Five-dayers and farewells

2 Glenn McGrath, the former Australia fast bowler, is appointed the director of the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, replacing Dennis Lillee, who had held the post since its inception in 1987.

3 India complete a 2-0 victory over New Zealand in the two-Test series, beating them by five wickets in the second match in Bangalore.

Glenn Maxwell's unbeaten half-century in the third ODI guides Australia to a 2-1 series win over Pakistan in the UAE.

5 The ICC rules out Saeed Ajmal's inclusion in the Cricketer of the Year award shortlist despite a PCB protest over Ajmal being left out.

Hashim Amla scores an unbeaten 97 to steer South Africa to a seven-wicket victory against England at Trent Bridge to draw the one-day series 2-2. He racks up 335 runs in the five-match ODI series after his sensational run in the Tests.

6 Warwickshire secure their first County Championship title since 2004, thrashing Worcestershire by an innings and 202 runs.

10 Pakistan lose to Australia by 94 runs in the third T20 in Dubai, but win the series 2-1.

11 Yuvraj Singh makes a return to international cricket with a 26-ball 34 in the second T20 in Chennai against New Zealand, but India lose by one run.

The West Indian and Sri Lankan boards decide to scrap two Tests from Sri Lanka's tour of the West Indies in May 2013 to accommodate an ODI tri-series involving India.

13 Ramnaresh Sarwan wins his case against the WICB over comments made about his fitness and is awarded $161,000 in damages.

14 New Zealand fast bowler Daryl Tuffey announces his retirement from all forms of cricket, ending a 12-year international career.

15 Kumar Sangakkara wins three awards, including the prestigious Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year, at the annual ICC awards ceremony in Colombo.

26 Zimbabwe cricket faces a financial crisis as it is revealed the board has debts of US$18 million.

Australian umpire Simon Taufel announces his retirement, saying he will step down from the ICC's elite panel at the end of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

2 Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman is banned for 12 weeks by the ECB after testing positive for the recreational drug cannabis during his stint with Somerset.

3 Kevin Pietersen signs a four-month central contract with the ECB and is "reintegrated" into the England team after missing the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

7 Marlon Samuels and Darren Sammy turn the tables on Sri Lanka in the final of the World Twenty20 in Colombo, helping West Indies lift their first world title since 1979. West Indies overcome a horror start to complete a rousing 36-run win in a low-scoring match. Mahela Jayawardene resigns as Sri Lanka's T20 captain soon after the loss. Angelo Mathews is named his successor.

Australia retain the Women's World Twenty20 trophy with a dramatic four-run win over England in Colombo.

9 The ICC confirms Mustafa Kamal, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, as its vice-president (and president-to-be).

10 The ICC and the cricket boards of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh agree not to appoint any of the umpires named in the sting operation conducted by an Indian TV channel for domestic or international matches pending the outcome of the investigations.

11 Anil Kumble, the former India captain, is appointed as the chairman of the ICC cricket committee. Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, is also on the panel.

15 Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe is diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer.

17 The Bangladesh government appoints Nazmul Hassan as the Bangladesh Cricket Board president.

19 Gerald Majola, the suspended CSA chief executive, is dismissed from the board after being found guilty of misconduct, accepting bonuses without declaring them to the board, and wrongdoing around travel claims.

21 The BCCI reportedly demands £500,000 ($800,000) from Sky TV, who hold UK broadcasting rights to the India-England series, for the use of facilities by their commentary team. Sky later decide against sending their commentators to cover the tour. The BBC, which was likewise asked to pay £50,000, reaches an agreement with the BCCI and covers the series.

25 The Sun TV network wins the Hyderabad franchise of the IPL, bidding Rs 85.05 crores (about US$15.9m) for a five-year deal.

28 Sydney Sixers win the Champions League T20, routing the Highveld Lions by ten wickets in Johannesburg.

30 The ICC allows a maximum of two bouncers per over in ODIs, and cuts the number of Powerplay overs to 15, across two blocks of ten and five.

31 India women defend a low score of 81 to win the Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup title in Guangzhou.

1 Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, signs a three-year deal with English county team Surrey and is appointed captain of the side with immediate effect.

6 Robin Jackman is diagnosed with cancer, and faces seven weeks of radiotherapy.

Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first Indian sportsman to receive the Order of Australia honour.

8 The Andhra Pradesh High Court strikes down the life ban imposed on Mohammad Azharuddin by the BCCI, calling it illegal.

