The year 2016 gifted us some unforgettable moments in the game of cricket. This year, fans witnessed last minute sixes to rescue matches to lightning fast stumpings. There were nail-biting innings which kept cricket buffs glued to the show and celebrations that went viral. New records were made on the field and fresh talents made sublime introductions.
With this year coming to an end, it is now the time to stop and look back at the splendid performances in cricket recorded over the past twelve months. Here, we have listed the top ten iconic moments in cricket that was witnessed across different tournaments around the globe.
Sit back and relive the thrill of these epic battles.
#10 West Indies ended their losing streak after their win against Pakistan in UAE
West Indies clinched victory over Pakistan in the third Test held in UAE. The latter was defeated by 5 wickets and West Indies finally won after being on the losing end in their last eight matches. The partnership between Brathwaite and Dowrich on the final day of the third Test prevented Pakistan from winning the series 3-0. It was also the first win for Jason Holder, in his twelve matches as the West Indies skipper.
West indies last tasted victory in Test cricket in the year 2007 against South Africa at Port Elizabeth. That was definitely a long time! With Braithwaite's undefeated century, the team finally won the match by 5 wickets. However, Pakistan won the series 2-1 but this win for the Windies after such a long period was surely pleasing.
#9 South Africa's dominance over Australia
South Africa completely dominated their opponents during their tour to Australia this year. They defeated the Australian team 2-1 in the Test series. And in the 5th match ODI series, the South African team completely whitewashed their host. It was the first time that the Australian cricket team had encountered such thrashing in a bilateral series. The Proteas pinned down one of the best teams in both the formats.
In the Test series, South Africa won the 1st Test and the 2nd Test by an innings and 80 runs. In the ODI series, the Proteas won the 1st match by 6 wickets, 2nd match by 142 runs, the 3rd match by 4 wickets, the 4th match by 6 wickets and the 5th match by 31 runs. Well, the guests must have been very pleased with their tour to Australia.
#8 Swapnil Gugale and Ankit Bawane broke a 70-year-old record with their unbroken stand of 594
Swapnil Gugale and Ankit Bawane built a massive stand of 594 and broke a 70-year-old partnership record for all wickets in Ranji Trophy. Playing for Maharashtra, the two chalked up this score against Delhi in a Group B match in Wankhede.Gugalen played a brilliant knock remaining unbeaten at 351 runs at the close of the first innings. He scored 5 sixes and 37 fours off 521 balls to build his career best score.
The 70-year-old- record boasted of 577 runs set by Vijay Hazare and Gul Muhammad in 1946. Bawane too scored 258 runs with the help of 2 sixes and 18 fours. The entire cricket world applauded these upcoming talents.
#7 Pakistan team did push-ups at Lords to celebrate their victory against England
The Pakistan cricket team celebrated their historic win over England in a Test match at Lord’s during their England tour. Misbah-ul-Haq had promised a push-up celebration to the Pak army, which he delivered in that Test match. However, in the post-match celebration, he was followed by the entire Pakistan team in complete sync.
They won the match by 75 runs after the latter failed to achieve the set target of 283 runs. The push-up celebration was first done by Misbah-ul-Haq after he scored a century against England in July and the whole team replicated the style of celebration before the crowd at the Lord’s after their win.
#6 Historic win of Afghanistan over West Indies
The Afghanistan cricket team took the entire cricket world by surprise after beating West Indies in the T20 World Cup in VCA Stadium, Nagpur. They had set the target at 123 and were successful in stopping the West Indies team at 117 leading to their six-run victory. Najibullah Zadran was awarded ‘Man-of-the-Match’ title for his 48* which paved the way for the team's win.
The target that the Afghanistan team had set for West Indies did not seem too difficult to chase. But they not only defended their total but also bowled out the entire West Indies team.
#5 Virat Kohli's 82* against Australia which led India to the Semifinals of World T-20
Virat Kohli played a spectacular knock scoring an unbeaten score of 82 runs against Australia. It was a crucial time for team India as they were 94-4 in the fourteenth over. Kohli went all guns blazing, hitting the ball to all corners of the park He referred to this innings as his best in the format. The Test captain’s innings was the biggest contribution in setting a target of 161 by Team India.
It was indeed a display of fine batting skills and was a treat for the spectators. Not only did Kohli's innings lead the team to the winning end of the game but also took them to the semi-finals of the World T-20.
#4 Brendon McCullum hits fastest Test Century in his farewell match
Brendon McCullum, former Test captain of New Zeland scored 100 from 54 balls and set a record for the fastest Test century in his farewell match. He played this record-setting knock post-lunch on the first day of the second Test against Australia. He was later dismissed for 145 runs by James Pattinson. It was certainly the most memorable innings a cricketer in his final match could have dreamt of.
The record was first set by Viv Richards, who had scored the century off 56 balls and the record was later matched by Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq.
#3 Dhoni's stumping against Bangladesh in World-T20
The match between India and Bangladesh in the World T20 was certainly one of the most thrilling matches of all time. And the lightning fast stumping by Dhoni on the last ball was a nerve-wracking moment for all viewers.
Bangladesh needed 2 runs off the last ball to win the match. Hardik Pandya delivered the ball which pitched short outside the off-stump and was missed by Shuvagata. Dhoni collected the ball behind the stumps and within seconds the wickets were down. The third umpire declared him out and India won the match with an incredible last over.
#2 Karun Nair's knock of 303* against England
Karun Nair became the second Indian to score a triple Test century after Virender Sehwag, with an unbeaten 303 against England in the fifth Test. It helped in putting up the highest Test total by India at 759 for seven. He also happened to score this with his maiden century which added another feather to the cap. India won the match by an innings and 75 runs and Nair was awarded the Man-of-the-Match trophy.
Virender Sehwag himself expressed his joy in welcoming Nair to the '300-runs club' where he was the only Indian batsman who had achieved this feat.
#1 Carlos Brathwaite's wins West Indies the World T20 with four sixes
Carlos Brathwaite hit four sixes to seal the match and grab the title of World T-20 champions for West Indies in the last over against England. West Indies needed 19 runs off the last over to win the match. Brathwaite decided to switch to attack mode and hit four consecutive sixes off the bowling of Ben Stokes.
Brathwaite led his team to victory with a fairytale finish in the last over; a fitting finish to one of the most memorable last over in the history of cricket.
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