It is Graeme Swann who takes this week's award. His bowling figures of three for 13 and two for 17 in the first two Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan may not immediately stand out as award-winning contributions, but put it against the performances of the other five spinners used in the series by both teams and it suddenly looks a lot better. Messrs Ajmal, Afridi and co. have taken six wickets at a combined average of 32.33 from the two matches, with Swann's haul of five wickets at an average of six far superior.
Jonathan Bairstow became the youngest Englishman to score a Twenty20 International half-century as his side levelled their three-match series with Pakistan in Dubai courtesy of a 38-run win.
Bairstow's unbeaten 60 in 46 balls guided England to a score of 150 for seven before Pakistan were bowled out for 112 in the 19th over as Steven Finn returned three for 30.
Pakistan's bowlers held their nerve to bowl their team to an eight-run victory against the Twenty20 World Champions in Dubai.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq rotated his bowlers well towards the end of England's innings and was rewarded with three tidy overs from Saeed Ajmal and two wickets in the 18th over from Umar Gul to peg England back after Kevin Pietersen had given England an excellent start.
England sealed a rare One-Day International series whitewash with a relatively comfortable victory in the fourth and final match in Dubai. Kevin Pietersen was once again the hero for the tourists as he became the second Englishman in little over a week to score back-to-back ODI centuries.
His measured innings of 130 from 153 balls helped England to weather the top-order collapse of three for 18 that had followed the early departure of the in-form Alastair Cook for four.
Alastair Cook enjoyed a prolific week with the bat to notch up 319 runs at an average of over 100 and a strike rate of 88.37 to pip Steven Finn to this week's award.
Cooks transformation from Test match plodder to become the first England player since Paul Collingwood five years ago to score back-to-back ODI centuries can be traced as far back as to 2008 when he played only one ODI during the English summer and vowed to improve his limited-overs game.
Pakistan's Physical Disabilities side beat their English counterparts by nine wickets to claim a 2-1 One-Day International series win in Dubai.
They won the opening 40-over match by 79 runs before England hit back with a four-run win in the second game.
Kevin Pietersen scored his first One-Day International century since 2008 to guide England to a series-clinching nine-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dubai.
Pietersen ended a drought stretching back to 2008 with a fluent unbeaten 111 as England moved to an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-match series with a commanding performance.
England produced another excellent performance to win the second One-Day International against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi by 20 runs to move into an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Alastair Cook became the first England captain to hit back-to-back ODI centuries as England posted 250 for four and Steven Finn then took four wickets to dismiss Pakistan for 230 in reply.
England put their dismal performances in the Test series behind them to thrash Pakistan by 130 runs in the opening One-Day International in Abu Dhabi.
As if to prove their worth, two players left out of the Test team - Ravi Bopara and Steven Finn - performed starring roles while Alastair Cook led from the front with a ground-record score.
Martin Guptill is the outstanding candidate for this week's Cricket World Player of the Week award. The 25-year-old hit three consecutive half-centuries in as many matches against Zimbabwe to make himself a shoo-in for the award.
Pakistan's Physical Disability side beat their England counterparts 2-0 in a Twenty20 series held at the Dubai Cricket Academy.
Pakistan won the opening match by 14 runs and then triumphed by 20 runs in the second encounter.
Shahid Afridi moved to eighth position on the all-time list of wicket-takers in One-Day International cricket as Pakistan comfortably beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in Sharjah.
The match served as Pakistan's preparation for a five-game series against England and was Afghanistan's first ODI against a Test-playing nation.
Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook scored half-centuries as England warmed up for their One-Day International series with Pakistan by beating the England Lions by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi.
After the Lions folded to be bowled out for just 96, a contrived target of 230 was reached by the senior side with three wickets down in the 46th over.
England's selectors have resisted making wholesale changes to their limited-overs squads following the disastrous Test leg of their tour of the UAE, with Danny Briggs' call-up at the expense of Ian Bell the only major change from the ODI squad that toured India. Tim Bresnan returns to take his place in both squads after missing the Test series due to injury.
Pakistan have dropped Shoaib Malik from their limited-overs squads, with all-rounder Hammad Azam and batsman Awais Zia (Twenty20 only) the chief beneficiaries. Their ODI squad contains only two changes from their Test one, with Shahid Afridi and Hammad replacing Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Talha in the line-up. The other notable absentee is Abdul Razzaq, who has declared himself not fit enough for international assignments.
There have been several notable performances over the past seven days in international cricket, meaning that, once again, it is a difficult decision to choose this week's Cricket World Player of the Week.
It is from events in Dubai that this week's award winner again comes. Both Younis Khan and Azhar Ali hit centuries in Pakistan's second innings total of 365, with Azhar taking the honours - partly thanks to the nature of Younis' dismissal in the first innings.
Matt Prior top-scored with a combative unbeaten 49 for England but it wasn't enough as they succumbed to a 71-run defeat and resulting 3-0 series whitewash at the hands of Pakistan in Dubai.
The tourists began the day on 36 without loss, but soon lost Andrew Strauss - leg-before to Abdur Rehman for 26 - to resume the top-order's troubles against Pakistan's quality spin duo.
Chris Tremlett faces a spell of at least three months on the sidelines after specialists recommended that he have an operation on his back. The decision means that he will miss England's two Test matches in Sri Lanka at the end of March and beginning of April, as well as the first month of the county season with Surrey, meaning that he will struggle to be match fit for the start of England's Test summer against West Indies at the end of May.
