10 Bold Predictions for World Cricket in 2015
Roll up, roll up! With another action-packed 12 months of cricket ahead of us, including the 2015 World Cup, here are 10 bold predictions for the year that will almost certainly come true...or not.
The predictions cover a variety of individual achievements, records and several of the major tournaments and matchups that will take place over the next year, culminating in a prediction for the 2015 Ashes that would make Mystic Meg proud.
Bear in mind, that, apart from England, hardly any other countries have announced their schedules beyond the World Cup, so a fair degree of hypothesising was necessary.
Happy New Year!
10. Jimmy Anderson to Be the Leading Test Wicket-Taker
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The race to be the leading Test wicket-taker of 2015 looks likely to be between Mitchell Johnson and Jimmy Anderson, who finished in second and third position respectively in 2014.
Johnson is currently the most devastating bowler in cricket and will be chomping at the bit to get stuck into Alastair Cook's men when Australia visit the UK for the 2015 Ashes.
But given that England play 11 Tests over the next 12 months, Anderson, who has been an ultra-consistent wicket-taker for the last seven years, should be on course to take 50-plus scalps and gets the nod to outshoot the injury-prone Johnson.
9. Joe Root to Be the Leading Test Run Scorer
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England’s sheer volume of Test cricket—they will play 11 Test matches in 2015—gives one of their players a huge chance to score more runs in the red-ball format than any other batsman in the world.
While Cook, unburdened by the ODI captaincy, is a possibility and Gary Ballance appears to be Mr Consistency, Joe Root, who averaged and incredible 97.12 per innings in 2014, is the one to watch.
The young Yorkshireman keeps going from strength-to-strength and is also capable of making the big scores that should keep the likes of Hashim Amla, David Warner and Virat Kohli at bay.
8. Rohit Sharma to Break the T20 Highest Individual Score
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Chris Gayle's unforgettable innings of 175 not out from just 65 balls remains the highest individual knock in the history of T20 cricket, but there is a good chance that this record could fall in 2015.
Every year it seems that the batsmen are getting stronger, bats are getting bigger and the ball is travelling further than ever, as per Rohit Sharma's score of 264 in an ODI against Sri Lanka last year.
And with the volume of T20 cricket ever increasing, if Sharma can find his range again, then the record books could once more need updating.
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7. Jason Holder to Be the Breakthrough Player of the Year
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Despite remaining relatively unknown outside of the Caribbean, Jason Holder enjoyed a meteoric rise throughout 2014, culminating in him being somewhat surprisingly being appointed as the West Indies' ODI skipper.
However, expect the 6'7" Barbadian's sharp, controlled bowling, ever-improving batting and impressive temperament to help him enjoy a stellar 2015 and become known around the world.
6. Pakistan to Beat India
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While the details haven’t been finalised, Pakistan seem set to visit India in December for what would be a mouth-watering series.
The home side will take some beating in the white-ball contests on the pitches and grounds they know so well, but they are vulnerable in Test cricket.
And, as evidenced by their dismantling of Australia in the UAE, Misbah-ul-Haq’s men are an excellent five-day outfit.
A huge factor will be whether Saeed Ajmal manages to return from being banned in 2014, but Pakistan possess a good mix of old and young and could spring a surprise in India.
5. Virat Kohli to Be Named Cricketer of the Year
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After recently replacing MS Dhoni as India's Test skipper, all signs point to 2015 being the Year of Virat Kohli.
In fact, Kohli's performances in 2014, the disastrous tour of England aside, were astounding and the 26-year-old scored over 2,200 international runs across all three formats.
If he can shoulder the pressure of leadership, then this talented batsman has the cricketing world at his feet. Expect big things over the next 12 months, culminating in winning the coveted 2015 ICC World Player of the Year.
4. Kevin Pietersen to Return to the England Side
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Arguably, the prospect of this remarkable event happening decreased when Cook was removed from his ODI captaincy duties, giving him a greater focus on Test cricket.
And let’s face it, if Cook is still leading England, then KP will have to spend another year milking the world’s various T20 circuits.
But if England have a disastrous tour of the Caribbean in April, ahead of the 2015 Ashes, then a snowball effect could easily see the swashbuckling Pietersen once more donning the navy blue cap of England.
3. Hashim Amla to Score the Highest Individual Test Score
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Hashim Amla’s game is tailor-made for playing long innings, and it would be no surprise if the South African run machine records the highest individual Test score of the year.
But can the Proteas skipper go even further and threaten Brian Lara's epic 2004 innings of 400 not out against England, a score which remains the highest individual Test innings of all time?
The 31-year-old already has three double tons and one triple century at Test level, and if his team get a decent track against an innocuous attack, Lara's record could be under threat.
2. New Zealand to Win the 2015 World Cup
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While Australia are the undoubted pre-tournament favourites and the likes of India and South Africa looking like formidable opponents, just across the Tasman Sea, co-hosts New Zealand are coming to the boil nicely.
The Black Caps are currently riding a crest of a wave after a successful 2014 that saw them produce numerous impressive results, including ODI series wins over India and Pakistan.
With a well-balanced team that covers most bases and numerous big-hitting batsmen such as Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum, the Kiwis are a good outside bet to cause a World Cup shock.
1. England to Win the 2015 Ashes
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While Australia won the last Ashes at a canter, inflicting several mental scars on Alastair Cook's men in the process, this year's tussle should be a closer affair.
In fact, the tide might even be turning back in England's favour.
Six of Australia's potential starting XI—Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson—are aged 33 years or older and need to be wrapped in cotton wool.
Whereas, a roller-coaster summer in 2014 for England has seen a new batch of players, such as Joe Root, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan and Jos Buttler step up to the mark.
Sure, on paper, Australia still have the edge, but it will only take an injury to a key player—Mitchell Johnson for example—and the pendulum will swing in England's favour.
It's going to be close, but I'm tipping England to win the 2015 Ashes win by a 3-1 margin.
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