2021 in Review - What grabbed your attention?

[MenInG]

NEW DELHI, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A racism scandal rocked English cricket in a tumultuous end to the year, while Australia and New Zealand were crowned world champions in different formats and the fate of the women's game in Afghanistan was put in jeopardy after the Taliban's return to power.

In testimony to a British parliamentary committee, an emotional Azeem Rafiq catalogued a culture of racism at Yorkshire which he said drove him to the brink of suicide.

"I lost my career to racism," said Rafiq, who hopes his revelations would open the floodgates for fellow victims to come forward and share their stories.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has unveiled a 12-point action plan, including a review of the dressing room culture, and said they will launch an anti-discrimination unit.

The fallout clouded England's build-up to the Ashes and Joe Root's men trail Australia 1-0 after a thumping nine-wicket defeat in Brisbane in the series opener.

Australia shrugged off a horror buildup to claim the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), their first title in seven attempts.

Aaron Finch's men peaked at just the right time to humble Pakistan in the semi-finals and then dominate New Zealand in the Dubai decider.

It was just the latest in a series of heartbreaks for New Zealand, who fell to a third defeat in four World Cup finals in six years.

It was not all doom and gloom for New Zealand though, with Kane Williamson's team beating India in the final of the World Test Championship in Southampton.


TEN WICKETS

India would later avenge that defeat by beating New Zealand in a two-test series despite spinner Ajaz Patel claiming all 10 Indian wickets in an innings in Mumbai.

Virat Kohli stepped down as India's 20-overs skipper and lost ODI captaincy too with Rohit Sharma taking over as their sole white-ball leader.

A more tumultuous leadership change took place in Australia with Tim Paine stepping down as test captain after a 'sexting' scandal and Pat Cummins taking charge ahead of the Ashes.

The Pakistan Cricket Board's hopes of hosting more international matches on home soil suffered a body blow with New Zealand and England both pulling out of tours.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja alleged the country had been "used and binned" by the "Western Bloc" but eventually won commitments from Australia and England to tour the country in 2022.

Across the border, Afghanistan cricket's future was thrown in doubt after the country's takeover by the Taliban in August.

It prompted Cricket Australia to postpone a test match against them until it had a clearer picture of the future of women's game in the strife-torn nation.

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/s...england-world-titles-australia-nz-2021-12-16/

 

[Majid Khan]

Oh okay the article was written by an Indian journalist it seems, as I was actually expecting a mention of another memorable moment for Indian cricket from 2021 under the subheading “ TEN WICKETS”

 

[Major]

If down the line we win a match against India in the actual world cup(2023), than of course 2021 would be the year that would be remembered when we defeated India and ended the streak.

If we dont win against India in 2023, they will still boost about the 50 over world cup lead.

Thus, the 2021 win against India was the highlight reel, but to make sure the impact or the win is remembered we have to eliminate the losing streak in the actual world cup

 

[street cricketer]

Easy answer. India B beating Australia in its own den and breaking the 30 year old record at the Gabba in the process. Best thing that happened to Indian cricket in years.

 

[Rajdeep]

My top 10 cricket moments of 2021:

10) Naming the world's biggest cricket stadium as 'Shri Narendra Modi Stadium' and having stands named as Adani and Reliance ends. How appropriate.

9) Lokesh Rahul's century in Lords. One of the best innings of the year. For long I was advocating him to open in tests as he is a potentially 45+ avg test batsman. So I was very happy to have been proven right.

8) MS Dhoni lifting yet another IPL trophy for Chennai Super Kings and that too defending a total in Dubai which is almost impossible under lights

7) Shaheen Afridi's spell against India in T20 world cup. Though it was against my team but as a fan we must support good cricket. That was one of the best spell of fast bowling I have seen and reminded me of Wasim Akram in his prime.

6) Harbhajan and Amir ka jhagra (spat) in twitter. It was hilarious to see both were fighting like neighbouring aunties

5) Bumrah's spell on 5th day in Oval test. Those 2 deliveries to Olie Pope and Bairstow were peach. One of the best test spell of the year for sure

4) Kohli showering love to Pakistani players and hugging them after becoming the first and only captain to lose a game against arch rivals in world cup. So much maturity, sportsmanship and love...uuffff..just wow.

3) Tim Paine - 'Cant wait to get you to Gabba, Ash!'

Ashwin - 'Cant wait for you to tour India, that will be your last series'.

At that very moment Paine realized he just screwed it up. Ironically, the subsequent Gabba test turned out to be Tim's last.
#CurseOfAshwin

2) Rishab Pant's innings in Gabba. No team has beaten Australia in fortress Gabba for many years and here is a 21 year old boy dishing it out to them in their fortress is a sight of see. The excuses and meltdown that followed next by haters made that innings and victory even more special.

Now....my favourite moment of year 2021 is (drum roll)
.
.
.
.
.

1) Jay Shah announcing the squad for T20 World cup. The way he pronounced the players name and gave rationale behind why they are being selected was by far my best moment of 2021.

Bring it on 2022....HNY

 

[Markhor]

Not a good year unfortunately due to COVID-19. The constant threat of tour cancellations, biobubble breaches, positive tests and second string squads is honestly killing my interest in cricket.

The Brisbane Test, Kyle Mayers double hundred on Test debut in a runchase of 390 and Pakistan finally beating India in a World Cup are the only things I'll remember.

Bring on 2022 and some semblance of normalcy please.

 

[transparent opacity]

As a Pakistan cricket fan, it has to be beating India that too by 10 wickets. Other than that, India's victory at Gabba has to be the biggest moment of the year. I hope Pak can replicate such performances in SENA.

 

[Adnan_Ilyas]

Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets
Babar Azams 100 vs South Africa
Asif Ali and his amazing six hitting
The way Pakistan won the second test vs Bangladesh and West Indies despite days been rained off.

