Stokes was up in court!) the Durham man gets the nod.

No bowlers were truly outstanding. Even in his mid-thirties, Peter Siddle remained one of the world’s most skilled seamers in the four-day game, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer led the England attack with brio, India’s Mohammed Shami was a deceptively swift and prolific swing bowler in ODIs and Kabiso Rabada was a consistent paceman for South Africa. The New Zealand seam attack of Boult, Southee, Wagner, Ferguson and Henry were always impressive as a unit, though not necessarily as individuals.

In their place I have selected the Aussie pair of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. At 26, the former is finally fit enough to fire on all cylinders on a regular basis, combining sheer pace with control. He’s not yet Glenn McGrath but he took 59 Test wickets at just over 20 apiece, which is world-class. The left-armer Starc is supposedly weaker in the Test arena but statistically he wasn’t far behind Cummins.

Spin bowling made less impact in 2019 so there were relatively few names in contention. Simon Harmer’s 99 first-class wickets, helping Essex to another County Championship, make him impossible to ignore. Naturally Rashid Khan entered my thinking, bowling Afghanistan to an historic Test victory over Bangladesh and doing his usual thing with the white ball. However, even he took fewer T20 wickets than Imran Tahir. The South African may be almost twice the age of Rashid but his 79 victims, allied to 30 in List A fixtures, established his place at cricket’s top table. And his joyful wheeling sprint celebrations after taking wickets at the World Cup always lifted the spirits. If sport can’t do that, what’s the point?!

In conclusion, here is my 2019 Team of the Year:-

Warner (Aus), R Sharma (Ind), Babar Azam (Pak), Kohli (Ind), Labuschagne (Aus), De Kock (SA +), Stokes (Eng), Starc (Aus), Harmer (SA), Imran Tahir (SA), Cummins (Aus)

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Rahul (Ind), Buttler (Eng), Rabada (SA), Mohammed Shami (Ind)

No Super Over Rescue this time for England

It’s been almost two months since my last cricket blog. Following the crushing conclusion to the English county season and the high drama of the Ashes, there hasn’t been an awful lot to write about. Yes, a handful of Twenty20s and The Hundred’s draft – something nobody understands for something nobody wants – but little to get the heart pounding. Until now.

India have become the first nation to win four successive Tests by an innings. OK, so the final two were against Bangladesh lacking their best player, but the first two in the sequence were against South Africa, even if the Proteas are not as strong as they were a few years ago. Virat Kohli continues to break records of his own and the last victory was clinched with all wickets taken by seamers (India?!). In Brisbane, Australia handed Pakistan their thirteenth consecutive defeat on their shores, and just for a change their runs weren’t primarily provided by Steve Smith.

Which brings us back to England. Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes may well be practising their bowing and scraping in advance of their likely New Year knighthoods but Joe Root’s may have to wait awhile after falling victim  to another of the week’s innings outcomes at The Bay Oval.

New Zealand may have suffered two excruciatingly tight limited-overs losses to England in recent months but in proper cricket they were undone by poor batting and an inability to dismiss the Black Caps’ seventh-wicket pairing for more than eighty overs. A first innings of 353 didn’t look too shabby but that was ery nearly matched by the combined scores of BJ Watling (a career-best 205) and spinner Mitchell Santner (a maiden Test century) who shared a stand of 261. England bowlers toiled for only two wickets on day three before Watling and Santner cranked it up on the fourth, the latter rounding off a superb six hours by dismissing both openers and nightwatchman Leach with the ball.

England desperately dug in for the draw, with Santner bowling nineteen maidens, but Neil Wagner’s lively 5-44 was the decisive factor.  It’s only a two-Test series which won’t count for the World Test Championship, in which NZ currently occupy second place, but it was a humbling experience for new coach Chris Silverwood. It was nice to see Dominic Sibley win his first cap after such a commanding season with Warwickshire, and he did outscore his captain, but that was all. He should get another chance, as might Ollie Pope.

Jofra Archer got no support from the pitch, nor from the crowd. Racist abuse should not be tolerated in any situation but it seems a bit rich to complain when bowlers are constantly spitting vile abuse at the opposition and getting away with it. Sledging = abuse, isn’t it? I hope they throw the book at the small-minded bozo who yelled at Archer across the boundary but it shouldn’t distract from the fact that England were well beaten. Next week Trent Boult will probably be absent through injury but with Matt Henry or Lockie Ferguson waiting in the wings, England will face further disciplined seam and swing bowling, and they will do well to win the series. They don’t have Super Overs in Tests….

