2012 in Cricket

A post of the best in cricket in 2012:-

Team of the Year

In four Test series, three ODI's series and four T20 series they were unbeaten. They topped the rankings in all three formats, and have players in the top two or three of both Test and ODI rankings. 2012 should be remembered as the year South Africa finally delivered on their undoubted talent and went from being one of the best to the best.

Success was built around the form of Amla and Kallis's batting in Tests, and Amla and AB de Villiers in ODI's. Steyn, Philander and Morkel have a perfect mixture of being three outstanding fast bowlers with vastly different skill sets, and they still have Merchant de Lange to bring in should one of the previous three lose form. The batting line-up, now with the addition of Faf du Plessis, looks to have six quality test batters. AB's long term future as the keeper needs to be sorted, but with almost perfect timing 19 year-old Quintin De Kock has popped up. They could be very good for a very long time.

Honourable Mentions - West Indies (please not another false dawn), England Women (won every game bar the one that mattered most), Ireland (deserve their chance at the top table)

Batter of the Year

Tests - 11M, 1,595R @ 106.33
ODI - 15M, 656R @ 46.85

For Michael Clarke, the ODI numbers are very good, and only Kohli, Amla and De Villiers can be said to have had better years in that format. The Test numbers are staggering, not only compared to other players this year, but any player for any year in the last decade. What makes it so special is his progression into a truly heavy run scorer (no Test 200's before this year, four in 2012, one of which was a 300) whilst balancing the captaincy and the state of flux that the Aussie top order finds itself in, he hasn't always had the luxury of good starts to fall back.

He probably would have broken the world record against India, where he declared when he was on 329, to give his bowlers two and a half days to bowl out India. They did it in half that time. But his best innings, the sensational 230 against Australia, where on the first day he simply battered the best bowling attack in the world to all parts of Adelaide, only for his bowlers to be unable to force the win, will live long in the memory

Honourable Mentions - Hashim Amla (run machine), Marlon Samuels (a talent finally, finally delivered), Virat Kohli (white ball king)

Bowler of the Year

Tests - 39W @ 20.56
ODI - 31W @ 19.77
T20 - 25W @ 15.64

Whatever the format, wherever the game, Saeed Ajmal is the premier bowler in Pakistan's armoury. The debate over his action and doosra will continue (In my view if Murali got away with it then why shouldn't he), but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he has reached a level that very few spinners reach. He can bowl with both control and the ability to take wickets, attested by both a better than average strike rate and a fantastic economy rate in the limited overs game.

He blitzed England earlier in the year, and has performed consistently for Pakistan in white ball cricket, which is remarkable given the words "Pakistan", "cricket" and "consistent" and mentioned about as often as the words "Jonathan Trott" and "flair". He's come to international cricket late and will likely never play a match in his home country, so try and forget about the action and watch him bowl.

Honourable Mentions - Rangana Herath (who knew?), Peter Siddle (guts, guts and more guts), Sunil Narine (true test comes in Test matches in 2013)

Innings of the Year

Kevin Pietersen - 149 v South Africa, 2nd Test

Whatever the rights and wrongs, the whispers and the truths of the KP text/twitter/teammate farrago, there are a few things that hold true when he walked out to bat at Headingley in the 2nd test:-

- in his own mind he was unhappy in the dressing room
- South Africa were utterly on top in the series and match
- The South African pace bowling attack was currently the best in the world

The innings that followed showed the very best of Pietersen as both a player and individual (much as behaviour after the test showed the very worst). South Africa are on top, the best fast bowler in the world is somewhere near his best and he is ably supported by a varied attack and the best fielding unit you could want. Pietersen came out, puffed out his shoulders, and single handly grabbed back the momentum for England.

He began by building an innings, brutally dispatching the few bad balls he received. When South Africa switched to short ball tactics, he swatted Morkel into the leg side fence. But the coupe of grace was late in the day, when South Africa took the new ball. Firstly he thumped Philander for four and then strolled down the wicket to push him for one to bring up his hundred. But the best was yet to come as he launched Dale Steyn, the most intimidating bowler in world cricket, straight back over his head into the sightscreen. It was a shot of utter dismissiveness that showed on his day, there is simply no bowler that can stop Pietersen in full cry.

Honourable Mentions - Hashim Amla, 311* v England (the concentration of a monk), Michael Clarke, 230 v South Africa (carnage in Adelaide), Virat Kohli, 183 v Pakistan (330 to win an ODI against your biggest rivals), Marlon Samuels, 78 v Sri Lanka (the best T20 innings ever?)

