2014 Yearender: Top 10 quotes of the year

In the cacophony of words that one hears every day, some stand out. Shiamak Unwalla picks 10 memorable quotes of the year that just went by.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

1. Why he said it: The former Indian captain was quite critical of the then-Indian skipper MS Dhoni after he failed to close out two tight matches against New Zealand at the start of the year. Dhoni allowed Brendon McCullum and James Neesham to put on a gargantuan partnership as New Zealand went from being in a losing position to one of strength.

2. Why he said it: The Supreme Court made a strong pronouncement against N Srinivasan continuing as BCCI president as a part of the Justice Mukul Mudgal-led IPL 2013 spot-fixing and betting probe.

3. Why he said it: After a prolonged run of poor form, Alastair Cook was scrapped from England’s ODI team, and removed as captain ahead of the ICC World Cup 2015. Mere days later he appeared on a TV show competing against pace bowler James Anderson in a leg of darts. Cook scored 100 points and beat Anderson, but the joke was on him.

4. Why he said it: England were beaten by the Netherlands in the ICC World T20 2014, after being bowled out for 88 in response to Holland’s 133 for five. Nasser Hussain made the “double dutch” pun to allude to either a complex game of skipping, or to the act of being extra safe during sexual intercourse. It’s anyone’s guess what he meant.

5. Why he said it: Faulkner made the comment ahead of Australia’s clash against the West Indies during the ICC World T20 2014. Faulkner must have been trying to get under the skin of the Darren Sammy and his men. Alas, the move backfired as Dwayne Bravo and Sammy scored 61 runs off 25 balls between them to chase down Australia’s total with two balls to spare.

6. Why he said it: Dhoni was defending his decision to play two spinners overseas, after his pacers failed to produce results when Tests were leaning toward India.

7. Why hy said it: ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi announced his plans to retire at the end of the ICC World Cup 2015. He was quite honest while talking about the only regret of his ODI career; losing the fastest hundred record to Corey Anderson. Knowing Afridi though, emulating that performance before he finally does retire (will it really be after the World Cup?) is entirely possible.

8. Why he said it: Geoff Marsh’s older son Shaun made his Test debut for Australia 2011, but has appeared only sporadically since, most recently in the series against India. Geoff’s younger son Mitchell made his Test debut for Australia in UAE in 2014, at which point he remarked that had he had a few more kids, they might have played Test cricket as well!

9. Why he said it: The former New Zealand opener said these powerful words during his confession about being heavily involved in fixing matches. Vincent was mired in the match-fixing controversy.

10. Why he said it: Phillip Hughes’ death toward the end of the year was undoubtedly one of the most harrowing blows to the cricketing world in recent memory. Clarke was a mentor and friend of Hughes, and was visibly shaken and emotional at the funeral of his “little brother.” His moving eulogy brought the likes of David Warner and Mitchell Johnson to tears.

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)