2014 yearender: Sri Lanka win World T20, Phillip Hughes’ death unites cricket world and other defining moments

Phillip Hughes passing was perhaps the most poignant moment for cricket in 2014 as the entire fraternity got together in grief. The year 2014 has had its ups and downs for the sport. From the joy of watching Sri Lanka win the World T20 to the grief of losing a young player, cricket has seen it all this year. As the year comes to a close, Nishad Pai Vaidya  picks 12 defining moments for cricket in 2014.

1. Sri Lanka winning the ICC World T20 2014

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From 2007 to 2012, Sri Lanka had appeared in four finals of ICC tournaments, suffering defeats in all of them. Thus when they qualified for the final of the ICC World T20 2014, there was a sense of occasion and Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had announced their retirement from the shortest format. Sri Lanka showed great spirit right through, overcoming New Zealand in a crunch group game and then they dominated West Indies in the rain-affected semi-final. Darren Sammy famously credited the heavens for scripting it for the two special gentlemen. In the final, the bowlers stepped up to restrict a strong Indian batting to a meager 130. Fittingly, Kumar Sangakkara played a match-winning knock as the island nation celebrated a world triumph after 18 years. The era of greatness had its moment of glory! And, it almost did not happen as a dispute between the players and the board had put Sri Lanka’s participation in jeopardy.

2. Phillip Hughes’ passing and the emotional outpour that followed

Cricket world was shaken on November 25 when Phillip Hughes was felled by a bouncer during a Shield game in Sydney. One often expects a batsman to get up and get going, but Hughes’ sudden collapse after the impact made it clear something was wrong. Two days later, the worst happened as he left for his heavenly abode. The cricket world united in grief over the loss of a young promising talent. The Australians, a brand of tough cricketers, were shattered at the loss of a teammate and one saw their softer side in the testing hour. Social media also got together in the ‘Put Your Bat Out’ campaign in tribute to Hughes. The cricketing fraternity also descended on Macksville, a small town in New South Wales, to bid goodbye to the man. It was so ironic that the cricket world united in grief over the death of a young man in the backdrop of numerous smaller issues dividing it.

3. David Warner’s emotional twin hundreds

When Phil Hughes was struck by the ball during the Shield game in November, his mate David Warner was by his side when he was stretchered off. Two days later, Warner sobbed along with the world as they mourned Hughes’ passing. The Australia-India Test series schedule was amended with the first Test commencing in Adelaide on December 9. Warner struggled through his first nets and came with a heavy heart into the game. He started off in fine style and celebrated each milestone in a subdued manner. He had a quiet look at the heavens when he reached 63. And when he got a ton, he leapt in the trademark joy, full of emotions and shared a long embrace with Michael Clarke. In the second innings, he got another ton with similar emotional celebrations. His mate Phil would have been proud watching from heaven.

4. Australians gather around Virat Kohli after blow on helmet

The world was shaken after Phil Hughes’ death. We all expected a batsman to brush himself off and resume after being hit on the head. However, Hughes’ death was proof of the thin line between safety and danger. When India and Australia played the first Test in Adelaide, the world was still recovering from the shock. Virat Kohli walked out to bat in the first innings and was hit first ball on the helmet by Mitchell Johnson. Clearly dazed, he took off his helmet. The Aussies, usually the tough men, gathered around him to check if he was fine. Johnson himself appeared rattled and was almost consoled by skipper Clarke on the way back to his mark. Such were the emotions!

5. Shahid Afridi’s two sixes in the last over to beat India

Talk about the love for theatrics! Ask Shahid Afridi to pick a stage and he can dazzle. And, in 2014, he singled-out India during the Asia Cup in Bangladesh to work some magic out. Chasing 246, Pakistan needed 10 off the last over with two wickets in hand. Saeed Ajmal was dismissed off the first ball before Junaid Khan handed the strike back to Afridi. The man then chose to go over the top and cleared the boundary twice in succession to spark celebrations. He stood there with the helmet off and the bat in the air, that trademark pose. His teammates collected around him to hug him, but he stood the tallest out of the lot! What a moment for the eternally young man!

