England are about to play their 17th and final match in a marathon year of Test cricket.
The chance to secure a 3-0 series win against New Zealand in Hamilton on Saturday (22:00 GMT Friday) comes after home triumphs over West Indies and Sri Lanka were sandwiched by Asian defeats in India and Pakistan.
Decided in an entirely scientific manner, here are the year’s winners and losers. Don’t get cross, it’s just for fun. Add your awards in the comments below.
Best win
No contest on this one. The opening Test in Pakistan might have come as a result of some staggering run-scoring, the series win in New Zealand was something of a surprise and captain Ben Stokes rates the defeat of West Indies at Trent Bridge as his favourite, but they all pale in comparison to England’s opening match of the year.