Cricket staged its first day/night Test this year after speculation that such matches might help arrest declining attendances for the sport’s longest format.
Last month saw the landmark fixture when Australia beat New Zealand in front of an impressive aggregate crowd of 123,736, who flocked to the Adelaide Oval for the three days the match lasted.
Another event significant in that it simply took place, was that Pakistan played major internationals on their own soil for the first time in six years, beating Zimbabwe in a Twenty20 and one-day series.
Photo: AP
Pakistan had been a no-go area for rival nations since gunmen opened fire a Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009.
Meanwhile, Pakistan left-arm quick Mohammad Amir returned to competitive cricket after serving a jail sentence and a five-year ban for his role in the spot-fixing scandal that took place during Pakistan’s 2010 tour of England.
The highlight of Australia’s year came when they beat co-hosts New Zealand at home by seven wickets in the Cricket World Cup final. Their record-extending fifth title owed much to Mitchell Starc, the left-arm fast bowler taking 22 wickets at 10.18.
Photo: Reuters
However, it was a different story when Australia were beaten in the Ashes — the first time they had lost four successive away series against England since 1896.
Stuart Broad set up England’s series-clinching win with a remarkable 8-15 return as Australia were skittled for 60 on the first morning of the fourth Test at his Trent Bridge home ground.
After the defeat, Australia captain Michael Clarke announced his international retirement.
Photo: AP
He was one of several Australians to retire this year, with Ryan Harris, Chris Rogers, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson also bowing out.
South Africa lost their first away Test series in nine years when they went down 3-0 to India as touring teams everywhere again struggled.
However, India triumphed in Sri Lanka, where conditions are similar to their own, by coming from behind to win a three-match series 2-1 as they enjoyed their first success there in 22 years.
Sri Lanka said goodbye to the retiring duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, two outstanding batsmen.
One consolation for South Africa was the form of A.B. de Villiers, who scored the fastest 50 and 100 — both arriving in an innings of 149 against the West Indies in Johannesburg — and the quickest 150 — against the West Indies at the World Cup — in one-day international history.
Bangladesh, so long the makeweights of world cricket, knocked England out of the World Cup and enjoyed home ODI series wins.
Corruption continued to haunt cricket, with the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals suspended from the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League because of betting-related activities involving team officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra in 2013.
The fall-out extended to the top of the world game, with Meiyappan’s father-in-law Narayanaswami Srinivasan, whose India Cements company own the Super Kings, having his term as International Cricket Council chairman cut short last month when the Indian board withdrew support for their former president.
Last month also saw former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns acquitted by a London court on charges of perjury relating to his earlier libel trial victory regarding match-fixing allegations.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, a key prosecution witness in the perjury trial, announced on Tuesday that he would retire from international cricket in February after their return series against Australia. He seems set to depart in typical fashion, belting 55 in a rapid innings against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
This year saw the death aged 75 of administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya, who helped transform India into cricket’s financial powerhouse.
England bid farewell to Tom Graveney (88), one of a select group of batsmen have made 100 first-class hundreds, Frank Tyson (85), the fast-bowling spearhead of their 1954-1955 Ashes success and former captain Brian Close (84).
Australia mourned Arthur Morris (93), but perhaps the most widely felt loss of all was that of former Australia captain Richie Benaud, who died in April aged 84.
Few people have had such a long influence on cricket as Benaud, a leg-spinning all-rounder who never lost a Test series while captain and later became the sport’s supreme television commentator during a broadcasting career of more than 50 years.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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