Johnny Bairstow went Berserk at Trent Bridge
When Rob Key announced the selection of Brendon McCullum as England’s Test coach in May, he advised fans to “strap up and get ready for the ride”. There will undoubtedly be setbacks, but so far, the Kiwi and his skipper, Ben Stokes, have taken them on a dizzying, exciting tour of the game’s lofty heights.
There have already been a number of highlights, but it would be difficult to top the last day at a full Trent Bridge, the celebratory atmosphere amplified by the fact that everyone had received their ticket for free. England needed 299 runs to win and were 139 for four off 34 overs at tea, with Jonny Bairstow on 43 off 48 balls. He scored 45 off the next 20 deliveries he faced, often hitting high over midwicket pull drives.
India Vs Pakistan’s spectacle at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Despite the fact that their side won the tournament, England fans did not witness the finest of the T20 World Cup. The drama was happening elsewhere while they were toiling through the group stage, their progress frequently interrupted by terrible weather. The two big-name teams in the first group stage, Sri Lanka and West Indies, both lost their opening games to Namibia and Scotland, respectively; despite their win, the Scots did not qualify, while Sri Lanka did.
In the Super 12s, Pakistan lost despite needing three runs off the final three deliveries to win Zimbabwe, while South Africa crumbled against the Netherlands and was knocked out. England’s outstanding performance came against India in the semi-final but it was India’s first match rather than their last that stands as the tournament’s most extraordinary occasion, played in front of 90,293 colourful, noisy and joyful supporters, and decided by a Virat Kohli innings described by Rohit Sharma as “not just his best, one of India’s best”.
Peak mayhem occurred in a last over full of ludicrously unlikely story twists, when Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz bowled Kohli – but it was a free hit, the ball skittered away to third man, and India ran three to take the lead.
Trent Boult without a central contract from
New Zealand Cricket
Quinton de Kock of South Africa suddenly announced his retirement from Test cricket last December. England’s Ben Stokes announced his retirement from one-day internationals in July (though he may yet reconsider). Shimron Hetmyer appears to have opted out of international cricket entirely, albeit unofficially – he played eight of West Indies’ 52 matches in 2022, his absence being cited on different factors including poor fitness, injury, missing flights, and recent motherhood.
Despite this, he found time to play in 15 of the 17 Rajasthan Royals games in the Indian Premier League and all 11 Guyana Amazon Warriors games in the Caribbean Premier League, as well as the Abu Dhabi T10.
Will Smeed, a budding English star aged 21 and without a first-class appearance to his name, opted to retire from red-ball cricket in November. But it was Trent Boult’s request to be released from his core contract in August that tipped the cricket world on its axis. The bowler’s decision to “move into the next phase” – less international cricket, more focus on family and franchises – felt like a huge domino dropping.
