By Anees-ur-Rehman
The outgoing year 2023 was surely a great one for cricket lovers around the globe as they witnessed many nail-biting contests.
In the recently concluded ODI World Cup, fans enjoyed every bit of the marquee matches and got the goosebumps during several tense moments.
As the calendar year has seen sunset, Dunya News looks back at some of the moments that mattered in the cricketing world. These memories and moments will inspire the new generation and also fuel love for the beautiful game.
Australia stun India to lift sixth World Cup trophy
Australia defeated India by six wickets to lift the ICC World Cup trophy for the record sixth time in Ahmedabad.
Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne guided Australia’s chase after their bowlers put on a brilliant display to dismiss a formidable India for 240 runs.
Maxwell magic lights up Mumbai
Australia looked on track to suffer their biggest upset in World Cup history when they slumped to 7-91 while chasing 293 for victory against Afghanistan. Glenn Maxwell launched an unbelievable counter-attack, sending sixes into the crowd despite severe cramping preventing him from running or moving his feet as his innings progressed.
He brought up the winning runs and his double century with a six in what was arguably the greatest ODI knock in cricket history.
England lose by one run to NZ
Bazball faced a significant setback as England enforced the follow-on against New Zealand in Wellington. The Black Caps strongly responded with a formidable score of 483 runs in their second innings, challenging the tourists with a target of 258 runs for victory.
The thrilling match culminated in a nail-biting finish as England narrowly missed the target, ultimately falling short by one run when Neil Wagner dismissed tailender James Anderson.
NZ beat Sri Lanka by centimetres
New Zealand pulled off the most miraculous of victories in Christchurch, defeating Sri Lanka on the final ball of day five after chasing the 285-run target with two wickets in hand.
With one run required on the last ball for victory at Hagley Oval, Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner scampered through for a desperate bye to ensure New Zealand took a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
Aussies win WTC final
It was a moment in history for the Australian men’s team when they claimed their first World Test Championship trophy by beating India in the final at The Oval.
Travis Head’s superb 163 set up the win before the bowling attack dismissed India under 300 twice for a 209-run hammering.
Cricket gets Olympic nod
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) added cricket, among five sports, to the 2028 Los Angeles Games after a request by the host city in October.
Cricket last appeared at an Olympic Games in 1900. The Los Angeles Games are likely to feature six teams – for both men and women – playing the T20 version of the game.
Angelo Mathews timed out
The flashpoint moment of the World Cup came in a low-profile group game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Angelo Mathews became the first player in international cricket to be dismissed timed out after he took too long to face his first ball when his helmet strap broke and Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan pounced on the opportunity to appeal.
Bairstow’s controversial dismissal in Ashes Test
England batter Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal in the second Ashes Test sent the Lord’s crowd into an unprecedented rage as Australian players were abused by spectators in the famous Pavilion Long Room.
Bairstow was given out when Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw the ball at the stumps after the England batsman walked out of his crease after ducking under a Cameron Green bouncer.
The incident split debate worldwide and even led to the respective prime ministers weighing into the debate.
Mushfiqur Rahim dismissed for 'obstructing the field'
Mushfiqur Rahim became the first Bangladesh batsman to be dismissed for obstructing the field during the second Test against New Zealand at Mirpur.
Mushfiqur Rahim defended the ball and extended his right hand to keep the ball away which looked to come out of instinct albeit the ball was far from the stumps. He was given out by the third umpire.
Afghanistan stun world champions
Afghanistan opened their World Cup campaign poorly, with losses at the hands of Bangladesh and India, but picked themselves up to beat England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to give themselves a shot at a semifinal spot.
Despite the record-breaking victories, the Afghan side could not make it to semi-final, a dream left unfulfilled as they ended up the tournament with sixth position.
Virat Kohli smashes 50th ODI century
Indian star batsman Virat Kohli became the first player to score 50 ODI centuries in the world cup semi-final match against New Zealand. Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 hundreds. He also scored most runs in a single edition of the mega event.
Kohli took just 279 innings to become the first cricketer to score 50 centuries. Tendulkar, his idol, had scored 49 hundreds in 452 innings.
Australia win sixth women’s T20 World Cup
The 2023 women's T20 World Cup was held in South Africa in February. Australia won their sixth and third consecutive title after beating the hosts South Africa in the final by 19 runs.
Ash Gardner takes 12 wickets in women’s Ashes Test win
The rise of Ash Gardner continued in the women’s Ashes Test with the star all-rounder bagging 12 wickets for the match, including 8-66 to bowl Australia to victory by 89 runs. Her haul was the second best all time behind Pakistan’s Shaiza Khan, who took 13/226 against the West Indies in 2004 in Karachi.