Cricket in 2009: Stronger than ever...

If 2008 ushered changes to the dynamics of world of cricket, 2009 saw the various elements interweave into the game’s fabric seamlessly.

Pratik Dogra

If 2008 was the cornerstone that ushered in changes to the dynamics of world of cricket as we knew it then, 2009 was the year that saw the various elements interweave into the game’s fabric seamlessly, enriching the product further and in the process, paving the foundation for a mouth-watering 2010. Another reason that made 2009 a year to cherish was that to a large extent it also laid to rest a lot of fears that seemed to have clouded the game 12-months ago. Test matches are in the pink of their health. One-dayers are drawing fantastic crowds. Twenty20s have firmly established themselves in the scheme of things. With all the formats of the game running in sync, several young and exciting players flourished while veterans re-discovered themselves…or rather repackaged themselves to the demands modern day cricket generates. Adrian Barath, Umar Akmal, Marcus North, JP Duminy, Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Aamer, Ed Morgan, Kemar Roach, Shakib Al Hasan….were amongst many young Turks who broke into the existing hierarchy while ageless warhorses like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Ricky Ponting, Daniel Vettori, Jacques Kallis, Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi added few more realms of immortality to their already legendary sagas.The term ‘freelance cricketer’ was in vogue, so was sides rattling along at 4 runs per over in Tests. England achieved the rare distinction of winning a Test rubber despite scoring lesser runs and taking lesser wickets than their opponents when they won the Ashes at the expense of Ricky Ponting’s team. West Indies achieved an even rarer feat when they managed to lose a home series to Bangladesh! India spring boarded to the number one spot in Tests, while Pakistan rebounded from a horrible start like…well only Pakistan can, to lay hands on the World Twenty20 Championship in England. Buoyed by the success, Pakistan slipped into a mess….again like only Pakistan can. Their World Cup winning captain Younis Khan resigned following match-fixing allegations, only to be re-instated after a few personal assurances from PCB Chief Ejaz Butt. Three weeks later, he quit captaincy again, apparently fed up of the lobby formed by several senior players against him. Mohammad Yousuf was the third Pakistani captain this year after Shoaib Malik had resigned earlier this year owing to…well, a player rebellion! Some things never change. But what seems to have changed forever was world’s view of Pakistan as a safe venue of sporting events following a dastardly happening on March 3 at Lahore. In an incident that shocked not just cricket lovers, but almost the entire world, the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team was ambushed by terrorists, who even fired grenades at the hapless players. Six players suffered injuries including Ajanta Mendis (head injury) and Thilana Samaraweera (bullet hit his chest) as the Sri Lankan team was airlifted out of Lahore in a helicopter. The tour was canceled with immediate effect while Pakistan’s status as a host took a massive beating. The gruesome incident was, however, sandwiched between high quality cricket from both sides. 2009 started on a dramatic note when the then England captain’s displeasure on incumbent coach Peter Moores was leaked to the media. As a result, both the men lost their jobs, with a relatively milder duo of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower replacing the volatile leadership. England’s morale suffered and the unsettling in the side became apparent when they were shot out for 51 runs at Kingston to lose the first Test against West Indies. After the second Test was suspended due to poor ground conditions, three high-scoring draws ensued following which, West Indies clinched their first-ever Frank Worrell trophy in 9 years. South Africa continued their domination of Australia as despite losing the Sydney Test, they celebrated the New Year with a 2-1 series win Down Under. A couple of setbacks in Twenty20s notwithstanding, South Africa stamped their authority in the one-dayers as well, winning with an impressive 4-1 margin. Just when it seemed that the Proteas had finally cut Australia to size, the tables were turned spectacularly on the former during the return series in South Africa a month later when Australia won the series 2-1 to cling on to the number one ranking in Tests. Elsewhere, at the same time, India took their own nascent steps towards the Numero Uno status in Tests with a rare series victory in New Zealand. …and then came, the IPL-II. Amidst concerns over the feasibility of holding the high profile event in India parallel to the general elections in the country, within a blink of eye, IPL’s Chairman Lalit Modi transplanted the entire 2-month long extravaganza (April-May) to South Africa even as the world looked on in astonishment at the ease with which the logistics were put in place in less than 3 weeks! The IPL itself was a long drawn out affair and after several twists and turns, 2008 wooden spooners Bangalore Royal Challengers and Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers faced-off each other in the finals. Adam Gilchrist emulated his compatriot, Shane Warne’s feat, when he led Deccan Chargers to victory in a thrilling final. The event was well received in South Africa, though it did receive its share of flak for indulging excessively in marketing gimmicks. Like the first edition, the second version too brought new stars to the fore like Abhishek Nayyar, Manish Pandey and Shadab Jakati, while it also provided platform for former discards like RP Singh and Ashish Nehra to stake claim for spots in the national team. While Delhi Daredevils, with their consistency, were one of the talking points, the capitulation of Kolkata Knight Riders made the Shah Rukh Khan owned outfit the laughing stock. IPL was followed by the Twenty20 World Cup where Shahid Afridi, like a man possessed, imploded spectacularly and his all-round performances paved way for a fantastic Pakistan victory in June. Starting tamely with defeats to England and Sri Lanka early on in the tourney, they overcame South Africa in the semi-finals and then, Sri Lanka in the grand finale to cap an amazing run of form. The world celebrated as new talents like Umran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Aamer showed promise of bringing back the glorious days for Pakistan cricket. July saw a paradigm shift in Test arena as Australia slipped in the Ashes, and consequently from the top spot as Ricky Ponting suffered the ignominy of becoming the first ever Australian captain since Billy Murdoch to face back to back series defeats in England. England’s 2-1 win was built largely around their captain Andrew Strauss’ massive contributions with the bat, while all the members chipped in at crucial junctures to seal victory for the gritty hosts. Andrew Flintoff, meanwhile, announced his retirement from Test cricket after the Ashes, preferring to focus solely on the shorter formats. He also became the first cricketer in modern era to become a freelancer when he rejected ECB’s contract. The normal services resumed as England were hammered black and blue in the one-dayers that followed the Ashes. In the Caribbean, Bangladesh recorded a historic series victory over the hosts who were forced to field a second string side after several top players opted out of the series following a prolonged pay-dispute with the West Indies board. Bangladesh exploited the weakness in the opposition ranks to win the Tests (2-0) as well as the one-dayers (3-0) as questions started to be raised on weather West Indies should be allowed to participate at all. The ICC Champions trophy in October was billed as the apex body’s effort to salvage one-dayers from the Twenty20 glut and to some extent, the purpose was served. With most teams on equal footing and no clear favorites on the horizon, the tournament in South Africa was eagerly anticipated. It got off to a flying start as Sri Lankans upset hosts South Africa in the opener. The group stages saw a formidable India and South Africa bow out as Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and England made it through to the semi-finals. Finals were a Trans Tasmanian affair in which the Aussies prevailed over the spirited Kiwis to clinch the Champions Trophy for the second time in a row. More success was in store for Australia when the New South Wales Blues won the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 in India. As the pundits had started to write-off Australia, the national team further proved their critics wrong with a credible 4-2 series victory in India in November. What made the win more special was that against the odds, victory had come despite the fact that the Aussies were missing almost half of their regulars due to injuries. In December, India toppled South Africa from the crest to become the number one ranked Test team for the first time, ever since the inception of the ranking system, with a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka. Pakistan, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 drawn Test series with New Zealand. The rubber was a ‘home series’ for Pakistan played on New Zealand soil.