With only one half of Ben Stokes’ all-round mastery representing them, bowlers were absent from Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year, the oldest accolade in cricket and one generally awarded to players who have lit up the previous English summer.
Instead, Wisden’s editor, and remember this is one man’s choice, has largely rewarded the architects of Big Bang, the renaissance of England’s one-day cricket, of which New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum must take much credit.
You might argue that England’s white ball cricket could not have got much worse following their ignominious ejection from the World Cup just over a year ago, so an upward arc was inevitable. Yet the speed and scope of improvement, following multifarious appointments such as Andrew Strauss as England’s managing director and Trevor Bayliss as head coach, astonished many, with McCullum’s New Zealand’s team credited with providing both the inspiration and catalyst for change.
Bayliss wasn’t yet in place at the start of last summer, but swashbuckling New Zealand were. McCullum has always been a fearless me-or-him style batsman and while he did not destroy England’s bowlers on his swan song as much as he would have liked, his team were moulded in his image. Their fearless batting and aggressive bowling threw down a gauntlet to England who rose to the challenge by drawing the Test series and then winning four thrilling white ball encounters with daring aplomb.
For that service to English cricket alone, McCullum deserves his reward while Kane Williamson, the man who has succeeded him as New Zealand captain, scored heavily to win another nod from Wisden.
Yet impressive as the diminutive Williamson was, spare a thought for Trent Boult, named man of the series in the Tests with 13 wickets in two matches, and a bowler who took six wickets for spit with the white ball until getting injured. Mind you, he didn’t get a look in for New Zealand in the recent World T20 either, his inability to wield the willow in any meaningful way counting against his otherwise superb, slippery left-arm swing.
For Stokes, McCullum’s way was already preaching to the converted. A muscular all-rounder who bats left and bowls right, Stokes likes to let opponents know he is coming for them. Although still prone to bouts of head strong behaviour, his batting became freed of previous burdens when Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach and in charge of the team during the interregnum before Bayliss, promoted him to No.6. Stokes immediately responded with 92 and 101 in the Lord’s Test and Ian Botham’s long-sought heir was anointed.
That century by Stokes at Lord’s was high on the richter scale of all-time innings that have laid opponents low. You hear of those supreme batsmen who can take the game away from you in a session, well Stokes did that and more, his 92-ball hundred was a brutal masterpiece in how to destroy an opponent’s confidence. Humiliated, New Zealand, who had taken a first innings lead of 134, lost comfortably despite Alastair Cook batting well into the final day.
That innings alone would have made Stokes a prime contender for Wisden’s five but he wasn’t sated. Although his magnum opus of 258 in Cape Town shouldn’t strictly be considered for judgment by Wisden (it wasn’t during the English summer), it was a feat of sporting wonder that will be talked about for as long as the ‘yellow bible’ is printed. Yet there were other riches to savour such as his six wickets in the second innings of Australia’s humiliation at Trent Bridge and his 50 and five wickets in England’s series-clinching win at Johannesburg on a tricky pitch.
What they added up to was a gem of a player who could win matches with bat and ball in a manner that hasn’t really occurred since 2005 and Andrew Flintoff’s Ashes heroics. Before that you’d probably have to go back to 1986/87 and Botham’s last great series to find one man winning Tests with bat and ball.
That Cape Town Test saw another incredible innings by an England player, this time from Jonny Bairstow, though its juxtaposition to Stokes’ carnage meant it suffered in comparison. Another who likes to plunder runs rather than steal them, Bairstow has endured as many frustrations as Stokes in forging an international career, though now looks set for a lengthy run in the side as wicket-keeper batsman. Often players who suffer setbacks with England return to their counties and experience further despond as their motivation dips.
Bairstow has been dropped from national duty a couple of times but has returned to Yorkshire on each occasion determined to improve. His hundred at Cape Town was evidence of that but Wisden have rewarded him for his excellent season with Yorkshire where his 1,229 runs at an average of 76.6 contributed greatly to their second Championship title in as many years.
Wisden’s other choice was Steve Smith, Australia’s captain and a batsman who fidgets more at the crease than Derek Randall. With endearing unorthodoxy, Smith has become one of the greatest all-round batsmen (against white ball and red) in world cricket. He also had a decent Ashes series – albeit in a losing cause – so probably deserves this accolade, but I still cannot avoid the feeling that, once again, bowlers have been discriminated against.
Aside from fine performances last season from Chris Rushworth (88 first-class wickets), Mark Footitt (76 wickets), Steve Magoffin (73) and Jack Brooks (69), bowlers have won just 30 of the last 99 Wisden Cricketers of the Year. That is under 30 per cent for a group which forms the highest proportion of the team.
This year, Williamson in particular, has been judged predominantly on his white ball form, a format of the game in which bowlers struggle to dominate and be noticed.
If Wisden continue to give white ball cricket equal footing to red, as Strauss in his new role has demanded of England, bowlers will become an even more oppressed minority than is already the case.
This piece originally featured in The Cricket Paper, Friday April 15 2016