Bowling Performance of the Year

Peter Siddle - 33-15-65-4 v South Africa, 2nd Test

Peter Siddle is not an outstanding fast bowler. In the grand scheme of things, he is, but when it comes to international level, he does nothing special. He's not particularly quick, he doesn't swing the ball a lot, he doesn't seam the ball a lot and he bowls more bad balls than he should. He's in the Australian team through sheer graft, and in the 2nd test in Adelaide that graft was finally met with the skills mentioned above.

South Africa needed to bat over a day and a half to save the test. The Aussies were already a quick bowler down with James Pattinson injured in the 1st innings, with Siddle having sent down 30 overs already. In the 2nd innings, with Hilfenhaus and Lyon accurate but ineffective, and Pattinson unable to bowl, Siddle tore in time and time again, giving an outstanding performance of sheer will and no lack of quality. He bowled de Villiers with a snorter, and when the game seemed to have slipped away from Australia he picked up Steyn and Kleinveldt, jogging back to his mark between balls to save. He lost two wickets through reviews, and sank to his knees when Morne Morkel confirmed the draw for South Africa. Sometimes the best performances of a career go unrewarded.

Honourable Mentions - Tim Southee, 7-64 v India (another unrewarded effort), Saeed Ajmal, 7-55 v England (so devastating the England team psycologist was summoned to the UAE), Dale Steyn, 5-56 v England (the begining of the end for Strauss's England)

And Finally - Fielding of the Year

Because surely nothing can beat this from Steven Smith?

Well, Andre Russell can try....

As can Lydia Greenway...

Andre wants another go...

But Bevan Small comes out on top

5 Thoughts on the T20 So Far.....

A few thoughts on the World T20 so far....

1. It's been pretty dull

T20 is supposed to be the format of cricket that appeals to a wider audience. Even as a massive fan of the game, I appreciate that most people do not want to spend five days watching Jonathan Trott nurdle the ball into the leg side or Stuart Broad maintaining a consistent line and length outside off stump. T20 has worked because it's both quick and exciting, with the greatest rewards being for players who can improvise and make things happen.

Therefore, having a group stage which is to all intensive purposes completely meaningless isn't the best way to start the tournament. Afghanistan, Ireland, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have all bitten the dust, and due to the vagueries of the seeding system, the matches between the bigger nations are completely pointless given they have no bearing on the rest of the tournament. Essentially, the first round of matches have been glorified warm-ups.

2. The attendances are low and this is good news for the IPL

The somewhat pointless nature of the matches has been reflected in the attendances, with in particular the daytime games being watched by no-one in particular. Only India seem to have attracted full houses for both games (unsurprisingly) and again in leads to the general feel of a tournament that hasn't really started. This is supposed to be the biggest T20 tournament in the world, but at the minute it is failing to live up to either the cricket nor excitement of the IPL. And that is only a good thing for the IPL, which will attract more fans as it becomes clearer that it is where the future of T20 (and possibly cricket as a whole) lies.

3. England need to go back to move forward against spin

Mixed in with a dissappointing start to the tournament was England's horrifying attempts at playing what at the end of the day are two fairly ordinary spinners in international terms against India. Most worrying was that England seemed to have no clear gameplan of how to combat what is a well-known problem for them, with batsman falling into pre-meditated shots or being completely bamboozled by variation. Andy Flower remains one the finest players of spin I have seen but seems unable to transmit his ideas to a team of players who do not face this quality of spin often enough or bat on pitches that give spinners this much opportunity.

The best I have seen any England team play spin was under Duncan Fletcher, using the forward press technique (third of a stride forward when the bowler enters his action). This technique seems to have been lost since Fletcher left the scene but seems to have been the most effective technique England have found against spin, particularly for Trescothick and Vaughan in their pomp and hopefully come the tour of India it may make a comeback.

4. T20 has saved Shane Watson's career and continues to work for him

Someone who has provided some entertainment in between the one-sided games and the rain is Shane Watson, for whom T20 cricket has provided a career that in previous generations may have fizzled out into nothing. Watson's talent has never been in doubt but an almost interminable set of injuries completely derailed his career, and he looked set to be added to the list of players who never fulfilled their potential through any fault of their own. However, injury prone players now have an avenue to extend their careers via T20 and Watson has used it perfectly.

