Cricket fixtures: Some highlights from 2011

There was plenty of sporting action for us all to get our teeth into during 2011, but over the course of the year there was so much cricket news to talk about that many pundits will have been rubbing their hands with glee.

Some of it was bad, some of it was good and some of it was just plain ugly, but here are a few of the highlights of the last 12 months in cricket.

England team finish off the Aussies

The competition had been pretty much decided after the England team’s successful test on Boxing Day, but Australia probably wished it was all over sooner after an embarrassing defeat at the hands of their old rivals in January. England won the test in Sydney by an innings and 83 runs, giving them their first win on Aussie territory in 24 years.

Old rivals battle it out in the World Cup

It would have been an exciting match no matter what the consequences were, but seeing India and Pakistan pitted against one another in a World Cup semi-final was a treat that had many fans glued to their TV screens earlier in the year. The Mohali Stadium hosted a thrilling victory for India with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 85 runs.

Australia gets another kicking

The Australian luck was all out just a few weeks back too when they suffered one of their worst ever defeats at the hands of South Africa. The Aussies were out for just 47, despite having started the first test on much better form. Captain Michael Clarke told reporters: "I've never had a day like this in my career and I hope I never will again."

Sachin Tendulkar’s lap of honour

It was the moment he had looked forward to all of his career, but in April Sachin Tendulkar was finally able to lead an Indian team to World Cup victory over Sri Lanka. To celebrate the incredible win, team-mates Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan were among those who carried him around the stadium. "Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It was time we carried him," said Kohli.

There are already some fantastic cricket fixtures lined up for 2012, although it remains to be seen if any will be able to top some of the great stuff we’ve seen this year. One thing is for certain, whether it is England and Australia, or India and Pakistan – there are some old cricket scores which will want to be settled just once more.