Cricinfo Awards 2008

[Jungle Jumbo]

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/awards2008/content/current/story/385059.html

Anyone else vote/planning to vote in this? It recognises individual performances, rather than 'batsman of the year' etc etc.

I went for...

Test batting: Graeme Smith 154* v England at Edgbaston
Test bowling: Dale Steyn 5-67 v Australia at Melbourne
ODI batting: Yuvraj Singh 138 v England at Rajkot
ODI bowling: Ajantha Mendis 6-13 v India at Karachi

 

[pskov]

Exactly the same as you.

 

[Uppercut]

Where's Steyn's 5-24 against India?

In its absence i went for Sehwag's 201*, Panesar vs. New Zealand, Sachin's 117 and Mendis's 6-13.

 

[susudear]

Johnson's 8-fer

No Johnson's 8-fer either.

Tendulkar
Mendis
Tendulkar
Mendis

 

[krkode]

Obviously my view is limited to matches I've followed and so probably there's a hint of bias towards India.

My votes would be:

Test Batting: Sehwag's 201* vs SL (runner up: Sehwag's 83 vs. Eng) - Sehwag almost single-handedly won this test for India in a tour that was otherwise quite dismal.

Test Bowling: Shakib's 7-fer vs. NZ - Ban's one solid chance at actually winning against a decent test-class team. Vettori's performance in this game also deserves some sort of all-rounder performance if such a thing existed.

ODI Batting: Tendulkar's 117* vs. Aus in the CB series - winning this was just an awesome feeling, that too 2-0 in a final - Brett Lee's beamer to Tendulkar and their making up immediately after was also a good feeling, especially considering the heated test series that preceded the ODI series.

ODI Bowling: Mendis 6-13 vs. India in the Asia Cup. I hadn't seen Mendis bowl before this match but the sheer ass-kicking he handed India was just painful to watch. I remember Sehwag was proceeding at break-neck speed and then Mendis had him out stumped with a neat delivery. Everything just went downhill from there.

 

[Evermind]

Duminy, hands down. Come on, guys! The rest aren't even close. He won that game for SA.

 

[Johnners]

No Johnson 8-fer is a joke. Refusing to vote because of this.

 

[Uppercut]

Duminy, hands down. Come on, guys! The rest aren't even close. He won that game for SA.

And Sehwag didn't win that game for India?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

The Mendis spell is the only clear-cut choice there.

 

[James_W]

I was surprised at the absence of Sehwag's triple, despite it not being a matchwinning effort it was phenomenal to watch.

 

[weldone]

In Test Batting: definitely Sehwag vs Sri Lanka
In Test Bowling: I'm not sure
In ODI Batting: Sachin vs Australia
In ODI Bowling: Mendis vs India

One might sense a bit of bias towards India from some choices; but those who are fairly familiar with my posts know for sure that my posts are never biased towards India...

 

[ozone]

Test batting: Graeme Smith 154* v England at Edgbaston
Test bowling: Dale Steyn 5-67 v Australia at Melbourne
ODI batting: Yuvraj Singh 138 v England at Rajkot
ODI bowling: Ajantha Mendis 6-13 v India at Karachi

These for mine, although had it happened last year, 'Graeme Smith 3 from 17' would have been a strong contender.

 

[Evermind]

And Sehwag didn't win that game for India?

Yeah, the difference is that in JP's case he was the last batsman in, and he batted with the tail-enders against the best team in the world. Sehwag's innings are usually relatively pressure-free because he's an opener. In context, I would rate JP's innings as the more valuable one - an almost-miraculous turn of the tide.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Personally would give the bowling award to Michael Clarke for his 3 wickets off the penultimate over at Sydney. I still harbour disgust for the dishonest bugger, and India didn't deserve to be placed by the combination of circumstances into that position on the final day, but you don't see a dramatic finish like that in even a decade of cricket.

 

[haroon510]

for me everything the same but i would change Yuvraj to Sachin against Aus " first final century" in ODI..

test cricketer of the year should go to Smith for his amzing captiancy and bating performance.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Katich's 131* against NZ not featuring anywhere near as much as it should in this thread.

 

[biased indian]

In Test Batting: Sehwag vs Sri Lanka
In Test Bowling: Styen vs Australia (took his batting in that test into consideration )
In ODI Batting: Sachin vs Australia
In ODI Bowling: Mendis vs India