B/R's 2014 World Cricket Awards: Best Player, Bowler, Batsman, Team...
World cricket in 2014 featured tremendous, record-breaking highs as well as tragic lows. Over the next few pages, we'll look back at the most memorable moments and performances from the past 12 months and offer awards to the pick of the bunch.
We've rated the top batsmen, bowlers, innings, controversies and much else besides.
The winners of each award aren't necessarily the best player in their category. In some cases 2014 was the year when conditions, form and the stars aligned and they managed to deliver to the peak of their potential.
Although statistics have been taken into consideration, a number of the categories are based on the subjective whims of the author.
Read on to find out what was the worst drop, who were the biggest underachievers and who grew the best beard, as well as, of course, the player, team and performances of the year.
Statistics come courtesy of ESPNCricinfo.com and Howstat.com.
Player of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara
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He may be approaching veteran status, but Kumar Sangakkara showed in 2014 why he will go down as an all-time great of the game.
The Sri Lankan was the leading scorer in Test cricket in 2014 with 1,493 runs at an average of 71.09. He repeated the trick in ODIs, with 1,256 runs at 46.51.
Sangakkara bowed out of the T20 game in style with a man-of-the-match performance in the final of the World T20 against India.
On the tour of England, Sangakkara passed 50 every time he visited the middle in the Test series and added a century at Lord's in the ODIs.
With an eye for the big occasion, Sangakkara signed off from ODI action at his home ground at Kandy in style, scoring a century against England.
Even at 37, he remains one of the premier performers in the world game. He'll he hoping for one last hurrah at the World Cup. Only a foolish man would bet against him getting it.
Batsman of the Year: Brendon McCullum
2 of 11The most fiercely contested honour in our end-of-year awards was for top batsman. David Warner, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Younis Khan, Steve Smith, AB De Villiers, Hashim Amla and Joe Root all made strong claims after stellar years.
It may seem a little strange then to nominate someone who passed 50 just four times in Test matches in 2014 as our Batsman of the Year.
Consider that when Brendon McCullum did reach his half-century, he went on to score 224, 302, 202 and 195.
McCullum became New Zealand's first triple centurion against India in February. In December he became his country's fastest centurion, taking just 74-balls to reach three figures against Sri Lanka.
The 33-year-old fell just short of becoming the world's fastest double centurion on Boxing Day. With 19 balls to score the remaining five runs to break the record, McCullum opted for glory rather than stats.
Instead of claiming the record in singles, McCullum went for yet another six and was caught on the deep long off boundary. We're loving his style.
With 33 sixes in 2014, McCullum hit almost double the maximums of his closest rival this year. The all-time record puts some elite company in the shade too.
"Most Test sixes in a Calendar year: McCullum 33 (2014), Gilchrist 22 (2005), Sehwag 22 (2008), Flintoff 21 (2004) #NZvSL #SLvsNZ #AUSvIND
— #ICC #AUSvIND (@Its_ICC_SpOrTs) December 26, 2014"
Take a bow, Brendon McCullum, our batsman of 2014.
Bowler of the Year: Rangana Herath
3 of 11At the start of the year, you'd have got long odds on Rangana Herath being the only bowler to take 50 Test wickets in 2014.
The left-arm spinner's total of 60 puts him well ahead of closest rivals Mitchell Johnson and James Anderson.
The highlight of Herath's year was his amazing 14-wicket haul against Pakistan in August. He became the first left-arm bowler to take nine wickets in a Test innings as Angelo Mathews' side recorded a famous win.
Throw in a World T20 victory and a series win in England, and it was quite the year for the 36-year-old.
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Most Memorable Innings: Rohit Sharma's 264 vs. Sri Lanka
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Cricket lovers were treated to plenty of great innings during 2014. David Warner scored back-to-back centuries at Newlands and Adelaide. Brendon McCullum and Kumar Sangakkara broke records after passing 300.
Hashim Amla showed all of his class while compiling 208 on a very sporting pitch against the West Indies at Centurion.
In the shorter forms of the game, Pakistan found a new star in Ahmed Shehzad while New Zealand's Corey Anderson produced one of the cleanest displays of hitting with his unbeaten 131 from just 47 balls against the West Indies in January.
The only highlight of England's torrid World T20 campaign was Alex Hales' amazing unbeaten 116 against Sri Lanka.
The Most Memorable Innings of 2014, though, was Rohit Sharma's spectacular 264 from 173 balls against Sri Lanka in November.
Rohit claimed the record for the highest score in an ODI and, in the process, became the first man to score two ODI double centuries.
With 33 fours and nine sixes, the 27-year-old completely destroyed a hapless Sri Lankan attack.
And to think, it took him 72 balls to reach his first 50!
