The year 2021 witnessed many records being broken. This year saw many ‘firsts.’ Starting from the Indian team’s heroics in Australia to Scott Boland’s Test debut, the year 2021 was a treat to watch. The World Test Championship and the T20 World Cup were the two major ICC events organized this year. Following are the Top 10 Men’s Cricket Moments in 2021-
1. New Zealand Won The World Test Championship
23 June 2021 was a day of relief for the fans and the players of the New Zealand cricket team. India and New Zealand advanced to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship 2019-21. In the final match at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, New Zealand defeated India by 8 wickets. This win soothed the wounds of the New Zealand team after the heartbreak in the 2019 World Cup Final.
2. India Shocked Australia
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 was India’s best-ever Test tour to Australia. The Indians were humiliated in the first match of the series. Captain Virat Kohli left the team on paternity leave, leaving Ajinkya Rahane in charge. Rahane led India to a remarkable comeback to win the series by 2-1 at The Gabba in Brisbane. What’s important to note is that India won despite not having the services of most of its regular star players against a full-strength Australian side.
3. Shaheen Afridi Rattled India
It was the first Group 2 match of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Pakistan had never beaten India previously in any T20 World Cup. The odds were heavily stacked against Pakistan. In this match in Dubai, Pakistan decided to field first. Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi got rid of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to start with a bang. India never recovered from the blows and later lost Virat Kohli to Afridi. Pakistan eventually won the match by 10 wickets.
4. Scott Boland’s Test Debut
This was the Boxing Day Test between Australia and England. At the start of the third innings, England was trailing by 82 runs but had an opportunity to make a comeback in the series. But Australia’s Scott Boland didn’t let the English players take their heads out to breathe. Introduced in the 11th over, he registered the bowling figures of 6/7 to stop England on 68.
5. Kieron Pollard’s Sweet Revenge
Sri Lanka and West Indies were playing a T20I in Coolidge. Chasing 132, West Indies was off to a tremendous start. Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis added 52 in 3.1 overs. In the fourth over, Akila Dananjaya grabbed 3 big wickets to become the first Sri Lankan spinner to take a T20I hat-trick. The new man, Kieron Pollard, smashed Dananjaya for 6 sixes in his next over. Pollard’s heroics took his team over the victory line by 4 wickets.
6. Hasan Ali Tore The Ticket To The Final
This was Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup semi-final appearance since 2012. Chasing 177, Australia needed 22 runs in 2 overs to win. Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade were struggling to time the ball. On the third ball of the penultimate over, Hasan Ali dropped an easy catch of Matthew Wade. The first three balls produced 4 runs. Wade then smashed Shaheen Afridi for 3 consecutive sixes to help Australia run over Pakistan by 5 wickets.
7. Ajaz Patel’s 10 Wickets In An Innings
India hosted New Zealand in a Test match in Mumbai. In the first innings, New Zealand’s Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel became only the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test inning. He grabbed another 4 wickets in the third innings but couldn’t prevent his team from losing by 372 runs.
8. Asif Ali’s Fireworks Lit Up Pakistan
Afghanistan and Pakistan clashed in a match in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Pakistan was chasing a target of 148. But all was not going well for Pakistan. At the start of the 19th over, Pakistan needed 24 from 12, but two new batters at the crease. The Afghans sensed a chance of victory. They handed the ball to Karim Janat. But Pakistan’s Asif Ali smashed 4 sixes in that over to seal the fate.
9. Curtis Campher Took A Double Hat-Trick
The Netherlands and Ireland clashed in a 2021 T20 World Cup match in Abu Dhabi. In the first innings, the Dutch were 50/2 in 9 overs. In the tenth over, Ireland’s Curtis Campher took 4 wickets in 4 balls to become the third bowler to take a double-hat-trick. In the end, Ireland won the match by 7 wickets.
10. Mayers and Bonner Did It For West Indies
In the opening Test between Bangladesh and West Indies in Chittagong, West Indies needed 395 runs to win the match. The debutant-duo of Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner added 216 for the fourth wicket to set up a miraculously successful run-chase. Mayers stayed unbeaten on 210 to help West Indies win by 3 wickets.
