Pakistan played 10 Test matches in 2011 and won 5 out of them.

They emerged to be a stable test side with a well-defined combination, which is rare to associate with a team like Pakistan.

Let's take a look at some of the top performances by Pakistan players in 2011 tests:

First of all on behalf of KheloPakistan a fantastic new year, We hope 2012 would be as wonderful as 2011 was. 2012 begins for the No.1 Test side in the World, England up against the Enigmas of International Cricket - Pakistan. Both teams have had a successful 2011 and this series opens with 3 tests that should be an apple to our eyes. From the current players within each side here are stats and facts about both teams against each other in the longest version of the game.

A historical year

Who was your player of the year for 2011?

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A year to remember for Pakistan cricket under the charismatic leadership of Shahid Afridi and the solidity of Misbah ul Haq. Throughout the year Pakistan played as a unit, which they rarely did in prior years. The overall record is something to be proud of for all Pakistan cricket fans.

Article stats do not include the Boxing Day Tests between Australia and India or South Africa and Sri Lanka

KheloPakistan.Com presents its first ever cricket podcast on the ‘State of Test cricket’. Hosted by Ahsan Awan, it features Imran Asghar  and Tabrez Ali Janjua voicing their opinions on placid pitches, day & night tests and the absence of Mohammad Yousuf from the Pakistan Test squad.

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Kangaroos sealed the Boxing Day Test in their favour with clinical precision, drubbing India by a good margin of 123 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the four Test rubber. Aus pacers ran riots on the fourth day and made the star-studded Indian batting line up look ordinary. The Indians looked pretty spineless and clueless and the wickets tumbled one after another , they managed to score just 169.

Siddle struck thrice in the second outing, also getting the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar (32), sealing the fate of the first Test. James Pattinson was the most lethal of all, claiming 4 scalps.

India started  the run-chase not in the manner they would have wanted, losing Virender Sehwag cheaply. Pattinson drew first blood as he saw Sehwag off at a score of 7 runs. From there on, it was a downward spiral with no respite for the Indians.

Gambhir looked pretty edgy and uncomfortable again on the turf, not up to the mark against the shortpitched ones and lobbed one to the second slip where Punter took a neat catch, he scored of 13 runs.  Laxman was claimed at a score of 1 run, sending the Australian dressing-room into celebratory mode as he always has been their nemesis in most of the recent  tight matches.

2011 turned out to be an uncharacteristic year for Pakistan cricket where they were in the news for all the good reasons.

24 wins out of 32 in the One Day Internationals this year can be compared with 5 out of 18 during the year 2010 in order to jusitfy the emphatic rise in Pakistan's performance this year.

The best part about the victories that have come this year is the fact that most of them have been a team effort rather than a one-man show. There were a very few victories out of 24 that were entirely due to an individual brillance. Rather, most of them were due to a collective professional team work.

Following are the 5 best ODI performances of the year 2011 by Pakistani players.

Things were going out of hand , but India fought back with four late wickets while Mr. Cricket Mike Hussey posted a gritty half-century to leave the first Test delicately poised at the close of the third day on Wednesday.

There wasnt a session which wasnt absorbing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The comeback man Zaheer Khan sent  Ricky Ponting back to the pavillion for 60 to end a decisive 115-run stand with middle order batsman Hussey and sparked another batting collapse for the hosts.

Game resumed at 11 am local time , with Dravid and the nightwatchman Ishant Sharma on the crease . Thae tourists were looking comfortable at 214-3.  A lot was expexted from the likes of Dravid and Laxman , but ,Ben Hilfy had other ideas, Hilfenhaus, who is back in the Test side after a year in the freezer, played a key part early by taking five wickets to help skittle India for 282 ,he castled Rahul Dravid for 68 with the second ball of the day and ran through India's middle order to finish with a career-best innings haul of 5-75.

India getting all out for 282 meant Australia had a first innings lead of 51 runs.However Aussies surendered before Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma and were reduced to 27-4.