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

India beating Australia at Gabba with some rookies.
Pant hitting winning four and i was almost about to cry.
Still a goosebump moment for me.
One of the best moment of my life.

 

[Technics 1210]

1. BCCI begging UAE to host remainder of IPL due to inept GOI, only for India to fail to progress from the qualifying stages of the WCT20 in UAE.

2. BCCI/India bail on the 5th Test in England citing Covid 19 concerns only to play in second leg of IPL while WAGs are caught shopping and BCCI caught lying.

3. 152/0 India loss vs Pakistan; so bad Indians couldn’t blame the humiliating loss on the toss and Kohli stripped of white ball captaincy.

4. Pant proven to be a one hit wonder fluke.

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

As an Indian fan, our series victory over Australia was my favourite moment of 2021..
Some of the best moments for me involving India are,

1. Shami and Bumrah's match winning partnership against Anderson and co.
2. Washington Sunder's superb sixer to Pat Cummins.
3. Shardul Thakur's match winning all round performances in both aways tours.
4. Bowling out England in just two sessions to win the match.
5. Surya's 1st ball sixer to Jofra Archer.
6. Pujara and Shubman Gill's terrific 4th innings knock at Gabba.
7. Ajaz Patel's 10 fer against us.
8. Rohit's test ton in England
9. India continuing Srilanka tour despite covid scare.
10. Kohli stepping down as Indian ODI and T20I captain.

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

1. BCCI begging UAE to host remainder of IPL due to inept GOI, only for India to fail to progress from the qualifying stages of the WCT20 in UAE.

2. BCCI/India bail on the 5th Test in England citing Covid 19 concerns only to play in second leg of IPL while WAGs are caught shopping and BCCI caught lying.

3. 152/0 India loss vs Pakistan; so bad Indians couldn’t blame the humiliating loss on the toss and Kohli stripped of white ball captaincy.

4. Pant proven to be a one hit wonder fluke.

1. Newzealand and England cancelling tour of Pakistan at last time.

2. West Indies beating Pakistan by 1 wicket.

3. Hasan Ali dropping Wade and then 6 6 6 sending Pakistan to Lahore airport.

4. England C thrashing whitewashing full strength Pakistan.

*** for tat

 

[MenInG]

 

[Abdurmirr]

Our world T20 campaign was the main highlight. For once it felt like Pakistan had a plan and wasn’t playing with the mentality of being some unpredictable cornered tigers.

Don’t know whether it was a fluke or not, only time will tell but I hope that next year we can carry on playing well organised and consistent cricket

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

1. Pant's Gabba Heist.
2. Rizwan's Rise as a Batting Star.
3. Kohli egging his team on vs England to Win the match and bowl England out in a session.
4. Shaheen Afridi's Spell vs India.. Awesome bowling
5. Bumrah's Spell vs England.. Another great performance.
6. Australia winning another WC, out of nowhere.

Overall, though disappointed with T20I performance of India in WC, Happy with Test performances.

 

[sweep_shot]

1) India's Test series win in Australia.

2) India's 36-all out.

3) Pakistan beating India in World T20.

4) Shaheen's spell against India. One of the best spells in T20 history (given the occasion).

5) Australia winning World T20.

6) Namibia upsetting Ireland and reaching Super 12.

7) Babar and Rizwan partnerships.

8) Fakhar's 193.

 

[Robert]

Not much. Pretty forgettable year.

 

[Swashbuckler]

From Indian PoV

Ashwin-Vihari rearguard SCG
Gabba day 5

 

[Civil]

Nice year for Pakistan Cricket overall. Would've been nice to win the world cup but given how we started the year it has been a great year.

 

[Swashbuckler]

As good as the victories in England were, they pale in comparison before the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series. Any other year those victories in England would have been at the top because of our pathetic record there since 2011. But now they are insignificant events. But even the historic Aus series triumph pales before the feats of Neeraj Chopra, Indian hockey team and other Olympic medalists.

This has been a good year for Indian sports. Sure there were setbacks like WTC final and T20 WC but every Indian would have taken this year's sporting results happily on Jan 1, '21. Memorable year.

 

[MenInG]

152/0 was what caught the eye of many Pakistanis in 2021.

1. It was unexpected
2. It was done with style and full domination

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For some 152-0 will be unforgettable <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/FOUCU9nCuc">pic.twitter.com/FOUCU9nCuc</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1454721084440387585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[sweep_shot]

1) India's Test series win in Australia.

2) India's 36-all out.

3) Pakistan beating India in World T20.

4) Shaheen's spell against India. One of the best spells in T20 history (given the occasion).

5) Australia winning World T20.

6) Namibia upsetting Ireland and reaching Super 12.

7) Babar and Rizwan partnerships.

8) Fakhar's 193.

I forgot to add a few more:

9) Asif Ali's 4 sixes in an over against Afghans.

10) Ajaz Patel's 10/119.

11) NZ-England semi-final; best game of the tournament for me.

12) Wade's 3 sixes off Shaheen.

 

[MenInG]

It was a substantial and fruitful year for Pakistan team as they performed exceedingly well in the T20Is throughout the year and lost just one Test series early on in 2021. The Men in Green were on a roll in cricket’s most entertaining format, the T20Is, especially in the T20 World Cup. After losing the Test series 2-0 to New Zealand in New Zealand, Pakistan beat South Africa in both the Test and T20I series at home.

In the reverse series, they defeated South Africa in both limited-overs series in the Rainbow nation. Next, another African country, Zimbabwe got beaten in T20I and Test series from Pakistan in Zimbabwe. The tour to the UK wasn’t up to the mark as Babar Azam and his men were on the losing side in both 50-over affairs and the T20I series. The Asian giant won the T20I series 1-0 where three games were abandoned due to rain and drew Tests 1-1 against West Indies on Caribbean soil.

