White-ball cricket takes centre stage in the second part of our 2016 review....
Wednesday 28 December 2016 09:42, UK
Our review of 2016 continues with a look at the highs and lows from the ICC World T20 in India, another action-packed IPL, Northants' T20 Blast triumph and Liam Plunkett's last-ball heroics at Trent Bridge…
India played host as the world's best convened to do battle in the shortest form of the game. Bangladesh and Afghanistan emerged from the first round group stage to join the top eight-ranked sides before the Super 10s began with a shock defeat for the hosts - New Zealand duo Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi putting India's batsmen in a spin to bowl them out for just 79.
England too started with a loss, their bowlers having no answer as Chris Gayle plundered 11 sixes in his unbeaten 100 from 48 balls. And when South Africa set them 230 to win in their next outing, another early exit from a world tournament looked to be on the cards. However, 43 from 16 balls from Jason Roy and Joe Root's stunning 83 from 44 balls helped England get over the line with two balls to spare - and victory over Afghanistan set up a winner-takes-all clash with Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, New Zealand looked the team to beat as they cruised into the last four, the West Indies also easing through, leaving India and Australia to face off for the other semi-final berth. After Jos Buttler's blistering 66, England reduced Sri Lanka to 15-4 and a last four place seemed assured. However, Angelo Mathews led the recovery and it took three Chris Jordan wickets in two overs to see England to a nervy 10-run win.
A Virat Kohli-inspired India saw off Australia but despite more Kohli fireworks, Lendl Simmons blasted the Windies into the final after a thriller. It was more straightforward for England, Roy's 44-ball 78 setting them on their way to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand with 2.5 overs to spare.
The final could hardly have got off to a worse start for England as they lost Roy second ball and slumped to 23-3 in the fifth over. Root and Buttler combined to get Eoin Morgan's side up to a more reasonable total, although their 155-9 still look well under par. However, when Root - a shock choice to bowl the first over - dismissed Johnson Charles and Gayle and David Willey got Simmons, England were in control.
Marlon Samuels anchored the West Indies innings to bring them back into the game but they still entered the final over needing 19 to win. Enter Carlos Brathwaite. The all-rounder, having taken 3-23 with the ball, proceeded to hit four consecutive sixes to leave bowler Ben Stokes distraught and hand the West Indies the title.
The big-name big-hitters were back in India come April as the IPL returned for its ninth year and, for the first time, after his white-ball exploits for England, Buttler was among them. The Lancashire wicketkeeper-batsmen was drafted by the Mumbai Indians and after a duck on his debut, Buttler, while not hitting the heights he has on the international stage, began to make his mark with some useful middle order runs, ending with 255 in 14 games.
The Indians though were unable to defend their IPL crown though as they narrowly missed out on a place in the top four. The newly-formed Gujarat Lions were the early pacesetters with Aaron Finch starting the tournament with three consecutive half-centuries. David Warner and his Sunrisers Hyderabad were also impressing, with the Australian in phenomenal form and Bangladeshi left-arm seam Mushfiqur Rahman proving lethal at the death.
Meanwhile, the much-fancied Royal Bangalore Challengers made a decidedly mixed start to the competition and looked to be heading for an early exit before a run of six wins from their final seven games saw them into final four.
That run was spearheaded by a certain Mr Kohli who, having scored first IPL ton earlier in the competition, went on to score three more as RCB stormed their way into the final. AB de Villiers, too, was instrumental and his unbeaten 129 from in a stand of 229 from 96 deliveries with Kohli against the Lions was an undoubted highlight of the tournament. So, it was no surprise that RCB went into the final against the Sunrisers as clear favourites.
Those expecting a procession for RCB did not count for Warner though. The Sunrisers captain hit a magnificent 69 from 38 balls to take his side up to 208-7 from their 20 overs.
But, halfway through the RCB reply, that was looking someway short of what was required as Kohli and Chris Gayle blasted 114 from the first 10 and a bit overs before the latter was dismissed. Kohli followed a couple of overs later, De Villiers went cheaply and RCB never recovered, falling eight runs short to hand the Sunrisers their maiden IPL title.
Back on English soil and the Natwest T20 Blast got off to an explosive start as Tom Kohler-Cadmore blazed 127 from just 54 balls for Worcestershire in their win over Durham in the opening game of the tournament. It was a score that would not be bettered but the fireworks continued throughout the tournament.
Defending champions Lancashire went out in the group stages, missing out on the top four in the North Group by a solitary point, as Nottinghamshire took top spot ahead of Northants. But it was Gloucestershire in the South Group who showed the most consistency, Michael Klinger the key man as they won 10 of their 14 group games.
However, come the quarter-finals, North overcame South in all four matches, sending each of the North Group qualifiers through to Finals Day. On the day itself and having shone throughout the competition, Ben Duckett proved that he could do it on the big stage - his brilliant 84 from 47 deliveries helping Northants edge out Notts.
The Steelbacks would face Durham in the final after Mark Wood produced one of the most fearsome spells of the summer, bowling Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan and Liam Plunkett, to down Yorkshire.
Keaton Jennings' 88 helped the Jets set a competitive 153-8 in the showpiece but it proved in vain as Josh Cobb smashed 80 from 47 to get the unfancied Steelbacks over the line with five balls to spare and spark wild celebrations.
Meanwhile, Warwickshire emerged victorious in the Royal London One-Day Cup. A devastating spell of 4-16 from Jeetan Patel, on his way to a five-wicket haul, saw off Somerset in the semis and set up a meeting with Surrey in the Lord's final.
The final itself was a one-sided affair, the Warwickshire bowlers sharing the wickets around as they skittled Surrey for 136. Jonathan Trott then anchored the Bears innings, finishing 82 not out as victory was secured by eight wickets with 19.4 overs remaining.
We looked at how England got on in part one of our review in what was, all in all, a good year for the white-ball side. However, what turned into a superb summer of limited-overs cricket for Eoin Morgan's side looked set to begin with a defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka.
England put the tourists in to bat and all seemed to be going well when they reduced them to 56-3 inside the first 10 overs. However, Sri Lanka rebuilt with a measured 73 from Angelo Mathews and a blistering 59 from 28 balls from Seekkuge Prasanna seeing them post 286-9 from their 50 overs.
The England reply could hardly have got off to a worse start. They slumped to 30-4 in the ninth over and were 82-6 at the end of the 18th.
That left Buttler and Chris Woakes with the mammoth task of somehow trying to drag England back into contention. The pair calmly went about their work and having added 138 in the next 24 overs, the game was back in the balance.
A superb boundary catch got rid of Buttler for 93 and David Willey went soon afterwards. Woakes (95no) and Plunkett kept things interesting but after just four runs from the first four balls of Nuwan Pradeep's over, England were left needing 10 to win from two deliveries. The next ball was a brilliant yorker but, with Sri Lanka beginning to celebrate, the batsmen somehow scampered three.
With six needed to tie the match, Pradeep's yorker was a fraction off, Plunkett cleared his front leg and thumped the ball over long off for a maximum. A stunning end to the contest resulting in England's eighth tie in ODIs.
