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| | Saturday, 20 July, 2002, 22:30 GMT 23:30 UK Wisden honours Aussie trio Gilchrist shone with the bat during the Ashes series For only the second time in history, none of the five cricketers of the year selected by cricket bible Wisden is English. In a reflection of current Australian dominance, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn and Jason Gillespie have all be chosen. India's VVS Laxman and former Zimbabwe skipper Andy Flower make up the group. The publishers of the annual almanack, this year in its 139th edition, have usually selected one county star alongside the four best players from the world game. But two years ago they first opted for an all-foreign line-up after England's dismal Test series against New Zealand and a disappointing World Cup for the hosts. Ashes dominance As part of the touring side that took the Ashes 4-1 last summer, Martyn averaged 76 on the trip, with three centuries.
Wicket-keeper Gilchrist made a massive impression in his first trip to the Test crease in England, smashing 152 in an innings victory at Edgbaston, to set up an Ashes batting average of 68. "England's fans, and no doubt their cricketers, felt contradictory sensations of fear and expectation each time he strode to the crease," writes Stephen Fay in the almanack. "But he soon became the Australian the crowd most enjoyed watching." India series Gillespie earned his selection for a monumental bowling effort during the lost series in India 12 months ago, during which Laxman's talents were clearly in evidence.
International cricketer of the year for 2001, Flower bounced back to form after being stripped of the Zimbabwe captaincy in 2000. He was in especially prolific form against South Africa, where he became the first wicket-keeper to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. Prior to his spell with the bat, he was behind the stumps in an innings that lasted 10 hours, and did not concede a single bye. | |
See also:  05 Apr 02 | Sports Talk 05 Apr 01 | Cricket 21 Aug 01 | The Ashes 27 Jul 01 | Cricket 25 Jul 01 | Cricket Top Cricket stories now: Links to more Cricket stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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