WISDEN HONOUR FOR STOKES
DURHAM STAR IS ONE OF FIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR IN CRICKET’S ‘BIBLE’ – AS SEASON OPENER ENDS IN DRAW
England’s 2015 Asheswinners Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have been chosen among Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year.
Durham all-rounder Stokes and wicketkeeperbatsman Bairstow, whose prolific run of form for Yorkshire helped win him back his Test place last summer and bring a second successive County Championship to Headingley, are joined by New Zealanders Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson and new Australia captain Steve Smith.
Wisden has also named Williamson as Leading Cricketer in the World after his 2,692 international runs across the formats in 2015 – the third-highest annual aggregate ever.
The historic and prestigious Cricketer of the Year accolade can be won just once by any player, and is judged primarily via influence on the previous English summer.
Stokes’ and Bairstow’s were evident in England’s thrilling 3-2 Ashes victory, and both went on to further enhance their standing through a winter in which their record partnership of 399 against South Africa in Cape Town featured the Yorkshireman’s maiden Test century and an astonishing display of sustained hitting as the Durham all-rounder racked up 258.
McCullum’s New Zealand were credited by many at the start of last season with helping England set a new tone of adventure in a drawn Test series and a limited-overs runfest too.
That accounts in part for the captain and the prolific batsman’s places in Wisden’s coveted category – while their compatriot Suzie Bates is named as the women’s Leading Cricketer.
Wisden editor Lawrence Booth congratulates England, in his notes section, for their re-emergence after the World Cup debacle of early 2015.
He describes their transformation as “the most uplifting story in international cricket”.
Booth adds: “(in May) a timid defeat in Barbados was followed by a tumultuous victory over New Zealand at Lord’s – and England instantly became a side you wanted to tell your friends about.
“There would be rapids down river, but the players were now approaching them head on, not paddling round the edge, quoting the percentage chance of falling in.
“Records fell like confetti. England passed 400 for the first time in a one-day international, and knocked off 350 in another. They made their highest one-day score overseas, in Dubai (355-five), then smashed it a few weeks later, in Bloemfontein (399-9). Jos Buttler scored a hundred off 66 balls, then – as if to make up for his tardiness – off 46.
“Stuart Broad took 8-15 as Australia were demolished for 60 at Trent Bridge, then 6-17 to skittle South Africa for 83 at Johannesburg. The two most resonant national records fell one after the other: in Antigua, Jimmy Anderson overtook Ian Botham’s Test-wickets haul, and went on past 400; at Leeds, Alastair Cook surpassed Graham Gooch’s Testruns tally, and approached 10,000.”
Meanwhile, Durham’s championship match against Somerset at the Emirates Riverside was abandoned yesterday with no play possible on the last two days.
It was tough on Durham, who led by 300 on 223-4 in their second innings and now face a long wait for their next action at home to Middlesex on Sunday week.
Durham coach Jon Lewis, whose side picked up 10 points from the opening game, said: “To have a week off between games is the norm in the rest of the world, so hopefully things will dry up and we can get in some decent preparation.
“We have a second team game here against Scotland next week, but we won’t be loading the side.”
Somerset’s new captain, Chris Rogers, admitted: “We didn’t quite get it right here, but the bowlers will improve.
“We also found it hard with the bat. We kept losing wickets in groups and didn’t build partnerships, but what I like about this group is that they can all contribute.”
Rogers scored an Ashes century on his last visit to Chester-le-Street and he added: “I have loved being back here. To be up against Graham Onions and Chris Rushworth up here at the start of the season is as challenging as it’s going to get.”