Asian Cricket Awards of the Year
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Tuesday 5th January, 2010 15 by Dileep Premachandran Newcomer of the year It was quite a year for Asian The 17-year-old Aamer is a strong cricket, with Pakistan winning the contender, but one of his team-mates World Twenty20 and India going top Asian cricket awards just pips him to it. Umar Akmal will of the Test rankings. Sri Lanka were turn 20 next May,but there are dominant in home Tests and reached already signs that he’ll carry the T20 final, while Bangladesh Pakistan’s fragile batting for the next recorded a series victory against an decade. Having made a dazzling hun- understrength West Indies side. dred on debut in Dunedin, he has Here, we look back at the highlights since added four half-centuries to his and hand out our awards for 2009. of the year tally,while also averaging more than 44 in the one-day arena. Compact, Test batting performance of Pakistan’s narrow defeat in Dunedin possessed of a cool head and capable the year Test bowling of the year Given what’s happened to Ishant are contenders, but for sheer drama of playing most strokes, he’s one to Conventional wisdom would dic- Sharma in 2009, you don’t wish to it was hard to match the game in watch as cricket embraces a new tate a degree of caution when reply- tempt fate by hyping another fast Galle. Pakistan led by 50 on first decade. ing to a first-innings total of 393. bowler from the subcontinent. But innings, and needed only 168 to win Virender Sehwag doesn’t do conven- there’s something about Mohammad the game. They finished the third Comeback kid tional though. By close of play on Aamer that suggests he’ll be around day requiring 97, with eight wickets Herath returned from league- the second day at the Brabourne for the long haul. At the MCG, one of in hand. But when Sangakkara cricket obscurity to take 34 wickets Stadium, India had careered to 443 the most intimidating venues on called on Rangana Herath to bowl and there were 22 for Mohammad for one from only 79 overs. Sehwag’s Earth, he had Ricky Ponting caught the second over the next morning, Asif on his recall from drug-related contribution was an unbeaten 284, pulling and Michael Hussey beaten the game changed. Mohammad stupidity,but this particular gong during the course of which he took for pace before returning the next Yousuf went first ball, and in just goes to a man who turns 37 in apart every hapless bowler that day to scalp Michael Clarke, Marcus over an hour Pakistan were bowled Kumar Sangakkara threw the ball January.His career was on skid row North and Brad Haddin. Bowling out for 117. Those on the ramparts of to. With history in sight – not even last December, but with 747 runs at with genuine pace and swinging the the famous old fort went berserk. Sir Donald Bradman had made three 83 from six Tests in 2009, Rahul ball, he should also have had Shane triple-centuries – he fell for 293. Two Dravid has reclaimed his place in Watson for 99 – and the freedom of ODI of the year days later, India completed the the sun. Without his defiant 177 on Jamaica as a result? – but sadly sev- The run-fest at Rajkot nearly innings victory that took them to the the opening day of the series against eral of his team-mates appear to matched it for nail-biting intensity, top of the rankings for the first time. Sri Lanka, the series result could have a deep-rooted aversion to catch- but Hyderabad gets the nod for the have been so very different. most topsy-turvy of games. Watson’s ODI batting performance of ing the ball. blistering 93 and Shaun Marsh’s 112 Cricketer of the year the year ODI bowling of the year took Australia to 350, but with Raina When Sachin Tendulkar fell Normally,this category would Angelo Mathews had the year’s and Tendulkar, batting with unbri- cheaply in pursuit of 360 in the 2003 fuel the greatest debate. Given the best figures, but his six for 20 against dled freedom, adding 137 for the fifth World Cup final, it was assumed he year that Dilshan has had though, India came in a match with nothing wicket, India needed only 52 from had blown his chance. But like any discussion is redundant. Who at stake. , Afridi had illustrated why the last 46 balls. When Tendulkar Imran Khan, who was four months can quibble with 1,071 Test runs at he’s now an automatic pick for his top-edged a paddle-sweep off Clint past his 38th birthday before his 64.52, an even 1,000 in one-dayers at bowling alone, sending Australia’s