Players of 2005.

[Loony BoB]

Continuing from last year, from what you've seen or kept up with, who would you place in the following?

Best Player: Andrew Flintoff
Best Batsman: Ricky Ponting
Best Bowler: Shane Warne
Best All-Rounder: Andrew Flintoff
Best Keeper: Sangakarra, without a doubt.
Best Fielder: Kevin Pietersen. Obviously.
Best Captain: Stephen Fleming
Best Team: England
Best Personality: Shane Warne - for being a good sport and saying that England were the better team.
Best Newcomer: Kevin Pietersen. Easy.
Best Return to Form: Shane Bond, after spending such a long time out injured, returns and has now established himself as one of the best bowlers the world has seen, regardless of the lack of press given to him.
Best Opener: Hard to pick between Hayden and Tresco, but I'm going to say Trescothick... marginally, though.
Best Big Hitter: Kevin Pietersen
Best Slow-Goer: Kallis - Like him or not, he's good at what he does.
Best Tailender: Stephen Harmison
Best Seamer: Shane Bond
Best Swinger: Simon Jones
Best Spinner: Shane Wanre
Luckiest Player: Anyone dropped by Kevin Pietersen, really.
Unluckiest Player: Shane Warne - all those wickets and still not able to bring his team to victory.
Most Deserved Drop: I didn't keep up with this enough to say.
Least Deserved Drop: I didn't keep up with this enough to say.
Should Have Been Dropped: The ICC's stance on Zimbabwe.
Biggest Achievement: England winning the Ashes.

Predicted Player of 2006: -
Predicted Batsman of 2006: I expect Ricky Ponting to continue his form.
Predicted Bowler of 2006: I expect Shane Bond to finally get the credit he deserves.
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Adam Gilchrist to make a solid comeback after a below average year.
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Can't see Andrew Flintoff losing this status anytime soon, although Daniel Vettori may give him a run for his money.

As for my predictions for 2005 that I made last January, I failed pretty bad on most counts. I predicted Strauss to be the best batsman, which he was not. Bravo was predicted to be best bowler, which he was not. McCullum was a decent enough keeper but I think Sangakarra still had him left behind for that one, but I did get one right - Flintoff continuing the best all rounder claim as far as I'm concerned.

 

[thierry henry]

Warne or Ponting for POTY imo.

 

[andyc]

Not a single mention of Hussey, Bob?

 

[andyc]

Anyway, for me:

Best Player: Shane Warne
Best Batsman: Ricky Ponting
Best Bowler: Shane Warne
Best All-Rounder: Andrew Flintoff
Best Keeper: No idea
Best Fielder: Andrew Strauss, for that catch
Best Captain: Michael Vaughan
Best Team: Australia
Best Personality: Shane Warne
Best Newcomer: Michael Hussey
Best Return to Form: Matthew Hayden
Best Opener: Matthew Hayden
Best Big Hitter: Kevin Pietersen
Best Slow-Goer: Jacques Kallis
Best Tailender: Jason Gillespie
Best Seamer: Glenn McGrath
Best Swinger: Simon Jones
Best Spinner: Shane Warne
Luckiest Player: Shaun Tait, in being selected over MacGill
Unluckiest Player: Brett Lee
Most Deserved Drop: Jason Gillespie
Least Deserved Drop: Damien Martyn
Should Have Been Dropped: The ICC's stance on Zimbabwe (just stealing from you Bob!)
Biggest Achievement: England in the Ashes

Predicted Player of 2006: Michael Hussey
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Inzy
Predicted Bowler of 2006: Brett Lee
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Adam Gilchrist
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Andrew Flintoff

Sorry for being so biased there

 

[Loony BoB]

Not a single mention of Hussey, Bob?

It was a bit tough for the 'awards' he was fighting for, as batsman of the year for me went to Ponting and Newcomer to Pietersen, who were in my opinion both deserving. I did have Hussey in the mindframe when looking at players, though.

 

[Robertinho]

Best Player: Shane Warne
Best Batsman: Ricky Ponting
Best Bowler: Shane Warne
Best All-Rounder: Andrew Flintoff
Best Keeper: Kamran Akmal.
Best Fielder: Ricky Ponting. (cue; some old fat Englishman to say "Ar, Gary Pratt, crumpets, scones, git")
Best Captain: Michael Vaughan
Best Team: England
Best Personality: Shane Warne. His antics in the Ashes.
Best Newcomer: Irfan Pathan. Good prospect.
Best Return to Form: Shoaib Akhtar/Brett Lee. Both have reinvented themselves. I'd say Shoaib moreso, but I had to include Lee.
Best Opener: Marcus Trescothick. His partnerships with Strauss in the Ashes were vital.
Best Big Hitter: Andrew Symonds. His 156 in New Zealand, the 78 in the SA test, all showcased his immense power. Honourable mention to Brett Lee.
Best Slow-Goer: Jacques Kallis.
Best Tailender: In terms of batting? Um.. really stumped here... Kasprowicz
Best Seamer: Andrew Flintof
Best Swinger: Simon Jones
Best Spinner: Shane Wanre
Luckiest Player: Matthew Hayden.
Unluckiest Player: Damien Martyn. Everything that could've gone wrong in the Ashes, did.
Most Deserved Drop: Katich after the Ashes.
Least Deserved Drop: Martyn after the Ashes.
Should Have Been Dropped: Zimbabwe's test status.
Biggest Achievement: England winning the Ashes.