In 2008, Watson had spent two years injured when all and sundry expected him to take Andrew Symonds place in the test side. He missed the Australian 2007/08 summer, normally meaning that he had little chance of playing county cricket in England and thus would have to wait until the next Australian summer to prove his fitness. Watson instead was able to play in the 2008 IPL, playing every game bar one (rested) for Rajasthan, finishing in the top 4 for both runs and wickets, and winning player of the tournament. Crucially for his career, he proved he could have success opening the batting. When Phil Hughes disintegrated in the 2009 Ashes, Watson was now fit, and success opening the batting, admittedly in another format, and got his Test place. Three years later he is the reigning Australian player of the year and man of the match in both of their first two games. Not bad for a player who twenty years ago would have most likely been forced into injury retirement.

5. A bad tournament for the men could mean a good one for the women

Coinciding with the start of the next group phase in the beginning of the sister women's T20 tournament, held in the same venues with both semi-finals and final at the same ground as the men's semis and final earlier in the day. The general dullness and malaise of the men's tournament plays into the women's tournaments hands, where T20 is creating a new buzz around women's cricket. England's women in particular are benefitting from this, with a raised profile in this tournament due to a number of factors, including the Olympic summer, the novelty factor but maybe above all the fact that until their final game before the tournament they were unbeaten in T20 cricket for 18 months.

England are expected to win, and rightly so. They bat inventively, bowl to their plans and their fielding puts the men's subcontinent teams to shame. The general consensus from those more in the know than me is that England have reached a level in the past 12 months that deserves recognition well beyond what they currently receive, and at the centre of this is Sarah Taylor, the keeper/batsman who has several pundits saying she is good enough to play county cricket. If the men's tournament continues to flounder and the women's tournament can entertain, then England's women can ultimately benefit, if they win the tournament as expected.

An Even Playing Field

The world T20 begins today, here's how I see the 12 teams fairing in what looks an incredibly even tournament:-

Going Home Early

Afghanistan

Very easy to lapse into clichés with Afghanistan, so may as well do it. They have done brilliantly to get this far, and in ten years they will most likely be a Test playing nation. As for now, their bowling might be quite effective in Sri Lankan conditions, but their batting is not up for dealing with the Indian pace bowlers let alone Steven Finn. Two brave defeats and then back to building for the future.

Ireland (Just)

Whereas the Afghans are genuine minnows, Ireland are very much knocking on the door. In Paul Stirling, they have an outstanding T20 batsman and are more than capable of beating either Australia or the West Indies. I don't think they will however, as their bowling will unlikely be able to cope with the power packed opposition. Watch out for Stirling though, particularly if they get set less than 150.

Zimbabwe

Somewhere between Ireland and Afghanistan, Zimbabwe would have been hoping for a slightly kinder draw. South Africa will efficiently see them off, and Sri Lanka should take advantage of home conditions to see them off. But, that aside, Zimbabwean cricket is back in an upswing and still have some dangerous players.

Bangladesh

Going home early will be Bangladesh, despite them getting the prime draw of New Zealand. They simply do not have the batting in any conditions to trouble the best sides, however well Shakib bowls. They're 50 over cricket is progressing well but it is at the expense of their T20 cricket and frankly if they were playing Ireland I know exactly who my money would be on.

Stay of Execution

New Zealand

Basically, it's McCullum and Taylor, and an awful lot of players who have a distinct journeyman feel to them. Vettori remains a good bowler but had a shocking IPL and gone are the days when their lack of ability could be hidden behind the brilliant leadership of Stephen Fleming. Will beat Bangladesh and quite possibly no-one else.

Sri Lanka

Essentially a better version of New Zealand. Dilshan, Sangakarra and Jayawardene form an exceptional trio at the top of the order, and expect big-hitting all-rounder Thisara Perera to announce himself at this tournament. With the bowling Malinga will be the huge threat but whereas in the IPL teams have to attack him, batsman will know there is rubbish just round the corner with Sri Lanka and he will lose some of his effectiveness. A solid showing from the hosts but no more.

Australia

This looks a very good side until you look at a) their recent results and b) their spinners. When you are choosing between Brad Hogg and Xavier Doherty for your spin king for a tournament in the sub-continent you have big problems and these are not ones that can be overcome by Warner and Watson, the most dangerous opening combination in the tournament. George Bailey seems the right choice as captain despite a likely modest personal contribution but he's going to have to be a bloody genius to prevent the Aussies from bleeding runs. Expect their games to be high-scoring.

