Cricket - Oscars 2015

The Oscars were held with much fanfare last night at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Some of the top names in the film industry were rewarded for the work they had put in over the last year.Here, we present to you cricket’s version of the Oscars.NOTE: The time span considered here is not just the calendar year 2014, but even the first two months of 2015. Some of the categories included are obviously different from the ones in the actual Oscars.So, without more ado, let the ceremony begin.*badum tish*...and the award goes to:

#10 Best Dialogue - MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni is not only one of the finest cricketers in the world, he is also one of the wittiest.

During the Test series against New Zealand last year, Dhoni lost his cool after India failed to break the partnership between Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling.

With his premier spinner in the match Ravindra Jadeja not threatening the batsmen, the Ranchi-born cricketer told Jadeja: "Ye ghoomega toh Pujara ko isiliye idhar rakha hai, voh udhar taali bajaane ke liye nahi hai", which translates to “If the ball turns, I've kept Pujara in the slips for catching only, he's not standing there just to clap.”

More such funny comments from Dhoni can be found here.

#9 Best Entertainer - Glenn Maxwell

When Mumbai Indians bought Glenn Maxwell for around $1 million in the 2013 IPL auctions, it came as a shock for most Indian observers as not many had heard of him. Maxwell didn’t play much for the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise and ended up being bought by the Kings XI Punjab in 2014.

The Australian hard-hitting batsman, egged on by getting regular opportunities in his new team, entertained crowds from Sharjah to Mohali during the duration of the tournament in 2014. His contributions saw him named the Player of the Tournament at the end of the season, despite KXIP losing in the final to the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Maxwell also had reasonable success in the international circuit, with the biggest highlight coming in the World T20 when he smashed 74 in just 33 balls against Pakistan, who had a bowling attack that consisted of the likes of Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul.

#8 Best Cricketer in a Supporting Role - Ryan Harris

While Mitchell Johnson has been busy grabbing the headlines for his stupendous performances with the ball over the past year and a half, one must not forget his partner-in-crime Ryan Harris. It is often forgotten that Harris is ranked higher than Johnson in the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers.

The 35-year-old right-arm pacer has picked up 113 wickets in 27 Tests at a world-class average of 23.52 in his career. The biggest drawback of Harris’s career has been his tendency to get injured often and that is something that has stopped him achieving legendary status in the sport.

#7 Best Original Score - Mauka Mauka

Pakistan have never beaten India at the World Cup and Indian broadcaster Star Sports decided to make full use of the opportunity to mock their cross-border rivals. Just a week or so before the India vs Pakistan game at the 2015 World Cup, Star Sports came up an advertisement which shows a Pakistani man waiting for his turn to burst a box of crackers since 1992.

Although the video mainly concentrates on a story, the song playing in the background is catchy and many people have been humming it over the last few weeks.

After India beat Pakistan, Star Sports cashed in on the hype and created new ads for India’s matches against South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

#6 Best Debutant (Tests) - Yasir Shah

After Saeed Ajmal was banned from bowling due to a suspect bowling action, many wondered if Pakistan would remain competitive at the international level as spin bowling has been one of their primary strengths over the last few years. But as they say, “Every cloud has a silver lining”.

The suspension of Ajmal opened the door for 28-year-old Yasir Shah in Test cricket. Shah impressed so much in the Test series against Australia, that even Aussie legend Shane Warne came out with huge praise for the Swabi-born spinner.

With 27 wickets from just 5 matches so far in his Test career, we might get to see this leggie in action for a long time to come.

#5 Lifetime Achievement Award - Anil Kumble

During the India vs South Africa match at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, we saw Indian legend Anil Kumble inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame and it’s only fair that we give him the Lifetime Achievement Award here.

The 44-year-old is India’s most successful bowler ever in Test and ODI cricket, having taken 619 and 337 wickets in the respective formats. As a cricketer, he was widely appreciated for his gentleman-like behaviour on the field.

Kumble was also a fierce competitor who gave his team his all. In 2002, playing a Test against the West Indies, he came on to bowl despite a broken jaw and dismissed Brian Lara, who was one of the greatest batsmen in the world at that time.

#4 Best Cricketer (Female) - Ellyse Perry

Ellyse Perry became the youngest Australian Test cricketer when she made her debut at the age of 17 years and 3 months in the year 2008. She hasn’t looked back since and has gone on to become one of the best all-round cricketers in the history of the women’s game.

Early in 2014. Perry put on a sublime show for the Australian cricket team in the women’s Ashes, but it wasn’t enough as England won the series. But the Australians came back strongly to win the World T20 in Bangladesh just a couple of months later. Perry was one of the stars of the show in the final against England, with her unbeaten 31 seeing the Southern Stars home. Earlier in the day, she had picked up figures of 2/13 with the ball.

The 24-year-old was outstanding with the bat in ODI cricket, scoring 6 half-centuries in the 7 matches she played in 2014, at an astronomical average of 139.33.

What makes Perry’s achievements in the sport of cricket even greater is the fact that she is also an international footballer and has represented the Australian women’s football team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

#3 Best Cricketer (Male) - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli had a mediocre tour to England, but came back strongly in the Test series against Australia. He was out of form in the Carlton Mid tri-series against Australia and England, but started the World Cup with a bang, scoring a century against arch-rivals Pakistan.

The above paragraph is a prime example why Kohli stands out from the rest of the young crop of batsmen in the world today. Whenever the chips are down, you expect him to come back even stronger.

Kohli’s biggest moments over the past year came during the World T20 in Bangladesh – where he was adjudged the Man of the Tournament – and during India’s tour to Australia, when he scored four centuries in four Test matches. He also ended the Test series in Australia as the new captain of the Indian Test team after MS Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest format of the game.

#2 Best Director (Captain) - Brendon McCullum

Little do people know that when the draw for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was made in early 2013, New Zealand were seeded 9 – even below Bangladesh. A couple of years later, the Kiwis are among the favourites to lift the World Cup and if there’s one man who needs to be applauded for that turnaround, it must be Brendon McCullum.

McCullum has transformed the New Zealand team from being perennial underachievers to one of the most feared teams in the world, by playing an attractive brand of cricket.

A demonstration of the 33-year-old’s captaincy skills were at display during the Blackcaps’ game against England last week when he introduced Tim Southee in the middle of the innings when most captains would have gone through the motions. The English batsmen were taken by surprise and were soon bowled out for a mere 123, with Southee picking up figures of 7/33.

#1 Best Picture - AB de Villiers 149 (44)

AB de Villiers is a freak. There’s no other word to describe him.

The best thing about the South African ODI captain is his ability to hit the ball to any part of the ground, which has led to him being called Mr. 360 by some fans. He is one of the few batsmen to average over 50 in both Tests and ODIs and has an astounding strike-rate of 96.94 in the 50-over format.

Just last month, de Villiers slammed 149 in just 44 balls in an ODI against the West Indies at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. During the knock, he broke the record for the fastest ODI century and the record for the fastest ODI half-century.

Over the past year, we’ve also seen him score a 228-ball 43 in a Test against Australia.