cricket fortnight

As part of our Cricket Fortnight, we are releasing a number of blog posts about the great English sport. Cricket is one of the most the most misunderstood sports in the world, with a set of rules so complicated even experts struggle. However, the basics are not all that difficult to understand. We have created this basic guide to the rules of cricket for anyone who says it is too complicated to understand.

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England cricket team players Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan have both been included on the prestigious list of Wisden's five cricketers of the year. The pair both excelled as part of the England team that took top spot in the world rankings in 2011.

The Five Cricketers of the Year have been chosen annually by the editor of Wisden (a cricketing magazine and almanack) ever since 1889. The list includes the players who have had the biggest impact on English cricket in the previous 12 months, though no-one can be chosen more than once.

The Winners

Alastair Cook is England's opening batsman and scored 927 runs in 10 Test matches- all of which England won, in the last year. Similarly, Tim Bresnan took 21 wickets and chipped in with some invaluable runs throughout the year.

The other three players named on the list were Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara, Lancashire county captain Glen Chapple and Worcestershire county bowler Alan Richardson. Sangakkara made an amazing 2,267 international runs last year (including a century in England), Chapple lead his team to their first County Championship in 77 years, and Richardson was leading wicket taker in the competition with 73 wickets.