Skysports.com picks out the memorable moments from cricket during the last 12 months.
Skysports.com's Graeme Mair looks back over the last 12 months
A turbulent 12 months has seen plenty of excitement, controversy and talking points in the world of cricket.
England's year encompassed the low of the Kevin Pietersen-Peter Moores double sacking in January, a difficult tour of the Caribbean, followed by the joy of regaining the Ashes on home soil in the summer.
Andrew Strauss emerged as a leader of substance alongside new coach Andy Flower, although the otherwise impressive duo could not prevent a below-par showing at the World T20, which was won in fine style at Lord's by Pakistan.
Australia retained their Champions Trophy crown in October and remain a class apart in the 50-over game but they have come back to the pack, arguably even been overhauled, in the Test arena.
India and South Africa, who won their first ever series in Australia in January, have both surpassed Ricky Ponting's men in the ICC Test rankings and, with Sri Lanka also close behind, there is little to choose between the top four.
The rise of Twenty20 continued apace with another successful edition of the Indian Premier League, albeit in South Africa due to security concerns in India, alongside the inaugural Champions League.
Durham, led by a dominant seam attack, made a successful defence of their County Championship title, while Sussex won the Twenty20 Cup and Pro40 League despite being relegated in the four-day format.
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Team of the Year - England women
England's women ruled the world in 2009, winning both the 50 over and T20 World Cups as well as retaining the Ashes.
A golden 12 months for Charlotte Edwards' side began in March with victory over New Zealand in the World Cup final.
That triumph, England's first at a global one-day tournament since 1973, was the start of a run of sustained excellence.
The T20 World Cup was collected with another win over New Zealand at Lord's in June, England having maintained a 100 percent record in the tournament.
And the Ashes remained in the trophy cabinet with a draw at Worcester in July to put the seal on a magnificent summer.
Player of the Year - Tillakaratne Dilshan
Dilshan's talent has never been in doubt but prior to this year he had only occasionally done full justice to his extravagant gifts.
That all changed in 2009 as the slightly built right-hander from Kalutara scored consistently across all three formats of the international game.
His year is perhaps best remembered for his use of the "scoop" shot during Sri Lanka's run to the final of the World T20, typical of the innovation and adventure that defines his approach to the game.
He has also been outstanding in both Test and one-day internationals, plundering a total of 10 centuries during the calendar year.
Best innings - Virender Sehwag, 293
India opener Virender Sehwag's 293 against Sri Lanka in the third Test at Mumbai in December will live long in the memory of those who witnessed it.
Replying to Sri Lanka's 393, the Delhi right-hander launched a savage and sustained assault on Sri Lanka's bowlers to ensure the deficit was wiped out before the close of the second day.
His first 100 runs came from 101 balls, relatively sedate compared to what was to follow - the second 100 taking just 67 deliveries to leave Sri Lanka - the great Muttiah Muralitharan included - totally out of ideas.
He went to bed on 284 with ambitions of becoming the first man to score three Test triple centuries and, no doubt, eyeing Brian Lara's record score of 400.
It was not to be, however, as a new day brought a change of luck for Muralitharan, who held a caught and bowled chance to end Sehwag's epic seven short of 300.
Best series - The Ashes
The Ashes once again lived up to the months of pre-series hype with England emerging victorious by a 2-1 margin.
That looked unlikely as Australia closed on victory in the first Test at Cardiff, only to be denied by the last-wicket pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar, who saw out the final 69 deliveries to clinch a draw.
Andrew Flintofff announced he was retiring from Test cricket at the end of the series before bowling England to a 115-run win at Lord's with figures of 5-92 in the second innings.
England enjoyed the better of the drawn third Test at Edgbaston but were then blown away by an innings inside three days at Headingley to leave the series level at 1-1 heading to the decider.
Four years on from Kevin Pietersen's heroics in the corresponding fixture, it was another South African-born batsman who played the series-defining innings at the Oval.
After Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann had bowled England to a 172-run lead on first innings, Jonathan Trott - making his debut - ensured his adopted country built an unassailable position with a knock of 119.
Chasing 546, Australia were all out for 348 on the fourth evening to surrender the urn for the second tour in a row.
Surprise - Graeme Swann's emergence
Off-spinners do not come much more orthodox, on the field at least, than England's Graeme Swann who - despite the received wisdom that finger spinners are not effective at international level - was England's most successful bowler in 2009.
Swann first toured with England back in 1999-2000 but made such a negative impression that he was not picked again for close to eight years.
But the Nottinghamshire bowler has made the most of his second chance, usurping Monty Panesar as England's premier spinner during the tour of the Caribbean in February and March.
That was just the start, however, as Swann went on to play a key role in his country regaining the Ashes, including eight wickets in the deciding Test at the Oval.
An added bonus has been his runs in the lower order. He has scored three Test half centuries so far, the best of which was the 85 off 81 balls against South Africa at Centurion.
In addition to his exploits on the field, Swann's jocular personality and love of communicating to the world via
Twitter provided a welcome respite from the media-trained dronings of many of his colleagues.
