As the double World Cup year comes to a close, all the test-playing nations except Pakistan are back in action, playing in various countries against each other. This was the first time that there were two world cups in the same year – ODI and Twenty20 – and the fans had mixed reactions to the tournaments.

No wonder most of the defining moments in the year happened during World Cup matches – some on the field, whereas some (very sad ones, especially) off it. Let us look at the top five events (in increasing order of significance) that stood out in this cricketing year.

The bowling world record changed hands from the mercurial Shane Warne to Muttiah Muralitharan – this is one record that will remain for a long time. None of the current players seems to have any chance of nearing the tally of Murali's wickets, while Sachin Tendulkar seems to be on course to claim the batting record. India's home series against South Africa might well see the him claim the top position from Brian Lara.

‘A coach who introduced various innovative techniques in the cricketing world paid with his life on an assignment that was probably his most challenging.’


It was ironic that the two sub-continental teams who could not qualify for the Super Eights of the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, starred in the Twenty20 format that was made for the more athletic and skilled teams like Australia and South Africa. Nobody ever expected India to be in the Twenty20 final, let alone beat Pakistan in a thrilling last-over finish. Twenty20 will herald a new breed of specialists who will be the next level of the bits-and-pieces players.

The ODI World Cup ended with disappointment for greats like Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq, who took the opportunity to bow out of the international one-day game. Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid (a little later) exited from their management positions, thanks to their team's poor performance. The Indian and Pakistan teams bowed out early from the World Cup thanks to their failures in the league stages. Bangladesh and Ireland moved into the Super Eights, heralding a new era for their young teams.

There was one other development that will be looked at as one of those mould-breaking moments – the birth of ICL cricket in India. The Indian Cricket League currently occupies the status of a 'rebel' – very similar to what Kerry Packer had done decades ago. How this will affect the cricketing scene, remains to be seen. But, there are already some changes that are visible – the creation of an official T20 league in India, called Indian Premier League. Most of the countries have supported the IPL, but how long is anyone's guess. These leagues have given a new lease for international players to make decent money in the fag-end of their career, while giving the younger generation from India the chance to play against/with established internationals. Probably the next step is for similar leagues to crop up in other countries also. That will be really interesting.

But the moment that shocked the cricketing world was the untimely death of Bob Woolmer just after his Pakistan team was defeated by Ireland. The cause of his death has been shifting from natural to unnatural, without any clear evidence either way.

Pakistan had always proved to be a tough nut to crack for any captain or coach, but Woolmer seemed to have been doing a decent job of it. Though there were some reports of rifts between him and Shoaib Akhtar, Woolmer had formed a nucleus that could have taken Pakistan to the next level. Talk of match-fixing surfaced after his death, leading to many conspiracy theories. The Woolmer family have not made their feelings public and that in itself tells a tale. A coach who introduced various innovative techniques in the cricketing world paid with his life on an assignment that was probably his most challenging.