Pakistan was on song in the T20 World Cup as they won all the four games in the Super 12 stage to enter the semis on a high only to lose to Australia. After the disappointment of getting knocked out in the semi-finals, Pakistan toured Bangladesh and won the T20I and Test series 5-0. Nicholas Pooran led the West Indies side in the T20I series in Pakistan and got whitewashed 3-0 against the in-form Babar Azam team.

Meanwhile, here are some of the records created by Pakistan across formats in 2021:


1.Mohammad Rizwan scored most runs in T20Is in a calendar year

Just short of superlatives when we talk about Mohammad Rizwan in T20Is this year. The wicketkeeper-batter had an absolute exceptional and phenomenal year in the T20I format. He amassed 1326 runs where no other batter has ever reached even the 1000-run mark in a calendar year. With 939 runs, his skipper Babar Azam is second who recorded the feat this year itself. With an average of 73.66 and 13 50-plus scores, Rizwan along with Babar Azam made it Pakistan’s year in the T20Is.


2.Pakistan recorded most wins in T20Is in a calendar year

With 20 victories, the Men in Green achieved the feat of most T20I wins by a team in a calendar year. Babar Azam and his side broke their own record of 17 victories which they reached in the year 2018. Pakistan played 29 T20Is this year, losing just six and three matches were abandoned in West Indies due to rain. It was a great year for the Asian team in the shortest international format with captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan being the main reason behind their success.


3.Babar Azam scored most runs as captain in T20Is in a calendar year

Other than Mohammad Rizwan, it was all about Babar Azam in T20Is in 2021. The skipper got 939 runs, which is the most by any captain in a calendar year. With an average of 37.56, the Lahore-born batter struck nine half-centuries and one century. His opening partnership with Rizwan was the complete highlight and talking point this year where Pakistan managed to be so successful because of them. Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah with 496 runs is second behind Babar Azam which he scored this year itself.


4.Shoaib Malik struck fastest fifty for Pakistan in T20Is

During the T20 World Cup, the veteran Pakistani batter Shoaib Malik smashed fastest half-century for Pakistan in T20Is against Scotland at Sharjah. Shoaib Malik’s fifty came in just 18 deliveries and broke 11 years old Umar Akmal’s record when the latter scored it in 21 balls against Australia in 2010. With a staggering strike-rate of 300.00, Malik deposited six balls into the stands to remain not out on 54 against the Scottish.


5.Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have shared most century partnerships in T20Is

With six century partnerships, and interestingly all of those six stands coming this year itself, Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan now have the most hundred partnerships in T20Is. They overtook India’s pair KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma’s tally of five such stands. Pakistan duo have amassed 1473 runs with an average of 56.65 and highest score of 197. They also have four half-century partnerships between them. Certainly both of them made the year 2021 of their own by breaking number of records.

https://www.crictracker.com/5-records-created-by-pakistan-across-formats-in-2021/

 

[MenInG]

Guess the Fakhar Zaman spectacular in South Africa will also be a standout memory.

 

[MenInG]

The T20 action this year saw a return of the World Cup after five years, where Australia lifted their maiden title. The Aaron Finch-led Australian side defeated Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the final to win the 2021 edition – which was the first since the 2016 tournament (also in India). While T20s are largely regarded as a batter-friendly format, we saw incredible bowling performances this year.

While South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi and Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga engaged in a neck-to-neck fight for the top wicket-taker spot in T20Is, there were many class performances – especially in the T20 World Cup – which not only changed the course of the game but dented the opposition’s hopes in the tournament, let alone the game.

As the year draws to a close, let’s take a look at the top-5 bowling spells in the shortest format (only international cricket).


Shaheen Afridi (3/31 against India)

Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi gave the T20 World Cup an electrifying start when he dismissed star Indian opener Rohit Sharma in the blockbuster contest between both sides. Afridi trapped Rohit leg-before in the first over before dismissing KL Rahul with a peach of a delivery to put India under instant pressure.

In his final over, he also dismissed a dangerous Virat Kohli as Pakistan restricted India to 151/7 in 20 overs. Their captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, then, secured a 10-wicket victory for the side.


Ashton Agar (6/30 against New Zealand)

The Australian spinner held the record for the best bowling figures by a player from Test-playing nation in this year. He took six wickets against the Trans-Tasman rivals during the T20I series in New Zealand in March.

After being invited to bat, Australia put a mammoth total of 208/4 in 20 overs. In the chase, Ashton Agar ran through the Kiwi batting order as the removed the dangerous Glenn Philipps, Devon Conway, and James Neesham in the same over to put New Zealand on backfoot. The hosts eventually failed to make a comeback in the game and were bowled out on 144.


Mujeeb ur Rahman (5/20 against Scotland)

After Afghanistan put 190/4 in the T20 World Cup group game, Mujeeb inflicted horror on the Scottish batting lineup as he removed the entire top order; captain Kyle Coetzer (10), Calum Macleod (0), Richie Berrington (0), and George Munsey (25) in his first spell to take the game away from the side.

Scotland were eventually bowled out on 60 with spin-twin Rashid Khan registering figures of 4/9 as well.


Tabraiz Shamsi (3/17 against Sri Lanka)

The South African left-arm spinner enjoyed a stellar run in T20Is in 2021. He ended the year as the joint-highest wicket-taker in T20Is alongside Wanindu Hasaranga (36 wickets) and was an important part of South Africa’s fighting performances in the T20 World Cup.

In a must-win group match against Sri Lanka, Tabraiz Shamsi bowled at a highly economical rate of 4.25 as he picked up three important wickets of Bhanuka Rajapaksa (0), Avishka Fernando (3) and Hasaranga (4) as Sri Lanka failed to capitalize on a strong start in the game.

