Listed here are TFT’s annual awards courtesy of Billy Crawford. Blissful New Yr to all…
Hero of the yr – Ben Stokes
Has anybody within the historical past of cricket ever had such a transformative impact on the sport as Benjamin Stokes has wrought within the final 12 months? If that’s the case, it’s onerous to consider one. In June, the Durham man, together with coach Brendan McCullum, took on an England group which had received 1 of its final 17 Exams and was starting to make the shambles of the 1999s appear to be the glory years of English cricket. Seven months later his file as captain reads 9 wins and 1 defeat; Ben and Baz don’t do attracts.
Stokes has dragged English cricket off the canvas and made the nationwide group probably the most feared outfits on the world stage. In doing so he has additionally reworked how we take into consideration Take a look at cricket and pushed the boundaries of what has been thought-about doable for 150 years. 500 runs on the primary day? No downside. Chase practically 300 in a few periods or play for the draw? Not even a debate.
This summer season Ben Stokes got down to do two issues: make enjoying for England enjoyable once more and to save lots of Take a look at cricket. The primary has unquestionably been achieved. Don’t guess towards him doing the second as nicely.
Villain of the yr – Tom Harrison
Not for the Hundred or the obscene bonuses, each of these issues had been sealed lengthy earlier than 2022. No, the outgoing ECB chairman wins this yr’s nomination for his parting reward to English cricket: a brand new TV deal that ties his successor to each pay TV and the Hundred till 2028.
Signed simply earlier than his departure, and seemingly with little or no wiggle room for renegotiation, the TV deal is Harrison’s last two fingers to the sport, a manner of guaranteeing that his cash obsessed imaginative and prescient for the way forward for cricket on this nation will dwell on lengthy after his depressing tenure has been forgotten.
Batsman of the yr – Jonny Bairstow
Can there be some other? Within the house of 1 superb summer season the Yorkshireman reworked himself from perennial underachiever to considered one of England’s finest with a string of barely plausible performances. His extraordinary 136 of 92 balls propelled England to an unbelievable victory towards New Zealand at Trent Bridge and kickstarted the Bazball revolution. He adopted this up 162 and 71 not out within the subsequent Take a look at at Headingley after which an impressive pair of tons of towards India at Edgbaston. We additionally discovered the which means of the phrase “Jonny eyes”.
Bizarrely, England’s embarrassment of batting riches implies that Stokes and McCullum can have fairly a headache discovering a spot for Bairstow when he returns from the freak damage which stored him out of England’s tour of Pakistan. He could even discover himself maintaining wicket once more. Both manner, the prospect of Jonny discovering his 2022 kind in time to withstand the Australians subsequent summer season is actually mouth watering.
Bowler of the yr – Jack Leach
Jack Leach is the main Take a look at wicket taker in 2022. Sure, you learn that sentence proper. Jack Leach, main Take a look at wicket taker within the WORLD. It’s a statistic that appears barely plausible when he was being derided for his performances within the West Indies again in February. Nonetheless, it seems all he wanted was a captain that had religion in him.
Ben Stokes made it clear from the offset that the Somerset man was his primary spinner, bowling him earlier than lunch on the primary morning, refusing to set the form of defensive fields that had negated his effectiveness below Joe Root even when Leach requested them. Stokes’ delight at his spinner’s 5 wicket haul towards New Zealand at Headingley was clear for everybody to see.
After all, there are caveats to Leach’s performances – his 46 wickets got here at 38.28, hardly a world beating common. He additionally suffered considerably disappointing statistics on the current tour of Pakistan. Nonetheless, 2022 was nonetheless an enormous renaissance for one of many recreation’s most likeable characters – though in 2023 he could discover his place below menace from the recipient of our subsequent award…
Younger participant of the yr – Rehan Ahmed
Earlier this yr a video emerged of Shane Warne telling a 13 yr outdated leg spinner that he would play county cricket by the age of 15. That younger boy was Rehan Ahmed and even the good Warne would have scarcely imagined that he can be taking Take a look at match wickets aged 18. The youngest ever England debutant did himself proud in Karachi, bamboozling among the most interesting gamers of spin on the planet on his approach to a 5 wicket haul on his Take a look at debut.
We’ve got been right here earlier than with promising England leg spinners. Chris Schofield anybody? However on first impressions Ahmed does appear to be the true deal, so long as he’s rigorously managed by Stokes and McCullum, and allowed loads of time to study his craft within the county recreation. His rejection of an IPL contract to play for Leicestershire within the Championship is a promising signal. This younger man might be round for a very long time to return.
The raging towards the dying of the sunshine award – Darren Stevens
46 years outdated and nonetheless going robust, the profession of Darren Stevens warms the hearts of cricket followers all over the place. 2022 could not have been fairly as outstanding a yr as 2021 statistically, however there have been nonetheless moments of brilliance together with an innings of 84 of 65 balls in Kent’s Royal London Cup semi last victory towards Hampshire.
Stevens described himself as “damage” by Kent’s refusal to supply him a contract for subsequent season however the county’s victory over Hampshire within the RL Cup last at Trent Bridge was nonetheless a becoming ending to his 17 years on the membership. On the time of writing, Darren Stevens doesn’t have a membership for 2023 however he has introduced his intention to hold on enjoying if anybody can have him. And who would guess towards this most evergreen of cricketers carrying on for a short time but?
To the longer term
So now that 2022 is over, what can we stay up for in 2023? It’s heartening to see that the primary 7 rounds of the County Championship will embrace a Saturday’s play. Possibly we will dream of crowds streaming by the gates to get pleasure from a revitalised Championship – saved from the jaws of Sir Andrew Strauss’ Excessive Efficiency Assessment – and of sunny weekends the place young and old alike get pleasure from a day on the cricket.
There may even be the enjoyment of seeing Eire play a Take a look at match at Lord’s once more, though they must go some to match their efficiency of 2019 the place England have been bowled out for 85 earlier than lunch on the opening day.
After which, in fact, there’s the Ashes. The travesty of not enjoying it over the summer season holidays apart, it is going to be thrilling to see Ben and Baz tackle the oldest enemy. Maybe an urn-clinching hundred from Jonny Bairstow on the final day at The Oval, al a Kevin Pietersen in 2005, is an excessive amount of to hope for however then once more all the things appears doable at the moment of yr.
Billy Crawford