12 The fifth ODI between Sri Lanka and New Zealand is washed out in Hambantota and Sri Lanka win the series 3-0.

13 South Africa, after conceding a 115-run first innings lead, secure a draw against Australia on the last day of the Brisbane Test - a match that features four centuries and one double-century.

17 Tino Best runs through the Bangladesh batting on the last day in Mirpur to help the visitors win the first Test by 77 runs.

19 Cheteshwar Pujara hits a double-century and Pragyan Ojha takes nine wickets to help India fashion a nine-wicket win against England in Ahmedabad and take a 1-0 lead in the Test series.

In Galle, New Zealand slump to their fifth straight Test defeat. Sri Lanka win the Test by ten wickets. Rangana Herath takes 11 in the match.

25 Another sizzling bowling performance from Tino Best in the second innings gives West Indies a ten-wicket win in the second Test, for a 2-0 series win.

26 Debutant Faf du Plessis helps South Africa hang on for a thrilling draw with an unbeaten 110 in the fourth innings of the second Test in Adelaide.

England spinners Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann outshine their Indian counterparts to set up a ten-wicket win within four days in the second Test in Mumbai.

28 Ashley Giles takes over as the head coach of England's ODI and T20 teams.

29 Australia's most successful captain Ricky Ponting announces his retirement from international cricket, ending a 17-year international career. Australia's deciding Test against South Africa in Perth is his last.

New Zealand notch up one of their most memorable Test victories in recent times, squaring the two-Test series with a 167-run win at the P Sara Oval.

2 Bangladesh record their biggest win in ODIs in terms of runs, thrashing West Indies by 160 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

3 South Africa bear testimony to their No. 1 ranking and win the series-deciding third Test in Perth by 309 runs. Hashim Amla scores 196 in the second innings, taking his tally of runs in 2012 to 1064 at an average of 70.93.

7 Brendon McCullum is appointed New Zealand's captain in all three formats after Ross Taylor declines an offer to stay on as leader of the Test side in a split-captaincy scenario. New Zealand Cricket chairman Chris Moller later apologises to Taylor for the manner in which the captaincy change-over played out.

Russell Domingo, South Africa's assistant coach, is promoted to the role of head coach for T20s.

8 Bangladesh hold their nerve to win the five-match ODI series 3-2 against West Indies, which takes them to No. 8 in the ICC's ODI rankings, ahead of New Zealand.

9 Alastair Cook's 190, his third hundred in three matches, leads his side to a seven-wicket victory in the third Test, in Kolkata.

13 Mahela Jayawardene confirms he will step down from the captaincy at the end of Sri Lanka's tour of Australia.

Faf du Plessis is named South Africa's new captain for the three T20 internationals against New Zealand.

India beat Pakistan by 29 runs to lift the inaugural T20 World Cup for the Blind in Bangalore.

17 England end a 28-year-long wait when they win the four-match Test series against India 2-1, after the final Test ends in a draw in Nagpur. It is India's first Test series loss at home since 2004.

18 Peter Siddle takes nine wickets in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart to deliver a 137-run victory.

19 Australia women clinch a dramatic seven-run win over New Zealand in the fourth ODI in Sydney, to win the Rose Bowl 3-1.

22 Eoin Morgan, England's standby T20 captain, hits a six off the last ball to lead his side to a six-wicket win against India in the second T20 in Mumbai, drawing the series 1-1.

23 Sachin Tendulkar announces his retirement from ODI cricket. He finishes on 18,426 runs, including 49 hundreds, at an average of 44.83 in a career that spanned 23 years.

26 New Zealand go down to South Africa in the third T20 in Durban, losing the series 2-1

28 Australia complete a mauling of Sri Lanka to win by an innings and 201 runs in the Boxing Day Test. The match ends after Sri Lanka lose their seventh second-innings wicket on the third day and the other players are not able to bat due to injuries.

India square their two-match T20 series against Pakistan at home - the two sides' first bilateral series in five years - when they win the second game, in Ahmedabad.

29 Tony Greig, the former England captain, who was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in October, dies of a heart attack at 66. Greig scored 3599 runs and took 141 wickets in 58 Tests for England, and was instrumental in the success of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket in the late '70s.

Michael Hussey announces his retirement from international cricket. The New Year's Test against Sri Lanka is to be his last.