The side was bowled out on 142 and South Africa chased down the target with a ball to spare.


Trent Boult (3/20 against India)

India had a poor T20 World Cup campaign with the side failing to reach the semi-finals and Kiwi left-armer Trent Boult played a detrimental role in it. Boult produced an impressive bowling performance in India’s second group game, where the loss all but confirmed Kohli and co’s elimination.

Boult took the wicket of Ishan Kishan in his opening spell and then dismissed Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur in the same over during the final stages of the innings to prevent the side from reaching a competitive score. India could only put 110/7 on the board and New Zealand chased the target in only 14.3 overs.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...ing-performances-of-2021-101640761230007.html

 

[nextover666666]

In terms of What I liked from Pakistan its the following

T20

The world cup campaign as a whole despite looking in the semi-finals, it was still an amazing run
Beating India in the World cup Match
Also a highlight for me was how Pakistan after the games, would interact and talk and enjoy a cake with teams like Naimbia, Scotland and etc....it might sound cheesy, but it was a really nice thing to see.
Pakistan during that world cup run looked like a professional team and unit, and carried themselves well.

ODI

We did not play many ODI this year, and in fact we did not win many games either, however the Stand out for me Was Fakhar Zaman 193 while chasing, we ended up losing, and he did not get 200 runs, but the way he went about it was a thing of beauty.

Test Cricket

I dont follow Test that often, but i guess the home win vs South Africa was nice, and also despite playing Bangladesh who arent the strongest in Test I was Glad to see Hasan Ali do well, after dropping the Catch in World cup.

If I have to break it down to top 3 in all forms of cricket here is what stands out for me.

1) Pakistan beating India in WC match
2) Fakhar Zaman 193 runs vs South Africa
3) Rizwan ( test, odi, and T20 especially) the guy had an amazing year.

Will be interesting to see what next year bring us.

 

[shaz619]

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

India's tremendous away performance in Australia, RSA and England was the best thing for me in 2021.
Can't believe how dominant we were in all these tough away tours.
The way our fast bowlers performed in each ot these was a great thing to witness.

 

[Rana]

New Zealand and England pulling out of Pakistan and not receiving the support they would have liked from the western audience

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/dec/29/the-men-test-cricket-team-of-the-year-from-williamson-to-sharma-spin

The Guardian’s men’s Test team of the year is back, for its eighth edition. This year’s selectors were Ali Martin, Jonathan Liew, Rob Smyth, Emma John, Adam Collins, Tim de Lisle and myself. Eagle-eyed readers may spot that there’s not a single Australian in it. That has everything to do with the fact that when we picked our XI (before the Boxing Day Tests) the team had played only four Tests this year, all at home, and nothing to do with the Australian selector being outnumbered six to one. Promise.

1) Rohit Sharma, India
906 runs at 48

A unanimous pick. Made important contributions during India’s series win in Australia, then stepped up a gear when he made a match-defining 161 in India’s 317-run victory against England on a spinning pitch in the second Test in Chennai. He followed that with 15 consecutive double-figures innings, a run that finished with his first overseas century, another match-winning innings against England, in very different conditions, during their 157-run victory in the fourth Test at the Oval. Finishes the year as India’s white ball captain, so one of the most influential men in world cricket.

2) Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka
902 runs at 69

The captaincy has been the making of Karunaratne, who had the best year of his long career. Away from home, his 103 was the one bright spot in an embarrassing defeat to South Africa at the Wanderers, and he also batted four hours to secure a draw in the second Test on tour in West Indies. England’s 2-0 victory in Sri Lanka might have worked out differently if he’d been fit, because his home form has been imperious. He made 244, and 118 against Bangladesh, and 147 against West Indies. Is averaging 50 as skipper.

3) Kane Williamson, New Zealand (captain)
395 runs at 66

Williamson has been struggling with an elbow injury, which he nursed through tours of England and India. It meant that more than half his runs came in one innings, when he made 238 against Pakistan in Christchurch. But he was back, and right in the thick of it, for the biggest match his team played, the World Test Championship final against India in Southampton. He made an over-my-dead body 49 in the first innings, and was there unbeaten on 52 at the finish. It was a fitting reward for the most impressive captain in the sport.

4) Joe Root, England
1,708 runs at 61, 14 wickets at 30

No Englishman has had a year quite like Root did in 2021, when he finally became the truly dominant batsman he always promised to be. He started with 228 and 186 in two Tests against Sri Lanka in Galle, and followed that with his monumental 218 against India in Chennai. Back home, he peeled off 109, 180* and 121 in successive matches against India. Which meant his 89 in the first Ashes Test almost felt like a failure. Right now, he is the world’s best batsman. The shame is that, at the end of it all, his team have so few Test victories to show for it.

5) Fawad Alam, Pakistan
571 runs at 57

Ungainly, unorthodox, but irresistibly effective, Alam lapped up a first full year of Test cricket. He had spent a decade waiting for a second chance after he made his debut in 2009, 88 Tests on the sidelines, and this was his chance to show the Pakistan selectors what they had been missing. Made the top score of 109 in Pakistan’s victory over South Africa in Karachi, after the team had been 27 for four, followed it up with 140* against Zimbabwe in Harare and 124* against the West Indies at Sabina Park. He was the only century-maker on either side in all three matches.

6) Rishabh Pant, India (wicketkeeper)
706 runs at 42, 26 catches, six stumpings (not including current Test v South Africa)

If the only thing Pant did in 2021 was hit that one reverse-lap sweep for four off Jimmy Anderson, you would still remember his year. As it was, his devil-may-care batting made him one of the key players in India’s series victory in Australia, where he made a crucial 97 in the draw at Sydney and an extraordinary 89* in the win at Brisbane. He worked over England, too, with 91, 58*, and 101 in the series at home. His form fell away on the return tour later in the summer but he still finished with a fine 50 at the Oval.

