2014- The Sequel: England in 2015.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Lest we forget, 2014.

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Twenty-fourteen didn't feel so great for English cricket that it demanded a sequel, but it left so many stories hanging that inevitably part two would have to be commissioned. If we remember, part one ended with Peter Moores and Paul Downton dangling on the end of a rope, with the press standing on the edge of a cliff trying to stop them from plumetting into the ravine. Former England star Kevin Pietersen was in exile, his grievances laid before the public in a (pretty justified) best selling litany of point settling. Former England captain Andrew Strauss was establishing a new career as a plain speaking commentator, as if imagined by Viz magazine. The public awaited with interest the impact former Costcutter supremo Colin Graves would have as leader of English cricket. The ECB responded to the crisis surrounding Test and ODI captain Alastair Cook, by getting a video made of him having his hair cut.

And if the story of 2015 had its origins in that most dismal year, there is a sense that the arc has run its course. For that, it's fair to credit Andrew Strauss, Director, English Cricket, for good or ill. Strauss replaced Downton, and cut off the dangling Moores. After Graves offered Pietersen a way back, Strauss blocked that off and managed to shut up Graves. The press and tv were got back onside, by various means. The Putin-like Giles Clarke held onto influence simply by ignoring the end to his period in charge, rising to Emperor of the ECB. And so English cricket began to appear functional, in a way the pre-glasnost DDR was functional.

The year began at its lowest point, with England's ignominious exit from Cricket World Cup. The press and Moores had defined a minimum level of achievement, which was that they would qualify for the last eight by beating the minnows and rely on good fortune thereafter. But the plan appeared flawed when it became clear that England were one of the minnows. Little progress was made in the West Indies with a drawn Test series. The ECB chairman in waiting Colin Graves' assessment of the hosts as 'mediocre' didn't stop them winning in Barbados. At the airport on the way in, Cook and Moores had identified uncapped opener Adam Lyth as a chief reason for optimism, then neglected to pick him, or similarly capless leg spinner Adil Rashid. Recalled Jonathan Trott said a sad farewell to the England side with a string of low scores. Ian Bell scored his last Test century to date. If there was any real cause for optimism in the England bubble, it was the return to form of Alastair Cook, who began to co-ordinate his feet movement and scored his first ton for two years.

The ECB leaked Peter Moores' sacking before an ODI in Ireland, scheduled to take place while the players were still travelling back from the Caribbean. It was business as usual at the ECB, who leaked that Jason Gillespie would be the new coach. And so, with the Ashes approaching, assistant coach Paul Farbrace's old colleague, Trevor Bayliss took the job. In a way, the early summer series against New Zealand was a high point of the year, just for the vibe. The likeable Kiwis under the impressive leadership of Brendan McCullum brought with them their atavistic respect for the spirit of the game, and England responded in kind. In the drawn Test series, and the successful ODIs, England's new stars were prominent. Jos Buttler scored England's fastest ever ODI ton, and England compiled their highest One Day score as they sought to update their limited over game. New England become something other than an old song by Billy Bragg.

Australia arrived as big favourites, and though England regained the Ashes, and while this was unexpected, it didn't feel like much of a high. After England lost heavily at Lord's, very particular surfaces were provided at Nottingham and Birmingham, as they been for the Indians in 2014. It was the Goldilocks pitch. One that would provide sideways movement for the England seamers, but no pace for the Aussie quicks. At Edgbaston, Anderson and Finn bowled the visitors out cheaply. At Trent Bridge, Broad thrillingly routed the guests inside eighteen overs. On a flatter surface, with the Ashes won, England were pasted in the dead rubber at the Oval. And it was an Ashes too far, in a glut of meetings between the two sides.

In a way, the defeat to Pakistan in UAE felt a greater achievement. England were indebted to Cook in Abu Dhabi, where they did what they so rarely manage. They withstood scoreboard pressure; they didn't flunk a tricky examination of their stamina and mental strength. Only bad light robbed them of an astonishing win. The lower order very nearly scrambled a draw in Dubai. But, if England won the big points in the Ashes, they lost them in the Emirates, and their flaws found them out in the end, with the top order collapsing in Dubai and Sharjah.

In 2015, England were too reliant on two batters and two bowlers. Cook and Joe Root averaged sixty with the bat, the next highest scorer being Ben Stokes, who averaged thirty. Anderson and Broad took their wickets at under 26, but the next highest wicket taker, Moeen Ali, took his at 45.

Strauss backed Alastair Cook as England Test captain. Cook won five and lost six over the year, drawing two series, winning the Ashes and losing to Pakistan. Strauss stuck with Eoin Morgan as limited overs skipper, which may well have had the benefit of protecting Cook from a challenge for his Test leadership. While Morgan's re-appointment looks like the vindication of a clear headed refusal to panic, Cook's retention feels increasingly an act of stubbornness. He's a better captain under Bayliss than he was under Moores, which suggests a problem. Left to his own devises, in a leadership crisis, he was hapless in the West Indies. Cook appears to be back as a Test opener, freed from his extended ODI experiment. But whatever feelgood in English cricket survives 2015, it comes from its younger players. It's time to give them the lead.

