Cricket and controversy, never far apart, were closely linked in a year where England finally achieved their long-held objective of climbing to the top of the world Test rankings.

Nothing that happened on the field in 2011 rocked world cricket quite like the jail sentences handed down by an English court to former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif for their roles in a 'spot-fixing' scam during last year's Lord's Test against England.