Top 5 Cricketers of the Week: 28th December – 3rd January
It is raining centuries in Test cricket and this week, we’ve tons of performances that could’ve made it to the top 5 most other weeks. But, we can pick just 5 and conditions and situation of the match had to be taken into context. There were shorter format games as well complicating the whole equation but we did manage to pull out the top 5 cricketers of the week (in no particular order).
Three of those are not names that will surprise you at all, but the other two are good news for cricket, considering we are always looking for performances from the rookies and from those who have still not cemented their spot in their national sides.
#1 Mitchell Starc - 84 and 4/36
The Boxing Day Test was curtailed because of rain. Pakistan batted first and scored 443. Very few teams lose from that position, leave alone by an innings, especially in a rain-curtailed match. A lot of credit goes to two players – Steve Smith, the Australian skipper, who smashed an unbeaten 165* and Mitchell Starc. Starc ensured Australia had a huge lead, smashing 84 off just 91 balls with 7 sixes, which is no mean achievement at the MCG.
Then with the ball, Starc returned figures of 4/36 ensuring Pakistan ended like a train-wreck, imploding for 163 in just 53.2 overs in their second innings. All they had to do was survive the final two sessions of the final day, but when bowlers like Starc steam in on a fifth-day track, not much can be done.