2016 was an eventful year for cricket as we witnessed a lot of memorable tournaments and matches being played and numerous records broken during the process. Be it the T20 World Cup held earlier this year, the Indian Premier League during the summer, or all the exciting Tests that have been played, there was no shortage of entertainment for cricket fans around the world. In order to keep themselves entertained when there is no match on, fans tend to create memes in their free time.
A meme is an image, video, or a piece of text typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users, often with slight variations. In the cricketing world, these memes are usually made in relation to a particular event which takes place during a match, or to describe the entire match itself.
As we approach the end of another year, let’s take a look back at the top 10 memes of the year.
#10 Where did that come from?
Ravindra Jadeja was responsible for the demise of the English batsmen as India thrashed England by an innings and 75 runs in the 5th and final Test of the 5 match series to complete a 4-0 hammering. While everyone expected Ashwin to be the one to take the bulk of the wickets in the final Test match of the series, Jadeja had other ideas in mind.
#9 Faf Du Plessis likes his mint
South African captain Faf Du Plessis was fined 100% of his match fee after being accused of tampering the ball. In the 2nd Test against Australia, he was found shining the ball with a mint in his mouth, which led to the accusation and the penalty.
#8 When Australia crumbled against South Africa
Australia were absolutely bruised and battered when South Africa came touring in November and were left utterly embarrassed at the end of the entire series, losing both the ODIs and the Tests. None of the Australian batsmen performed well in the series, thus leading to this hilarious meme.
#7 The most talked about event of the year – The US Presidential Election
We can never forget the “ball of the century” which Australian legend Shane Warne bowled to Mike Gatting to dismiss him back in 1993. It was one of the most iconic moments in cricket history. Earlier this year, in the United States of America, Republican candidate Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in one of the most talked about elections in the world. The above picture could not be a better representation of what took place on election night.
#6 The iconic trio
The Pakistan trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammed Amir were accused of match-fixing back in 2010 during their tour of England and were banned for a long period of time. Earlier this year, their ban was lifted and while Amir made a successful return to cricket, the other two acquaintances of his are yet to do so.
#5 Isn’t this true?
The video of Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, and RCB captain Virat Kohli dancing after achieving a victory against the Kings XI Punjab in May went viral and was one of the most shared videos at that time.
#4 Maybe next year, RCB
The Royal Challengers Bangalore came agonisingly close to achieving their first ever IPL trophy but were denied by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in amazing fashion in the final held in May this year. The loss led to the “chokers” tag being attached to the Challengers and thus giving birth to many memes as well.
#3 Peshwa ‘Dhoni’rao
India’s ODI captain MS Dhoni has been fantastic behind the wickets this year and his “no-look” run-outs became a sensation this year, so much so that many commentators and ex-cricketers tried out as a “challenge”
#2 When Indians are most patriotic
India and Pakistan faced each other in the World T20 earlier this year and once again, it was the Men in Blue who came out on top. The above meme is an accurate description of what the tie means to the Indians.
#1 Chris Gayle opened the year with controversy
Right at the beginning of the year, Chris Gayle came under the radar for making a ‘disrespectful’ comment towards a female journalist during the Big Bash League. He was fined 10,000 Australian dollars by his club for "inappropriate conduct"
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