A verdict, fivers on debut, and Test specials

September

1 Australia offspinner Nathan Lyon takes a wicket off his first ball in Tests and goes on to get a five-for in Australia's win over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle.

Cricket Kenya drops a handful of players who refused to sign new central contracts from the national squad.

2 Questions about the DRS crop up again after umpire Simon Taufel refers Hawk-Eye's decision on Phillip Hughes' second-innings lbw dismissal in Galle to the ICC. Hawk-Eye admits later that the depiction of Hughes' dismissal was inaccurate because of "a tracking mistake".

9 New Zealand Cricket appoints former Australian lawn bowls administrator Kim Littlejohn as their new national selection manager.

11 A dramatic tie in the fourth ODI hands the series to England and leaves India still searching for their first win against England on the tour.

12 West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose is inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, alongside Alan Davidson, former women's captain Belinda Clark (only the second woman to be inducted), and the late Frederick Spofforth. Jonathan Trott is named the ICC's cricketer of the year.

15 After 77 years, Lancashire win the County Championship title. Middlesex clinch the second division title.

19 N Srinivasan officially takes over as the new BCCI president. At its annual general meeting, the board votes to terminate the Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise.

20 Mushfiqur Rahim is named Bangladesh captain for the home series against West Indies and Pakistan, taking over from the sacked Shakib Al Hasan. Mahmudullah is appointed vice-captain.

22 Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the former India captain, dies in Delhi at 70.

23 Geoff Marsh, the former Australia batsman and coach, is appointed coach of Sri Lanka, filling the vacancy created by Trevor Bayliss' departure after the 2011 World Cup.

29 Offspinner Harbhajan Singh is left out of India's squad for the first two ODIs against England in October.

October

2 Sialkot Stallions win the Faysal Bank T20 Cup for the sixth time, beating Rawalpindi Rams by ten runs at the National Stadium in Karachi.

3 Mohsin Khan, Pakistan's chief selector, is appointed the team's interim coach for the series against Sri Lanka, temporarily filling the vacancy created by Waqar Younis' departure after the tour of Zimbabwe.

5 Former England fast bowler Graham Dilley, best remembered for his century partnership with Ian Botham at Headingley in 1981, dies at 52 after a short illness.

9 Mumbai Indians win the 2011 Champions League Twenty20, beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 31 runs.

11 The ICC releases its 2015 World Cup qualification plan. The tournament will comprise 14 teams, of which ten are the current Test-playing nations. The top two teams in the Intercontinental One-Day Cup will also go through, while the six remaining teams will join four others from the World Cricket League in a qualifying tournament, with the finalists making it to the World Cup.

13 Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, replaces Ijaz Butt as the chairman of the PCB.

15 Mtutuzeli Nyoka is voted out as president of Cricket South Africa. South Africa's sports ministry decides to establish a committee to look into CSA's handling of the bonus dispute that led to the ouster of Nyoka by a vote of no-confidence.

16 Wayne Parnell and Rusty Theron rescue South Africa from a seemingly hopeless position of 84 for 7, chasing 148, to snatch victory in the second Twenty20 and draw the series with Australia 1-1.

18 Shahid Afridi withdraws his international retirement and says he is available for selection for Pakistan in the limited-over formats.

The West Indies Cricket Board says Chris Gayle will only be considered for selection for West Indies if he retracts statements he made about the West Indies board and its officers.

22 Brendan Taylor becomes the first Zimbabwe batsman to score back-to-back ODI hundreds, but New Zealand chase down 260 to secure the series 2-0 with one game to play.

25 India complete a 5-0 series whitewash over England in Kolkata. The visitors lose ten wickets for 47 runs, after having been 129 for no loss.

England women claim a series whitewash, with a five-wicket victory over South Africa in Potchefstroom.

27 BBC Sinhala reports that about 100 cricketers contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket, including national team players, have not been paid their salaries since the 2011 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.

India drop offspinner Harbhajan Singh from their squad for the first Test against West Indies. R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Rahul Sharma make up the spin department, leaving India with a completely different set of spinners to the one they had on the England tour.

29 Jamaica win West Indies' domestic one-day competition for the first time since 2007-08, beating Trinidad & Tobago comfortably in the final.

November

1 The jury in the spot-fixing trial finds Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif guilty, by a unanimous verdict, on the charge of "conspiracy to cheat" and guilty by a 10-2 majority decision on the charge of "conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments". Mohammad Amir, who was also accused of spot-fixing, pleads guilty. He says there was "extreme pressure" on him and cited threats to his place in the side if he did not participate in the fixing.

2 Devendra Bishoo takes his first Test five-for and West Indies march to victory over Bangladesh on the final day in Mirpur to deliver a confidence-boosting series win ahead of their tour of India.

