ACS Oveseas First-Class Annual 2013

Matches in 2012 Of the 185 first-class matches played in the 2012 cricket season, 168 took place in England and Wales. They are not featured in this book because full scores are printed in the 2013 edition of Wisden . This section includes matches in Ireland (3) and the Netherlands (1), countries whose season roughly coincides with England’s. It also includes matches played in a number of Test countries where games were played outside the normal ‘cross-year’ cricket season: India (2), South Africa (2), Sri Lanka (3) and West Indies (6). Unfortunately there is sometimes a degree of inconsistency about the treatment of these ‘off-season’ games: Wisden , for instance, assigns the two matches in India to the 2012/13 season rather than to 2012. The two matches took place between 23 August and 3 September, so it can be argued that from a global perspective, they definitely fell within the timeframe of the 2012 season in England and elsewhere. From an Indian perspective, on the other hand, they were closely associated with the 2012/13 season, which began (so far as domestic first-class fixtures are concerned) with the Irani Cup on 21 September. This difference in treatment, although a relatively minor matter in itself, can result in troublesome discrepancies between different sources in such matters as the compilation of seasonal averages. It would be very helpful if a uniform approach could be agreed; but in the absence of such a consensus, this Annual has followed CricketArchive and therefore assigns these games to 2012. Apart from England’s home series against West Indies and South Africa, there were three tours involving Tests in the 2012 season. Sri Lanka hosted three Tests against Pakistan, securing a narrow 1-0 win. West Indies, on returning home from England, played and won two Tests against New Zealand; and the latter then proceeded to India to play a rubber of the same length that resulted in the same scoreline. There were a further three tours by ‘A’ sides. India A visited the Caribbean for what amounted to a junior Test rubber against West Indies A. It resulted in a 2-1 win for the hosts after a well-contested series between players on the fringe of the respective Test sides. South Africa A was also active, playing two home games against Sri Lanka A (won 1-0) before visiting Ireland for two rain-ruined draws against the national side. The Intercontinental Cup matches scheduled for the 2012 season were also dominated by the weather. Rain prevented a result in the home matches of Ireland and the Netherlands against Afghanistan and the UAE respectively; while Scotland’s match against Canada was washed out completely. For more details of the Intercontinental Cup, plus a league table, see the Rest of the World section of the Annual. (JCB) 11