[Arthur Crabtree]

To come, five best bowling and batting performances from England and their opponents. England's opposition team of the year, and the thread's World Player of the Year. Disagreement welcome.

[Durhamfootman]

Cook won five and lost six over the year, drawing two series

sufficient to see him named as captain of the ICC test team of the year

what does that say about the test captains around the world?

[Arthur Crabtree]

He was named from the XI in the team, I suppose. I think most would have Mis or Brendan as their captain, from anyone.

[Arthur Crabtree]

England opposition team of the year.

1. Chris Rogers.

480 runs at 60. One hundred, and three fifties.

Shy of gaze, courteous of manner, red of hair: 'Ginger' Rogers was such a likeable tourist it seemed he must have arrived late for the New Zealand tour. And there was real pleasure to be had when he scored 173 at Lord's, his second home. Averaging fifty over two UK tours, Rogers showed his team mates how to bat against swing and the new ball. At 38, he retired from the game, touchingly frank about the blows he had taken and his fears about facing pace, but seemingly at his late blooming peak.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Just banter, you Aussies.

[Slipstream]

Stuart Broad has revealed how England players faced open hostility during West Indies tour.
We looked at the West Indies dressing room and they’d written ‘mediocre’ in bold letters on a big sheet of paper and taped it to their door. They had obviously taken Colin Graves’s pre-tour comments very personally indeed.
When we got pitchside there was open hostility directed at us as the West Indies players, egged on by batsman Marlon Samuels, hurled abuse at us.

Our bowling coach Ottis Gibson, a former West Indies coach, copped a lot of very personal abuse, which was totally out of order. We were shocked by the extent of their anger. It got very heated. When someone is speaking on stage at the end of a series, it’s common courtesy to listen, but their players were shouting all sorts of abuse.
It was quite an uncomfortable atmosphere as they vented their anger at us over the Graves comments. In the end we were relieved to get back to our hotel without things getting out of hand.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Perhaps a bit ingenuous from Broad. That's the image English cricket has had over the past few years, as spoken by Dhoni, Jayawardene and, by insinuation, from the Aussies. It can't have been any worse than Anderson's outburst to Jadeja, or perhaps the stuff he says with his hand over his mouth. A few of the team have a reputation in this regard. If England have changed, that's good, but maybe the other teams will take time to adapt.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Not to say WI didn't focus on Graves' idiotic statement, or that they didn't make things worse.

[bigfluffylemon]

Five best batting performances - not necessarily in order:

Alastair Cook - 263 in Abu Dhabi v Pakistan
Joe Root - 134 in Cardiff v Australia
Ben Stokes - 101 and 92 at Lords v New Zealand
Jos Buttler - 129 from 77 balls at Edgbaston v New Zealand (ODI)
Jos Buttler - 116 from 52 balls in Dubai v Pakistan (ODI)

[bigfluffylemon]

Best bowling performances - may have a bit of an Ashes bias here:

Stuart Broad - 8 for 15 v Australia at Trent Bridge

*daylight*

Steve Finn - 6 for 79 v Australia at Edgbaston
James Anderson - 6 for 47 v Australia at Edgbaston
Ben Stokes - 6 for 36 v Australia at Trent Bridge
Adil Rashid - 5 for 64 v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi

[bigfluffylemon]

Best batting performances by England's opponents:

Shoaib Malik - 245 at Abu Dhabi
Steve Smith - 215 at Lord's
BJ Watling - 120 at Leeds
Kumar Sangakarra - 117* at Wellington (ODI)
Mahmadullah - 103 at Adelaide (ODI)

[dan08]

At least one of Anderson's performances in UAE has got to be in the top 5.

[bigfluffylemon]

Best bowling by England's opponents:

Tim Southee 7-33 at Wellington (ODI)
Peter Siddle 4-35 at the Oval
Wahab Riaz 4-66 at Dubai
Shoaib Malik 4-33 and 3-26 at Sharjah
Mitchell Marsh 5-33 at Melbourne (ODI)

[bigfluffylemon]

At least one of Anderson's performances in UAE has got to be in the top 5.

Tough one - his 4-17 in Sharjah would be my pick for an honourable mention, but didn't quite squeeze into my personal top 5, partly due to the fact that England lost the match (which was not at all Anderson's fault). It's a toughie, though, and I nearly included it. Ultimately I preferred Rashid's Abu Dhabi effort, due to the context of the match - his first innings performance and the fact that it very nearly gave England a win from nowhere. You could also argue that Anderson's UAE performances edge out Stoke's Trent Bridge performance, not because that wasn't good, but because in context England had effectively already won that match by lunchtime on day 1...