2018 Cricket Team of the Year

2018 wasn’t a vintage year for cricket, and there were no major international tournaments in the men’s game. However, Meg Lanning’s Australia reigned supreme in the Women’s T20 World Cup while Suzie Bates, Smiriti Mandhana. Poonam Yadav and Leigh Kasparek were the most successful exponents of the women’s game.

India remained the leading nation, retaining Test cricket’s ceremonial mace despite coming a 4-1 cropper last summer in England. Their travel woes currently seem behind them, temporarily at least, thanks to a resounding victory at the MCG this week. The Aussies are in minor disarray after having their captain and vice-captain banned for a year for their disgraceful policy of getting young Cameron Bancroft to cheat in South Africa. It didn’t help them much. Despite having destroyed England last winter, Australia were thoroughly outplayed by De Kock’s team.

England also ended the year in the top three of all formats and must be favourites in the 2019 World Cup. Pakistan head the T20 rankings while Sri Lanka’s decline has dropped them below Afghanistan and in danger of not qualifying for the next T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the Afghans played their first ever Test match in June, but India trounced them inside two days. Rashid Khan may be the greatest limited-overs spin bowler in the world but he was granted a rude awakening in the first-class game, taking 2-154 on his Test debut.

Alastair Cook, Morne Morkel and Rangana Herath were amongst those announcing international retirements although only the former received a knighthood! Dale Steyn was fit for long enough to finally eclipse Shaun Pollock’s Test wicket record but Jimmy Anderson – wrapped in cotton wool for much of the year - just kept on swinging to become the most prolific fast bowler in Test history.

So who makes my team of the year?

Bangladesh’s Mominul Haque scored more first-class runs than anybody else, compiling four centuries in his last six games of the year, but openers were conspicuously absent from those near the top of the list. Instead I’ve had to raid the white ball stars. Shikhar Dhawan again makes my XI and, while Colin Munro was the leading T20 scorer, Jos Buttler beats him, thanks to a surprisingly successful recall to England’s five-day line-up. Only Jonny Bairstow had a superior ODI strike rate than Buttler’s 113.53.

Virat Kohli was the first name on my team sheet. Despite shouldering the burden of India’s captaincy in all three formats, it was his runs which did more than anything to keep his country at the top of the pile. I think he was the only man to accumulate more than 3,000 runs in all cricket, and that’s without any domestic first-class or 50-over fixtures. The man was a machine. It’s such a shame that New Zealand play so few internationals because Kane Williamson remains a global star, adding a T20 strike rate of 137 to his already impressive CV. 

Hashim Amla endured an uncharacteristically mediocre run, Steve Smith was crying on a beach somewhere, and Joe Root still couldn’t quite turn enough fifties into tons. In their places, Rohit Sharma, Bairstow and Khawaja were all in the frame but I’ve gone for Babar Azam. Whilst not as rapid as other contenders in the shorter formats, the Pakistani batsman was almost as consistent as Williamson across all types of cricket.

Shakib al-Hasan is officially the number one all-rounder but in 2019 I’d say he was marginally overtaken by West Indian seamer Jason Holder. Perhaps if Shakib had played more matches for Bangladesh he would have done enough to hold on to his place in my Eleven.

Behind the stumps, I could have plumped for De Kock or Buttler. However, I think 21 year-old Rishabh Pant has developed sufficiently to enjoy a stellar year. He made his Test debut in England while his T20 strike rate during the year of 173 was superior even to De Villiers and Finch! If only MS Dhoni would relinquish the ODI gloves, young Pant could step up to superstardom because he’s also no fool as a ‘keeper.

My leading pace bowlers are the same as 2018’s. Indeed, Kagiso Rabada is there for the third consecutive year. His Test figures were the strongest including 52 wickets at barely 20 apiece. Morkel, Anderson, Pat Cummins, Matt Henry and Duanne Olivier each staked a claim but I’ve selected Mohammad Abbas, whose 104 first-class wickets were achieved at a superb average of 15.37. He was brilliant for Leicestershire last summer and devastating against Australia in October.

Jasprit Bumrah’s peculiar straight-armed action proved equally adept in Tests as in the shorter stuff this year. His ODI economy was excellent as ever but he also took 48 wickets at 21 in the five-day game, including 6-33 in the recent contest with Australia at Melbourne. My final selection could have gone to South African Simon Harmer but there’s no ignoring Rashid Khan. He was by far the leading wicket-taker in T20, with 96 in 61 appearances at barely a run a ball, and also rattled off 48 victims in ODIs, albeit mostly against weak nations. The World Cup could be his stage this coming summer, and he’s still only 20. I wish him well.

