ESPN Cricinfo has recently announced its 15TH edition of cricket awards for the calendar year 2021.
2021 has been a comeback year for cricket after a pandemic hit 2020 cricketing season.
2021 saw India win consecutive Test series on Australian soil–first Asian nation to do so, Newzealand became the inaugural Test champions, and Australia was crowned the World T20 Champions.
It can easily be said that 2021 was an eventful year for cricket. Based on the performances of every cricketing calendar year, ESPN Cricinfo gives this award, judged by a jury consisting of ex-players and cricket analysts.
The Test Innings of the year was given to Rishabh Pant for his gritty knock of 89* at Brisbane vs Australia. While some might argue that debutant Kyle Mayers 210 vs Bangladesh would have been a better choice as nobody had chased 395 on Asian soil.
No debutant had scored a fourth innings double century ever. Kyle Mayer’s flamboyant and patient innings made the impossible possible.
Yet, the jury panel decided to go with Rishab Pant’s innings, maybe because of the significance of the innings in deciding the fate of the series.
India was a team marred with injury woes at that match, and even with five debutants who made their debuts in that tour in the starting XI, Indians went on to win the Test in Gabba (their first Test win in Gabba) and broke the unbeaten record of Australia in that fort, thanks to Rishab Pant’s uncharacteristically calm and calculated innings.
Men’s Test Bowling Innings was given to kyle Jamison as his 5-31 against India in the World Test Championship played a massive part in New Zeland becoming the inaugural Test champions.
Coincidentally Rishabh Pant was also one of the five batsmen who fell prey to kyle Jamison in that match. Jamison played an integral part in dismissing the last seven wickets for 68 runs which somewhat pulled the match into New Zealand’s favour.
The ODI Innings of the year went to Fakhar Zaman for his blistering knock of 193 off 155 balls against South Africa at the Wanderers. The knock played by Fakhar is the highest score by anyone in an ODI chase and the second-highest ever in a losing cause.
The ODI Bowling of the year went to England’s Saqib Mahmood for his 4-42 against Pakistan in Cardiff, which included a wicket of Babar Azam.
Even though England had a pretty disappointing 2021 calendar year, they still managed to win the T20 innings of the year and debutant of the year, taking their award count to three.
Jos Butler’s unbeaten 101 off 67 balls against Srilanka on a challenging surface in the T20 World Cup deservedly won the T20 innings of the year. At the same time, Mathew Wade’s end of the innings killer knock against Pakistan in the World Cup was also a worthy competitor.
Shaheen Afridi’s deadly bowling of 3-31, which decimated the Indian Batting lineup in the T20 World Cup, was crowned the T20 bowling innings of the year.
Ollie Robinson was deemed as the debutant of the year for 37 wickets at a 21.16 bowling average in just eight Test matches.
Kane Williamson Deservedly won the captain of the year award as he steered his side to become the inaugural Test champions and the runner-up in the T20 World Cup.
Among other awards, Namibia won the Associate of the year award for beating Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup.
Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus and Ruben Truppelman also won the Associate batting and bowling innings for their heroics against Scotland in the T20 World Cup.
The woman’s batting innings award went to Australian women’s team opener Beth Mooney for her 125 runs knock against India. The woman’s bowling innings went to English fast bowler kate Cross for her fifer against India.
The jury board of the awards consisted of 20 members, including Bangladesh’s Shahriar Nafees. Three members later joined the jury for women’s awards and associate awards.
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