The Test Year In Review

Its been an eventful year of Test Cricket. 2011 began with India threatening to add supremacy in Test and ODI Cricket to its well established supremacy at Cricket's corporate high table. A emphatic triumph in the 2011 World Cup which included victories over every single previous World Cup winning nation appeared to confirm the optimism at the start of the year. Then came the IPL, and some IPL induced scheduled (including 5 Tests in 6 weeks over 2 separate continents), a predictable disaster in England (especially after Zaheer Khan limped off the field at Lord's), declining gate receipts and TV Ratings for the premier franchise tournament run by the ICC - the Champions League, and also for the subsequent limited overs series that India played at home after that. As Rahul Dravid said, there was a change in temperature in the second half of the year. Test wins at home have only seemed to magnify India's problems overseas. But even though India lost the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to an embattled Australian side, it is notable that nearly 190,000 came to the ground to watch.



Dominating the Test Match world is significantly harder than dominating ODI cricket in a particular set of conditions. This, realistically, is what India have achieved. In sub-continental conditions, India are a lethal limited overs side. Test Cricket on the other hand requires a different kind of bench - one with substantive quality in every department. The Australians of 1999-2007 seemed to have this. India, to their immense discomfiture, lack it.

For Australia, 2011 began with the Ashes lost at home for the first time since 1987. The Australian bowled seemed tired and one dimensional, their batting - fragile and under siege. They have had a tumultuous year in which they were bowled out for 47, lost a Test Match for the first time in 18 years to New Zealand and in 25 years at home against their rivals across the Tasman Sea. The heart of their batting line up has survived more or less intact, notwithstanding the acrimonious sidelining of Simon Katich. Their new captain Michael Clarke played one of the innings of the year - 151 out of 284 in the first innings at Cape Town. While their batting troubles have not been resolved, Australia will feel that they have made great headway in their quest for a top quality fast bowling attack. The choice of Craig McDermott as bowling coach has proved to be an inspired one, and the arrival of promising genuinely quick bowlers like James Pattinson and Pat Cummins promises great things for the Aussies. The quest for a spin bowling replacement for Shane Warne continues.

Sri Lanka seemed to spend most of the year recovering from the loss of Mutthiah Muralitharan. Their bowling combinations seemed to promise much, but failed to deliver until their very last Test of the year at Kingsmead in Durban, South Africa. Tillekratne Dilshan took over the captaincy and has not been entirely convincing. He began well with a typically cavalier 193 at Lord's, but his style has also produced the inevitable horrible shots, and he remains, in my view, an unconvincing captain. For much of the year, Sri Lanka's batting seemed to revolve, as it has for a few years now, on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, with some support from Dilshan and the stylish Thilan Samarweera. Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's promising all rounder had a quiet year. Dinesh Chandimal made a long awaited Test debut at  Durban, and did not disappoint, scoring two strokeful half centuries in a far from high scoring match.

The current South African side is supremely accomplished. Hashim Amla and AB deVilliers have been in fine form, while Graeme Smith continues to score telling runs. Jacques Kallis has had modest series against Australia and Sri Lanka, but remains a great player. Dale Steyn is the best fast bowler in the world right now, and Vernon Philander has made a phenomenal beginning to his Test career. Morne Morkel, like Ishant Sharma, has struggled to take wickets. The arrival of Imran Tahir has yet to bear fruit, but the wickets on offer in the South African season so far have left him little to do. Mark Boucher remains unchallenged as South Africa's first choice Test Match gloveman. For all their virtuosity, the perennial South African inability to win consistently remains. Both their Test defeats in 2011 have come against the run of play.

For New Zealand, it has been a year of rebuilding. Doug Bracewell shows much promise and their batting does not lack talent. In key positions, they have experienced men like Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum. Yet, one feels that they lack assurance. Hopefully the win against Australia at Hobart will help. With John Wright as their head coach, and enough talent to provide relative stability of personnel, New Zealand promise much in the coming years.

Pakistan have had a fine year, despite having to play their home games in the Persian Gulf. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have been Pakistan's regular home Test venues, and here, they have done very well. Pakistan began the year with a series victory in New Zealand and followed this with a squared series in West Indies. Later in the year, they beat Sri Lanka at Dubai to win a three match series. The captaincy of the veteran Misbah-ul-Haq and the return of the brilliant Younis Khan has given Pakistan some much needed stability. They never lacked ability, as the all round talents of Mohammad Hafeez and the incisive spin bowling of Saeed Ajmal exemplify. The one worry for Pakistan is the continuing unpredictability of Umar Akmal. 2012 will be more difficult challenges, but the relatively modest Tests of 2011 are good preparation.

Like Pakistan, the West Indies have also been trying to rebuild and move past controversies arising out of the differences that Chris Gayle has had with the WICB. Darren Sammy remains a controversial captain among observers of the West Indies side, but his opponents consistently underrate him, predictably to their disadvantage. Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo are both stars in the making, and should Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Bravo recover their fitness, West Indies will have a gifted squad.

Bangladesh continue to struggle as a team, even though they have some talented, accomplished international cricketers now. Shakib al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal would find a spot in many sides in the world right now. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah promise a great deal as well. But as their performance against the returning Zimbabwean's suggests, they are not a difficult team to beat in a Test match. The Zimbabweans returned to Test Cricket and performed creditably against Pakistan and New Zealand after beating Bangladesh in both forms of the game.

The team of the year was England. They built on their Ashes results with a performance of staggering dominance against India. Ian Bell, for most of the 2000s, a promising talent, has reached the next level, and is now amongst the best batsmen in the world. Alistair Cook has turned his hitherto strong record in Tests into a truly great one. Kevin Pietersen remains a world class batsman and Jonathan Trott has emerged as a number 3 batsman in the tradition of Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. Matthew Prior is now an established Test player, and Stuart Broad found a lethal length in England this summer. Chris Tremlett is a fearsome proposition as a fast man, and James Anderson is the premier right arm medium-fast bowler in the world. Graeme Swann is a superb off spinner who gives England's attack some much needed balance. Tim Bresnan has distinguished himself as England's Jeeves in 2011.

The remarkable thing about England is that players in every department have peaked at the same time, and promise to stay together for a few years yet. Andrew Strauss will be 35 in March 2012, and has struggled with the bat from time to time, but in Alistair Cook, England have an obvious and able replacement. They will remain the team to beat in the foreseeable future.

The change in the balance of power that 2009 and 2010 threatened has finally come to pass. England are the foremost team in Tests now, with South Africa, Australia and India giving chase. India are most precariously placed of these three, most threatened with a lapse towards second tier status.

As often happens in World Cup years, 2011 has been a year of generational change, even though Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid may not know it. Saeed Ajmal, Umesh Yadav, Pat Cummins, Doug Bracewell, Darren Bravo, Vernon Philander, James Pattinson, Stuart Broad and Dinesh Chandimal all made significant strides in their career. Some of these names will shine in the 2010s.

Given the resurgences promised in 2011, 2012 promises to be an eventful Test Match year.