• By James Kuanal
  • Tue, 10 Dec 2019 03:40 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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New Delhi | Jagran Sports Desk: For cricket, 2019 was filled with twists and turns. It was the year of the World Cup that was held in England and won by the hosts. It also marked the return of the two best players of the game Steve Smith and David Warner, after a one-year ban. The year witnessed excellent knocks from Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Steve Smith dominating test cricket and Ben Stokes scripting history. India’s Jasprit Bumrah became the world’s No.1 bowler, while Ravindra Jadeja continued his excellent run of form.

Australia retained the world’s biggest rivalry in Ashes series while Afghanistan stunned Bangladesh in the longest format of the game. The year was also filled with ups and downs for some teams like West Indies and Sri Lanka while New Zealand and England showcased some exceptional cricket.

Here are 10 unforgettable moments in cricket in 2019 you cannot afford to miss:

World Cup Final

The World Cup final was the most dramatic match in the history of the game as the two teams England and New Zealand never gave up till the end. It was filled with twists and turns and nobody could predict the winner till the last ball. Luckily, England all-rounder Ben Stokes kept his nerves to win the match for the hosts.

 

In the last over, England were awarded six runs off a particular ball (2 runs by running and remaining in overthrows) that shifted the momentum in favour of Englishmen. However, the match ended in a tie and interestingly the super over also ended in a draw with hosts going on to lift the title by scoring more boundaries in the super over.

Stokes saved Ashes

The English all-rounder Ben Stokes had a year to remember. After his heroics helping England win the World Cup, he had more to offer his national side. In the third Ashes Test held earlier this year, he single-handed helped England win the third Test scoring unbeaten 135 runs. He also built a partnership of unbeaten 76 runs for the last wicket with Jack Leach (1 not out) while chasing a target of 362 runs.

MS Dhoni's run out WC

Despite losing the first six batsmen, including the likes the Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, the hopes of 1.3 billion Indians were still alive. The only reason was MS Dhoni-- at the crease--, who was well supported by Ravindra Jadeja (77). He generated fear inside Kiwi bowlers who lost their line and length in the last few overs, with experts scripting of yet another run chase by clam head Dhoni in the finals. Unfortunately, he was run out by few millimeters in the second last over to Martin Guptill. The latter, who did nothing right in the World Cup except the run-out, stole victory for New Zealand to help Blackcaps enter consecutive finals.

MS Dhoni's run out (IPL)

In another tragic moment for MS Dhoni fans, Thala was in an excellent run of form this IPL season, was run out by Ishan Kishan by only a few millimetres, while playing against Mumbai Indians. Though Mumbai Indians won the match by only one run, the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma and legend Sachin Tendulkar felt that it was the moment of the match the turned the game away from Chennai Super Kings.

Afghanistan beat Bangladesh in Test

Afghanistan cricket has been doing phenomenal in recent years. They reached new heights by defeating a full member Test side ‘Bangladesh’ by a hefty margin of 224 runs. Despite the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tail Islam, Afghanistan snatched victory from Bangladesh by excellent performances from national hero Rashid Khan, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan and Ibrahim Zadran.

David Warner’s triple century

David Warner made his comeback to the international cricket after serving one year for ball-tampering. The Australian opener started off brilliantly in the Indian Premier League and then continued it in international cricket, but failed to emulate it in the Test arena. He managed just 95 runs in ten innings in Ashes 2019 but ended the year on a high as he scored an unbeaten 335 runs in the second Test to help the hosts whitewash Pakistan 2-0.

Deepak Chahar’s hat-trick

Pace spearhead Deepak Chahar became the first Indian player to pick a hat-trick in T20Is while playing against Bangladesh in the third T20I. The 27-year-old reached the feat by dismissing Aminul Islam, Shafiul Islam and Mustafizur Rahman off consecutive deliveries and ended with an all-time best figure (7/6) in the T20Is.

Sri Lanka’s fightback in World Cup

Sri Lanka, who entered the World Cup as underdogs, didn’t perform well in initial matches but stunned the title competitors England during the league phase as they successfully defended a score of 232 runs. Lasith Malinga (4 wickets), Dhananjaya de Silva (3) and Isuru Udana (2) bowled fierce deliveries that saw a strong England’s middle-order got crumbled and ended up getting all-out for 212, questioning their possibility of entering the semi-finals.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Final

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final saw derby match between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It was a nail-biting contest in which Karnataka held nerve to win the clash by 1 run. Tamil Nadu required 13 runs off the last over with five wickets in hands. The next two balls off Gowtham were hit for consecutive fours by Ravichandran Ashwin sending shock waves in the opposition. However, Tamil Nadu could only manage three runs and in the last four balls off the spinner, helping Karnataka claim victory by one run.

Ben Stokes' catch

 

The England all-rounder cannot remain away from being in the best category. He caught one of the most impossible catches in the year’s biggest event— World Cup. The 28-year-old produced a superhuman effort to catch South Africa all-rounder Andile Phelukwayo at the deep mid-wicket boundary. He took a step back, leaped in the air and aligned himself horizontally to catch it like a bird with many hailing it as better than AB De Villiers.