In summary, here is my 2018 Team of the Year:-

Buttler (Eng), Dhawan (Ind), Kohli (Ind), Williamson (NZ), Babar Azam (Pak), Pant (Ind, +), Holder (WI), Rabada (SA), Bumrah (Ind), Abbas (Pak), Rashid Khan (Afg).

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Khawaja (Aus), Bairstow (Eng), Hasan Ali (Pak) and Shakib (Ban).

Cricket in the SPOTYlight

In my younger days, one of the television highlights of the year was the BBC Sports Review of the Year. Broadcast live every December, I would enthusiastically wallow in nostalgia, loving the ‘goosebump’ moments from that year’s sporting events as well as the compilations of ‘funnies’ and special guests in the Beeb’s studio, watched by rows of mostly blokes in blazers.

This weekend, the programme will be hosted in the huge Genting Arena in Birmingham, complete with Oscars-style production values and a substantial audience expected to be wearing more dinner jackets and posh frocks than beige blazers. Amongst the many awards to be presented will be two of the more traditional ones: the overall BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) and its Overseas equivalent.

The former has, since 1954, been determined by a public vote, be it by names submitted on a postcard or the current instant online method. By and large, those chosen have been worthy winners although BBC viewers have occasionally served up surprises.

Perhaps the greatest of them all came in 1975 when, after being called up by England to face the intimidating Aussie attack of Lillee and Thomson, cricketer David Steele saw off allcomers to take the SPOTY prize. Just as well, because the Ashes were lost but, while he scored consistently without once reaching three figures, the England batsman’s prematurely grey hair, schoolmasterly specs and shy-but-solid character endeared himself to the viewing public in an extraordinary way. Two years later he was largely forgotten but the name David Steele will forever be engraved on one of the trophy’s plinth shields.

In 64 years, only three other cricketers have taken the main award, and only two others placed second or third. In 1956, Jim Laker triumphed on the back of his 19-wicket achievement against Australia, then in 1981 and 2005, further Ashes accomplishments received SPOTY recognition, to the benefit of Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff. Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch are the additional pair to claim the minor prizes. Since cricket accepted self-imposed exile on Sky, becoming a minority sport in the process, the chances of a cricketer winning SPOTY have decreased sharply. I can’t imagine even Alastair Cook, Jimmy Anderson or Joe Root making Sunday night’s shortlist of six. Only another outstanding Ashes or World Cup performance could end the drought. 2019 perhaps?

But what about the Overseas Personality prize? Well, cricket hasn’t fared much better. Of course, individual sports are more suited than team games to such awards. While tennis and athletics have dominated in recent years a mere three cricketers have been selected by the judges (not public). The award was introduced in 1960, too late for Garry Sobers’ 365. However, the West Indian did receive the accolade in 1966, shared with World Cup footballer Eusebio.

It was another 28 years before Brian Lara erased the record, and a few others, making him a shoo-in for the BBC’s 1994 award. Then, in 2005, to balance Flintoff’s SPOTY and Ashes triumphs, the trophy went to the brilliant Aussie spinner Shane Warne, whose individual performances in defeat eclipsed even Freddie’s. However there has never been space in the panel's affections for superstars such as Dennis Lillee, Viv Richards (defeated in his vintage year of ’76 by gymnast Nadia Comaneci), Imran Khan, Sachin Tendulkar or Muttiah Muralitharan.

So could a cricketer win in 2018? Despite there being a Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games and football World Cup, I reckon those charged with deciding these things must surely consider the claim of Virat Kohli. After such a stonking year for him personally, making loads of runs in all formats while shouldering the burdens of India’s captaincy and expectations, It is surely time for cricket to take centre stage once again on BBC Sport’s gala night of glory.

Virat Kohli – The Best ever?

This week, Virat Kohli reached the landmark of 10,000 runs in ODIs. In fact, he didn’t reach the barrier so much as smash through it. The achievement came with a century against the West Indies, which was duly followed by another, his third in succession.

Much has been made of his joining the five-figure club in only 205 innings, by far the quickest to do so. In particular, he needed 54 fewer innings than his illustrious former India team-mate Sachin Tendulkar. As EspnCricinfo’s analysis illustrates, a straightforward comparison of statistics is meaningless; you need to factor in the evolution in one-day batting during the past twenty years.