Predicted Player of 2006: Ricky Ponting. Made a good start so far
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Ricky Ponting. See above
Predicted Bowler of 2006: Shane Warne, to continue his form.
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Could see some fireworks
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Andrew Flintoff, though I predict Pathan will challenge him.

By the way, Towns. The "best swinger" - who is Stephen Jones? I'm guessing you meant Simon

 

[Ming]

Best Player: Lou Vincent
Best Batsman: Lou Vincent
Best Bowler: Daniel Vettori
Best All-Rounder: Daniel Vettori
Best Keeper: Brendon McCullum
Best Fielder: Hamish Marshall
Best Captain: Stephen Fleming
Best Team: NZ?
Best Personality: Lou Vincent
Best Return to Form: Shane Bond, after spending such a long time out injured, returns and has now established himself as one of the best bowlers the world has seen, regardless of the lack of press given to him.
Best Opener: Lou Vincent
Best Big Hitter: Lou Vincent
Best Slow-Goer: Craig Cumming
Best Tailender: Shane Bond
Best Seamer: Shane Bond
Best Swinger: James Franklin
Best Spinner: Daniel Vettori
Most Deserved Drop: Craig McMillan
Least Deserved Drop: Nathan Astle
Should Have Been Dropped: Craig McMillan EARLIER
Biggest Achievement: NZ's World Record Chase

Predicted Player of 2006: James Franklin
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Peter Fulton
Predicted Bowler of 2006: James Franklin
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Brendon McCullum
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Jacob Oram

 

[Arjun]

Best Player: Shane Warne
Best Batsman: Kevin Pietersen
Best Bowler: Shane Warne
Best All-Rounder: Scott Styris
Best Keeper: Kamran Akmal
Best Fielder: TIE between Hamish Marshall and Suresh Raina
Best Captain: Rahul Dravid
Best Team: Take your pic
Best Personality: TIE between Andre Nel and Irfan Pathan
Best Return to Form: Shane Bond
Best Opener: Trescothick (it's been a bad year for openers)
Best Big Hitter: Dhoni
Best Slow-Goer: Not too many that slow yet successful
Best Tailender: Shane Warne
Best Seamer: TIE between Shane Bond, Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath
Best Swinger: Chaminda Vaas
Best Spinner: Shane Warne
Most Deserved Drop: Sourav Ganguly
Least Deserved Drop: Jai Prakash Yadav and Joginder Sharma
Should Have Been Dropped: Ajit Agarkar....again!
Biggest Achievement: TIE between NZ's World Record Chase and India's ODI turnaround

Predicted Player of 2006: Who can it be?
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Peter Fulton
Predicted Bowler of 2006: RP Singh
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Adam Gilchrist
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Irfan Pathan

 

[Loony BoB]

By the way, Towns. The "best swinger" - who is Stephen Jones? I'm guessing you meant Simon

Uhm, er, that is, uh... ...oh, thank God for Cricinfo player search!

Edited.

 

[Gideon]

Best Player: Shane Warne
Best Batsman: Ricky Ponting
Best Bowler: Shane Warne
Best All-Rounder: Andrew Flintoff
Best Captain: Michael Vaughan
Best Team: Australia
Best Personality: Shane Warne/Andre Nel
Best Newcomer: Michael Hussey
Best Return to Form: Matthew Hayden/Brett Lee.
Best Opener: Marcus Trescothick
Best Big Hitter: Andrew Symonds
Best Slow-Goer: Jacques Kallis
Best Tailender: Brett Lee
Best Seamer: Glenn McGrath
Best Swinger: Simon Jones
Best Spinner: Shane Warne
Unluckiest Player: Damien Martyn
Biggest Achievement: England, The Ashes

Predicted Player of 2006: Ricky Ponting
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Ricky Ponting
Predicted Bowler of 2006: Shane Warne
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Adam Gilchrist
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Andrew Flintoff

 

[honestbharani]

Was there a similar thread done at the start of 2005? I would love to see how the predictions of us for 2005 went.

