Countdown to the 2016 Sportskeeda cricketer of the year: Part 2

We are in the business end of the countdown and the competition is heating up. We take a look at ten players who almost make it to the top five, players who played brilliantly in parts or had numbers that were just short of extraordinary, just short of the kind of numbers that would have catapulted them into the elite list.

That doesn’t mean they didn’t have a great year; they absolutely did. These are the players the superstars need, supporting roles that help the superstars play the big knocks, and bowl the devastating spells.

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Swashbuckling southpaw and McGrath’s successor

#15 Quinton de Kock

South Africa’s in-form wicket-keeper had a brilliant year, truth be told. In just 8 Tests, Quinton piled on 695 runs at 63.18 with 2 centuries and 5 half-centuries. He had an even better year in the ODI setup, with 857 runs in just 17 knocks at 57.13 with a stupendous strike-rate of 108.61. He smashed 3 centuries and 3 half-centuries.

He also managed 229 runs at 32.71 with a strike-rate of 146.79 in just 7 T20Is, rounding off a brilliant year for him. If only South Africa had more matches to play. Despite that Quinton de Kock notched up the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year Award!

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#14 Josh Hazlewood

One of Australia’s most consistent bowlers, Hazlewood has had a good year, with 40 Test wickets in just 11 Tests at 28.27, asserting his place as McGrath’s successor, always economical with the ball and consistent enough to bottle one end up.

The numbers just get better in ODIs where Hazlewood has 26 wickets in 15 innings at 25.23 with an impressive economy rate of 4.77.

England’s spinning all-rounders

England’s spin twins

#13 Adil Rashid

England’s leg-spinner, who possesses some ability with the bat as well, was part of the team that brought about their ODI resurgence. But Rashid hasn’t been bad in Tests either. In just 7 Tests, Rashid managed to pick up 30 wickets.

In ODIs, he has the second highest number of wickets this year, 29 in 17 ODIs at 28.34 with an economy of 5.19, exceptional for a leg-spinner. Rashid even managed two 4-wicket hauls, not to mention some good knocks down the order.

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#12 Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali is not an extraordinary specialist batsman. With the ball, he is steady at best. But he offers a lot when the skills are combined. In Tests, Ali scored 1078 runs, 6^th highest overall, in 29 innings at 46.86 with 4 centuries and 5 half-centuries.

With the ball, Ali picked up 37 Test wickets in 29 innings at 53.02, the average a little too high for a full-time off-spinner. In ODIs, Ali has 10 wickets in 15 games but he doesn’t feature in the top 50 run-getters for the year, something he may want to improve on.

Veteran spinner and rookie wicket-keeper with batting mojo

Bairstow broke record after record

#11 Rangana Herath

Sri Lanka’s veteran spinner and one of the few survivors amongst the 20^th century debutants, Herath had the second most number of Test wickets this year, 57 at 18.92 apiece. That is the lowest average for anyone with more than 20 wickets this year.

Herath picked up 5 five-wicket hauls and twice managed to pick up 10 wickets in a Test. His consistency has made him the lynchpin of the Sri Lankan bowling attack, especially at home.

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#10 Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow had one hell of a year which saw him make it to the ICC Test Team of the Year as a wicket-keeper. Bairstow broke the record for most runs by a wicket-keeper in a calendar year in Tests, by a country mile and was the second highest run-getter of the year, just 7 short of countryman Joe Root’s tally of 1477 runs – thanks to a revamped batting style.

The second highest number of runs for a wicket-keeper this year, behind Bairstow’s 1470 is Quinton de Kock’s 695, demonstrating the gap. Bairstow also pouched a whopping 66 catches behind the wicket, a world record, breaking Mark Boucher’s mark of 65, a record that stood for 18 years.

Talismanic skipper and talismanic MVP

Smith was a consistent scorer in all formats

#9 Steve Smith

Australia’s skipper had a great year with the bat despite his side’s poor performances during which they lost a home series against South Africa and faced the ignominy of a whitewash in Sri Lanka.

Smith scored 1014 runs in just 11 Tests at 67.60 with 4 centuries and 5 half-centuries. With 3 centuries and 7 half-centuries (joint most), Smith is also the second highest run-getter in ODIs with 1154 runs in 25 ODI innings at 50.17 apiece, only behind teammate David Warner’s tally.

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#8 Ben Stokes

Stokes can make it to the England side as a pure batsman, having scored 904 runs in just 21 innings at 45.20, 8^th highest in Tests this calendar year. He has the second highest strike-rate behind David Warner amongst the top 25 run-getters this year.

Stokes managed 3 half-centuries and 2 centuries, one of them a record-smashing double ton in South Africa. In 12 Tests, the 25-year-old also picked up 33 wickets at 25.81, enough to get him into the team as a pure bowler, the mark of a true all-rounder.

In ODIs, the Durham man scored 490 runs in just 12 innings at 49 with a strike-rate of 105.6. He was one of England’s few bright spots in their disastrous tour of India.

Fast-bowling sensation and ice-cool batsman

Williamson has struggled recently but still had a more than decent year overall

#7 Kagiso Rabada

The future of South Africa’s fast bowling department, Rabada, all of 21 years old, was the fifth-highest wicket-taker this year. He picked up 45 wickets in just 9 Tests at 23.75 with 4 five-wicket hauls.

In ODIs, Rabada picked up 22 wickets in 14 innings at 29.77 apiece. He played 8 T20Is as well in which he notched up 13 wickets at just 20.84 proving his ability in all three formats of the game at such a young age. Rabada also made it to the ICC ODI Team of the Year.

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#6 Kane Williamson

The New Zealand skipper just misses out on a Top 5 spot. Williamson, who has the big shoes of Brendon McCullum to fill, amassed 753 runs in 10 Tests at 47.06 with a century and 6 half-centuries.

In 17 ODIs, Williamson scored 604 runs at 35.52. In T20Is, he scored 383 runs at a phenomenal 47.87 in just 10 innings at a strike-rate of 118.94. More than the runs, the 26-year-old’s calm presence makes him a great asset for a young team that largely revolves around him.