Without get bogged down in numbers, suffice it to say that, when comparing each player’s scoring records with their contemporaries, there isn’t a lot to separate Tendulkar and Kohli. Both are legends of their respective generations and those of us who have seen them both play should savour the experience. Of course, Kohli should have many more years ahead of him. His 30^th birthday may be looming but if he maintains the fitness, appetite and skill for another decade, he could yet surpass SRT’s formidable world record of 18,426 runs.

Both had their fallow periods but Kohli’s purple patches seem to stretch on and on. In the past three years, he has accumulated well over 3,000 runs at more than one a ball. In 2018 his average is an astonishing 144 and, unlike various other pretenders to his throne, has the great ability to convert 50s into centuries. He rarely throws his wicket away, knows how to judge a chase and all this while bearing the weight of his nation’s captaincy.

Only twelve others have passed 10,000 ODI runs, and already Kohli has eclipsed his long-time colleague and captain MS Dhoni. Dilshan, Lara and Dravid may well be overtaken during the winter, then Ganguly, Inzamam and Kallis are in his sights by the end of 2019. The big five are further ahead but, unless something unexpected happens, all bar Tendulkar will surely be hunted down by the time Kohli is 35.

Virat’s average, not necessarily as significant a stat as in Tests, is an astonishing 59.90. Nobody else, past and present, has come close. The likes of Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Brendon McCullum and AB De Villiers boast superior strike rates but Kohli looks the complete one-day batsman without the need for wild slogging.

I remember when he made his debut in 2008, he was seen as a one-day specialist and it was another three years before breaking through into the Test team. Questions were asked, and it took him a while before establishing himself. Could he succeed in the five-day format?

Could he hell?! I’m not sure what switch was tripped in 2016 but, alongside his ODI career, his Test figures went stratospheric. He currently tops the rankings in both formats and also  at 12 in the highly specialist T20 field. The man can do no wrong. Get him in the Brexit negotiating team immediately! Put him in charge of eliminating global plastic use right now!

Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Hashim Amla are all magnificent all-round batsmen but at the moment Kohli is untouchable. Where he sits in the all-time pantheon of limited-overs strokeplayers is a different matter. I wonder how incredible blazing bladesmiths like Viv Richards, Everton Weekes, Gary Sobers, Zaheer Abbas or even the more recent Javed Miandad, Brian Lara or Adam Gilchrist would have fared in this era of short boundaries, helpful fielding restrictions and a T20-led mindset. Pretty well, I fancy. I may be biased but reckon my idol Sir Viv would have eaten Kohli for breakfast.

I have read comments about is character and personality which express contrasting opinions. I don’t really know whether he is a lazy egotistical tyrant or a well-meaning team player. He can’t be both! All I can say is that a haughty remote cricketer wouldn’t be so ready to acknowledge the “Kohli, Kohli, give us a wave!” brigade as I have seen him do in Cardiff. As for his position amongst the all-time greats, I think it best to wait for his retirement before passing judgment. In the meantime, I rate him above everybody other batsman playing at the moment so let’s just enjoy watching a superb player in his absolute pomp.

England clinch 4-1 victory over India

In the end, England enjoyed another resounding series success over top-ranked India, by 4-1. Virat Kohli must have had both sets of fingers crossed behind his back when he said his side was not outclassed. Alternatively he was perhaps being modest given that for much of the series India’s batting rested heavily on his shoulders.

It may be true that there was no gaping chasm in quality between the two nations, but the statistics don’t lie. Kohli, Pandya and Bumrah delivered a rare victory at Trent Bridge, and it’s true that Edgbaston and Southampton witnessed two evenly-contested games. Had Alastair Cook not delivered two classic ‘Chef’ innings in his final international appearance, the Oval climax could have been another tight affair. All ifs and buts. 

It’s great that Kohli at last overcame his England hoodoo. Indeed, he scored far more runs (593) in the five-match series than anywhere else on either side, and of those playing more than two Tests, was the only man to average over 40. His majestic 149 out of the first innings total of 274 in the first Test was the highlight, demonstrating the technical changes he had made to counter the movement of Jimmy Anderson in particular, and that they worked extremely well.  The trouble is, most of his loyal lieutenants didn’t follow suit. Dhawan, Rahane, Vijay and, until the very last day – when the pressure was off - Lokesh Rahul, all performed badly. Cheteshwar Pujara struck a typically pugnacious 132 not out to give India a rare first-innings lead at Southampton but there were too many consistent batting failures to give India a chance of winning three matches and therefore the Pataudi Trophy. The skipper must be wondering why it took an Essex debut for Murali Vijay to score a first-class century this year, having garnered only 26 in four Test knocks.

