Top Trending Cricket Pictures in 2023

The Year 2023 was full of several memorable incidents on the cricket field as fans got to witness riveting cricketing action across 12 months. The year saw a good battle between the bat and ball throughout the calendar with three major ICC tournaments, the Ashes and numerous domestic T20 leagues taking place in a space of 12 months.

Some historic moments were on display as record books were sent for a toss with players achieving new landmarks. Meanwhile, tempers also flared on the cricket field on several occasions and many heated arguments took centre stage.

A few controversial dismissals also rocked the cricketing fraternity and caused a wild uproar among experts. Hence, there were a lot of stories which were cooked within the 22 yards and grabbed headlines in the year. On that note, let’s take a quick recap of the major happenings in the cricketing world in 2023 through pictures.

1. Women’s Premier League gets underway

A major moment was witnessed in the history of women’s cricket as the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League got underway in India. Indian opener Smriti Mandhana became the most expensive player in the first-ever auction as she was sold for INR 3.4 Crore to Royal Challengers Bangalore. A total of five times contested in the T20 extravaganza and Mumbai Indians were crowned the inaugural champions.

2. Rinku Singh’s 5 sixes miracle in Ahmedabad

The 16^th edition of the Indian Premier League left no stone unturned in entertaining the fans with many matches turning out to be a last-over thriller. However, the most memorable game of the season turned out to be Match 13 between Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad.

With 28 required off the last five balls, Rinku Singh smacked Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes and pulled off the most unbelievable chase in IPL history. As a result, the southpaw became an overnight sensation and was selected on the Indian side within a few months.

3. Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir have another face-off

The Match 43 of the IPL 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants turned out to be the most controversial game of the season as old foes Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir had another altercation in the field. Notably, the star batter had a verbal duel with Naveen-ul-Haq during the match which annoyed LSG mentor Gambhir, who then confronted Kohli after the game. The incident became the most talked about moment of the season as BCCI imposed heavy fines on both players for their misbehaviour.

4. Ravindra Jadeja helps CSK seal fifth IPL title

The final of the IPL 2023 was unique in many ways as the game had to be played on the reserve day due to inclement weather. Bad weather further spoiled the party on the reserve day as well with the game going till 1:30 am in the night. Ravindra Jadeja turned out to be the knight in shining armour for the ‘Yellow Army’ as he hit a boundary with four runs required off the last ball and took CSK home. 

However, what caught the attention of the fans was when an elated MS Dhoni lifted Jadeja in his arms. The moment instantly became the highlight of the final as Jadeja even put the heartwarming moment as his profile picture on Instagram.

5. Logan van Beek’s superover heroics, West Indies crash out of World Cup race

The 18^th match of the Cricket World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe between West Indies and Netherlands produced a high-scoring thriller for fans. With both teams tied at 374 at the end of their allotted 50 overs, the game shifted to a super over to decide the winner. Logan van Beek unleashed his wrath on Jason Halder clobbering him for 30 runs and later gave away just 8 runs and won the game for his side. The defeat dented West Indies’ qualification chances for World Cup massively and they crashed out of the tournament following another loss against Scotland.

Also Read: 'I'll pray to the cricketing gods' - Logan van Beek's hilarious plan to dismiss Kohli in WC 2023

6. Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal in Lord’s Test

The English summer also lived up to its reputation as England and Australia put on a show for the ages in the Ashes 2023. The Spirit of Cricket debate was ignited once again on Day 5 of the second Test at Lord’s as Jonny Bairstow was controversially stumped by Alex Carey. The dismissal became the highlight of the series as it even led to a quarrel in the long room between Australian players and MCC members. Even the Prime Ministers of both countries were involved in a friendly banter on the incident.

7. Angelo Mathews becomes first batter to get timed out in international cricket

The Match 38 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka resulted in Delhi resulted in first of its kind ‘Timed Out’ dismissal in international cricket. Sri Lankan allrounder Angelo Mathews failed to be ready to face the ball within the prescribed two-minute duration as per the tournament’s playing conditions and was subsequently given out following an appeal by Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hasan. The dismissal immediately became the talk of the town as the spirit of cricket was once again brought into question.

8. Virat Kohli surpasses Sachin Tendulkar’s most ODI hundreds record

Star India batter Virat Kohli owned the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in style as he finished the leading run-scorer of the tournament (765 runs). His most memorable innings came during the first semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium as he surpassed his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI hundreds and achieved his 50^th ODI century. Kohli was also awarded the prestigious Player of the Tournament for his stellar show with the bat.

9. Mohammed Shami’s Dream World Cup

The speedster wasn’t a part of India’s first-choice Playing XI for the first four matches but an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya made way for Mohammed Shami. The 33-year-old accepted the opportunity with both arms and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the World Cup with 24 scalps from just seven matches. His best figures of 7/57 came during the semi-final against New Zealand as he helped India seal their spot in their fourth World Cup final.

10. Australia reign supreme in both men’s and women’s cricket

The most successful cricketing nation ever, Australia, added three more trophies to their cabinet as they won three titles across formats through their men’s and women’s teams. The year began with the Australian women winning their sixth T20 World Cup title by defeating South Africa in the final. In June, Australia’s men's side became the first cricket team in history to win all the ICC trophies in men’s cricket as they clinched the World Test Championship by beating India in the final.

The Pat Cummins-led side also crushed billions of dreams as they beat India in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad. Notably, it was Travis Head who once again starred with the bat in the big game and scored a magnificent hundred (137 off 120). With his knock, he became the first player to score two hundreds in ICC finals as he earlier also scored 163 in the WTC final.