The year that was: Top cricketing moments of 2020
The year 2020 changed the world in myriad ways. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected our lives and also had an immense impact on the industry of sports, with the cricketing action coming to a halt for months. Despite the setback, the game was brought back to its feet, and we had enough cherishable moments to witness around our beloved game.
Let’s take a look at the best cricket moments from 2020:
T20 Women’s World Cup
The 7th edition of the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup was organized in Australia between 21 February and 8 March 2020, in pre-Corona times! After the league stage, it was India, Australia, England, and South Africa, who made it into the semi-finals. It was heartening to see the response and love of the fans as thousands of people turned up to witness the final between India and Australia at MCG. Australia Women ended up winning their fifth title!
First Test series in Bio Bubble
Bringing cricket back to its feet between an on-going pandemic was certainly a daunting task. But the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managed to iron out things as they hosted West Indies for a Test series in July. It was the first-ever international series to be played in the bio bubble, where the players would practice a host of rules and regulations. The concept for the players and the entire world was as new as any. Not only did England pull it off, but they also showed the cricket world a path towards the new normal.
Double Super Over in IPL
The year 2020 was full of rare events. In one of such rarest of rare incidences, two Super Overs were needed for the first time in an IPL match to identify a winner. The game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab ended in a tie, and so did the subsequent Super Over, which gave us a never-seen-before sight: A double Super Over! In the end, Kings XI Punjab prevailed over defending champions Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai Indians’ fifth IPL title
When it comes to consistency, the Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL can well be used as a synonym of the term. Leading another magnificent campaign this year, the Rohit Sharma-led side made it into yet another playoff as all of their players stood up for the task. Despite some injury hiccups and the absence of their skipper Rohit Sharma for a while, MI continued their ruthless run and went onto clinch the title for a record fifth time, defeating the Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets in the titular clash.
The return of fans
For the first time since the coronavirus onslaught, cricket fans returned to stadiums to witness live cricket. It was on November 27 when the SCG invited spectators in a limited number to watch the first of the three ODIs between India and Australia. Fans were allowed to be present at the ground throughout the limited-overs series, with the third T20I at SCG open in full capacity.