The bowling wasn’t amazing either, although Ishant Sharma’s early-summer Sussex experience bore fruit, and Jasprit Bumrah reproduced his white ball qualities in the last three Tests.

And yet history will show England to have ruled the roost. Ben Stokes returned with some fire in his belly, after getting away with his shameful violent assault on passers-by last autumn in Bristol. Stuart Broad had his moments, while Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and newcomer Sam Curran each received Player of the Match awards for their all-round performances.

Alastair Cook’s miserable run will have been forgotten when, having announced his imminent retirement, he remembered why he is England’s highest run scorer and finished a magnificent career with a 147. Yet the home team achieved only three other hundreds in the whole series, including lower-order duo Woakes and a recalled Jos Buttler. Jennings’ hold on an opener spot looks extremely tenuous but he’s fortunate that there are few obvious contenders to replace him and Cook. Bairstow was out of sorts, young Ollie Pope couldn’t reproduce his Surrey form and Malan was rightly rejected early on.

However, this wasn’t merely a series for Cook and Kohli. Instead it was a tantalising triumph for 36 year-old Jimmy Anderson. His match figures of 9-43 at Lord’s were pivotal in England’s innings victory and then, with the last delivery of the entire series, the Burnley Bullet overtook Glenn McGrath to become the highest Test wicket-taker by any non-spinner. Blessed with top-notch fitness, it’s not impossible for Anderson to overhaul Kumble and Warne, although Muralitharan’s 800 is probably a record too far!

For all their top-order trials, England must surely take more positives than India from this concertina’d concerto of a tour. Some youth has been blooded successfully and newly-crowned county champions Surrey – always so popular with selectors - are chock full of players who could do a job for England. The Currans and Pope have been tried yet may not reach their peak for a while yet, while Stoneman and Burns are easily the best openers in the Championship and Ben Foakes is a more solid rival to the flamboyant Bairstow as ‘keeper-batsman. On the other hand I suspect the evergreen all-rounder Rikki Clarke will be considered too old to add to his two caps received fifteen years ago. Mind you, he’s only ten months older than J. Anderson, Esquire, and he’s not doing at all badly. Sri Lanka next month might not be Clarke’s cup of tea, so Woakes, Rashid and Moeen may be resting more easily.

As for India, Virat Kohli and co have a few problems when it comes to five-day cricket in England but they are not world number ones for nothing. I’m sure a home series against the West Indies will see them back to winning ways. I’d like to thank India for their contribution to a great summer of sport and I look forward to them returning in a few years’ time and not being outclassed again.

Cricket’s Fun Factor

The other day I enjoyed reading Barney Ronay’s Guardian article  in which the author extols the virtues of taking pleasure in sport and indeed in seeing others take pleasure in it. He was focussing specifically on football, the ‘beautiful game’ which has been turning progressively uglier with every passing season in direct correlation with the amount of money swilling around in the trough, but it resonates more widely than that.

Most players seem to be losing their engagement with the fans. They arrive at grounds lost in their headphones, alighting from swish coaches making a brief walk to the stadium door seeing only be-suited security managers and a Sky TV cameraman, and never a single supporter. I would once have criticised them for avoiding the very people who pay their wages but that’s no longer true; it’s the TV companies and sponsors who do that. Fans are just people who cover up the rows of seats to make the TV pictures look more interesting. If a supporter tries to contact such a sporting celebrity, at best he or she may pose for a selfie, more likely be ignored, and at worst, if it’s Jamie Carragher, get spat on.

However, I am beginning to see the same principle affecting cricket, if not the beautiful game then the aesthetically pleasing and polite game. I sincerely hope we don’t get to see mobile footage of someone like a Flintoff, Holding or Slater gobbing over an Aussie wind-up merchant gloating over the Ashes or a T20 defeat, but who knows?!

A lot comes down to what we as cricket supporters see on the pitch. I’m no  devotee of Twenty20 but it does at least bring players down to the pitch in full view of spectators and TV viewers instead of hiding behind glass up in the dressing room, swigging sponsors’ beer or poring over a laptop. In the past week, we’ve had De Kock clashing with Warner and, on the pitch, Kagiso Rabada spoiling his electric eleven-wicket haul  at Port Elizabeth by deliberately barging Steve Smith, a second boorish offence resulting in a deserved two-Test ban. Some decry the punishment for seeking to quash natural aggression and passion for the game. Nonsense! Like footballers or pundits propelling spittle at other humans, swearing and charging has nothing to do with passion, only disrespect. It certainly has nothing to do with promoting fun.

