Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Our revels now are ended. And our insubstantial pageant has faded: the Ashes; the cricket World Cup which ended so thrillingly yet unsatisfactorily in the English summer; the fag end of a series between Australia and India which drew to a historic conclusion. There were two Test innings which were among the best of most people's living memories. And Ireland damn near beat England after bowling them out for 85 and gaining a first innings lead of 122. Until their glimpse of honour melted into thin air.

The way ahead is uncertain. One path leads us inevitably to disappointment and the other to misery and loss. Yes I'm talking about the twin threats of four day Tests and the new format hundred ball competition in England. This is a time for reflection, but also for fearful anticipation as cricket's administrators once again threaten to squander the game's uniquely rich tradition on a fixed odds terminal flashing up big prizes but inevitably more probably undermining the short term housekeeping.

This year's broadcast comes from the beautiful town of Davos in the Swiss Alps. We will fly in the stars of cricket from across the globe to celebrate the international game in all its formats. We will offset carbon emissions by planting a maple sapling in a pot in my back garden. But it is your votes that get to determine who makes the business class flight (plus one) to this fabulous venue. Our mission statement is to improve the state of the world through engaging in flashy, ostentatious and disposable consumption broadcast across a range of digital formats.

It's your choice. We now live in a world where the architect of Universal Credit, Iain Duncan Smith is awarded a knighthood, so truly anything could happen. In a week's time we could be looking at Usman Shinwari as international player of the year.

Here are the categories. They have been altered slightly. Any complaints should be addressed to your MP.


5 Test Players of the Year
5 ODI Players of the Year
Associates Player of the Year
Women's Cricketer of the Year
Captain of the Year
Young Player of the Year
Best Bowling Performance by a player (Tests)
Best Bowling Performance by a player (ODI's)
Best Batting Performance by a player (Tests)
Best Batting Performance by a player (ODI's)
Test Match of the Year
ODI Match of the Year
World Cricketer of the Year


Please post your nominations on this thread or in a PM. I will accumulate these over the next week and announce our winners next Thursday. Select in as few and as many categories as you wish. Those who haven't done so, please select from the polls on the international cricket section for the Test team of the year.

Dig deep ladies and gentlemen. If you don't send in your nominations, you will regret it, forever.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:
Here are the categories. They have been altered slightly. Any complaints should be addressed to your MP.

Just kidding. If two people want to put it back as it was, so be it. I left out T20 categories as was elsewhere suggested.

Thanks for doing this AC. Categories look good to me.

Going to be interesting. There are some decisions there that I imagine will be unanimous, a mmm d others where there have been a lot of superb performances this year so it will be hard to narrow down.

Thinking cap donned.

PM sent. Thanks again.

Cheers bfl.

Nice work guys in setting this up

I'll post mine before I read bfls so I don't get too influenced by what others pick.



5 Test Players of the Year: Steve Smith, Neil Wagner, Pat Cummins, Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma

5 ODI Players of the Year: Rohit Sharma, Ben Stokes, Lockie Ferguson, Jasprit Bumrah, Shakib al Hasan

Associates Player of the Year: Calum MacLeod.

Women's Cricketer of the Year: Ellyse Perry.

Captain of the Year: Tim Paine.

Young Player of the Year: Jofra Archer.

Best Bowling Performance by a player (Tests): Tim Murtagh, 5-13 v England at Lord's.

Best Bowling Performance by a player (ODI's): Mitch Starc, 5-26 v New Zealand at Lord's.

Best Batting Performance by a player (Tests): 135* Ben Stokes v Australia at Headingley.

Best Batting Performance by a player (ODI's): Ben Stokes: 84* v New Zealand at Lord's.

Test Match of the Year: England v Australia at Headingley.

ODI Match of the Year: NZ v West Indies at Old Trafford.

World Cricketer of the Year: Rohit Sharma.

Lots of players and performances which were a wrench to leave out. Mitch2 in the WC overall. Williamson in the WC against WI. No Kohli. But most of all Kusal Perera's 153* against SA in Durban. And bound to have forgotten something.

I've pm'd mine

couldn't fit it in, but my honourable mention goes to Carlos Brathwaite for his stunning 101 against NZ in the WC. With far too much to do, still needing 130 runs with 7 wickets down, and nothing whatsoever to work with apart from the timely obduracy of what remained of the tail, he somehow contrived to get the WIndies to within 33 runs of victory with 3 overs to play, having determinedly, through sensible, considered cricket and adept farming of the strike, seen off the NZ gun bowlers. He then gave it everything, spanking Matt Henry for 25 off the 48th over to leave victory in sight. Then with 6 runs needed to win he launched Jimmy Neesham to the boundary for the winning six..... only for Trent Boult to somehow pluck it out of the sky as it crossed the winning line. Scenes of Edgbaston as a distraught Carlos was consoled by Ross Taylor.

If he'd completed that victory, would it have eclipsed the feats of Ben Stokes later in the final? of course not... Ben's was the final, after all, but it was a remarkable innings for all that.

Durhamfootman wrote: my honourable mention goes to Carlos Brathwaite for his stunning 101 against NZ in the WC. .

Thanks for that.

I picked that game over the WC final. Partly because the game was brilliant, but also because the final ended in a bit of a farce.

A word for the fallen of 2019. Abdul Qadir, the second best leg spinner in my lifetime. A lesser leggie, but one I remember well from those who stepped in to replace the Packer rebels, Tony Mann. And another Aussie of that period, the off spinner Bruce Yardley. A pair of West Indies batting stars in the 60s in Seymour Nurse and Basil Butcher. Legend of Headingley, Bob Willis. The man who went for six sixes in an over, Malcolm Nash from Abergavenny. And the former Lancashire skipper and coach, Jack Bond.

Get some nominations in chaps. I'm planning on finishing this on Thursday.

24 hours fellas. Get those nominations in.

i can't wait!

Harry and Meghan are already here.

Engaged in awkward small talk with Colin Graves, Shashank Manohar, Michael Vaughan and Hugh Grant. Graves has just asked the Sussexes if they have been to the Pizza Express in Woking. There was an awkward moment on the red carpet a few minutes ago when Michael Vaughan mentioned that Alastair Cook doesn't sweat either and it's actually quite common.

Still a couple of hours to get your nominations in.