Cricket Xtra: Memorable moments in 2016

Do you agree?

Share with us your thoughts by commenting below, using #360fans on Twitter or getting in touch via Facebook.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR – RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN

The India off spinner was not only the most impactful bowler for his team, he was also the all-round performer of the year. The 30-year-old has become as important a member of the side as Virat Kohli as he is the main bowler, important part of the lower-order batting and a leader on the field. It was probably very easy for the ICC to select him as the Player and Test Cricketer of the Year.

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR  – VIRAT KOHLI

The India Test captain continues to push the boundaries in all forms of the game. Be it his fitness, attitude or appetite for runs, Kohli is leading by example and the results are there for all to see. He now averages over 50 in all forms of the game and has scored nearly 20 per cent of his 13,000 plus international runs in this year alone. Simply superb.

TEAM OF THE YEAR – INDIA

It was a fairly easy pick. Almost every other major team has had some remarkable success coupled with crushing lows. But India have been fairly consistent throughout. They reached the semi-final of the World T20 at home, remained unbeaten in Tests, retained their No1 ranking and did so while blooding in new players almost constantly. The sky is the limit for this young team.

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – CARLOS BRATHWAITE

Four balls is all it took for West Indies all-rounder Brathwaite to stun England and the cricketing world during the final of the World T20 in Kolkata. England were almost home, with the Windies needing 19 from the last over. The experienced Ben Stokes was expected to get the job done but Brathwaite had other ideas, clubbing four of the mightiest sixes seen at the biggest stage.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE YEAR – JONNY BAIRSTOW

The England wicketkeeper fell just 11 runs short of Michael Vaughan’s England record of most Test runs in a year (1481). There have been many great English batsmen over the years and for Jonny to come so close to the record, and in a year when the team toured Bangladesh and India, showed how huge a stride he has made in his career.

HEARTWARMING MOMENT OF THE YEAR – PAKISTAN REACHING TOP SPOT

Misbah ul Haq’s team had made consistency their mantra over the past few years, becoming almost unbeatable at home (UAE) and competitive away. Pakistan didn’t lose a series for more than two years, a run that ended in New Zealand. But their hard work didn’t go to waste, as they rose to the top of the Test rankings, albeit briefly. Finally, something genuinely good happened to Pakistan cricket.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR – MOHAMMAD AMIR

Once the left-arm pacer had served his sentence For his role in the spot fixing saga and was allowed to return to competitive cricket, it was only a matter of time before he made an international comeback. Amir played in all formats and bowled decently. He picked up 30 wickets from nine Tests (before the Boxing Day match), 12 wickets in nine ODIs and 11 scalps in 13 T20s. But more than the results, it was the way he eased into the team and took the role of the leader of the attack that was praiseworthy.

RECORD OF THE YEAR – ENGLAND SCORE 444-3

The highest score in ODIs had been set by Sri Lanka (443-9) in 2006 and that record stood for decade despite the advent of T20 cricket. It was only in August this year that the record was finally broken, with England opener Alex Hales cracking 171 to power his team to 444-3 against Pakistan. Let’s see how long this one stands. 500, anyone?

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR – AUSTRALIA

This was the year where Australian cricket plunged into a full-blown crisis. They were blanked 5-0 by the Proteas in an ODI series in October, the first such a fate in one-dayers, and they also lost five Tests in a row. It all reached tipping point in the Hobart Test against South Africa where the Aussies were shot out for 85 and lost the match by an innings last month. They axed as many as five players and started from scratch. Australia won two Tests after that but it will be some time before fans can forget the horrors of 2016.

CONTROVERSY OF THE YEAR – MINTGATE

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was caught on camera appearing to use saliva tainted by a mint to shine the ball during the second Test against Australia in Hobart last month. He was found guilty by the ICC but he contested the decision, which he lost after a hearing. All we can say is, tough luck. Many players apparently do it, just that Faf was caught.

WISHLIST FOR 2017 – GREATER BALANCE BETWEEN BAT AND BALL

Batting, especially in limited overs cricket, is getting out of hand. One-day matches are seeing huge totals and there are record chases in almost every series. It was, therefore, a big relief when the MCC announced plans to limit the size of modern bats to ensure mishits don’t go for a six. If possible, bowlers should be allowed to bowl as many bouncers an over as they want, just to even things out.

Five things UAE cricket must address in the New Year

QUIZ: Test your 2016 Indian cricket knowledge!

From Dravid to Ponting - ICC Cricketer of the Year award winners

INTERVIEW: Ashwin always backs himself to be the MVP