In a sport where there’s lots of ‘down’ time – between overs, wickets, sessions, rain delays, etc, much entertainment has to be provided by fans. The chants by dreary drunks can be dull as ditchwater but when I go to a game I always keep an ear out for a witty barb and an eye for a costume worn not necessarily to attract the cameras but for the sheer hell of it. You don’t get that in a two-hour high-pressure cooker of a football match.

And yet of course the players do have a role to play. It’s not just the matter of superb strokes, brilliant bowling and fabulous fielding but the interaction with spectators. It doesn’t matter if there are a few hundred elderly boater wearers and Telegraph readers or twenty thousand pint-wielding twenty-somethings, we all love it when someone patrolling at third man or deep mid-wicket exchanges a few light-hearted quips or gestures with someone the other side of the boundary. Even if the Indian skipper responds to fans singing “Kohli, Kohli, give us a wave” with a simple raise of the hand, it means more than a million press conference interviews.

That’s the fun factor - and heaven help cricket if it disappears.

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).

Pakistan are CT Champions!

Congratulations to Pakistan for lulling everyone into a false sense of security with that embarrassment at Edgbaston two weeks ago before trouncing England and now India to claim their first Champions Trophy and first ODI crown since Imran’s men held aloft the World Cup 25 years ago.

After that Group B defeat to India, coach Micky Arthur described it as “a reality check of where we are in ODIs”. Seeing as Pakistan were ranked eighth entering the competition, this seemed an appropriate response. So how did his charges transform so quickly from no-hopers into irresistible champions?

I suspect the answer is not a simple one; a mix of good fortune, hard work, strategy and brilliant individual performances when it mattered. The India opener excepted, Pakistan’s strength lay with their seam bowlers. The strategy of softening up the opposition with Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan, entice them with the spinners then – POW! – introduce Hasan Ali and bring back the opening pair. Crucial spells did for South Africa and Sri Lanka then in the Cardiff semi, everyone played their part in a game few expected them to win.

The England engine room of big hitters failed miserably to attack the Pakistan bowlers of all speeds. Yet again it was Hasan who stole the show with three wickets but the team’s major improvement was in their batting. Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman shared a century partnership before Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez finished the job in style, defying the country’s reputation for failed run chases.

Once India had made similarly short work of Bangladesh the following day, the assumption was that Pakistan’s renaissance would come unstuck against Kohli and co in the final. Surely the Indian batting would be too strong even for a full-strength Pakistani pace attack?

The India skipper has been condemned for winning the toss and inserting Pakistan. However, it’s not such a stupid decision when there are himself, Sharma, Dhawan, Yuvraj, Dhoni et al to charge towards any target. Where it began to look fragile was when newbie Fakhar followed his two 50s with a maiden ODI century. Hafeez demonstrated his ability not only to plod in Tests but also to strike sixes and suddenly they were 338-4. No probs. All week, counties were knocking up scores of 350+ in the Royal London Cup so why not India?

Amir took the new ball and trapped Sharma plumb third ball. His tail up, he continued to bowl superbly, ably assisted by Junaid, and India’s famed batting order was in tatters. The top five were all back in the pavilion with just 54 on the board and this time Sarfraz would not let his side’s collective boot off the Indian neck. Pandya showed some aggression and singlehandedly kept India in the hunt for three quarters of an hour. However, a farcical run-out mess with Jadeja left the tail exposed and that man Hasan Ali did the rest.

The 180-run victory margin was by far the biggest for a side batting first in an ICC one-day final and high on the list for any global competition fixture against a Test-playing nation. Hasan was named the Player of the Tournament, surely a no-brainer. He took the most wickets (13), had the best average (14.69) and the meanest economy rate (4.29). His youth (just 23) and inexperience were further demonstrated by the necessity of using an interpreter for the post-match interview. Ludicrously it was a one-sided translation so only Urdu speakers were able to understand his answers! Hopefully we’ll hear, as well as see a lot more of him in the future.

So are Pakistan now a global force once more, even without the retired Younis and Misbah? The CT triumph will undoubtedly boost the confidence of the team, the management and the PCA. New players have come through fro the discredited domestic cricket set-up. And yet the latter’s consistent cock-up tendencies will probably not disappear overnight.

And India? Well, their strength in depth is undimmed. Even if MS Dhoni calls it a day, Kohli leads a formidable squad and they must remain the side to beat when the World Cup comes along in 2019. England will also be hoping to shrug off the Cardiff debacle, and become champions for the first time ever.