McKay,the debutant who finished World Cup obsession was consum- batsmen into a spin from which they with three for 59, the equation was 19 55.55 and 471 in T20s at 42.81? And all mated, he refuses to give up on the never recovered. Haddin was from 17 balls. Praveen Kumar then of this at a frenetic pace matched dream. In a year where he scored 972 deceived by the flight, and Andrew slugged Doug Bollinger for six to get only by Sehwag. Two years ago he runs at 54, the best was saved for Symonds done in by what was effec- India back within range, but a lovely was on the periphery of things, but Australia, and another improbable tively an off-cutter, but it was the throw from Nathan Hauritz caught since being asked to open, he’s run chase. With Suresh Raina for doosra that sent back Watson that him fractionally short as Australia proved to be the perfect right-handed company,Tendulkar unveiled his full really broke the back of the innings. sneaked home by three runs. replacement for the waning Sanath repertoire as India threatened to His mastery of the other one was too Jayasuriya. overhaul a score of 350 . But when much for the tail as Australia were T20 of the year he fell after 175 from 141 balls, those dismissed for only 168. Halfway through their innings, Team of the year who followed did the lemming rou- Pakistan had made 68 for two, with Bounced out of the World tine. Australia won by three runs. T20 bowling of the year Afridi on 30 from 25 balls. After wal- Twenty20 in the Super Eights, and T20 batting performance of When Simon Jones and friends loping Jacques Kallis for two fours eliminated after a loss to Pakistan at the year reverse-swung it, there were oohs over midwicket and then bowling the Champions Trophy,India were and aahs. When Umar Gul and his also beaten 4-2 by an injury-ravaged Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 96 in the him a kiss, he had gone into consoli- Pakistani mates do it, there are Australian side in a home one-day semi-final of the World Twenty20 is dation mode. But when Johan Botha snide comments about ball tamper- the obvious frontrunner, but I’ll go came on, something snapped. Three series. But either side of such disap- ing. At The Oval, in a match that with an innings that was even more hefty inside-out heaves over cover pointments, they finished the year Pakistan simply had to win, Gul was eye-catching. Maturity isn’t a word were followed by the deftest of late with three Test wins [and three introduced only in the 13th over. A that too many people associate with cuts as Pakistan stormed to 149 for draws], and a 17-10 ODI record. With wondrous catch from Afridi sent Shahid Afridi, but with his team in four. With ball in hand, he castled Pakistan hopeless in the Test arena back Scott Styris and then Gul’s abil- some strife at Trent Bridge, he both Herschelle Gibbs and AB de and Sri Lanka regressing in ODIs, ity to fire in swinging yorkers at will worked the ball around cleverly Villiers during a magnificent spell of India were the pick of a poor bunch. came to the fore. By the time he was before exploding into life. His 51 two for 16. Neither Kallis nor JP But with some leading lights in the done sending stumps cartwheeling, from 34 balls took Pakistan to 149, Duminy was able to accelerate and twilight of their careers, it remains he had five for six and New Zealand and a miserly spell did the rest. An Pakistan sneaked home by seven to be seen if they can cling to the top were skittled for 99. encore in the final confirmed his sta- For the sheer consistency he showed during 2009, scoring over 1000 runs. The party outside Trent of the tree. The Guardian tus as a genuine T20 treasure. Test match of the year runs in both Test and ODI cricket, Tillekeratne Dilshan deserves to be Bridge, blaring car horns and all, went on long past midnight. India’s great escape at Napier and nominated the Player of the Year. Under-13 Division I Final Debutant Mahanama to hold many-time finalists Petes by Reemus Fernando Debut finalists Mahanama College will look forward for their maiden title, while many-time final- ists St. Peter’s College aim for supremacy yet again when the two teams meet in the Inter-School Under-13 Division I final at MCA Ground today. Although the two teams are at contrasting ends with regard to their past records in the Under-13 Division I tournament, it would be hard to point out a clear favourite for today’s final as both teams have done equal- ly well during the current tourna- ment.