Cricket’s whirlwind 12 months started as South Africa lit up a house Girls’s T20 World Cup with a surprising run to the ultimate, solely to return up in opposition to the mighty Australians who crushed the house crowd’s hopes and walked away with a record-extending sixth title.
And 2023 led to the same method: India hosted the lads’s 50-over World Cup and the house favourites charted a blistering undefeated run to the ultimate on the sport’s greatest stadium in Ahmedabad however have been handed a shock six-wicket loss by five-time champions Australia.
Between the 2 tournaments, loads of information, motion and massive outcomes shook the cricket world. Al Jazeera seems to be on the 10 greatest moments within the sport in 2023:
1. Australia repeat a three-peat of T20 titles
The ninth ladies’s T20 World Cup opened with Sri Lanka’s thrilling win over hosts South Africa however the Proteas quickly bounced again and reached the ultimate after a win over mighty England.
The Australian juggernaut, led by Meg Lanning – powered by Beth Mooney’s 53-ball 74 and their skilled bowling unit’s managed efficiency – beat the hosts by 19 runs in a closely-fought closing in Cape City.
2. Girls’s Premier League takes off in India
On March 4, India launched its ladies’s model of a profitable T20 franchise league amid fanfare. Prime gamers from internationally have been pitted in opposition to one another in 5 groups every week after the T20 World Cup.
Greater than $580m was spent on buying the 5 franchises and broadcasting rights have been bought for $117m over a five-year interval.
India and Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the inaugural trophy after her aspect beat Lanning’s Delhi by seven wickets within the closing. The league has been touted as a game-changer in ladies’s cricket, very like its males’s model, the Indian Premier League.
3. South African legend Shabnim Ismail retires
The quickest lady in cricket referred to as time on her 16-year worldwide profession, which started as an novice participant in 2007. Ismail went on to play 241 worldwide matches for South Africa and is their all-time main wicket-taker in worldwide matches with 317 scalps to her identify.
Her 191 one-day worldwide (ODI) wickets are second solely to India’s Jhulan Goswami, whereas her participation in all eight T20 World Cups and 4 50-over World Cups is a testomony to her legendary standing within the sport.
Ismail cited a want to “spend extra time with my household, significantly my siblings and oldsters as they grow old” because the deciding issue however stated she is going to proceed to play league cricket.
SHABNIM ISMAIL RETIRES 🚨
Legendary quick bowler Shabnim Ismail has introduced her retirement from all types of worldwide cricket for the Proteas Girls with fast impact to deal with her household 🏏
2⃣4⃣1⃣ internationals
3⃣1⃣7⃣ wicketsThanks for the whole lot Shabnim 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GqzD9WZNn5
— Proteas Girls (@ProteasWomenCSA) Could 3, 2023
4. India vs Pakistan takes centre stage Asia Cup
After months-long deliberations and discussions, India refused to play its 2023 Asia Cup matches in host nation Pakistan and greater than half of the fixtures have been moved to Sri Lanka.
The hotly-anticipated India-Pakistan group A match was washed out by heavy rain in Kandy, prompting fears of the same situation of their Tremendous 4 conflict. With extra rain forecast within the capital Colombo, match organisers added a reserve day for the marquee fixture, prompting criticism from followers who termed it a financially-motivated determination given the curiosity within the match. The reserve day did come into play and India walked away with an enormous 228-run win. They lifted the trophy just a few days later with a 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
5. World Cup opens to empty stadium
The lads’s 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup was meant to draw hundreds of thousands of followers in cricket-mad India to the ten stadiums throughout the nation. Nevertheless, a obviously empty Narendra Modi Stadium within the match’s opening match at Ahmedabad left followers shocked and set the tone for all matches not involving the host nation.
Whereas all India matches noticed followers pack the venues in a sea of blue shirts, others have been removed from being stuffed, leaving followers to query ticket gross sales, match scheduling and advertising and marketing.
6. Afghanistan go from minnows to contenders
Afghanistan opened their World Cup marketing campaign poorly, with losses by the hands of Bangladesh and India, however picked themselves as much as beat England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to present themselves a shot at a semifinal spot.
Their top-order batters mixed their expertise with quiet confidence, whereas the Rashid Khan-led spin bowling despatched their opponents reeling. Regardless of not with the ability to qualify for the final 4, the crew left India with their popularity modified from minnows to world beaters.
7. Cricket will get Olympic nod
The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) added cricket, amongst 5 sports activities, to the 2028 Los Angeles Video games after a request by the host metropolis in October.
Cricket final appeared at an Olympic Video games in 1900. The Los Angeles Video games are prone to characteristic six groups – for each women and men – enjoying the T20 model of the sport.
8. Maxwell magic lights up Mumbai
Australia have been staring within the face of defeat in opposition to a rising power within the form of Afghanistan when Glenn Maxwell walked onto the pitch at 91-7 and hobbled off it having received the match for his aspect.
Maxwell’s 201 runs have been plagued by fours and sixes hit with minimal foot motion as he struggled with cramps throughout his physique. Nonetheless, his big-hitting and a 202-run partnership with captain Pat Cummins took them over the road and broke Afghan hearts.
In opposition to the percentages 🙌
The stats behind one of many best ODI knocks ever 📲 https://t.co/rv0UVeOWYZ pic.twitter.com/F5LI5xGEXv
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) November 8, 2023
9. Virat Kohli scores fiftieth ODI century
When India started their World Cup marketing campaign, Virat Kohli was on 47 ODI centuries, two behind his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s file. Because the match progressed and Kohli took up an anchor’s position, it turned evident that breaking the file for him was solely a matter of time.
Each match introduced his followers to the sting of their seats however the former India captain made them wait till his birthday on the day of the semifinal in opposition to New Zealand, with Tendulkar in attendance to mount the summit.
10. Australia stun India to raise sixth title
After a surprising 10-match unbeaten run by means of the group levels and the semifinal, it appeared solely a matter of time earlier than India would raise their third World Cup title at house to please the practically 100,000 Indian followers in Ahmedabad.
However Australia had different plans in thoughts after they stepped onto the sphere at a surprisingly slower pitch on the closing’s venue. From stemming the circulate of runs to grabbing unattainable catches, the five-time champions had India in hassle by dismissing them for 240 runs.
Regardless of an preliminary stutter, the skilled Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne took the crew in inexperienced and gold house with seven overs and 6 wickets to spare.
The shock and agony on the faces of the Indian gamers and followers instructed the story of a scarcely plausible ending to what was meant to be the crowning glory for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and firm.
ℂℍ𝔸𝕄ℙ𝕀𝕆ℕ𝕊 𝕎𝕀𝕋ℍ 𝕋ℍ𝔼 🏆#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/7PGtzziVoc
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) November 19, 2023
