There were a lot of great batting performances in 2012. So, in deciding these six best Test cricket innings of the year, I've tried to focus on the efforts that stood out both for the way in which the runs were made and also for the broader context in which they were scored.
A few other innings were very close to making the cut, but these were the six I felt were the best of 2012. In the interests of variety I've limited each player to one appearance on the list. Here they are, in chronological order.
1. 180 by David Warner, Australia v India, Perth, January 13-14 2012
Match scorecard
Australian opener David Warner burst onto the international scene with 89 off 43 balls on his Twenty20 debut in 2010. Despite Warner's obvious talent, his call-up to Australia's Test team was beset with questions over whether he could rein in his attacking instincts.
In Perth, Warner demonstrated exactly why the Australian selectors had picked him. His 180, coming off just 159 balls, showed the value of having an attacking opening batsman in Test cricket as he wrested the initiative for his team and demoralised his Indian opponents. Australia won the match inside three days and went on to win the four-match series 4-0. They will hope for many more such assaults from Warner in future, who is still only 26 years old and considered a potential future Australian captain.
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2. 157 by Azhar Ali, Pakistan v England, Dubai, February 4-5 2012
Match scorecard
On a dusty, turning pitch in the Gulf heat, with spin bowling taking most of the wickets, Azhar Ali produced a match-winning monument to patience and concentration. He and his Pakistan teammates had scored a paltry 99 in their first innings, batting for a little over three hours; in the second innings, after England had been rolled for 141, Azhar alone batted nearly nine hours.
Azhar Ali's 157 was scored in almost the exact opposite style of Warner's 180 but it carried a similar meaning for both player and country. Azhar is a relative newcomer to the Pakistan team - this was his second Test century - and his grit and determination cemented his place, as well as setting up a superb team victory.
3. 311* by Hashim Amla, South Africa v England, London (The Oval), July 20-22 2012
Match scorecard
Hashim Amla's 311 not out in the first Test in England was the first triple century by a South African in Test cricket, setting the tone for a comprehensive series win for South Africa. It would see them go to top of the Test team rankings, a position they still held at the end of 2012.
Amla may play for South Africa, but his wristy strokeplay as a batsman has much more in common with his Indian roots. His calmness at the batting crease was only matched in international cricket in 2012 by England captain Alistair Cook; in this 13-hour monument to skill and focus, Amla demonstrated that his flair for leg-side whips and cover drives is second to none.Match scorecard
4. 259* by Michael Clarke, Australia v South Africa, Brisbane, November 11-13 2012
Match scorecard
Australian captain Michael Clarke was the best Test cricket player in 2012. He scored a total of 1595 runs in 2012 -- fourth on the all-time list for Test runs in a calendar year -- and hit five centuries. Four of those centuries were doubles, and one was a triple. And of those, his 259 not out against South Africa was the best.
This innings gets the nod, ahead of his unbeaten 329* against India and the rapid 230 against South Africa in Adelaide, because it came against the world's best fast bowling attack and was also his most assured. Apart from a couple of miscued pulls early on, Clarke's positivity at the crease was so dominant that the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander looked clueless. Australia eventually lost the series, which would have bitterly disappointed Clarke, but he led his team from the front.
5. 176 by Alistair Cook, England v India, Kolkata, November 17-18 2012
Match scorecard
In his first five Tests as England captain, Alistair Cook scored centuries, a feat never before achieved. His 176 in Ahmedabad, which came in his first Test as the team's regular captain, was the best of the lot.
On the surface, it wasn't really any different from any other Cook epic: another impossibly calm accumulation of runs, wearing down the bowling with the application of a limited-but-effective batting technique. What made it that little bit more noteworthy was the fact that it came in such a dire England performance (they lost the match to India by nine wickets) and that Cook, as captain and opening batsman, was so determined to show his teammates how it was done. In the context of the match, Cook's 176 was outstanding but futile; in the context of the series, which England went on to win, it was a master-class from which an entire team drew strength and inspiration.
6. 186 by Kevin Pietersen, England v India, Mumbai, November 24-25 2012
Match scorecard
In-between all the drama and controversy surrounding his role with the English cricket team, Kevin Pietersen played some extraordinary Test innings in 2012. The best among them was his 186 in Mumbai, which - combined with the resilience of his captain Alistair Cook - turned the series around for England.
Pietersen's 186 came against a quality spin bowling attack on a wickedly turning pitch. It also came amid grave doubts about both his own and his team's ability to bat against spin. It was an innings filled with moments of audacious skill, a reminder that in cricket -- as in any sport -- some players are simply more naturally gifted than others. With that talent allied to a sound work ethic, Pietersen seemed almost unstoppable. Cricinfo's David Hopps called it "one of the most memorable innings in Test history". More telling, however, was this Twitter message from teammate Matt Prior welcoming Pietersen back to the England fold.
7. Bonus: 95 by Tino Best, West Indies v England, Birmingham, June 10 2012
Match scorecard
Tino Best's remarkable effort can't compare to the bigger innings listed above, but his 95 for West Indies against England was perhaps the most entertaining and surprising knock of 2012. The third Test was a dead rubber, with England having already won the first two matches, and rain looked to have spoiled any chance of a result in Birmingham. Best therefore took it upon himself to liven up proceedings with the highest-ever Test score by a number 11 batsman. The England bowling was not at its best, and there was nothing to play for, but everybody who saw Best's innings will remember his swaggering sense of fun - not to mention a number of genuinely good cricket shots that anyone who batted above him would have been proud to hit.
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