Sambit Bal: What Phillip Hughes' death did to cricket, and how the BCCI strengthened its hold over the world game

Sambit Bal: The new breed of Test batsmen, the player of the year, and more

A year in which New Zealand shone, Test cricket produced results, and India's bowlers struggled. By S Rajesh

What they said about precognition, KP, the doosra, team composition and more

They knocked over a fortress but also said goodbye to two colossus players

They experienced extremes on and off the field, but the biggest takeaway was their strength in dealing with Phillip Hughes' death

The fallout of the withdrawal from the India tour, captaincy changes, and lack of clarity on the future of senior players made it a bleak year

A young Test side showed some steel and engineered a famous win but missed several opportunities to establish dominance. By Sidharth Monga

Scarcely believable Test wins, a world title, and a captain who turned into an assured leader - Sri Lanka's 2014 was seriously good. By Andrew Fidel Fernando

Away Test wins, ODI series wins, and an inspiring captain: NZ have reasons to feel bullish. By Andrew Alderson

Even as the ICC claimed to envision a more global game, the decisions it took in 2014 further stifled the Associates. By Tim Wigmore

With cricket boards awarding annual contracts, women's cricket is becoming increasingly lucrative. On the field, it was a year of notable upsets. By Raf Nicholson

Pakistan's year oscillated between superb and dreadful, with their ODI form poor ahead of the World Cup. By Osman Samiuddin

Save for the rout of Zimbabwe, it was a year of suspensions and demoralising defeats for Bangladesh. By Mohammad Isam