Best Performances of 2015

Hellgood

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Cricinfo have their performances of the year nominees up:

Test Batting: http://www.espncricinfo.com/awards2015/content/story/954785.html
Test Bowling: http://www.espncricinfo.com/awards2015/content/story/954787.html

I think the test innings of the year should go to Chandimal. Yes, it was a streaky innings but pretty incredible in the circumstances and won them the game from a very precarious position.

Bowling performance of the year can't go to anyone other than Broad.

ODI Batting: http://www.espncricinfo.com/awards2015/content/story/954789.html
ODI Bowling: http://www.espncricinfo.com/awards2015/content/story/954791.html

Pretty rich pickings for the ODI innings of the year, but eventually can't go past AB de Villiers against the West Indians in Johannesburg. Utterly obscene. Grant Elliott in the semi final would be a good second choice for the circumstances under which it was played though.

With the bowling I find it hard to split Southee demolishing England at the World Cup and Starc's efforts in the Auckland epic. If pressed would probably say Starc.

Unfortunately don't have time this morning to run through the T20 categories, captain or debutant of the year but all can be found here and is a pretty interesting debate and good to reflect on a hectic year of cricket.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/awards2015/content/site/awards2015/index.html
 
Sep 15, 2011
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As much as I hate to say it, can't look past the Poms' performances. Broad's 8-15 is head and shoulders above anything else. In batting, I didn't see or follow many of them, so of the ones I know, Root's 134 under pressure and Cook's 14-hour 263 probably stand out.
 
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May 8, 2007
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They may be the worst figures to ever win such an award but I'd have to give the ODI Bowling Performance to Wahab Riaz for his spell in Adelaide.

I know that spell looked exciting - and he had a catch dropped. But really - 2/54? I know, I know - it was better than that, but he didn't get many wickets, he didn't keep the runs down, he bowled a couple of wides, and he conceded more than half the runs in the match winning partnership. It was great to watch, but ultimately not effective in the match.

If you just go on how it looks, you start getting into 'Rob Quiney - impressive 9' territory. You have to get results. You have to influence the game, There were probably several other spells in ODI where a bowler beat the bat half-a-dozen times for no result. You just happened to see Wahib's.
 
I know that spell looked exciting - and he had a catch dropped. But really - 2/54? I know, I know - it was better than that, but he didn't get many wickets, he didn't keep the runs down, he bowled a couple of wides, and he conceded more than half the runs in the match winning partnership. It was great to watch, but ultimately not effective in the match.

If you just go on how it looks, you start getting into 'Rob Quiney - impressive 9' territory. You have to get results. You have to influence the game, There were probably several other spells in ODI where a bowler beat the bat half-a-dozen times for no result. You just happened to see Wahib's.
Let's not speak of the manic way that New Zealand chased that small target down, completely unnecessarily. Starc bowled beautifully but was gifted wickets by crazy batting. Personally I preferred the spell that was just as incisive but drastically unlucky.

Can only comment on those I saw and of those I did Wahab's spell was the performance of the year for mine. Single handedly enlivened what was a pretty s**t World Cup - so many one sided matches.
 

Hellgood

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Let's not speak of the manic way that New Zealand chased that small target down, completely unnecessarily. Starc bowled beautifully but was gifted wickets by crazy batting. Personally I preferred the spell that was just as incisive but drastically unlucky.

Can only comment on those I saw and of those I did Wahab's spell was the performance of the year for mine. Single handedly enlivened what was a pretty s**t World Cup - so many one sided matches.

Enjoyed Wahab's bowling that night as much as anyone and it will stick in the memory that's for sure, but I tend to agree with Wallaby in that there were alternatives which were just as exciting, but had the wickets and/or match-winning context to go with it.

And I know it's the thing to do to write everything of as 'pretty s**t', but I enjoyed the world cup. If you go in expecting every game to be amazing you're inevitably going to be disappointed. I thought there were a more than acceptable number of memorable games played in front of excellent crowds with great atmosphere.
 
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