Muttiah Muralitharan lost his world record, had one of his most dangerous deliveries banned, refused to tour Australia after a prime-ministerial put-down, lost five months to the surgeon's knife and ended 2004 as the happiest cricketer alive.
All those setbacks were to shrivel into insignificance when the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced proposals to review the laws on throwing.
Should they opt next February to allow bowlers to flex their arms by up to 15 degrees, Muralitharan will never again have to worry that Australia's Prime Minister John Howard considers him a "chucker".
He will doubtless have little to fear from international umpires either, even in Australia where he was called for throwing in 1995-96 and 1998-99.
The question mark hanging over his achievements will be removed and, doubtless too, he will return to overhaul arch-rival Shane Warne and regain the world mark for Test wickets.
The pair's wrist-spinning rivalry lit up 2004.
They met head-to-head in March when the world champions visited Sri Lanka. Honours were shared, with Muralitharan claiming 28 wickets at 23.17 runs apiece to Warne's 26 at 20.03, but Australia emerged clear winners in taking the series 3-0.
Worse still for Sri Lanka, their key bowler was reported by match referee Chris Broad, whose concerns over Muralitharan's 'doosra', a disguised leg break, were backed by the ICC who told him to cease bowling the variation.
MURALI RECORD
Muralitharan, however, continued to prosper and broke Courtney Walsh's world record of 519 Test wickets in May against a pathetic Zimbabwe.
The spinners' proposed rematch, though, never went ahead after the Sri Lankan took exception to Australian criticism and boycotted the tour Down Under in June.
A shoulder joint problem then ended his 2004, leaving the way open for Warne to snatch the world record from him.
The other big record-breaker of the year was Brian Lara.
Having seen Matthew Hayden eclipse his previous mark of 375 late in 2003, the West Indian quickly reclaimed the honour with 400 not out against England in the fourth Test in Antigua in April.
But, as in the case of Muralitharan, Lara's personal heroics were not enough for team success.
England, inspired by Steve Harmison and his seven for 12 at Sabina Park, won the series 3-0 for their first success in the Caribbean for 36 years.
They then beat them 4-0 on home soil as Michael Vaughan's side reached December with 10 Test wins out of 11, vaulting them into second in the world rankings. They also got to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy before losing to Lara's men.
Harmison, an English version of Curtly Ambrose and once better known for feeling homesick whenever he got as far as his front gate, was soon topping the bowling rankings and was selected for the ICC's Test side of the year. All rounder Andy Flintoff was the world's best one-day performer of the year.
The ICC's overall player of 2004 was Rahul Dravid, but even he failed to steer his team to victory when the big chips were down.
India had dazzled at the start of the year, even suggesting a changing of the guard before drawing 1-1 in Australia, Dravid averaging a preposterous 123.80 for the Test series.
They also won 2-1 in Pakistan for their first overseas series triumph in more than a decade, Dravid making 270 in the decider. Pakistan, in defeat, replaced coach Javed Miandad with Bob Woolmer.
INDIAN FAILURE
In the showcase series of the year against the bruised Australians, however, India were found wanting.
The tourists took immediate charge, the indestructible Glenn McGrath back to his best and Michael Clarke launching his Test career with an innings of 151, before running out 2-1 winners.
The year's losers were all African.
Zimbabwe first lost a captain, as Heath Streak was squeezed out following allegations of politically-motivated selections, then lost a team when more than a dozen white players walked out in support.
By June, the team struggling, they had had their Test status suspended as well.
Former Kenya captain Maurice Odumbe lost more than status. He was found guilty of having links with a bookmaker and banned for five years.
South Africa, now without Gary Kirsten's runs, continued on their downward spiral.
Not so long ago Australia's only serious rivals, they have slumped to sixth in the Test rankings and seventh in the one-day table.
They even lost 10 one-dayers in a row. For Graeme Smith, South Africa's youngest ever captain, the honeymoon appears to be over.
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