7) Ravichandran Ashwin, India
337 runs at 28, 52 wickets at 16 (not including current Test v South Africa)

Ashwin played only eight of India’s 13 Tests this year, and somehow he still ended up as the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket (at the time of writing). After years of ceaseless tinkering and thinking, he has turned himself into the greatest spin bowler of his era. At home, he’s unplayable. He picked up 32 wickets in four Tests against England, and another 14 in two home Tests against New Zealand. In among all that, he made a handsome century against England in Chennai, and was unbeaten on 39 at stumps when India drew in Sydney.

8) Jason Holder, West Indies
253 runs at 23, 22 wickets at 23

Holder may have lost the captaincy after five and a half years in charge when the selectors replaced him with his friend Kraigg Brathwaite, but he has plenty to be getting on with, batting at No 6 or 7, often opening the bowling, and catching bullets in the field. His batting has suffered, although he played two crucial innings when he made 71* in a draw against Sri Lanka and 58 in a victory over Pakistan, and his parsimonious medium pace means he’s currently the world’s top-ranked all-rounder.

9) Kyle Jamieson, New Zealand
27 wickets at 18

Took to Test cricket like he had been built for it in a laboratory hidden somewhere in the reaches of New Zealand’s south island. He destroyed Pakistan when he took 11 for 117 in Christchurch at the start of the year and at the moment it mattered most turned in a man-of-the-match performance in the World Test Championship final. He took seven wickets in the match, including five for 31 in the first innings when he dismissed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli when they were threatening to run away with the game.

10) Jasprit Bumrah, India
25 wickets at 29 (not including current Test v South Africa)

Bumrah is way off the sort of electric form he showed in his first year of Test cricket but with his clockwork toy action and wicked yorker, he’s one of the reliably entertaining bowlers in the game. He dominated England in the first Test of India’s summer tour at Trent Bridge, where he took four cheap wickets in one innings and five more in the other, and was even better in India’s victory at the Oval, where he turned the game on its head with a wildfire six-over spell on a tarmac-flat track late on the fifth day.

11) Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan
47 wickets at 17

Still only 21, Afridi has grown into the most electric player on the international circuit. His devilish left-arm pace, all waspish full balls and ripping bouncers, cut through every team he’s played this year. He has taken wickets in New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, and against South Africa in Pakistan, but was at his best in the second Test against West Indies at Sabina Park, where he took career-best figures of 10 for 94.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Montage of Pakistan cricket in 2021:

 

[Last Monetarist]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Began the year with great resilience at Sydney , followed by an incredible win at the Gabba, the Lord's win was special and India end the year with a brilliant win at the Centurion. Has been a brilliant Test Match year for Team India. Congratulations on a wonderful win <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/NdY18b1GHP">pic.twitter.com/NdY18b1GHP</a></p>— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) <a href="https://twitter.com/VVSLaxman281/status/1476515300027731973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan's National side won their fans’ hearts in 2021 as Pakistan also earned hosting rights for 50-over Asia Cup 2023 and ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Lahore, 31 December 2021:

A year that commenced with a demoralising innings defeat at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch finished on a high with a 3-0 T20I series win over two-time former T20 world champions West Indies in Karachi.

Between the two series in a 12-month period, Pakistan won three Test series and drew one, and also reached the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where the penultimate over swung the match in Australia’s favour who went on to win their maiden T20 world title in Dubai.

Overall, in the 2021 calendar year, Pakistan won seven of their nine Tests, lost four of the six ODIs and ended up on the winning side in 20 off the 29 T20Is. In the preceding calendar year, which was marred by Covid-19 pandemic, Pakistan had won one out of five Tests, two out of three ODIs and seven off the 11 T20Is.

The matches that left everlasting memories in the minds of the fans came in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets as well as New Zealand and Afghanistan by five wickets apiece. These wins were followed by 45 runs and 72 runs victories over Namibia and Scotland, respectively.

The performances rejuvenated the fans as the entire nation got behind the boys in greens, by cheering and backing them throughout the competition.

In the match against India on 24 October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India, opting to bat first, were decimated by Shaheen Shah Afridi who finished with figures of three for 31 as the traditional rivals finished at 151 for seven. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were in their brilliant best, scoring 68 not out and 79 not out as Pakistan achieved victory with more than two overs to spare.

This victory followed a five-wicket win over New Zealand that saw Haris Rauf grabbing four for 22 and Mohammad Rizwan (33), Shoaib Malik (26 not out) and Asif Ali (27) making valuable contributions.

The match against Afghanistan, Pakistan’s third in six days, will always be remembered for Asif Ali’s four sixes in the penultimate over that earned the 2009 champions a five-wicket win. Babar Azam was the other notable scorer in a 148-run chase, scoring 51.

The interim set-up of Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant) and Vernon Philander (bowling coach) contributed in the complete turnaround of the Pakistan side, which looked for relax, composed, determined and resilient. Of course, Babar Azam also had a lion’s share in the success of the side has he showed great leadership and lead by example and with performance.

Victory over Bangladesh in the second Test at Sher-e-Bangla was by no means less entertaining, thrilling and exciting as Pakistan romped to victory by an innings and eight runs in the final session of the match in which only 63.2 overs were bowled in the first two days and third day’s play was washed out.

Pakistan’s 95 runs victory over South Africa in Rawalpindi was equally sweet. Not only Hasan Ali took a 10-for in his comeback series after a career-threatening back injury, Mohammad Rizwan stroked an unbeaten 115 in the second innings to lift Pakistan from a precarious 143 for seven in the second innings to 298 all-out that set the visitors a 370-run target.