Team of the Tournament:-

Tamim Iqbal (Ban), Dhawan (Ind), Kohli (Ind), Root (Eng), Williamson (NZ), Shakib (Ban), Sarfraz (Pak + *), Plunkett (Eng), Junaid Khan (Pak), Hasan Ali (Pak), Hazlewood (Aus)

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.

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.

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.

India Serve Up a Feast of Runs

Poor Virat Kohli. It must be so tough to taste defeat on home soil. After all, yesterday’s five-run reverse in Kolkata was the first time it had happened to him as captain in nineteen matches. So India are not quite invincible, and England gave them a real contest over the three ODI fixtures.

At Pune, it took a blistering innings of 120 in 76 balls from Kedar Jadhav to overhaul England’s excellent 350. A few days later, the Cuttack encounter produced 747 runs, with a Morgan-inspired chase falling a mere 15 runs short. The five-run victory at Eden Gardens was no more than the tourists deserved, especially having failed to chalk up a single major triumph so far.

For the first time in a three-match ODI series all six innings delivered at least 300 runs. Never before has such a series produced an aggregate exceeding 2,000. It’s not often you get two centurions in one innings in consecutive matches either.

Jadhav and Kohli may have dominated the opener but it was a fairytale in Cuttack when the two 35 year-olds MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh shared a stand of 256. With all the hullabaloo around Kohli’s successful leadership and Dhoni’s stepping down before the series began, it seemed like a re-run of times past when the latter delivered a vintage century. Even more impressive was the fact that his partnership with Yuvi turned a score of 25-3 into a match-winning 381-6.

It wasn’t all about the Indian batsmen. England’s line-up had more than a few moments, too. Jason Roy passed 50 on all three occasions. Root and Stokes did so twice, while captain Morgan’s rum run of low scores ended with a measured century that came close to reaching that huge target in the second game.

Of course, for all the entertainment generated by such a run-fest, it was no fun to be a bowler. Chris Woakes topped the wickets table with a mere six. Ravi Jadeja was the only man to concede fewer than six runs an over. Ball, Stokes and Bumrah all conceded at least 200 across the series. Moeen Ali failed to take a single scalp in 20 overs. No, no fun at all!

All in all, a splendid advert for 50-over cricket, and I doubt the forthcoming Twenty20 encounters will serve up three such brilliant contests.

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!

Nair and Jadeja Grind England into the Dust

And so to Chennai, and still no respite for England. Another city, another crushing defeat. Until this week, it had been Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli lording it over the tourists. Now it was the turn of some of the Indian supporting cast to shine.

It was all looking so good when Alastair Cook won the toss and saw century stands from Moeen Ali/Joe Root and Liam Dawson/Adil Rashid advance England to a creditable 477 all out. At last, a decent platform from which to secure a consolation victory.

However, on the Sunday, the match swung the other way, or at least in the direction of a draw. Lokesh Rahul produced a splendid innings, yet appeared devastated to be caught, top-edging high to Buttler. He may have joined an elite club of batsmen to be out on 199, yet the young opener almost scored as many runs in that innings as the entire England side managed in their second outing.

On the fourth day, things went from bad to worse for Cook and co. Karun Nair took over where Rahul had left off. In only his third Test, the 25 year-old from Jodhpur converted his first ton into a triple, scoring more and more rapidly as the day wore on. He was still there on 303 when Kohli called time. He didn’t do it all on his own. He’d been part of three century partnerships as India piled up 759-7, a record total for India and more than anything previously conceded by England.

On such a flat pitch, it certainly wasn’t beyond England to see out a day and a bit to at least avoid defeat. In Mumbai, it was a much harder task: two and a bit days, and of course they collapsed to an innings defeat. Cook and Jennings did what was expected, putting on 103 for the first wicket. Both openers fell within four overs. Then the big blow was Joe Root missing a sweep on 6. Ravi Jadeja had nabbed all three. He promptly made it four, this time completing a terrific running catch to despatch Jonny Bairstow.

Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes had to knuckle down and bat for just a couple more hours. Unfortunately, with the score on 192-4, the former decided he needed to attack Jadeja and, seeing plenty of open space beyond mid-off, went for a lofted drive. The ball didn’t carry and it seemed as if the whole team deflated. The last six wickets tumbled for a pathetic 16 runs. Still 75 short of making India bat again, England had broken another unwanted record; their 477 had become by far the highest ever Test first innings total made by a side going on to lose by an innings!

After a relatively even challenge in the first two or three matches, the final couple were horrendously one-sided. So who was to blame?

