A number of high-profile retirements, a couple of major controversies involving two influential batsmen, South Africa's rise to the top of Test rankings at the cost of England and Michael Clarke's bradmanesque run in the longer version made 2012 an eventful year for cricket. The one alluring moment, however, has to be the West Indies' triumph in the World T20 in Colombo in October that raised hopes of a revival of the game in the Caribbean.
![The West Indians ruled the World T20 in Sri Lanka with Chris Gayle at the forefront.]( "The West Indians ruled the World T20 in Sri Lanka with Chris Gayle at the forefront.")
Before we come to West Indies' stirring victory in Sri Lanka, let's look at how many greats of the game walked into the sunset. From Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar (from one-day internationals) to Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting, cricket saw some of its finest batsmen, who made the game richer through their immeasurable contributions for well over a decade, hang their willows for good. The striking similarity among all these retirements was that not a single player of this quintet got the kind of send-off that they so richly deserved.
While Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar quit without waiting for a farewell match, Strauss and Ponting bowed out without a whimper. Having presided over his team's ascendency to the number one spot in Tests, Strauss bid adieu following England's series loss to South Africa at Lord's, a defeat that also coincided with the end of their brief reign at the top. With Hashim Amla leading their batting charts with a triple ton at Trent Bridge, South Africa bearded the English lions in their own den to take the mace, the symbol of supremacy in Tests.
England, however, managed to salvage some pride by winning their first Test series in India after a gap of over two decades. South Africa's moment of happiness, though, was laced with sadness caused by the departure of their long-serving wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Boucher in unfortunate circumstances — a bail hit his right eye injuring it and ending his celebrated career instantly.
The Proteas extended their dominance to Australia while becoming the only side after the West Indies to win a Test series for the second time Down Under. In the process, Graeme Smith's men not only consolidated their position at the pole, but also dashed Australia's hopes of regaining the numero uno place and Ponting's desire to exit on a high.
Yes, there was no fairytale finish to Punter's career but it took little away from what he accomplished on the field. Arguably the second best Australian batsman after Don Bradman, Ponting was one of the best of his generation along with Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. Blessed with a team that was the stuff of envy, the Tasmanian picked up most number of wins as the captain, an achievement that will remain unchallenged for a long time to come.
Even as the cricketing world witnessed the end of the Ponting era, his compatriot Clarke gaveall indications of scripting his own glorious chapter in the annals of the game. While the right-hander's potential was never in doubt, this year saw him take a big step towards becoming a true modern great. Things began on a bright note for the Aussie captain, who notched up his highest individual score - an unbeaten 329 - in the Sydney Test against India. Since then Clarke has reeled off four more centuries, including the one against Sri Lanka in the second Test, to stack up close to 1600 runs, the most by an Australian in a calendar year.
Elsewhere, Alastair Cook, the newest English Test captain, became the highest century-getter for England, assuring himself a place among the country's greats. But it was his team-mate Kevin Pietersen who was in the news for all the wrong reasons, threatening to cut short his international career with England. His exchanging of texts, which were allegedly derogatory of then skipper Strauss, with some South African players on their tour of England led to his sacking from the squad before better sense prevailed and he was 'reintegrated' into the set-up following some backdoor negotiations.
Another player-versus-board controversy kept Chris Gayle away from any international action for most of the year. A firm Gayle and an adamant WICB finally conceded some ground before the stage was set for the Jamaican's return to the West Indies' side and what an impact it had in terms of results! Starved of a major ICC title since their victory in the 2004 Champions Trophy in England, the Caribbeans tasted success when they annexed the World T20 title, beating hosts Sri Lanka in an exciting final. While Gayle may not have played a big role in the summit clash, he had a crucial part in West Indies making the final and who can forget his Gangnam dance that had the entire cricketing world grooving along!
Before we come to West Indies' stirring victory in Sri Lanka, let's look at how many greats of the game walked into the sunset. From Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar (from one-day internationals) to Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting, cricket saw some of its finest batsmen, who made the game richer through their immeasurable contributions for well over a decade, hang their willows for good. The striking similarity among all these retirements was that not a single player of this quintet got the kind of send-off that they so richly deserved.While Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar quit without waiting for a farewell match, Strauss and Ponting bowed out without a whimper. Having presided over his team's ascendency to the number one spot in Tests, Strauss bid adieu following England's series loss to South Africa at Lord's, a defeat that also coincided with the end of their brief reign at the top. With Hashim Amla leading their batting charts with a triple ton at Trent Bridge, South Africa bearded the English lions in their own den to take the mace, the symbol of supremacy in Tests.
England, however, managed to salvage some pride by winning their first Test series in India after a gap of over two decades. South Africa's moment of happiness, though, was laced with sadness caused by the departure of their long-serving wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Boucher in unfortunate circumstances — a bail hit his right eye injuring it and ending his celebrated career instantly.
The Proteas extended their dominance to Australia while becoming the only side after the West Indies to win a Test series for the second time Down Under. In the process, Graeme Smith's men not only consolidated their position at the pole, but also dashed Australia's hopes of regaining the numero uno place and Ponting's desire to exit on a high.
Yes, there was no fairytale finish to Punter's career but it took little away from what he accomplished on the field. Arguably the second best Australian batsman after Don Bradman, Ponting was one of the best of his generation along with Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. Blessed with a team that was the stuff of envy, the Tasmanian picked up most number of wins as the captain, an achievement that will remain unchallenged for a long time to come.
Even as the cricketing world witnessed the end of the Ponting era, his compatriot Clarke gaveall indications of scripting his own glorious chapter in the annals of the game. While the right-hander's potential was never in doubt, this year saw him take a big step towards becoming a true modern great. Things began on a bright note for the Aussie captain, who notched up his highest individual score - an unbeaten 329 - in the Sydney Test against India. Since then Clarke has reeled off four more centuries, including the one against Sri Lanka in the second Test, to stack up close to 1600 runs, the most by an Australian in a calendar year.
Elsewhere, Alastair Cook, the newest English Test captain, became the highest century-getter for England, assuring himself a place among the country's greats. But it was his team-mate Kevin Pietersen who was in the news for all the wrong reasons, threatening to cut short his international career with England. His exchanging of texts, which were allegedly derogatory of then skipper Strauss, with some South African players on their tour of England led to his sacking from the squad before better sense prevailed and he was 'reintegrated' into the set-up following some backdoor negotiations.
Another player-versus-board controversy kept Chris Gayle away from any international action for most of the year. A firm Gayle and an adamant WICB finally conceded some ground before the stage was set for the Jamaican's return to the West Indies' side and what an impact it had in terms of results! Starved of a major ICC title since their victory in the 2004 Champions Trophy in England, the Caribbeans tasted success when they annexed the World T20 title, beating hosts Sri Lanka in an exciting final. While Gayle may not have played a big role in the summit clash, he had a crucial part in West Indies making the final and who can forget his Gangnam dance that had the entire cricketing world grooving along!