Survival of Capt. Steely. England against the world in 2014.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Possibly Steely's worst knock of the year was his 95 in Southampton, when he gave a chance every twenty runs, and you got a broader canvas on which to observe how badly he was playing.

[Arthur Crabtree]

4. Murali Vijay, 146 at Trent Bridge.

While watching this from the no alcohol stand, I was reminded of a huge urn I'd seen in Jaipur in which a travelling Indian prince of the Victorian era had transported water to England, in case the adam's ale there was undrinkable. Maybe Murali had brought a batting strip from Ahmedabad in this dignitaries neighbouring state, with similar reservations of what alien conditions he might find on his travels? On completion of the match, the batting strip was condemned by everyone with an opinion.

Yet, for India, only Murali really cashed in, and India were reliant on a big last wicket stand to truly take advantage of this home from home. And it was his first overseas ton. He held India together after a post lunch collapse: leaving a lot, but hitting 25 fours; driving on the off side, and nurdling well to leg. And he was fired out by a ropy LBW decision from Bruce Oxenford. He made a fifty in the second innings too, and with his 95 at Lord's he was one of India's better performers in the series.

4. Shaminda Eranga, 4-93 at Headingley.

After losing the Ashes 5-0 and having their pace attack eclipsed by the Australians', England went into the home series with Sri Lanka in the absolute certainty that their fast bowlers would make the Sri Lankan's look like club bowlers. That narrative was on schedule at Lord's when England scored big in their first innings and Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep suffered. But it was Eranga that saw out an over of Jimmy Anderson in the penultimate over of the game, to allow Prasad to negate six balls of Stuart Broad for the draw. And Eranga took away six wickets from the game.

Through diligence and perseverance, the Sri Lankan seamers gradually got on top, by the finest of margins. In the first innings at Headingley, Eranga took out four England batters, to no great acclaim. And he returned in the second innings to prise out Jimmy Anderson with the second to last ball of the game. His eleven wicket haul in the series was only exceeded, by one, by Anderson. Perhaps never before has English hubris been less warranted, and so unexpectedly exposed.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I seem to have added a second paragraph.

[Arthur Crabtree]

3. Kumar Sangakkara, 147 at Lord's.

Sangakkara didn't have a glorious reputation as a batter on English shores. Even his match saving ton (his first here) in rainy Southampton on his previous tour had left him with an average of only thirty. On this, his fourth tour, he cracked the nut, compiling 342 runs in the two Tests. At Lord's, over seven plus hours and three days, he provided the bulwark of Sri Lanka's response to England's 579/9 and the platform that allowed them just to save the game... which allowed for the series win. The only ton at HQ he will score, was an act of determination and will, and a recognition of his paramount importance to the team (eventually giving a memorable first Test scalp to Moeen Ali). He also batted for four hours in the second innings rearguard. With a Test average of 70, when not keeping, Sanga's place among the eternal cricketing stars is assured.

3. Ishant Sharma, 7-74 at Lord's.

Worse was to follow for England at Lord's later in the summer. After the ongoing bad feeling of Jimmy Anderson's expletive masterclass at Trent Bridge, how satisfying was India's win at Lord's? There was a touch of hilarity about it. After England's subjugation by Mitch Johnson's terrifying hostility last winter, there was a feeling of tragedy repeating itself as farce when Ishant Sharma bounced them out at Lord's. The Big Chill not really carrying the same heavy cargo of menace as Mitch. Ishant set them up, and England obliged. But it was tremendously entertaining stuff, and lots of credit to Ishant for getting the ball just where it made the shot so reckless. The party was a short one for India, but this was one of the most engaging days of the summer; and it's nice to see a good guy like Ishant succeed.

[Arthur Crabtree]

2. Ajinkja Rahane, 103 at Lord's.

Rahane's first Test century, at the Basin Reserve, was made in good bowling conditions with his team in a parlous situation. He reinforced that good impression with his second on a pitch that will be remembered for as long as anyone recalls the game itself. Surely no one has seen a track as green as this. So verdant that it has become axiomatic that England must have bowled badly on it for India to bat out the day for 290-9. Rahane came in at 86-3, soon to be 145-7. At times he had to give spells over to the bowlers, especially between lunch and tea. Towards the end he was dominant, off front and back foot, with a straight six off Jimmy Anderson memorable. In much better conditions in the second innings he was sawn off by a howler. Such is life.


2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 6-82 at Lord's.

The Nottingham Test was Kumar's first outside of India and only his seventh in all. He took a 5-fer there on a dead track, and then six at Lord's to neutralise the advantage England were gifted in bowling first; by the time India bowled, the pitch was more khaki than emerald. There was a little of Praveen in his approach and wristy bowling, who had made an impression on India's last tour. But Praveen never outbowled the English seamers as B. Kumar did in these first two Tests. After looking for lbws on the dozing Trent Bridge track, he snapped past the outside edge at Lord's, the top four picked up in the cordon. Unfortunately Kumar's batteries ran flat at the Rose Bowl and after.

[Arthur Crabtree]

1. Angelo Mathews, 160 at Headingley.

The two most satisfying days of cricket of the summer came with Sri Lanka's win in Leeds, by a side that had been written off by the English press, and provoked on and off the field by the England players. Sri Lanka conceded a big first innings lead at Headingley (with Mathews taking four wickets) and when their captain came to the middle, his side was 168 ahead for four down. After a partnership with Mahela Jayawardene, in which Mathews resisted some good bowling from Liam Plunkett, England lost their direction in a familiar way. Alastair Cook set back the fields, and Mathews, supported by Rangana Herath, ran the field dizzy. This was cricket as slapstick. England couldn't lay a hand on them. Sri Lanka added 149 runs in 36 overs. Mathews didn't just settle a few scores, and set his side up for a win that wasn't in view earlier in the day, he had humiliated his opposite number.


1. Dhammika Prasad, 5-50 at Headingley.

Injuries to Welegedara and Lakmal had left the Sri Lankan pace resources running on very nearly empty and the English press weren't impressed with what remained: inexperienced, with inauspicious records and on their first tour of the UK. Prasad came in for the second game without much expectation. Yet he ripped out four top order wickets to leave England 52-4 and gave the England bowlers a lesson in the sort of full lengths commonly thought to bring success at Headingley. It was an extraordinary routing from a bowler whose career had been devastated by injury, and wouldn't have been playing but for the misfortunes of others. He gave Sri Lanka an opportunity to win their first ever series in England, a destiny that was not to be denied on the penultimate ball of the last day. It was, and remains, the only five wicket haul of his international career.

[Arthur Crabtree]

And, player of the year (in world Test cricket generally) taking over from Ryan Harris, I've gone for Brendan McCullum. With a triple and two doubles, all special, captaining a side who had a pretty good year.