World Cricket's 12 Days of Christmas
Ho, ho, ho! Santa Claus, AKA Bleacher Report, is here and handing out gifts to the cricketers and cricket teams of the world.
What could the West Indies team want for Christmas? How about the Australians with the Ashes on the horizon? And what is the one thing that Kevin Pietersen would seriously like to receive in his Xmas stocking?
Without further ado, let's take a look and see what is in Santa's sack! And yes, the gifts get grander the deeper we delve.
12. A World Cup Shock for Ireland
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On the first day of the World Cup, Richie Benaud said to me...how about Ireland pulling off another major upset?
Sure thing. The first parcel out of the bag is a huge shock result for the Emerald Islanders in Australia.
While qualification from a group headed by South Africa and India is a long shot, as England found out in 2011, Ireland possess some dangerous players, and the inconsistent West Indies and always combustible Pakistan will need to be on their guard.
11. Bangladesh Regain Momentum
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A few years ago, Bangladesh were much closer to challenging the top nations of cricket, claiming numerous ODI scalps and even beating the West Indies in two Tests.
More recently, however, the Tigers have regressed and remain, with Zimbabwe, in a limbo somewhere between the major countries and the minnows.
So for Christmas, and with the suspension of Shakib Al Hasan behind them, Bleacher Report will give Bangladesh a much more settled and unified line-up that can hopefully close the gap with the sport's big guns.
10. Daniel Vettori to Remain Healthy for New Zealand
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New Zealand will find a huge ball of cotton wool in their stocking from Bleacher Report that they can wrap Daniel Vettori up in.
The 35-year-old all-rounder made a successful return to the international cricket scene recently after a 28-month absence and helped the Black Caps immensely in their series with Pakistan.
And while a retirement from Test cricket could be imminent, with his economical overs, useful late-order runs and vast experience, the veteran is still an asset to the limited overs teams.
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9. Hashim Amla to Get World Record Shot
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If you had to choose a cricketer to bat for a long period of time, then high on the list would be South Africa's Hashim Amla, who averages over 50 in Test cricket and is a master at crease occupation.
Among his 23 Test centuries are two doubles, one triple and a colossal innings of 311 against England at the Oval in 2012.
Our Christmas present to the Proteas skipper is a shot at Brian Lara's world record individual score of 400 at some point during 2015.
8. India to Find a Pace Bowler
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It might be difficult to fit India’s present down the chimney, but MS Dhoni's team really need a quality paceman who can support Bhuvneshwar Kumar and finally replace Zaheer Khan…
There have been a few candidates such as Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, and of course, who can forget Pankaj Singh and his nightmarish debut against England?
But none have made the position their own yet.
7. Mitchell Johnson to Stay Fit
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Australia's most important present is one England hope will go missing in the post; that Mitchell Johnson remains fit.
Although his 37 wickets in the 2013/14 Ashes Down Under—where he terrorised Alastair Cook's side—extracted a measure of revenge, he will still remember the treatment he got from the Barmy Army in the 2009 and 2010/11 Ashes.
And with England still in a transitional phase, Johnson will be licking his lips at the thought of tearing into that fragile line-up once more...if the injury-prone quick can stay healthy.
6. Kumar Sangakkara to Postpone His Retirement
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Sri Lanka will be asking for just one thing for Xmas and that is for one-half of their star batting duo, Kumar Sangakkara, to postpone any imminent retirement plans and play on.
The living legend, who has scored over 25,000 international runs, is 37 years old, but there doesn't seem to be any replacements currently knocking on the door.
And as per the recent ODI series against England, there are no problems with his game, as evidenced by his 454 runs at an average of 75.66.
5. Pakistan Win a Test Overseas
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Our gift to Pakistan, who have been in superb form of late, is to win a Test match overseas.
They have thrived on the dry tracks of their temporary UAE home, completing an impressive series whitewash over Australia followed by a draw against New Zealand.
But overseas, they haven't won a five-day clash against a major nation since a solitary win over the West Indies in 2011.
While the forthcoming schedule has yet to be clarified, a proposed series against India in December 2015 could be the ideal place to set this record straight.
4. Stability for the West Indies
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For the West Indies, the present from Bleacher Report is simply a period of sustained stability enabling them to concentrate on on-field matters.
With captain changes, management reshuffles and board shenanigans seemingly a daily occurrence in Caribbean cricket these days, the Caribbean Islanders always seem to be in a crisis.
And a new low was reached when the players left a tour of India early in October 2014.
Let's hope with this gift, newly appointed ODI skipper Jason Holder and Test captain Dinesh Ramdin can help take the team forward.
3. A WC Semi-Final Spot for England
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England’s festive bounty is a World Cup semi-final appearance.
Despite organising their yearly schedule with the ICC’s flagship tournament in mind, England’s preparations have been fairly disastrous culminating in the sacking of captain Alastair Cook.
And new skipper Eoin Morgan will have his work cut out leading a talented, but out-of-form, team into battle in Australia.
This gift from Bleacher Report says that everything is going to come together, and England are going to make a huge impact Down Under. Fingers crossed!
2. A Glorious Return for KP
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Could it happen? Namely a KP return to the England side?
What seemed impossible a few months ago when KP released his explosive autobiography has already moved a few steps closer.
Alastair Cook has gone as ODI skipper and Paul Downton, the ECB's managing director, is coming under increasing pressure due to his handling of Pietersen and England's shambolic pre-World Cup preparations.
So our present to the South African-born run machine is a glorious return to the England team probably midway through the 2015 Ashes.
1. A Memorable World Cup
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And finally, one for cricket fans all over the globe.
This present is for a cracking World Cup, mixing thrills and spills, skillful performances and edge-of-the-seat drama and even a few upsets along the way.
Is it too much to ask for a last-ball finish in the final also?
Merry Christmas!
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