6. Legends come together for the MCC vs Rest of the World XI contest

A galaxy of cricketing greatness assembled at Lord’s on July 5 to mark the bicentenary of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Shane Warne led a side comprising Adam Gilchrist, Kevin Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh, Brett Lee, Muttiah Muralitharan and Virender Sehwag to name a few. On the other side, Sachin Tendulkar had the likes of Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Saeed Ajmal had threatened to run through the side but Yuvraj’s ton helped get a good score. Tendulkar lit the stage with 44 and Lara to dazzled for a brief while. But, it was the relatively “unknown” Aaron Finch who stole the show with an unbeaten innings of 181. This game did provide a blast from the past and was one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the year.

7. Zimbabwe beat Australia in an ODI in Harare

When Zimbabwe beat Australia in an ODI after 31 years, the celebrations were heartening in Harare. Elton Chigumbura’s young son came out running to greet his father. Coach Steve Mangongo’s mother also embraced her son as there was a crowd on the field. And why not? Zimbabwe truly deserved to celebrate having beaten the formidable Aussies in the tri-series encounter. Their bowlers had done exceptionally well to restrict Australia to 209 for nine. In reply, they were going well at 100 for two until Australia hit back. Chigumbura watched from the other end as they slipped to 156 for seven. That is when Prosper Utseya joined in and the duo attacked in tandem to take Zimbabwe home with two overs to spare.

8. Misbah-ul-Haq silences critics with the fastest Test ton

The Pakistan skipper is often mocked with the sobriquet “Tuk-Tuk” for his tendency to start slow. Misbah-ul-Haq has been criticised through 2014 for his seemingly poor form. Some even said that the 40-year-old should be dropped. But, in the white flannels, he had his moment in the sun when he smashed a 56-ball ton against Australia in Abu Dhabi to equal Sir Viv Richard’s record for the fastest ton in Test cricket. It was a moment of pride and vindication for the old warrior. Critics had to eat their words for he entered an exclusive club that puts him alongside one of the most feared batsmen in cricket history. You cannot ignore that!

9. MS Dhoni quits Test cricket

There was the calm before the storm. As India played out a draw in Melbourne, no one knew that MS Dhoni had played his last Test for India. An hour or so after the game broke the news that he had decided to call it a day with immediate effect. Though it was around the corner, what was surprising was that it came in the middle of a series. Virat Kohli had captained India well during the Adelaide Test, where India went after a huge target. Dhoni’s calm paved way for Kohli’s firebrand leadership.

10. Australia win the Ashes 5-0

Perhaps the best way to begin the New Year for Australia. When they beat England in Sydney, they completed a famous whitewash and regained the urn 5-0. Not many had given Australia a chance following their 3-0 loss in England. However, Michael Clarke’s men unleashed a new brand of aggressive cricket at home, using the thunderbolts of Johnson as the biggest weapons. England were rattled and bludgeoned to defeat.

11. Rohit Sharma and Corey Anderson showcase modern batting dynamics

There were two knocks in one-day cricket that showed where cricket has moved as a game. To begin with, Corey Anderson welcomed the New Year with a breathtaking ton off only 36 balls. He beat Shahid Afridi’s record of a ton in 37 balls to record the fastest century in ODIs. Anderson was brutal and swatted at everything in his zone. And in November, Rohit hit 264 in an ODI.  This was his second one-day double ton, but talk about 264! In a previous era, it was enough to win an ODI. Rohit’s batting showed where cricket had developed. It was about the fearlessness in batsmen in redefining boundaries and of course the quality of the new bats. These two mind-boggling batting feats are a reflection of the times we live in.

12. Supreme Court takes on N Srinivasan

There has been no end to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 scandal as the Supreme Court’s proceedings spill into 2015. However, through 2014, they have been hard on N Srinivasan, the BCCI head-honcho, who is now in exile. Srinivasan has had to endure the wrath of the Supreme Court on more than an occasion. Perhaps the most telling comment from the Apex court came in March when it said, “In our opinion, Srinivasan has to step down for a fair investigation into the allegation of betting. It’s nauseating that N. Srinivasan continued as BCCI chief, he should go if cricket has to be cleaned.” Though Srinivasan has stepped aside from the BCCI, he continues to be the ICC Chairman.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)