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The year 2021 is drawing to a close and there has been no shortage of drama as far as cricket is concerned, both on and off the field. While 2021 saw India register their second consecutive Test series win in Australia, they were 2-1 up in England when the fifth Test in Manchester was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Two of the biggest cricketing moments of the year were undoubtedly Australia lifting their maiden men’s T20 World Cup title and New Zealand clinching the inaugural World Test Championship. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also closed in on Mumbai Indians’ (MI) record of five IPL titles, winning their fourth crown in the cash-rich T20 league.
Shifting focus to cricket controversies, India’s Test captain Virat Kohli opened a Pandora’s box by contradicting BCCI president Sourav Ganguly at a press conference ahead of the South Africa tour. Australia’s Tim Paine has also had to step down as Test skipper in the wake of his involvement in a sexting controversy.
Cricket quotes of 2021
In this year-end feature, we look back at statements and claims from the cricketing fraternity that made headlines.
#1 “My job is not to butter everyone’s toast” - Ravi Shastri
In a recent interview with The Cricket Monthly, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stated that he was "absolutely crushed" upon hearing former coach Ravi Shastri’s comment that left-arm spinner Kuldeep had become India’s no.1 overseas spinner.
Shastri made the statement after Kuldeep claimed a five-for in the 2019 New Year Test in Sydney. Ashwin was battling injury and fitness issues and only featured in the first Test of the series in Australia.
Shastri, responding to Ashwin’s interview, commented that he was glad he made the statement as it made the off-spinner try something different. He told The Indian Express:
“If my statement on Kuldeep hurt Ashwin, I am glad I made that statement. It made him do something different. My job is not to butter everyone’s toast. My job is to state facts without agenda. If your coach challenges you, what will you do? Go home crying and say I won’t come back. I as a player would take it as a challenge, to prove the coach wrong.”
#2 “I was contacted one-and-a-half hours before the selection meeting…” - Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli left nothing to the imagination when he openly contradicted BCCI president Sourav Ganguly at a press conference ahead of the South Africa series. Ganguly claimed he had requested Kohli not to step down as T20I captain.
However, Kohli dismissed all such statements and said that he had never been contacted by anyone from the BCCI. He also added that he was informed 90 minutes before the team selection meeting for the South Africa Tests on December 8 that he would not be the ODI captain.
Kohli said at the press conference:
"I was contacted one and a half hours before the selection meeting on December 8 for the Test series. There was no prior communication to me at all from when I announced the T20I captaincy decision until the eighth where, as I said, I got a call one-and-a-half hours before the selection meeting.
The star cricketer added:
"The chief selector (Chetan Sharma) discussed with me the Test team to which we both agreed, and before ending the call I was told that the five selectors have decided that I will not be the ODI captain, to which I replied, 'okay, fine'. And in the selection call afterwards, we chatted about it briefly. And that's what happened. There was no communication prior to that at all."
#3 “Why are you captain then?” - Ricky Ponting hits out at Joe Root
Australia's cricketing great Ricky Ponting questioned Joe Root’s captaincy skills after the England skipper blamed his bowlers for failing to bowl the correct lengths during the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Ponting pointed out that, as captain, Root needs to make sure the bowlers do what is best for the side.
Reacting to Root’s comments, Ponting was quoted as telling cricket.com.au:
"I nearly fell off my seat when I heard that. "Whose job is it then to make them change? Why are you captain then? If you can't influence your bowlers on what length to bowl, what are you doing on the field?”
Ponting further said:
“Joe Root can come back and say whatever he likes but if you're captain, you've got to be able to sense when your bowlers aren't bowling where you want them to. And if they're not going to listen, you take them off, simple as that.”
#4 “Decision sent the wrong message that this behaviour is acceptable” - CA on Tim Paine captaincy saga
After Tim Paine stepped down as Australia's Test captain in the wake of his involvement in the sexting controversy, Cricket Australia (CA) admitted it erred in not removing him as skipper when the issue first came to light.
Paine was found not guilty of breaching CA’s code of conduct following a joint investigation by CA and Cricket Tasmania.
CA Chairman Richard Freudenstein, in a press conference, commented:
"I can't talk about the 2018 decision, I wasn't there. But I am saying based on the facts as they are today the board of Cricket Australia would not have made that decision. I acknowledge the decision clearly sent the wrong message that this behaviour is acceptable and without serious consequences. The role of Australian cricket captain must be held to the highest standards.”
#5 “It was almost like poking the bear” - Finch on Warner being written off
Following Australia’s triumph in the 2021 T20 World Cup, the team’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch famously said that critics writing off veteran cricketer David Warner were like "poking the bear."