Low point - Lahore terror attack
The undoubted low point of the 2009 cricketing year came in Lahore in March when Sri Lanka's team bus, taking the players to the Gaddafi Stadium for the start of the third day of the second Test against Pakistan, came under attack from gun-toting terrorists.
In the mayhem that followed, six policemen were killed and seven members of the Sri Lankan team suffered injuries.
The attacks dealt a serious blow to cricket in Pakistan as international teams are no longer willing to tour the country and the national team has been forced to play their home fixtures at neutral venues.
Year to Remember
Mitchell Johnson - Hard as it may be to believe for those who watched Johnson's struggles during the Ashes, the Queensland left-armer was statistically the outstanding bowler of 2009. Johnson was the leading wicket taker in both Tests and one-day internationals and, his indifferent tour of England apart, used his awkward left-arm angle and raw pace to regularly trouble opposition batting line-ups.
Andrew Strauss - Rewind just 20 months to England's tour of New Zealand and Strauss was battling to save his Test career. An innings of 177 in Napier saw him avoid the scrapheap and was the start of a glorious second chapter in his England career. Handed the captaincy last January after Kevin Pietersen was sacked, Strauss has overseen a remarkable change of fortunes. His astute leadership was a key factor in England's 2-1 Ashes triumph this summer and, with the help of coach Andy Flower, appears to have created a culture in which more success is sure to follow.
Claire Taylor - Taylor's outstanding batting saw her become the first woman to be named as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year. The England number three was an important part of her country's victories at the World Cup and World T20 and she was named ICC women's cricketer of the year in October.
Younus Khan - For the first six months of 2009, Younus Khan could do no wrong. He was appointed Pakistan captain in January and celebrated his elevation with an innings of 313 against Sri Lanka the following month. Team success followed in June at the World T20, Pakistan's first victory at a global tournament since the 1991 World Cup.
Year to Forget
Younus Khan - Younus' year, however, went into a dramatic meltdown following his heroics at the World T20. He offered to resign after a senior Pakistan politician accused the team of match-fixing at the Champions Trophy, a baseless allegation that was subsequently withdrawn. The Pakistan Cricket Board refused to accept his resignation and backed him to lead the side through to the 2011 World Cup. But the captain's stock within Pakistan's dressing room appeared to be in freefall and things got so bad during the one-day series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi that Younus complained he had lost control of the team. He subsequently opted out of the Test tour of New Zealand and enters 2010 facing an uncertain future.
Kevin Pietersen - Sacked as England captain in the wake of his falling out with Peter Moores, Pietersen went on to endure his least productive year since his debut in 2005. His cause was not helped by a persistent Achilles injury that eventually required surgery and ruled him for four months, including the final three Ashes Tests and the Champions Trophy.
Monty Panesar - If Pietersen's year was bad, spare a thought for Monty Panesar, whose career has gone into a tailspin during the last 12 months. Having started 2009 as England's premier spinner, he lost his place to Graeme Swann and ended the summer struggling to take wickets in county cricket for Northamptonshire. The loss of his central contract prompted Northants to cut their losses and Panesar, who has joined Sussex for 2010, was last seen attempting to rediscover his form in the second tier of South African domestic cricket - quite a fall from grace.
Brett Lee - Brett Lee has endured an awful, injury-plagued time of it in 2009, failing to make even one Test appearance. He is currently recovering from an operation on his right elbow but, at the age of 33, there are doubts over whether he will make it back into Australia's team.
Thanks for the memories
Michael Vaughan - Vaughan hung up his bat in June after failing to force his way back into the England team following the latest in a long line of knee operations. Vaughan finished with a Test average of 41.44 from 82 matches, including 18 centuries. His batting peaked on the 2002-03 tour of Australia with 633 runs and three hundreds in the series, albeit in a well-beaten side. He captained England to a record 26 wins from 51 Tests in charge, his period at the helm culminating with a 2-1 victory over Australia in the 2005 Ashes, ending his country's 18-year barren spell.
Justin Langer - Langer called time on his first-class career at the end of the 2009 county season, having spent the previous three years captaining Somerset after his retirement from the international game. The Perth-born left-hander overcame initial struggles to form a prolific opening partnership with Matthew Hayden in the all-conquering Australia teams of the 2000s. He retired with an average of 45.27 from 105 Tests and, during his tenure at Somerset, turned around the fortunes of a previously struggling team.
Iain O'Brien - O'Brien made the shock decision to call time on his international career in December following New Zealand's drawn Test series at home to Pakistan. The 33-year-old seam bowler, who took 73 wickets in 22 Tests, said he wanted to spend more time with his English wife Rosie and will play for Middlesex next year.
Gone but not forgotten
David Shepherd - David Shepherd died in October at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer. Shepherd enjoyed a solid first-class playing career for Gloucestershire and went on to become one of the most respected umpires in the world. He officiated in 92 Tests and 172 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals, and was famous for hopping around on one leg whenever the score reached 'Nelson' (multiples of 111).
Bill Frindall - Bill Frindall, the long-serving statistician and scorer on
Test Match Special died in January at the age of 69 after suffering from Legionnaire's disease. Known as "Bearders" or "The Bearded Wonder", Frindall, became a popular figure and was noted for his dry wit during exchanges with the
TMS commentary team.
