AND SO MUCH MORE
wood, as Australia retained the Ashes with a 2-2 drawn series.
Not bad considering they called upon Mitchell Starc for only one Test, although a star was unearthed.
4. Marnus rises
THAT unearthed star was Marnus Labuschagne.
Lasagne, loose bus change – it doesn’t matter how you pronounce Labuschagne, his talent speaks for itself.
The super sub who came in after superstar Steve Smith was
felled during a venom- ous Jofra Archer spell at Lord’s, Labuschagne stood tall against the barrage and literally batted his way into a Test spot for years to come.
The return home from England has been just as impressive, with Labuschagne belting more than 530 runs in Australia’s past three Tests.
Throw in his more than handy leg spin, his age – only 25 – and his energy, and we might be looking at Australia’s No.3 for the next decade.
He’s just been called up to the one-day international squad too, as his star rapidly rises.
3. Cornwall rips it
ONE of the great things about the sport of cricket is it still has a place for the larger player.
If your eye is good, or your spin prodigious, you can find yourself becoming a national hero.
The latest cult hero, West Indies big man Rahkeem Cornwall, showed he was more than just the world’s heaviest cricketer as he skittled the AfghaniSmith’s stan line-up. The 140kg, 196cm-tall 26-year-old destroyed the Afghan line-up, with his 7-75 the best figures for a West Indies spinner in nearly 50 years.
The off-spinner was able to produce plenty of bounce, thanks to his height advantage, which caused headaches for the Afghan batsmen.
2. Back in action
THE eyes of the cricketing world were fixed on Steve Smith and Dave Warner when they returned after serving
their bans for their roles in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
Warner was lucky to retain his place in the side after a torrid Ashes series where Stuart Broad tormented him.
A measly return of just 95 runs for the series had plenty declaring Warner finished, at least in away Tests, but those memories were erased by a fruitful home summer highlighted by an unbeaten 335 against Pakistan in Adelaide.
774 runs in the Ashes erased any doubt about his importance to the team, or his star quality.
Cameron Bancroft’s return was less spectacular.
He finds himself in a battle to re-establish himself in the national team.
1. World Cup thriller
TWO teams that Aussies hate losing to battled it out for the World Cup.
It was a nightmare scenario, but for the neutral sports lover the World Cup final was all gold – delivering arguably the most dramatic finish ever witnessed at an international game.
The England v New Zealand finale at Lord’s deserves a book all to itself. It had everything.
It was mayhem – a catch that became a six, madness with an overthrow deflecting off the bat for a crucial four, and scores tied after both sides had batted out 50 overs each.
A super over followed, and England racked up a morethan-competitive 15 runs off their six balls.
New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham stroked 13 off five deliveries, before a run-out levelled the scores again at the end of the super over.
Cue the wild celebrations, and confusion. Fans were left scrambling for the rule book as England celebrated – prevailing on a boundary countback, with their 24 fours and two sixes trumping the 14 fours and three sixes scored by the Kiwis.
Heartbreaking. Dramatic. Controversial. Bizarre. It was all of those and more.
The result even forced the International Cricket Council into a rule change.