Warner went into the T20 World Cup under pressure after being sacked as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain due to poor form.
Warner, however, was the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup, scoring 289 as Australia lifted the title. The left-hander contributed a brisk half-century in the final as well.
Reacting after Australia’s triumph, Finch said:
“I can’t believe people wrote him off a couple of weeks ago. It was almost like poking the bear.”
#6 “If you ask me, I think we will win” - Babar’s accurate prediction of India-Pakistan contest
Before the India-Pakistan encounter in Dubai this October, Pakistan had never beaten India in the World Cup, be it ODI or T20I. However, Pakistan captain Babar Azam predicted ahead of the T20 World Cup that they would beat India, and walked the talk as his team triumphed by 10 wickets in the high-voltage clash.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, he had commented:
"As far as the conditions in UAE is concerned, since I have been playing cricket, we have played in UAE in the last 3-4 years and we know how the wickets will behave and how the batsmen need to adapt themselves. On the day, whoever plays better cricket will win and our aim is to play best cricket and if you ask me, I think we will win.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
#7 “I experienced racism, discrimination and bullying” - Azeem Rafiq shocks cricket fraternity
Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq’s DCMS witness statement over racism issues he faced while playing for the county had some shocking claims. He leveled allegations against many big names in English cricket.
Rafiq accused Michael Vaughan of saying "there are too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” during a 2009 game against Nottinghamshire. Vaughan was allegedly referring to the Asian origins of Rafiq and a few other players.
Rafiq also alleged that David Lloyd and a few other media persons once had a discussion during which Lloyd stated that "a clubhouse is the lifeblood of a club and Asian players don't go in there."
In a detailed statement, the former cricketer said:
“Throughout my time at YCCC, I experienced racism, discrimination and bullying, which I believe was because of my Pakistani ethnic origins. This made me feel unwelcome and that I wasn’t a valued cricketer or member of the club, it undermined my confidence and ultimately my performance, and drove me to depression and suicidal thoughts.”
Ironically, a few days later Rafiq had to apologize for sending anti-Semitic messages to a fellow cricketer on Facebook in 2011. Also, a woman accused the former cricketer of sending her ‘vulgar’ messages when she was 16.
#8 “Was wheeled straight onto the plane on a stretcher inside the body bag” - Mike Hussey
CSK batting coach Michael Hussey had a traumatic experience after testing positive for COVID-19 during the first half of IPL 2021. In a column for Fox Sports, he recalled all that he went through after testing positive.
Sharing details of his struggles, Hussey wrote:
“The doctor with the team was concerned. He realised I was probably in the worst place in the world to get Covid at that time. Delhi was recording hundreds of thousands of known new cases a day, there were very few hospital beds and many, many more people lining up outside the hospitals in need of them.”
Hussey added:
“If things turned bad, the doctor wasn’t sure if I could get the medical assistance I would need. They decided the best thing to do was to fly me back to Chennai, the team’s home base. All I could do was trust them. Once we got to the airport, I was wheeled straight onto the plane on a stretcher inside the body bag. The air ambulance flight to Chennai took about three and a half hours. Then it was back into an ambulance and straight to a quarantined hotel.”
#9 “Which world is NZ living in?” - Ramiz Raja
New Zealand’s decision to pull out of the series in Pakistan over security concerns in September, just before the first ODI in Rawalpindi, did not go down well with the fans and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
In a scathing attack on New Zealand, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja tweeted:
“Crazy day it has been! Feel so sorry for the fans and our players. Walking out of the tour by taking a unilateral approach on a security threat is very frustrating. Especially when it’s not shared!! Which world is NZ living in?? NZ will hear us at ICC."
However, the strained relations between Pakistan and New Zealand should improve as the Kiwi board has agreed to tour Pakistan for two Test matches and three ODIs in 2022-23. New Zealand will then return to Pakistan in April 2023 and feature in 10 white-ball matches.
#10 “The stars have aligned for me to do it in Mumbai” - Ajaz Patel
Mumbai-born New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel created history in his city of birth, becoming only the third bowler to claim all ten wickets in an innings in a Test match.
Ajaz achieved the feat during the second Test against India in Mumbai. Speaking after the special achievement, the 33-year-old famous commented:
“Honestly, it’s surreal and to be able to do that in my career is pretty special. The stars have aligned for me to do it in Mumbai. Quite a special occasion for me and not just me but my family.”
Ironically, Ajaz has not been picked in New Zealand’s Test squad for the upcoming home series against Bangladesh.
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