James Faulkner was hot in India

James Faulkner was hot in India. He's also turning out to be too hot to handle for England.

Aaron Finch

Meet Australia's Mr. Cool, Aaron Finch. You'll always find him with a chewing gum in his mouth. Averages over 52 in T20Is, all thanks to that mammoth 156 off 70 balls against England in August, 2013. He has cemented his place in the ODI side too and has started the year 2014 with a match winning hundred. We think, he's definitely one of the players to watch out for in 2014.

Amit Mishra world record at 2013

Amit Mishra picked 18 wickets in just 5 games against Zimbabwe

He had a good run with the ball in India’s tour of Zimbabwe and was one of the reasons that India emerged winners. He equalled Javagal Srinath’s record of most wickets in a bilateral ODI series, by picking up 18 wickets in just 5 games, while Srinath required 7 games to do so against New Zealand when India played them in 2002-03.

Mishra got there in the process of getting his career best figures of 6/48 in the 5th and final ODI against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. He got the Man of the Match as India clinched the series 5-0. This record took quite a while to equal (more than 10 years), and might be around for a long time considering the batsman-friendly rules in cricket today.

Corey Anderson fastest ODI century

2014 began with a bang with Corey Anderson scoring the fastest ODI century of all time in just 36 deliveries. The previous year was also good for the batsmen, and we saw some performances like never before. New benchmarks were set as regards consistency, hard-hitting and even tail-enders’ batting skills. Here are a few players who created new records in the year gone by.

First Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi

The way things stand, it's advantage Sri Lanka in the first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. Can the visitors press home the advantage and defeat Pakistan on the final day? Catch the latest scores

Ton-up Mathews helps Sri Lanka foil

Cricket: Ton-up Mathews helps Sri Lanka foil
Pakistan

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews hit a
pugnacious hundred to pull Sri Lanka out of
trouble on the fourth day of the first Test against
Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Mathews notched up 116 not out under pressure
for his second Test hundred and put on
invaluable 138-run partnership for the fifth wicket
with Dinesh Chandimal (89) and 99 for the
unfinished sixth wicket with Prasanna
Jayawardene (48 not out) to take Sri Lanka to
420-5 at close at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Sri Lanka resumed the day at 186-4, but
Mathews' career-best score and resolute innings
by Chandimal and Prasanna helped Sri Lanka add
234 runs for the loss of only one wicket.
They now lead by 241 runs and with five wickets
intact can harbour hopes of an unlikely win on
the fifth and final day or at least salvage a draw.
Chandimal praised Mathews's knock.
"He batted well at a crucial stage and batted like
a captain," said Chandimal. With a bit of spin on
the pitch we keep our fingers crossed (for a win)
and a 300-plus target might be a winning one."
Mathews batted with resolve, blunting off-spinner
Saeed Ajmal and had the better of Pakistan's
three-pronged pace attack, reaching his hundred
in the final session, taking two off Bhatti. His
hundred came off 239 balls.
In all the Sri Lankan captain batted for 370
minutes, hitting 12 boundaries and six off Ajmal,
who conceded 96 runs in 42 wicket-less overs.
Neither Mathews nor Chandimal were bothered at
all early on and even the second new ball, taken
at 249-4, failed to benefit Pakistan with a wicket
as Sri Lanka reached 285-4 at lunch.
Pakistan had one chance to dismiss Chandimal in
the second over after lunch when a edge off
Bilawal Bhatti flew close to Ahmed Shehzad's
outstretched hands in the second slip when the
batsman was 71.
Finally, Junaid broke the stand at 324 when he
had Chandmial caught at deep fine-leg off a
miscued hook. Chandimal batted for 251 minutes
and hit a dozen boundaries.
But even after Chandimal's exit, Mathews and
Prasanna batted without any problems to leave
Pakistani bowlers frustrated.
Mathews's previous best of 105 not out came
against Australia at Colombo in 2011 and
followed up his 91 in Sri Lanka's first innings
total of 204. Pakistan had made 383 in their first
knock.
Prasanna has so far hit five fours and six in his
able assistance of Mathews.
Left-arm paceman Junaid was the best Pakistani
bowler with 3-81 while fellow fast bowler Bilawal
Bhatti took 2-131.
Pakistan coach Mohammad Akram said his
bowlers did their best.
"Our bowlers put up their best effort but Mathews
and Chandimal batted very well," said Akram. "If
they are bowled out in the first hour we can fancy
our chances of winning the match."
Pakistan started the day on a wrong note when
wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal was ruled out of the
three-Test series with a fractured finger and
Younis Khan had to keep wickets.
Sarfraz Ahmed has been summoned as Akmal's
replacement for the next two Tests, second in
Dubai (January 8-12) and Sharjah (January
16-20).

I wanted this record to stand until I retire - says Afridi

'I wanted this record to stand until I retire', says
a heart-broken Afridi

Afridi's 37-ball century is now the second best
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi must have
woken up to a rude shock on New Year's Day
when he was informed by his nephew that the
world record for the fastest century in One-Day
internationals has been broken by a certain Corey
Anderson, whom Afridi referred to as someone
never heard of.
"Corey, who"? was Afridi's response to his
nephew who broke the news out to the 33-year-
old that the record he set by smashing a 37-ball
century against Sri Lanka on his debut has been
surpassed by New Zealand all-rounder Corey
Anderson, who destroyed a hapless West Indies
attack by scoring his 100 of 36 deliveries.
West Indies bowlers were subjected to an
unbelievable assault early in the day when Jesse
Ryder (104 off 51) and Corey Anderson (131* off
47) absolutely bludgeoned whatever came at
them to set a target of 284 in 21 overs in a rain-
affected ODI at Queenstown in New Zealand.
Here is what Afridi had to say on his record
finally being broken: "I never heard his name and
early morning my nephew told me about his feat
and I sort of said the first news of 2014 is of my
record being broken. But I must say it's a great
achievement and Anderson deserves all the
praise. It needs a super effort to score a hundred
off 36 balls."
"I sort of wanted this record to stand until I retire
because it has been a big pride for Pakistan and
for me and whenever my name comes the record
is mentioned. Now Anderson's name will come
but I am sure with the advent of Twenty20 cricket
this record will surely be bettered in the future."