While there were heart-warming wins, there were, at least, a couple of heartbreaks as well.

Pakistan narrowly lost the Jamaica Test against the West Indies by one-wicket in August that ultimately denied Pakistan a second successive series victory in the Caribbean.

Then, on 11 November in Dubai, the ghost of 2010 T20 World Cup came back to haunt Pakistan when Matthew Wade struck Shaheen Shah Afridi for three successive sixes in the penultimate over to earn a five-wicket victory for Australia, who had needed 37 off the last three overs and 22 from the final 12 deliveries.

From a player perspective in the ODIs, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman deserved to end up on the winning sides for their breathtaking innings, but that wasn’t to be. Babar’s 139-ball 158 against England in Birmingham went in vain as England triumphed by three wickets to win the series 3-0, while Fakhar Zaman’s 193 from 155 balls with 18 fours and 10 sixes failed to help Pakistan cross the line at Centurion where South Africa won by 17 runs. Pakistan won the series 2-1.

In Test cricket, Abid Ali finished as the pick of Pakistan batters with 695 runs in nine Tests. He was followed by Fawad Alam (571), Azhar Ali (549), Mohammad Rizwan (455) and Babar Azam (416 runs). Amongst the bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi took 47 wickets, followed by Hasan Ali (41), Nauman Ali (19), Sajid Khan (18) and Faheem Ashraf (10).

In the six ODIs, No.1 ranked Babar Azam topped the batting chart with 405 runs, followed by Fakhar Zaman (365), Imam-ul-Haq (189) and Mohammad Rizwan (134). Haris Rauf was the most successful bowler with 13 wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged eight wickets.

No.3-ranked Mohammad Rizwan stole the T20I batting honours by amassing 1,326 runs in 29 matches with one century and 12 half-centuries, including a 52-ball 67 against Australia in Dubai after spending 30 hours in a hospital due to a chest infection prior to the match. Babar Azam, who finished as the second-ranked batter, contributed 939 runs whereas Fakhar Zaman contributed 415 runs. Haris Rauf established his credentials as a successful white-ball bowler by finishing at the top with Hasan Ali on 25 wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi was once again amongst wickets with 23. Shadab Khan took 20 wickets.

These numbers could have been more impressive had the three ODIs and five T20Is against New Zealand, two T20Is against England in September/October and three ODIs against the West Indies gone ahead as planned. However, New Zealand abandoned the tour on the day of the series opener citing security concerns and England followed suit. Both the boards later agreed to tour Pakistan in 2022 along with the West Indies, who had to return home following a Covid-19 outbreak in their ranks that left them depleted and under-strength for the ICC World Cup Super League ODIs.

With Australia already scheduled to tour Pakistan for three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I in March/April 2022, Pakistan braces for one of the busiest and heaviest home international cricket calendar year with as many as eight Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is lined-up. Separately, Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka for Tests, ODI and the ACC T20 Cup, before they participate in October’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Contrary to the men’s side, the national women’s side had a forgettable calendar year, winning only three of their 13 ODIs and one of their six T20Is. However, more importantly, they qualified for the ICC Women’s World Cup New Zealand 2022 as well as the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

 

[MenInG]

Babar Azam speaking in PCB Podcast

"We finished 2021 in an outstanding way and played positive cricket and looked to make an impact in every game"

"If you ask me for a special moment in this year, then it has to be the first match of the T20 World Cup against India; Its difficult to explain the feelings around it, all I will say is that we had planned to not delve on the past and just look to remain in the present"

"There was a different feel and buzz to that game and it was amazing to see how everyone responded and supported us as we had not beaten India in a World Cup before - this was due to self-belief and a team effort"

"The most heartbreaking moment of the year has to be the loss to Australia in the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup. We put in all the effort we could but unfortunately we could not win due to collective mistakes as a team"

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan's record in 2021:<br><br>Tests - played 9, won 7, lost 2<br>ODIs - played 6, won 2, lost 4<br>T20Is - played 29, won 20, lost 6, no results 3<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1476920828272988162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2434633

A look back at some of cricket's top moments from 2021 – from Rishabh Pant's famous Gabba innings to the inaugural ICC World Test Championship to record-breaking Mithali Raj.

New Zealand claim inaugural World Test Championship title

After missing out on the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup title by the barest of margins, Kane Williamson's Black Caps became the champions of the ultimate test. They were crowned the inaugural champions of the ICC World Test Championship, beating a strong India side by eight wickets on the reserve day.

Rain played spoilsport almost every day, completely washing out the opening day and the fourth day. On Day 2, New Zealand won the toss and asked India to bat first. Kyle Jamison led the New Zeland bowling attack, returning Player of the Match worthy figures of 5/31 and 2/30 as India were bowled out for 217 and 170.

The Black Caps responded to India's first innings with 249, courtesy of Devon Conway's 54 and skipper Williamson's 49. The target was 139, which the experienced duo of Williamson (52*) and Ross Taylor (47*) chased down comfortably.

Australia win their first ICC Men's T20 World Cup

After T20I series defeats to the West Indies and Bangladesh in the lead-up to the tournament, many had placed Australia as rank outsiders to win their first Men's T20 World Cup. Winning unconvincingly in their tournament opener against South Africa only helped the naysayers' arguments, though Aaron Finch's men would go on to prove the doubters wrong.

Buoyed by an all-conquering Mitchell Marsh at No.3 and the late-over hitting of Matthew Wade, Australia found their winning formula. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa kicked on with career-best form, taking the second-most wickets at the tournament, and was pipped for Player of the Tournament honours by compatriot David Warner, who answered his own critics with 289 runs at a strike rate of 147 and an average of 48.

