South Africa reach the summit

by Julian Guyer

LONDON, Dec 22 (AFP) - South Africa enjoyed a superb 2012 as they went to the top of the world Test rankings.

Meanwhile, after years of declining performances, the West Indies won the World Twenty20.

Unbeaten in 10 Tests, a notable nine away from home, South Africa ended England’s year-long reign at the summit with a convincing 2-0 win in a three-match series and then battled for two draws in Australia before a commanding 309-run victory in the third Test at Perth. West Indies gave their long-suffering fans something to celebrate when they beat hosts Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 final.

Marlon Samuels smashed 78 off 56 balls after a failure by Chris Gayle, who in November became the first player to hit a six from the first ball of a Test, against Bangladesh.

Batting records of a different sort fell to Michael Clarke, with the Australia captain becoming the first player to score four Test double centuries in a calendar year. By contrast, runs dried up for Australia great Ricky Ponting, who could only manage eight in his final innings before retiring following the Perth defeat by South Africa.

However, he left with a tally of 13,378 Test runs — second only to Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar. The 39-year-old Tendulkar continued to play on as fellow India ‘golden generation’ batting stars VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid retired.

And in a worrying development six umpires from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, were suspended by the International Cricket Council following allegations by an Indian television programme they could be bribed to make decisions. pakistan beat England in their adopted home of the United Arab Emirates and the year ended with Bangladesh agreeing to tour Pakistan in early 2013.

That what would see the first full international fixtures played in Pakistan since an armed attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore in March 2009 killed eight people and injured seven players.

Ross Taylor led New Zealand to their first Test win in Sri Lanka for 14 years but was still axed as captain.

New Zealand officials apologised for the manner of his sacking but by then Taylor, the team’s best batsman, had made himself unavailable for the tour of South Africa.

In another largely tough year for Bangladesh there was the satisfaction of a one-day series win against the West Indies. Bangladesh’s Abul Hasan became only the second man in 135 years of Test cricket to score a hundred on his debut batting at No 10 when making 113 against the West Indies in Khulna — only for the bowler to ‘give the runs back’ with a first innings return of none for 113.