Year Review: England team's performance in 2015

A melodrama flick with lots of action, suspense and a thrilling climax at the end. The year started with a crushing loss for England in the hands of Australia and followed it up with a 9-wicket win against India. They kept the trend intact. A country that is known for taking Test matches seriously and pulling up the shorter formats as a second fiddle did well to emphasise on other facets too. Let’s have a look at how the year unfolded for the three lions. 1. Go down in the final: (© Getty Images) They lost all the games against Australia during the league stage but Eoin Morgan led England did well to beat India on their way to the final of the Carlton Mid tri-series. Ian Bell and James Taylor guided the team to a nine-wicket win against India during their first encounter while Steve Finn’s three wickets and Jos Buttler’s 67 made sure they stay settled at the second spot. The final once again witnessed a one-sided game, as Australia piled up a solid 278, and saw England go down without a fight. There were questions regarding Morgan’s captaincy, but the ECB backed the boys for the big event, having spent a good number of days down under to get an upper hand compared to other teams. 2. World Cup woes: England. (© Getty Images) There was a big build-up going into the 2nd game of the World Cup. MCG was set to witness a fight back from a determined English side, having lost the tri-series final without any heroics. Aaron Finch bashed the English bowlers to register the first hundred of the World Cup while Mitchell Marsh’s fifer was too good for England’s batsmen. An 111-run loss was followed by a defeat in the hands of New Zealand. They lost to Sri Lanka as well but their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals succumbed by Bangladesh. The team looked in disarray and the chips were down. They earned some points against associate nations but that was not enough to save the grace. Coach Peter Moores faced the heat and stepped down from his position; managing director of the England team, Paul Downton too stepped down after bad air. A disastrous World Cup campaign led to a hardcore review into the domestic structure, and a young and vibrant English side was expected to take the field. 3. Reggae, fight back and the Caribbean vuvuzela: (© Getty Images) Post World Cup, there were a lot of talk about how the English side will cope up after a disastrous global event that may stay itched to the minds for a long time. It was the right time for a young, dynamic player to make his mark and ensure that things are in good hands. The first Test match against West Indies ended in a draw, and England were desperate for a win. Joe Root’s unbeaten 182* at St. George, Grenada coupled with a fine bowling spell from James Anderson and Stuart Broad helped the visitors clinch their maiden win of the tour. But the joy was short-lived, as West Indies came back to spoil the party and level the series 1-1. 4. Hunting down the Kiwi’s at home: (© Getty Images) Lord’s witnessed a convincing 124-run win against New Zealand while Leeds turned out to be a run feast, and it was New Zealand this time who spilled water at England’s hopes. The English outfit was ready to take on the runners-up of the World Cup in their first ODI series after the forgettable World Cup 2015. They won the first game against New Zealand but went down in the next two, trailing by 2-1. The hero was once again was Joe Root and this time, he was backed with skipper Eoin Morgan. Both scored centuries and took their team home to level the series. England finally showed their character in big games and it was Chester-le-street, which witnessed a narrow win. England celebrated the much-awaited series win in the shorter format with a cracking performance in the lone T20I by clinching it with a 56-run win. 5. The urn returns: England. (Photo Source: Getty Images) All the talks were put to rest in just 14 cricketing days. Joe Root once again led the batting line up with a classic 134 in the first Ashes Test, as Australia went down for 242, chasing 412. The second Test was expected to be a competitive one, and Australia came back hard as expected. They won the second Test by a massive 405 runs and levelled the series. The onus was on the England bowlers to stop the Kangaroos, and James Anderson responded in a brilliant manner. He scalped six wickets in the first innings while Steve Finn took six in the second innings. Stuart Broad joined the party in the fourth Test and that turned out to be the final nail in the coffin. He picked up 8/15, and his spell was surely one of the best of 2015. Australia handed an innings defeat to Cook and his men in the final match, which turned out to be Michael Clarke’s last; but England were busy celebrating a win that was sweeter than any folds. The World champions then turned into yellow and hunted down a fresh-footed English side, led by Eoin Morgan. England did well to make a comeback and showed promise, but Aussies wrapped up the series 3-2 and headed home with lots of questions and a trophy in hand. 6. Scorching heat and enormous hope: James Taylor and Jonathan Bairstow of England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) A slow-burning contest in the first Test match saw 1,121 runs and 17 wickets in the first two innings. England came close to a remarkable win but fading light had the final say. Pakistan went on to win the next game, courtesy brilliant centuries from Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik and a fine spell of bowling from Wahab Riaz. James Anderson bowled beautifully in the third Test, and it looked like England are on course for a win. He picked up four wickets for 17 runs but Mohammad Hafeez’s 151 ensured Pakistan get to bend their backs against a desperate England side that looked “gung ho” for a match. Captain Cook batted for 241 minutes but that wasn’t enough to clinch a win, as England went down for 156, chasing 284. Coming to the ODI series, Pakistan were tagged as the favourites, as England had just lost a series against Australia. But a spirited English side fought till the last drop. Pakistan won the first game convincingly by six wickets but the visitors came back to win the next three games to clinch the series in style. Alex Hales century guided England to level the series at 1-1 while Chris Woakes’ second four-wicket haul in the series ensured a lead. Pakistan’s hopes of making a comeback was put to rest by an impressive century by Jason Roy. But the icing on the cake was the 3-0 whitewash in the shortest format that gave England enough reasons to cherish the Christmas. 7. The Safari that matters: (© Getty Images) The BASIL D’OLIVEIRA Trophy promised a cracking contest between South Africa and England, and England were expected to sweat hard in order to finish a successful year in style. Comeback man Nick Compton’s clinical 85 was complimented well by both Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali. The duo shared eight wickets between them and Steve Finn’s four wickets in the second innings floored South Africa. Chasing 416, the English bowlers gunned them down for 174 and that concluded a memorable year in English cricket.

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Year Review: England team&#039;s performance in 2015

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Year Review: England team's performance in 2015