10 Cricket incidents which will make you miss 2014

10 Cricket incidents which will make you miss 2014: Another year has passed by, but it just did not fade away; 2014 ensured us some really exciting cricket. A year full of cricket saw 120 ODI matches starting 1st January till the 19th of December 2014 along with 31 test matches the first being Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match and the last Boxing Day test matches between New Zealand Sri Lanka, Australia India and South Africa West Indies and 60 T20 International matches. If this is the magnitude of cricket being played, viewers are ought to have memorable moments. A memorabilia of the best 10 incidents which will make you miss 2014. 1. Corey Anderson’s fastest ODI hundred on 1st January 2014 On the first day of the year New Zealand All-rounder Corey Anderson made the fastest century in ODIs .(Photo Source : AFP) On the first day of the year 2014 Corey Anderson decided to break a 17 years old record, the fastest ODI hundred by Shahid Afridi in 37 balls was no longer a record as Anderson achieved the same feat in 36 balls. His innings eclapsed all previous knocks and he went ahead and was unbeaten at 131. Anderson also blew 14 sixes in his marvellous innings, a superb kick start to the year. 2. Australia’s 5-0 Ashes win Australians celebrate as they win over england and whitewash them for 5-0. (Photo Source: AFP) The Ashes is one of the most fiercely fought test series in international cricket between two equivalent teams Australia and England. Passion, intent and the level of competition makes Ashes the centre of attraction of test cricket fans. The 2013-14 series extended into 2014 and Australia won the Ashes 5-0. Aussies won the first test by a huge margin of 381 runs, the second one by 218 runs, the third test also went Australia’s way and saw them win by 150 runs. England even after conceiving the series could not change fortunes and continued loosing ways in the fourth test as they lost by 8 wickets. The fifth and the final test was Australia’s chance to white wash England and so did they with another whopping win by 281 runs making it 5-0. 3. Sri Lanka beating Bangladesh by an innings and 248 runs Sri Lanka team celebrates as they clinch a win over bangladesh of an innings and 248 runs. (Photo Source: AFP) The Sri Lankan team was as dominant as one could see in test cricket; playing the Bangladesh at their home the Lankan team beat them inside four days by an innings and 248 runs. This is also the highest margin of win in test matchs in the year. Sri Lanka batting first amassed 730 runs declared in the first innings and the opponents could not score the number of runs even summing up their totals in both the innings. 4. Sri Lanka winning the T20 World Cup Sri Lanka team celebrates as they become the CHAMPIONS of the T20 WC Edition of 2014. (Photo Source: ICC) 2014 belonged to the Lankan team, they were close and yet too far on twice in 2007 and 2011 world cups as they lost the finals on both occasions. They were again in the final of a World Cup the T20 World Cup 2014 up against India and the odds were against the team. But, they fought hard and despite supreme effort India could not overhaul their total and thus Sri Lanka became the T20 World Champions. 5. Rohit Sharma’s Mevric knock of 264 Rohit Sharma the record creator scored his second double century and made a world record score of 264.(Photo Source : PTI). 13th November 2014 in ODI crikcet will be remembered in cricket as the day when the record for the highest test score was made by Indian batsman Rohit Sharma. Playing at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata Rohit was unmatchable, unstoppable and rather maverick. This was not the first time; he hit the second double hundred of his ODI career and bettered Virender Sehwag’s record by hitting 264 runs against Sri Lanka. An innings that redefined batting in ODI cricket and also gave the belief that some day we might see a triple hundred as well in ODIs. 6. Misbah-ul-Haq’s fastest test fifty and hundred 1213 test runs in the year Misbah Ul Haq scored the fastest century in tests and leveled sir Viv Richards of 56 ball century. (Photo Source : Getty Images) Misbah-ul-Haq who is more often bullied for his slow game play took the world by surprise in the second test match against Australia at Abu Dhabi. He took just 56 balls to reach the triple figures, thus equalling Sir Viv Richards for the fastest test ton record. Meanwhile the knock, Misbah also attained another record of the quickest half-century in terms of balls required as he took merely 21 balls for it. 7. Steve Smith Steve Smith the superman proved himself the best in the year 2014. (Photo Source : Getty Images) Steve Smith from a young T20 brand cricketer rose this year like no other cricketer and by the end of the year when Michael Clarke got injured the Australian selectors decided to reward Smith for his consistent effort with the bat and looking at the purple patch he is going through. The form continued against India in the Border Gavaskar series and by now he has ensured the series score line is 2-0 in their favor and the Trophy stays back Down Under. Smith scored 1146 runs in test matches and 541 runs in ODI cricket. Super Smith would surely remain as one of the best performers in 2014. 8. Kumar Sangakkara Kumar Sangakkara had another great year in the ODIs as well as in Tests and the T20Is. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The veteran Sri Lankan enjoyed yet another year of a purple batting patch, the 37 year old who is also the wicket-keeper for the team had a fabulose year with the bat. Sangakkara in test matches played 12, hit 1493 runs at an average of 71.09 and also made 4 hundreds and 9 half hundreds in test cricket. 1256 are the number of runs he totaled in 28 matches averaging 46.51 with 4 centuries and 8 half-centuries. Sanga truly had a great 2014 and he would surely remembered for his contribution in the year. 9. Brendon McCullum It has been a great year for New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum in both ODIs and Tests. (Photo Source: AFP) Brendon McCullum the dashing New Zealander had a remarkable year and enjoyed batting form throughout the season and ensured he cashed up on it. 2014 saw him strike the ball cleaner than anybody could. Bazz struck 33 sixes in test match cricket in the year, which was in-fact even more than a few other teams hit in total. 10. MS Dhoni retiring from test cricket MS Dhoni announces retirement from tests after drawing the 3rd test vs Australia at MCG. (Photo Source: Telegraph) Few called it a surprise, some were shocked when Indian captain MS Dhoni announced it first to his team and then to the world that, post the MCG test match, he wished to retire from test cricket. A 90 tests highly successful career saw him bat, bowl (a few overs), keep wickets and captain the team in 60 matches. MS Dhoni fans would rather like to forget it but in an anticlimax is the way 2014 ends.