Despite a blip against England, Australia went on to beat Pakistan in the semi-finals, before an emphatic eight-wicket win over Trans Tasman rivals New Zealand to end the tournament hoodoo.

Ajaz Patel claims a ten-wicket haul in Mumbai

The Black Caps spinner became only the third bowler in the history of Test cricket to claim all 10 wickets in an innings. The feat was first achieved by England off-spinner Jim Laker in 1956 vs Australia and India leg-spinner Anil Kumble in 1999 vs Pakistan.

New Zealand sinner Ajaz, who was born in Mumbai (referred to as Bombay at the time), claimed the feat in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium against India. He snared his first four wickets on the opening day of the second Test of the series, before picking up the remaining on the following day.

Kumble took to social media, praising the New Zealand spinner, calling his feat a "special effort" to achieve on the first two days of a Test.

Clare Polosak breaks barriers in Test first

Named as the fourth umpire in Australia's Test match against India in Sydney, Polosak became the first woman in the game's 144-year history to officiate in a men's Test.

The feat was just one more achievement on Polosak's resume, having stood as an umpire in the 2019 World Cricket League Division 2 final, a men's ODI between Namibia and Oman.

The Test match at the SCG ended in a draw.

Namibia reach the Super 12 phase of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Emerging cricket fans earmarked Group A of the Men's T20 World first round as the group of death, and Namibia's eagles certainly made life tough for their adversaries.

Almost primed by a tricky defeat to Sri Lanka, Gerhard Erasmus' men held their nerve in crucial situations, chasing 165 against the Netherlands and 126 against Ireland to enter the Super 12 phase.

Erasmus and David Wiese showed cool in the middle overs with the bat, with several members of the attack chipping in with solid contributions. Ruben Trumpelmann enjoyed a breakout tournament, as Namibia went on to beat Scotland in the next stage among admirable performances against the game's heavyweights.

Mithali became the highest run-scorer in women’s cricket

In her 23rd year as an international cricketer, Mithali Raj continued her rich vein of form. And on July 3, at the County Ground in Worcester, she surpassed former England captain Charlotte Edwards’s tally of 10,273 runs to become the highest run-getter in women’s international cricket. The Indian legend reached the mark with a boundary down the ground in the 23rd over of the run chase, bowled by Natalie Sciver.

Her 86-ball 75 helped India win the third ODI of the series against England, even though it proved to be inconsequential in the context of the series. For Mithali though, who had surpassed several landmarks through the course of 2021, it was just another innings in yet another rich season of runs.

Campher takes four wickets in four balls

Irish all-rounder Curtis Campher joined elite company at the T20 World Cup, claiming Colin Ackermann, Ryan ten Doeschate, Scott Edwards and Roelof van der Merwe in consecutive deliveries in Abu Dhabi demolition.

The right-arm quick now accompanies Lasith Malinga and Rashid Khan as fellow four-in-four history-makers, with the latter achieving the feat against Campher's Ireland teammates back in 2019. Campher joined Brett Lee in 2007 as the only hat-trick takers in men's T20 World Cups, though stands alone as the first to take four wickets in four balls at the tournament.

Kieron Pollard and Jaskaran Malhotra hit six sixes in an over

It's rare to see six sixes hit in an over, let alone twice in the same calendar year, though after Kieron Pollard's efforts against Sri Lanka in March, USA's Jaskaran Malhotra was not to be outdone.

Almost lost in Pollard's exploits was that Akila Dananjaya, the man at the other end of the batting tirade, took a hat-trick earlier in the innings, dismissing Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran. After the mini-collapse, Pollard countered, hitting the Sri Lankan spinner in the arc between long off and deep mid-wicket.

Jaskaran Malhotra's half-dozen came in the last over of their innings against PNG in Muscat, Oman. Hitting Gaudi Toka for 36, Malhotra joined Herschelle Gibbs as the only players to achieve the feat in a One Day International, and finished 173*, the highest ODI score batting at No.5. Malhotra's 16 sixes in the innings is only usurped by Eoin Morgan's 17 against Afghanistan at the 2019 Men's Cricket World Cup.

India avoid defeat thanks to resolute Sneh Rana

Sneh Rana’s 195-minute vigil at the County Ground in Bristol helped India save the one-off Test against England. Rana, who was playing her debut Test match, scored an unbeaten 80 after India were reduced to 199/7. They were barely 34 runs ahead of the hosts, with only the lower order left to bat for nearly two sessions of play.

Rana, who hadn’t played for India since 2016, was a surprise inclusion in the XI - which already had two off-spinning options. However, the all-rounder gave a fair account of her abilities with returns of 4 for 131 - the best by an Indian bowler before putting on a strong resistance with the bat, in the company of Shikha Pandey and Taniya Bhatia.

Mohammad Rizwan's year in T20I cricket

It may be some time before we see someone overtake Mohammad Rizwan's 1326 T20I runs in a single calendar year. Averaging 73.66 with a strike rate of 135, few had answers for Rizwan, who joined in an electric and proficient partnership with skipper Babar Azam (939 runs).

Rizwan launched his year with a strong series against South Africa in February, scoring a maiden century in Lahore, and never looked back. Rizwan made 281 runs across the T20 World Cup, only bettered by Babar and David Warner.

Pant magic at The Gabba

It was a fairytale finish to one of the most famous series victories in the history of Test cricket. Rishabh Pant was the show stopper. His fourth innings 89* on the final day of the Gabba Test guided India to a 2-1 famous Border-Gavaskar series win. Fortress Gabba was finally breached. It was the first time Australia were beaten at the venue since 1988.

Chasing the target of 328, Shubman Gill made a crucial contribution of 91 while Cheteshwar Pujara contributed with 56 at the top of the order. But it was Pant, who took his side across the line with a resolute innings and only three overs of play left on the final session of the final day of the final Test of the series.

