Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2008

[Lillian Thomson]

Named in the new edition of Wisden for their achievements in 2007.

Ian Bell
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Ottis Gibson,
Ryan Sidebottom
Zaheer Khan

***Edit***

Adding that Jacques Kallis took the relatively new title of Leading Cricketer of the Year 2007

 

[Goughy]

Good to see Gibson get recognition for a fine season. Granted I could have missed a lot, but what happened to make Bell deserve this accolade?

 

[Athlai]

Sidebottom didn't have that good a 2007 did he? Well regardless himself and Chanders are certainly deserving of their accolades.

Zaheer Khan had a good year but I still don't think he quite deserves this spot over some others (Steyn, Vettori, Lee, McGrath).

Gibson had a great season but still reckon its a bit of a token mention.

Ian Bell also appears to be rather random as he didn't really appear to stand out at all in recent memory.

Sanga's, Hayden and co. should be rather disappointed that they were missed out.

 

[gettingbetter]

Sidebottom didn't have that good a 2007 did he? Well regardless himself and Chanders are certainly deserving of their accolades.

Zaheer Khan had a good year but I still don't think he quite deserves this spot over some others (Steyn, Vettori, Lee, McGrath).

Gibson had a great season but still reckon its a bit of a token mention.

Ian Bell also appears to be rather random as he didn't really appear to stand out at all in recent memory.

Sanga's, Hayden and co. should be rather disappointed that they were missed out.

Its got to do with influence upon the English game. Sidebottom excelled when returning to the team and Zaheer can had a dominant series in England. I read that Bell was selected as a 'cmoing of age' sort of thing - he made a slight mark in the ODI game, but yeah, English batsmen didn't really have a good year.

 

[Athlai]

Ah so English centric then, didn't realise that. Bell still appearing token though.

 

[gettingbetter]

Maybe, but probably not, he will kick on in 2008. I'm getting bored and frustrated with him being stuck in 3rd gear for so long. This is compounded by the fact that Shah is on the sidelines.

 

[pasag]

Not a bad list at all, besides Bell's inclusion which is a bit iffy. Chanderpaul and Zaheer were a must after both their stellar series in England and I can't complain with Sidebottom's inclusion either.

 

[Richard]

Sidebottom is ITSTL, as he wasn't exactly outstanding in 2007. However, the fact that no others immediately strike as "WTF didn't you pick me?" suggests his is probably a fair selection.

Not sure about Bell at all, though - aside from a fine ODI series against India, I'm struggling to recall him doing much above the mundane.

Kallis pretty indisputable as Leading Cricketer In The World however - excellent to see him awarded that, almost as excellent as Murali last year.

 

[Engle]

Kallis should have graced the cover rather than KP. Makes no sense, giving him Cricketer of the Year, then putting someone else front and center.

 

[roseboy64]

KP more appealing I guess.

 

[Richard]

Kallis should have graced the cover rather than KP. Makes no sense, giving him Cricketer of the Year, then putting someone else front and center.

Wisden remains a book principally geared around English cricket. Since pictoral covers were inaugurated they've featured Vaughan, Waugh+Ponting, England team huddle, Flintoff+Warne, and Warne alone (and now Pietersen). All were either English or Australians who had had notable interaction with England that calender-year.

Kallis, IIRR, played 1 game against England in 2007.

Incidentally, how does cover compare to Leading Cricketer In The World?

2003 (2004 edition) - Ponting; Waugh+Ponting
2004 - Warne; England team huddle
2005 - Flintoff; Flintoff+Warne
2006 - Murali; Warne
2007 - Kallis; Pietersen

Never has a pic of a single player matched-up to the LCITW award.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think I'm right in saying players can only be named as one of the five once? There's possibly an element of "process of elimination" about Bell's accolade.

 

[Richard]

There must surely have been a better candidate than Bell? Even given that many possible candidates from last summer would already have been winners (some as many as 17 years ago ).

 

[Neil Pickup]

There must surely have been a better candidate than Bell? Even given that many possible candidates from last summer would already have been winners (some as many as 17 years ago ).

That's what I thought. Then I tried to conjure a specific name.

 

[BoyBrumby]

That's what I thought. Then I tried to conjure a specific name.

Katich has a pretty decent case, even if you ignore his Oz domestic season (and Wisden obviously do) he scored 1284 runs @ 75 for Derbyshire. Only behind Ramps in the averages.

 

[Richard]

That's what I thought. Then I tried to conjure a specific name.

FFS, Simon Katich probably deserves it more than Bell.

(Unless he won it in Wisden 2001 and I've forgotten )

EDIT: beaten to it by Dale Brumby, that'll teach me to look for more when I already have one.

 

[Swervy]

Katich has a pretty decent case, even if you ignore his Oz domestic season (and Wisden obviously do) he scored 1284 runs @ 75 for Derbyshire. Only behind Ramps in the averages.

Derbyshire...Minor County isnt it?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Katich has a pretty decent case, even if you ignore his Oz domestic season (and Wisden obviously do) he scored 1284 runs @ 75 for Derbyshire. Only behind Ramps in the averages.

I genuinely couldn't remember him even playing in England last summer.

 

[Goughy]

Has Murray Goodwin ever won before?

If not, Id have had him ahead of Bell in 2007 for a number of reasons

 

[FBU]

Sangakkara 7 Tests 968 runs at 138.28 should be one of the 5 not Bell.