It is from the wreck of England's disastrous second innings in Abu Dhabi that this week's award winner emerges. Abdur Rehman - a previously unheralded and underrated left-arm spinner from Sialkot in the north-eastern Pakistani province of Punjab - took six wickets for just 25 runs in England's back-footed capitulation of 72, and, in doing so, brought the tourists' pretensions of word domination sharply into focus.
Saeed Ajmal picked up his 100th Test wicket as Pakistan found England wanting against spin bowling on their way to a 72-run win on day four of the second Test in Abu Dhabi.
Ajmal returned three for 22 but was overshadowed by left-armer Abdur Rehman, whose six for 25 bundled England out for 72 - their lowest Test score against Pakistan - having been set 145 to win.
Pakistan quick bowler Mohammad Talha has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series against England with a back injury.
23-year-old right-armer Talha was left out of the opening Test, which Pakistan won by ten wickets in Dubai, and the spinal disc injury means he will miss both the second Test in Abu Dhabi and the third match in Dubai.
A look ahead to a busy week that sees three Test matches get underway in Australia, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.
In Adelaide, Australia take on India, then in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan take on England in high spirits following their ten-wicket win in the opener in Dubai and finally, New Zealand meet Zimbabwe in Napier.
Pakistan thrashed England by ten wickets on day three of the opening Test in Dubai after they produced a ruthlessly clinical performance to register the first outright result at the venue.
They built a first-innings lead of 146 by scoring 338 thanks to Adnan Akmal's 61 then routed England for 160 before finishing proceedings by cruising to 15 without loss in their second innings.
England batsman Ian Bell underwent an x-ray on the eve of the opening Test against Pakistan after he was struck on the left wrist during training.
However, he was subsequently cleared of serious injury ahead of the first of three Test matches, which gets underway in Dubai on 17th January.
England completed their preparations for the first Test against Pakistan in rude health after they beat a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) XI by 100 runs in Dubai.
On the third and final day, they declared their second innings on 181 for three and dismissed the PCB side for 150 as Graham Onions and Monty Panesar both took three wickets.
Graeme Swann and Chris Tremlett are injury doubts for England ahead of their three-day tour game against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) XI which gets underway on 11th January.
The tourists have already lost Tim Bresnan to an elbow injury and his replacement Graham Onions could feature if Swann (thigh) and Tremlett (eye) are not available.
England fast bowler Tim Bresnan has been ruled out of England's three-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
He has failed to recover sufficiently from an elbow operation he underwent in November and will now return home to begin a recovery period of around three weeks.
England got their tour of the United Arab Emirates off to a winning start although they were made to work hard before defeating the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI by three wickets in Dubai.
The ICC XI declared their second innings on 164 for nine to set England 261 to win in 69 overs and they got to their target with eight overs and five balls in hand.
England fast bowler Tim Bresnan will miss his side's three-day game against the ICC Combined Associate & Affiliate XI due to a sore elbow.
The Yorkshire player underwent surgery on his right elbow over the winter but is not yet ready for a return to competitive action, leaving the door open for Chris Tremlett or Steven Finn to stake a claim for a Test place.
Pakistan have recalled batsman Umar Akmal and fast-bowler Wahab Riaz for their three-Test series against England in the UAE, which begins on January 17th. Left-armer Junaid Khan has also been recalled, with seamer Mohammad Khalil and former captain Shoaib Malik both making way from the squad that toured Bangladesh.
Malik appears to have paid for his poor run of form in ODI cricket - he has 35 runs from his last six innings - with his Test place.
Ireland skipper William Porterfield is to captain an International Cricket Council (ICC) Combined Associate and Affiliate XI against England in a three-day game in Dubai from 7th to 9th January.
The match, held at the ICC Global Academy in Dubai, will form part of England's preparations for a three-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
Durham fast bowler Graham Onions will travel to the United Arab Emirates as cover for England's fast bowlers when they take on Pakistan in a three-Test series which begins in January.
Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett, who are all recovering from injuries, were named in the 16-man squad for the series.
England have named a 16-man Test squad to play Pakistan in a three-match series in the United Arab Emirates in January and February, welcoming back a number of players who have missed recent series due to injury or being rested.
James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Eoin Morgan, Matthew Prior and Chris Tremlett are all set to be back in action while Ravi Bopara, Steven Davies and Monty Panesar are picked for the squad.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have confirmed that England all-rounder Tim Bresnan has undergone an elbow operation.
He will, however, be fit for the Test series against Pakistan, which gets underway in January and will see England defend their number one ICC ranking in the United Arab Emirates.
England batsman Eoin Morgan does not share the view of team-mate Graeme Swann that One-Day International cricket should be scrapped, arguing that all three formats of the game should be persisted with but he concedes that something needs to be done to give Test cricket a 'boost'.
Swann made his comments during an interview with the BBC but talking to us during a photoshoot for Slazenger, Morgan was quite happy to do his bit to promote the game in all its guises.
Taking time out from a Slazenger photo shoot in Surrey, England star Eoin Morgan talks to us about his new cricket equipment, his recovery from injury, England's upcoming tour of Pakistan, the spot-fixing trial, whether there is too much cricket being played and whether Sachin Tendulkar will score his 100th century.
Seven England players will spend time in Pune, Mumbai and Potchefstroom with the England Performance Programme training camps as they begin their build-up to the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
Andrew Strauss, Matthew Prior and Eoin Morgan will link up with the camps in Pune and Mumbai while fast bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions.