Joe Root's Test batting year

1708 runs in 15 Tests at an average of 61, featuring six century-plus scores and four half-centuries. It was Joe Root's year with the bat in Test cricket. Not only did he finish the year as the top run-scorer, he now is third on the all-time list of most Test runs in a calendar year, only behind Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf (1788 runs in 2006) and West Indies' Viv Richards (1710 runs in 1976).

Root kicked off 2021 in style with a brilliant knock of 228 against Sri Lanka in Galle, in January. He struck another double-century, against India in Chennai, in February. Two top knocks in away conditions.

Scott Boland debut

Ajaz Patel's ten-wicket haul would not be the end of crazy bowling figures in 2021, with Scott Boland ensuring scorers and statisticians were kept on their toes, finishing with second-innings figures of 6/7 off just four overs in Australia's emphatic Boxing Day Test win over England.

Boland claimed Haseeb Hameed and Jack Leach in the same over late on day two, before a day three morning rampage, taking Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson.

Boland claimed the Johnny Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match in front of his home Melbourne fans.

Maeva Douma non-striker run-outs sparks talk around the world

Maeva Douma of Cameroon was thrown into the cricketing spotlight back in September, after effecting four run-outs at the non-striker's end during the Women's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier.

Kevin Awino, Rita Musamali, Immaculate Nakisuuyi and Janet Mbabazi all had to make the walk back, after Douma and her teammates noticed a trend of over-exuberant backing up from the Ugandan batting line-up.

"We got to talk about it as a team, since we saw the opening and we had to discuss it, especially after the first (run-out)."

Uganda went on to win the match despite the four dismissals.

Kyle Mayers' incredible debut

Chattogram was the location of the fifth-highest successful run chase in Test match history, led by debutant Kyle Mayers, scoring an astonishing 210 not out.

After entering at 59/3 and still needing 336 for victory, Mayers put on 216 with Nkrumah Bonner, and a round 100 with Joshua Da Silva, of which he contributed 80 runs. Striking 20 fours and 7 sixes, Bangladesh's four-pronged attack were devoid of answers, and Mayers, showing maturity in spite of little international cricket, hit the winning runs with just 15 balls left in the match.

Unsurprisingly, Mayers' 310-ball stay at the crease earned him Player of the Match honours, overshadowing Mehidy Hasan Miraz's performance of eight wickets and a first-innings century.

2021 Most Men's Test Runs

Joe Root 1708 at 61.00
Rohit Sharma 906 at 47.68
Dimuth Karunaratne 902 at 69.38
Rishabh Pant 748 at 39.36
Cheteshwar Pujara 702 at 28.08


2021 Most Men's Test Wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin 54 at 16.64
Shaheen Afridi 47 at 17.06
Hasan Ali 41 at 16.07
James Anderson 39 at 21.74
Ollie Robinson 37 at 21.16


2021 Most Men's ODI Runs

Paul Stirling 705 at 54.23
Janneman Malan 509 at 84.83
Tamim Iqbal 464 at 38.66
Harry Tector 454 at 37.83
Andrew Balbirnie 421 at 32.38


2021 Most Women's ODI Runs

Lizelle Lee 632 at 90.28
Mithali Raj 503 at 62.87
Tammy Beaumont 503 at 62.87
Deandra Dottin 460 at 28.33
Laura Wolvaardt 440 at 40


2021 Most Men's ODI Wickets

Dushmantha Chameera 20 at 29.30
Simi Singh 19 at 20.15
Sandeep Lamichhane 18 at 7.38
Mustafizur Rahman 18 at 21.55
Shakib Al Hasan 17 at 17.52


2021 Most Women's ODI Wickets

Anisa Mohammed 20 at 18.00
Fatima Sana 20 at 24.90
Hayley Matthews 18 at 22.44
Shabnim Ismail 18 at 23.33
Katie Cross 17 at 18.47


2021 Most Men's T20I runs

Mohammad Rizwan 1326, strike rate 135
Babar Azam 939, strike rate 128
Martin Guptill 678, strike rate 145
Mitchell Marsh 627, strike rate 130
Jos Buttler 589, strike rate 143


2021 Most Women's T20I runs

Andrea-Mae Zepeda 361, strike rate 103
Gaby Lewis 325, strike rate 128
Tammy Beaumont 303, strike rate 109
Fatuma Kibasu 280, strike rate 139
Smriti Mandhana 255, strike rate 131


2021 Most Men's T20I wickets

Wanindu Hasaranga 36, 5.4 economy
Tabraiz Shamsi 36, 5.7 economy
Dinesh Nakrani 35, 5.1 economy
Waseem Abbas 29, 7.2 economy
Mustafizur Rahman 28, 7.0 economy


2021 Most Women's T20I wickets

Victoria Hamunyela 18, economy 3.55
Sarah Wetoto 17, economy 3.78
Loryn Phiri 16, economy 4.69
Henriette Ishimwe 15, economy 4.23
Sophia Jerome 14, economy 3.80

 

[topspin]

152 without loss.

 

[Malik786]

Hassan Alis pathethic perfomance at the big stage.
And afterwards in bangladesh series he thinks he is back to normal.

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

- Gabba test last day. Nothing beats the sheer drama of it.
- Lords test last day. Amazing intensity to see India win and knock them off in a session.
- SSA's great bowling against us. Simply magic. If he had 10 overs, i guess he would have taken all 10.
- The stunning WI win against BD
- Sydney - The great escape.
- The two Semis which were true T20 twists and turns
- Ashes MCG and Centurion - simply stunning how the matches ended in 2.5 and 4 days respectfully
- Joe Root - any innings. He never looked getting out.
- Babar Azaam - Any innings.The sheer pleasure of that exquisite silky cover drive. And all his other shots