Most Surprising Innings: Misbah-ul-Haq vs. Australia
5 of 11If asked at the start of 2014 which batsman would tie the record for the fastest century in Test cricket history, Misbah-ul-Haq would have been pretty low on the list. Probably sandwiched between Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott.
The 40-year-old produced the knock of his life as Pakistan shocked Australia in Abu Dhabi in November.
Misbah took just 56 balls to reach three figures, tying Sir Viv Richards as Test cricket's fastest centurion.
Match of the Year: Australia vs. India at Adelaide
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Close finishes in the Test arena were at a premium in 2014. Amazingly, the narrowest victories were by three wickets and 40 runs.
That said, England and Sri Lanka managed to conjure up a pair of "bum-nippers" during their summer series. The result in each match was in doubt right up to the last over.
The tourists managed to hang on at Lord's with nine wickets down. England couldn't quite repeat the trick at Headingley a week later.
After the tragic death of Phillip Hughes, the re-arranged Test match between Australia and India at Adelaide took on greater significance than usual.
With the sporting world watching, the two sides conjured up a classic. Featuring fine batting from both sides, the tourists fell just short of what would have been a spectacular run chase.
Full of attacking endeavour, Michael Clarke and Virat Kohli's sides produced a fitting tribute to Hughes. It's our most memorable match of 2014.
Biggest Controversy: West Indies Players vs. Board
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There was no shortage of candidates for the Biggest Controversy of 2014. Honourable mentions go to Sachithra Senanayake's "Mankad" run-out of Jos Buttler and James Anderson's feud with India's Ravindra Jadeja.
In most years Kevin Pietersen's incendiary autobiography would have been a shoe-in for top honours.
Instead, it's the fallout between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board that is our controversy of the year.
The subsequent cancellation of the West Indies' tour of India is set to have serious repercussions for the game in the Caribbean.
On the field, the saga appears to be rumbling on with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard omitted from the ODI squad in South Africa.
Hopes of a West Indian renaissance at the World Cup don't look encouraging.
Costliest Drop: Thisara Perera
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It may not be quite in the Herschelle Gibbs dropping the World Cup league, but Thisara Perera's shelling of Rohit Sharma in the fourth ODI between India and Sri Lanka proved extremely costly.
"Thisara Perera's drop catch off Rohit Sharma when he was only on 4 and went on to make 264! #IndVSL https://t.co/QtBmMdzLAN
— Gautam (@imGkhosla) December 22, 2014"
The Indian batsman had made just four when put down by Perera. Three-and-a-half hours of carnage later, Rohit had a world record score of 264 to his name as India amassed a mammoth 404 for five from their 50 overs.
Beard of the Year: Anton Devcich
9 of 11The beard has a long and illustrious cricketing history, and 2014 provided a bumper crop of facial hair.
Hashim Amla maintained his usual high standards while England's Moeen Ali became "The Beard to be Feared."
Kane Richardson upheld the fine tradition of hirsute Australians, but even his luxuriant effort was put in the shade courtesy of a rival from across the Tasman Sea.
Sporting an effort that wouldn't have looked out of place on a fixed-wheel bike-riding, cereal cafe-owning, east London hipster, our Beard of the Year award goes to New Zealand's Anton Devcich.
Underachievers of the Year: India's Test Team in England
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With Alastair Cook's England under huge pressure after a heavy Test defeat at Lord's, the stage was set for India to banish their away series hoodoo.
Despite having all the momentum, MS Dhoni's side subsequently served up three of the most shockingly inept performances in recent Test history.
They were crushed by 256 runs at Trent Bridge before losing by an innings and 54 runs at Old Trafford.
With the series still alive, the Indians saved their worst for last. Bowled out for 148 and 94 at the Oval, the tourists succumbed to a calamitous innings and 244-run thrashing.
A tour that had started so promisingly had descended into farce in the space of just six weeks.
Team of the Year: Sri Lanka
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No side truly dominated cricket in 2014 in the manner of the great West Indian and Australian sides of yore.
Nearly every team seemed capable of beating everyone else, given the right conditions and a fair following wind.
The South Africans were their usual efficient selves, and with the exception of an away series defeat against Pakistan, Australia impressed.
India struggled on the road in Tests but looked good in the ODIs, and Pakistan were brilliant on occasions but struggled for consistency.
New Zealand enjoyed an excellent year and will be a dangerous proposition at this year's World Cup.
England were often still trying to work out the question let alone look for the answer in the limited-overs game.
Zimbabwe and Bangladesh remain a long way even from mid-table mediocrity.
That leaves Sri Lanka who enjoyed some great highs in 2014. Angelo Mathews' side followed up their Asia Cup triumph in March by winning the World T20 a month later.
Throw in a historic Test and ODI double in England and further five-day success against Pakistan, and it was a highly enjoyable 2014 for Sri Lankan followers.
It's a close silver for the Black Caps, but Sri Lanka are the Team of 2014.
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