 

[andyc]

Best Player: Lou Vincent
Best Batsman: Lou Vincent
Best Bowler: Daniel Vettori
Best All-Rounder: Daniel Vettori
Best Keeper: Brendon McCullum
Best Fielder: Hamish Marshall
Best Captain: Stephen Fleming
Best Team: NZ?
Best Personality: Lou Vincent
Best Return to Form: Shane Bond, after spending such a long time out injured, returns and has now established himself as one of the best bowlers the world has seen, regardless of the lack of press given to him.
Best Opener: Lou Vincent
Best Big Hitter: Lou Vincent
Best Slow-Goer: Craig Cumming
Best Tailender: Shane Bond
Best Seamer: Shane Bond
Best Swinger: James Franklin
Best Spinner: Daniel Vettori
Most Deserved Drop: Craig McMillan
Least Deserved Drop: Nathan Astle
Should Have Been Dropped: Craig McMillan EARLIER
Biggest Achievement: NZ's World Record Chase

Predicted Player of 2006: James Franklin
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Peter Fulton
Predicted Bowler of 2006: James Franklin
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Brendon McCullum
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Jacob Oram

Are you joking when you write these things?

 

[andyc]

Was there a similar thread done at the start of 2005? I would love to see how the predictions of us for 2005 went.

Erm.. it's the big blue link in the first post

On the first page, Marcus seemed to be the most correct, predicting Flintoff as the allrounder and player of 2005, McGrath the best bowler and Ponting the best batsman, albeit along with Strauss. Admittedly, he did tip Jones to be the best keeper

 

[Loony BoB]

It's linked to in the first post. Seems most of us got things pretty far off.

 

[Arjun]

My prediction on Gilchrist went wrong and that one on Oram went very wrong (he was outperformed by one Irfan Pathan), but I got it right with Pietersen and McGrath (safe bet, huh?).

 

[luckyeddie]

Warne or Ponting for POTY imo.

On Ponting - "We'll have a bowl, mate" - subtract 500 points.

On Warne - "Oops" - subtract 500 points.

Without either of those two incidents, Australia would have certainly won or retained the Ashes and I'd have agreed with you regarding either.

Such a shame two simple errors should cloud my judgement and blind me - oh no, that'd be the tears of laughter blinding me.

(just kidding)

 

[roseboy64]

Are you joking when you write these things?

I sincerely hope so.

 

[Loony BoB]

It could well be that Ming has not kept up with any team but NZ throughout the year, given that this is based on what people have watched/kept up with. Same goes for me and my lack of players from certain countries. Although to be fair, you'd hope that he would keep up with the sides NZ were playing against at least a bit.

 

[roseboy64]

Best Player: Andrew Flintoff
Best Batsman: Ricky Ponting
Best Bowler: Shane Warne
Best All-Rounder: Andrew Flintoff
Best Keeper: Sangakarra
Best Fielder: Paul Collingwood
Best Captain: Michael Vaughan
Best Team: England
Best Personality: Shane Warne
Best Newcomer: Kevin Pietersen/Michael Hussey
Best Return to Form: Brett Lee
Best Opener: Matthew Hayden
Best Big Hitter: Kevin Pietersen
Best Slow-Goer: Jacques Kallis
Best Tailender: Brett Lee
Best Seamer: Andrew Flintoff/Glenn McGrath
Best Swinger: Simon Jones
Best Spinner: Shane Wanre
Luckiest Player: Xavier Marshall
Unluckiest Player: Brett Lee
Most Deserved Drop: Jason Gillespie
Least Deserved Drop: Dwayne Bravo
Should Have Been Dropped: President of ZCB
Biggest Achievement: England winning the Ashes.

Predicted Player of 2006: Andrew Flintoff-
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Ricky Ponting
Predicted Bowler of 2006: Shane Warne
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Adam Gilchrist
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Andrew Flintoff

 

[Beleg]

Best Player: NA
Best Batsman: Inzamam
Best Bowler: Shane Warne
Best All-Rounder: Andrew Flintoff
Best Keeper: Sangakarra
Best Fielder: Paul Collingwood
Best Captain: Stephen Fleming
Best Team: NA
Best Personality: Shoaib Akhtar
Best Newcomer: Michael Hussey
Best Return to Form: Inzamam
Best Opener: NA
Best Big Hitter: Afridi
Best Slow-Goer: Younis Khan
Best Tailender: Rana Naveed
Best Seamer: McGrath
Best Swinger: Simon Jones
Best Spinner: Shane Wanre
Luckiest Player: Mohd Sami
Unluckiest Player: Inzy
Most Deserved Drop: Ganguly
Least Deserved Drop: Asim Kamal
Should Have Been Dropped: President of ZCB
Biggest Achievement: Pakistan demolishing the Poms

Predicted Player of 2006: Shoaib Akhtar
Predicted Batsman of 2006: Dravid or Inzamam
Predicted Bowler of 2006: Muralitharan
Predicted Keeper of 2006: Sangakara
Predicted All-Rounder of 2006: Andrew Flintoff