3 A London court hands out jail terms to the three players and their agent found guilty in the spot-fixing case. Salman Butt is sentenced to two years and six months; Mohammad Asif gets a one-year jail sentence and Mohammad Amir six months. Mazhar Majeed, the players' agent, is sentenced to two years and eight months.

Three of Sri Lanka's international venues, including the newly built stadiums in Pallekele and Hambantota, are handed over to the military indefinitely as Sri Lanka Cricket is unable to afford to keep maintaining them.

9 Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman are instrumental in chasing down 276 as India claim the first Test against West Indies in Delhi.

10 Australia are bundled out for 47 after South Africa are dismissed for 96 on the second day of the Cape Town Test. In all, 23 wickets fell on the day. On day three, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla make hundreds to complete an eight-wicket win.

12 Peter Roebuck, the respected cricket commentator and columnist, commits suicide, aged 55, in South Africa.

14 Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, announces that the proposed Test championship will not be held before 2017. The tournament had been scheduled for 2013.

15 Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee, headed by Upali Dharmadasa, is dissolved by the country's sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, ahead of the board's planned election.

17 Darren Bravo's century, which leaves him with statistics identical to Brian Lara's at the end of 12 Tests, isn't enough to stop India from claiming the series with an innings win in the second Test in Kolkata.

Jacques Kallis becomes the first South Africa batsman to make 12,000 Test runs

20 Shahid Afridi almost single-handedly winsthe fourth ODI for Pakistan - taking five wickets and scoring 75 runs. Pakistan take an unassailable 3-1 series lead over Sri Lanka.

21 Australia chase down 310, the highest ever fourth-innings total at the Wanderers to square the Test series with South Africa on the final day.

22 Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa coach, is appointed the new coach of Australia, a role with wide-ranging responsibilities after its redefinition under the recommendations of the Argus review.

24 Bangladesh women secure one-day international status for the first time with a nine-wicket victory over USA.

26 The third Test between India and West Indies in Mumbai becomes only the second in history to end in a draw with the scores level.

West Indies women complete a 130-run win against Pakistan in the final of the World Cup Qualifiers in Mirpur. Sri Lanka beat South Africa to finish third.

December

2 At the age of 40, Stuart MacGill confirms he is coming out of retirement to play for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League. MacGill joins Shane Warne, Brad Hogg and Matthew Hayden on the list of former players returning for the Twenty20 tournament.

4 James Pattinson becomes the third Australian bowler to take a five-for on debut in the space of six Test matches.

5 Darren Sammy, Andre Russell and Ravi Rampaul hand India their first one-day defeat in 12 home games, as West Indies finally win a game on the tour.

8 Virender Sehwag breaks the record for the highest score in an ODI with 219 against West Indies in Indore. His innings includes 25 fours and seven sixes: 142 runs in boundaries.

12 An extraordinary spell from Doug Bracewell gives New Zealand a heart-stopping seven-run Test victory over Australia in Hobart, their first win in Australia since 1985.

13 The PCB decides to use a pink ball in the Quaid-e-Azam Division One final after receiving advice from the ICC. Orange balls had been used in the 2010 final.

14 Rahul Dravid gives the Bradman Oration in Canberra, and calls for cricketers to give up "a little bit of freedom of movement and privacy" if it helps keep the game free of corruption. Dravid says players should treat the inconveniences of dope tests, the possible scrutiny of personal finances, or even lie-detector tests, as necessary measures to keep the sport clean.

16 Australia's Big Bash League gets underway at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Older players, such as Stuart MacGill, dominate opening night, on which the Sydney Sixers thump the Brisbane Heat.

17 Vernon Philander takes his fourth five-wicket haul in six Test innings, as South Africa blow Sri Lanka away by an innings and 81 runs in the first Test, in Centurion.

20 Shakib Al Hasan becomes the first Bangladesh player to score a hundred and take a five-for in the same Test, but it isn't enough to stop Pakistan from winning the match, in Mirpur, by seven wickets.

21 Sri Lanka's domestic first-class Premier Tier A and B league matches are indefinitely postponed, adding to the woes afflicting Sri Lankan cricket.

22 Wasim Jaffer, the Mumbai captain, becomes the highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, surpassing his former team-mate Amol Muzumdar.

23 Pakistan International Airlines need just 21.4 overs on the final day to claim their seventh Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One, beating Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited by nine wickets in Karachi.

29 Sri Lanka secure their first Test success in South Africa, winning the Durban Test. Rangana Herath and Kumar Sangakarra are the stars, the former taking nine wickets and the latter making his first hundred in South Africa.

Australia's fast men fetch their team a win in the first Test of their series against India: a 122-run victory on day four at the MCG.