Top 5 happenings in cricket in 2018

2018 just came to an end and it was a major year for cricket just like any other as a lot of major events took place. There were many memorable talking points like the Women's World T20, India's fast bowling rise in overseas conditions and impact of toss in Test victories.

In such regard, let us take a look at the five major happenings that took place in 2018 and how they managed to impact the cricket world.

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#5 Yasir Shah became the fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets

Yasir Shah went past Clarrie Grimmett of Australia to achieve the feat of becoming the fastest bowler in history to claim 200 Test wickets. The Pakistani leg-spinner took just 33 matches to reach the landmark. In comparison, Grimmett had taken 36 matches to get to the milestone.

Yasir's 200th scalp came against New Zealand on December 3rd of 2018 in the Abu Dhabi Test. Before Yasir, the record of fastest to 200 Test wickets by a Pakistani bowler was held by Waqar Younis who had reached the landmark in 38 Tests.

#4 Dinesh Karthik takes Nidahas Trophy by storm

Dinesh Karthik produced a knock for the ages

India witnessed another nail-biting last-ball finish against Bangladesh. During the 2016 World T20, there was the heart-stopping thriller where Hardik Pandya bowled the last over and MS Dhoni was involved in one of the most famous run outs in T20I history.

In the final of the 2018 Nidahas Trophy, India were batting second and 34 runs were needed off the last 12 balls. Everyone thought that it was impossible to chase it down. However, Dinesh Karthik managed to pull out off a miracle by hammering an unbeaten 8-ball 29.

#3 Numerous legends bid adieu to the game

AB de Villiers shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from international cricket

2018 saw quite a few retirements as top legends bid adieu to the sport. Some of those retirements were quite shocking and emotional for all cricket fans around the world. A few of those were always on the cards.

The list of players who retired in 2018r includes the likes of AB de Villiers, Alastair Cook, Rangana Herath, Dwayne Bravo and Gautam Gambhir.

While Cook and Herath left the arena after long Test careers, de Villiers' retirement from all formats of international cricket shocked every ardent cricket fan.

#2 Fairy-tale return of Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings surprised one and all by winning the IPL on their comeback season

After facing a ban of two years, Chennai Super Kings, who are undoubtedly one of the most successful and popular teams in the history of the Indian Premier League, came back to the fold along with Rajasthan Royals.

The way in which CSK came back was a great occasion as they won the title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.

When the auction had ended for the 2018 edition of IPL, no one expected that CSK could win the title as they were claimed to a relatively older side with most of the players aged above 30 years. However, the manner in which they played in the entire tournament, was joyous for all cricket lovers.

#1 Ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town

Cameron Bancroft and Steven Smith were banned alongside David Warner

The ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town was not only one of the biggest incident of 2018 but also a major one in the history of Australian cricket. Skipper Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner received one-year suspensions from Cricket Australia. Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months.

Due to the incident, the tainted Australian cricketers were also not allowed to play in the Indian Premier League and England's County Championship. Not only that, the entirety of Australian cricket suffered both on and off the field due to the embarrassing episode.