England

It is impossible to look at England's side and not think "that's a good T20 side.... in 2014". There is plenty of explosive talent in the Hales/Buttler/Bairstow/Finn/Dernbach/Briggs group, but they lack the necessary experience to beat enough of the big teams consistently in order to win this tournament. With the batting, so much rides on Eoin Morgan, but Luke Wright is a real sleeper pick to be the top run scorer if England go far given his T20 form over the past 12 months. Most likely for England it's a learning experience before a real charge at the title in 2014.

Semi-Finalists

India

Whilst their bowling looks very, very soft, the IPL gives this side so much experience that they should get through both group stages unscathed. The batting is outstanding, and the Indian selectors seem to have got the right balance, particularly in surrounding Sehwag with young, talented players giving him full licence to attack without fear of the side being in big trouble if he gets out. A lot will rest on the man below, Virat Kohli, who despite giving the impression that he is a bit of a cock, is the outstanding white ball batsman in the world right now and seems to have got the confidence that he will get runs every time he walks out to bat. A run to the semis then beaten by a side that can contain their batting then take advantage of their bowling.

 

South Africa

Another side stacked with batting, loaded with fast bowling but no spinner worthy of the name. Robin Petersen bowled reasonably in England and Johan Botha has a good reputation as a captain but leadership skills and reasonable performances don’t cut it when a Gayle or Watson is stood at the other end and you need to take the pace of the ball. It’s been a wonderful summer for the Proteas, and you can be sure that AB De Villiers (below) will entertain and Steyn and Morkel will bowl quickly but it’s tough to see them winning a game on a turning track.

Runners-Up

West Indies

The first Test series I ever watched was England v West Indies in 1995, when I was told by my Dad about the superman that came from the Caribbean who could hit the ball miles, bowl at the speed of light and catch anything that moved. The West Indies of my youth have been quite different to those of his, with constant, unyielding disappointment that has shown little sign of ending, with that hopefully ending this tournament.

In Chris Gayle, they have the world’s best T20 batsman. In Sunil Narine, the world’s best T20 bowler. Keiron Pollard is one of the top five T20 players in the world. They have talent, the right captain in Darren Sammy and so many players who bring a lot to this team with both bat and ball. Badree would walk into most other sides and yet it seems unlikely that he will play at all. The main potential weakness is that they have too many hitters and not enough (or any) ballast but they will win matches and they will entertain. I want them to win it in all but in the crunch final, I don’t see their batting coming off against the last remaining side.

Winners

Pakistan

I make no bones about it, I don’t like Pakistani cricket. The whole PCB structure is notoriously corrupt; they should have been thrown out of Test cricket in 2006, then again in 2011, yet coming into this tournament I make them favourites over everyone else. A sort of anti-West Indies, they will play comparatively dull cricket, looking to keep sides below 140 with their array of quality spinners, led by Saeed Ajmal.

Despite having been around international cricket for a few years, I still haven’t seen a batsman who convincingly picks his doosra and his off-break is frankly outstanding as well. He’ll most likely be the main part of a four pronged spin attack, his off-breaks mixed with Mohammed Hafeez’s darts, Shahid Afridi’s bag of mainly leg-spinning tricks and quite possibly Raza Hasan’s left arm spin. Add in Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir, and there is not a single weak link in that bowling attack. The batting line-up is weak, but has enough talent to chase the succession of simple chases they will be left with.

Winners – Pakistan

Top Run Scorer – Chris Gayle

Top Wicket Taker – Sunil Narine (Pakistan will share them around)

Player of the Tournament – Saeed Ajmal

A Team in Transition

Well that really could have gone better....

England entered the series as world number one's, and leave it with several questions about their future. South Africa played significantly better cricket, their bowlers in particular out-performing our own on pitches that offered either attack little assistance. South Africa were continually able to build pressure by consistent bowling which led to mistakes from the England batsman, that their South African counterparts, particularly the man below, did not make.

But there's no shame in losing to a better side. The problem comes when halfway through the series the dressing room conflicts that every side has, but that England have far worse than most currently, spill out into the media and lead to massive speculation about the future career of one of their own players. Not only was the Pietersen saga embarassing due to what had happened, but the drip drip nature of the reporting led to it taking up the entire week before the final Test, with the inevitable (and correct) conclusion of the dropping of Kevin Pietersen.

Whatever had been done previously in terms of money grabbing books written and IPL arguments in India, to criticise your head coach and captain to the opposition is inexcuseable, and then to be arrogant enough to not apologise when given the opportunity stupid in the extreme. Whatever is decided about Pietersen's central contract, even his biggest fans (of which I am very nearly one) need to accept that for the sake of dressing room unity that he cannot be picked whilst Flower is coach, and while a number of Strauss' friends remain in the dressing room.