Many are calling for Cook’s head. Ludicrous! He’s done pretty well, apart from the autumn encounters in Asia. England also need his runs too much to discard him altogether, which is what usually happens to outgoing skippers on these strange shores. Hameed and Jennings have each shown promise, but a couple of Tests doesn’t make them the answer to a nation’s prayer. Joe Root is certainly a captain waiting, and he was perhaps the biggest plus on the tour. It’s true he has a poor record when it comes to converting 50s into hundreds. But at least he is consistent at racking up the 50s!

A glance at the England batting averages suggests little to worry about. No fewer an six men averaged over 40. The problem leaps out of the bowling stats. Only Adil Rashid captured more than 10 wickets. Moeen Ali, in theory the ace spinner, took ten at almost 65 apiece! Anderson and Broad, when not injured, enjoyed little success either, and fellow seamers Woakes, Stokes and Ball were even worse.

As for India, only two of their bowlers took more than ten scalps, too. However, Ashwin and Jadeja were masters of their universe, knowing when to apply the pressure and induce false strokes, and having the skills to actually do it. Nair, Rahul, Pujara, Patel and Vijay proved that the makeshift batting line-up was up to the task, with Yadav and Ashwin providing sterling support lower down the order.

Moeen Ali’s rash stroke at Chennai didn’t lose the series, neither did Cook’s captaincy nor any other individuals. There does seem to be a severe issue with fourth innings collapses. That must surely be more mental than a physical failure against spin. At home, England remain a formidable unit, and the emphasis on attacking strokeplay has improved our limited-overs performances no end. But that may well have had a negative impact on the qualities required to play negatively when needed, and it will be needed in five-day cricket. Just watch what Pakistan did in scoring 450 in a magnificent yet ultimately unsuccessful run chase in Australia at the weekend. That took guts!

The selectors had few alternatives on the spin front, but Batty’s inclusion was a daft decision. So was bringing Gary Ballance. I don’t blame them taking Ben Duckett, though. Giving his summer form, that was a gamble worth taking. I just think England’s concentration on T20 skills has tipped the scales too far. We could just accept that India are currently unbeatable in Asia, have a go in the ODIs, work in the nets and re-group for the 2017 summer.

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 and England serve up a tasty appetiser

The First Test result may say ‘Drawn’ but I reckon England will claim the upper hand in readiness for the Second. Before the start I stuck my neck out for a 2-2 series score and I see nothing to make me change my mind.

When Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes strode back to the pavilion after day one at 311-4, all those fears of a ‘brownwash’ evaporated completely. I was shocked to read that no visiting Test batsman had reached three figures for three years. By the time England were eventually bowled out for 537, no fewer than three men had made hundreds!

Joe Root, Ali and Stokes knuckled down to compile big scores, although an embarrassment of dropped catches definitely helped. In the second innings, Alastair Cook made it four centuries but it was the man who fell 18 short who made most headlines.

Haseeb Hameed came close to becoming the youngest England centurion for donkeys’ years and suddenly he’s being touted as the opening partner for Cook we’ve been waiting for. Let’s not get too carried away just yet! I was apprehensive about the 19 year-old Lancastrian’s chances. Yes, he enjoyed a reasonably successful summer. However, after picking up a couple of hundreds in the August Roses encounter, his performances tailed off somewhat. Nevertheless, he has few serious competitors and selectors saw a fine technique against spin. Hats off to him; he took his chance well.

As usual, England raided the Oval dressing room, picking a Surrey opener, too. However, they played Zafar Ansari at ten, just ahead of Stuart Broad in his 100th Test match. Yet it was Adil Rashid who proved the most successful bowler, despite Chris Woakes’ typically tight spells and Moeen’s unusual economy.

In the end, they needed just four more wickets to turn a certain draw into an unlikely victory. However, India played their part in an excellent game of cricket. Vijay and Pujara, himself in a rich vein of form this autumn, also struck decent hundreds in the first innings to keep the deficit below 50. Who knows what might have happened had Virat Kohli not misjudged his back foot position while executing a pull, and hit his own wicket?

There was no obvious danger from the Indian bowlers, Yadav in particular, but Ashwin, Mishra and Jadeja will shine again before the year is out. Yes, both sides went for a triple-spin option and that’s probably how India will continue. I suspect the same won’t be true of England once Jimmy Anderson returns from injury, probably at Mohali.

Anyway, things are nicely set up for Visakhapatnam over on the east coast. If England’s batsmen demonstrate the same application and patience, they will not be bowled out twice, so India have a real job on their hands to get back to their winning ways.