On to India, and it was hard to see England winning there with Strauss and Pietersen but now it seems that damage limitation might have to be the extent of our amibition. We need to find an opener, a middle order batsman and decide exactly what mix of bowlers will suit us best on what are likely to be very slow burners in India. In terms of Strauss' replacement, many are excited by Joe Root, but England may take a long term view that he is better served with a home debut. I feel they only need look at the other opener and new captain to see that if the player is good enough, he is ready after the way Cook played in 2006. If England get cold feet on Root, Michael Carberry and Nick Compton would be solid choices although a good World T20 could push Alex Hales into the mix.

As for the Pietersen spot in the middle order, Taylor and Bairstow have possession but I would expect to see Eoin Morgan involved in some capacity. One poor tour should not cost him his repuation as a good player of spin, and England need a quick scoring batsman who has the ability to dominate an attack. With the bowlers, Anderson and Swann (if fit) will play and Broad's performances last winter should keep his spot. It will be Finn v Panesar but for the 1st Test expect England to test out India's ability against the short ball and pick Finn.

Predicted Squad for India - Alistair Cook (c), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Eoin Morgan, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor, Matt Prior, Steven Davies, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar.

The Best in the Business

I thought I'd have another go at blogging, mainly because I'm bored, but also because I am massively excited about England v South Africa tomorrow. In my view they are not only the best two test sides in the world, but easily the most exciting and likeable as well. So here are a few thoughts on each team:-

England - The thinking is that Bresnan will play ahead of Finn with Oions both 5th choice and now injured. That leaves England with the usual faces in the top 5, Bopara at six and then the tried and tested bowling attack. England's batsman are going to be properly tested against the pace of Steyn, Philander, Morkel and Kallis. Most of our batsmen are fairly methodical and against the pace and ability of Steyn that might not be enough. The key player for England is probably Ian Bell, he's got a fantastic record against pace bowling and at five is well protected even though I expect England to lose wickets early. If England can lay a decent platform Bell can get in and make runs against a tiring attack.

As for the bowlers, they really are a fantastic unit. Anderson will lead as always, and his battle with Smith is huge for both sides. Smith tore him asunder in 2003 but Anderson is a far better bowler now. Broad should offer fantastic support and Bresnan will do the donkey work. I wouldn't expect much from Graeme Swann though, the pitches are extremely unlikely to help him.

South Africa - SA are expected to pick the same side as played their final warm-up match, being Smith, Petersen, Amla, Kallis, De Villiers, Rudolph, Duminy, Philander, Steyn, Morkel and Tahir. If De Lange had been fit I could see them playing for seamers but without Tahir will have to step up to the mark. He is capable of running through a side but his control leaves a lot to be desired and he is the kind of bowler who could let the game run away. Steyn is simply the best bowler in the world, and Philander seems perfectly suited to English conditions, with the ability to swing the ball both ways and a lack of pace meaning he is unlikely to bowl short. Someone who will bowl short is Morne Morkel and he will most likely be the deciding player of the series.

If he bowls poorly, England have two bowlers they can look to score well against and it will be hard for Smith to rotate his bowlers well enough to keep the pressure on and Steyn and Philander fit and healthy. If he bowls well, then the first 15 overs of every innings will be a nightmare for England, with South Africa having three varied, quality fast bowlers in conditions favouring them.

As for the batting, the loss of Mark Boucher leaves AB De Villiers carrying a big load. He is the best batsman currently on either side, but now has to keep for most likely the entire series. The batting line-up is based around four outstanding batsmen (Smith, Amla, Kallis, De Villiers) but has three ropey ones in Petersen, Rudolph and Duminy and these three England have to look to target. Despite conditions in his favour and a reputation as being a good player of spin Swann destroyed Duminy last series between the two sides. Both Rudolph and Petersen have good records in county cricket but both really need to nail down their spots otherwise SA might feel inclined to look at younger, fitter, more-Faf Du Plessis shaped batsmen in the future.

Ultimately I can't see Morkel bowling well enough in English conditions for South Africa to put enough pressure on England and I see England having the better of the series. That said South Africa will win a test and I find it hard to predict anything other than a 1-1 draw with England having the better of the drawn Test. However, if Morkel can provide more than 15 wickets for SA, another victory on English soil could be theirs

Prediction - 1-1
England Player of the Series - Ian Bell
South Africa Player of the Series - Dale Steyn