All types of cricketing activities were fully resumed at the start of the year 2021 even with the growing threat of covid-19. Cricket control bodies around the world have agreed to follow health guidelines to reduce the risk of the outbreak. Therefore, the bulk of cricket matches were staged behind closed doors in the first half of the year, with only a few spectators permitted in the second half. The T20 World Cup was clouded in confusion, yet the huge event went on as scheduled. Let's have a look at the top 10 international cricket events from the year 2021.  2021's Most Notable Cricket Events There were some noteworthy cricket moments in the year 2021. As a result, selecting the top ten was difficult. Here are the top ten most notable international cricket incidents in 2021. 10) West Indies frustrate Bangladesh in the Test Series A relatively less-strength West Indian team played a two-match Test series against Bangladesh in February, which was part of the ICC Test Championship. The anticipation was that Bangladesh will win the series against the West Indies to open their account in the Test Championship points table. Despite deploying a full-strength lineup, Bangladesh's terrible run of form in the longer-version continued. The West Indies went on to win both Tests and completed a clean sweep against Bangladesh. Bangladesh were disappointed with the result, especially after winning the ODI series 3-0 against the Caribbean team.  Read Achievements of Bangladesh in sports in 50 years since independence 9) Bangladesh’s T20I home series win against New Zealand Bangladesh were favourite to win the Twenty20 series against New Zealand in September, owing to their excellent recent home record against the Kiwis. Furthermore, the Bangladeshi team came into the match with a lot of confidence, especially after winning a bilateral series against Australia a month ago. Bangladesh defeated New Zealand 3-2 in the T20I series.  8) South Africa fail to seal an ODI series against Ireland The South African national team visited Ireland for a limited-overs series in July. The weather and wicket were quite similar to those in South Africa, and the Proteas team was confident of winning the three-match ODI series. However, the host Irish team astonished the visitors by winning the second match with 43 runs. However, as the first game was washed out, South Africa managed to win the third match and level the series at 1-1.   Read Top 10 Most Memorable Football Moments of 2021 7) Joe Root is on the verge of breaking a record English captain Joe Root has a good chance of breaking a record before the end of the year 2021. This year, Root has 1,544 runs in 25 innings and needs 245 runs to beat Mohammad Yusuf's record of 1,788 runs in a single year. There will be two more matches between Australia and England this year. With his present form, Root has a good chance of breaking the record for most runs scored in a calendar year. If he succeeds, it will be one of the most significant moments of the year 2021.  6) Mohammad Rizwan Shocks the Cricket World  The wicket-keeper batsman of Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan had a fantastic year with the bat in 2021. Along with captain Babar Azam, Rizwan opens the innings for Pakistan in the T20 format. He was sensational in both the T20 World Cup and bilateral series, becoming the first batter to score over 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year. Mohammad Rizwan scored 1,326 runs in 26 innings.  Read Sports Year in Review: A Flashback of the Major Events in 2021 5) India Frustrate host Australia India defeated Australia 2-1 in the four-match Test series, despite the absence of their flamboyant captain Virat Kohli, who was unable to play due to family obligations. In the absence of Virat Kohli, the Ajinkya Rahane-led Indian team defeated Australia in the second and fourth matches to ensure a historic series victory. 

Organizing tournaments in accordance with health guidelines due to the coronavirus was a unique experience for everyone. Nonetheless, there were a number of big sporting events that grabbed the attention of enthusiasts in the year 2021. From the United States' dominance in the 2020 Summer Olympics to Australia's maiden T20 World Cup victory, Italy and Argentina's continental championship victory, Novak Djokovic's record-breaking year, Hideki Matsuyama, the first Asian-born golfer’s Masters trophy win, this article highlights some of the most significant sporting events in 2021. A Look Back at the Noteworthy Moments of the Sports Year 2021   Almost all major athletic events resumed in the first quarter of 2021, following a disappointing year in 2020 because of the covid-19 epidemic. Some of the events that were scheduled for 2020 were pushed back to 2021. Summer Olympics 2020 in Japan, Euro 2020, and Copa America 2020 are among them. Initially, many sports events were held behind closed doors, which meant that no spectators were permitted inside the stadium. The covid-19 regulations provided a fresh experience for everyone, especially the players. Here are some of the year's most noteworthy sporting events. Read Expected personal milestones to achieve in the Upcoming NZ vs BAN Test Series 2022 Summer Olympics 2020: The United States maintained its dominance The 2020 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Games were the most expensive ever, costing more than $20 billion in total. The competition drew 11,656 athletes from 206 countries. The tournament featured 33 sporting events. Like in previous editions, the United States maintained its dominance in the competition. The United States of America took home most of the 113 medals, with 39 gold, 41 silver, and 33 bronze. China placed second in the overall rankings with 88 medals. They took home 38 gold medals, 32 silver medals, and 18 bronze medals. Burkina Faso, San Marino, and Turkmenistan all won their first-ever Olympic medals in this event. Marcell Jacobs of Italy won the most popular Olympic 100m sprint with a time of 9.80 seconds. He made history by being the first Italian to win a gold medal in the event. Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica won the Women's 100 meters with an Olympic-record time of 10.61 seconds. Read Root: England's best option is to make brave calls Tokyo also hosted the 2020 Summer Paralympics two weeks later. The tournament drew 4,403 participants from 162 countries. China won the most medals with 207, followed by the United Kingdom with 124 and the United States with 104.

Bangladesh tumbled for 108 for seven in 20 overs in the second match of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan on Saturday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first but they again failed to post a challenging total.  Shaheen Afridi, who was rested in the previous match, got two wickets, and Shadab Khan also scalped two.  Saif Hassan, the right-handed opener, who got his maiden T20I cap in the first match, failed again to shine. He suffered a golden duck this time.  READ:  Mahmudullah blames top-order batting after defeat to Pakistan The other opener, Mohammad Naim, amassed two runs playing eight balls. He looked uncomfortable from the beginning of the innings, and eventually fell prey to Mohammad Wasim. In the third wicket stand, Afif Hossain and Najmul Hossain Shanto added 46. Afif looked to live on a good rhythm but he failed to carry on as he was dismissed playing a loose shot off Shadab Khan. With a four and a six, Afif added 20 off 20 balls. Najmul ended up on 40 off 34 balls before falling prey to Shadab. Mahmudullah and Nurul Hasan continued on bad patches as they posted 12 and 11 this time.  READ:  Pakistan beat Bangladesh in low-scoring first T20I Pakistan won the first match of the series, and another win would wrap the series for them.  The final and third T20I of the series will take place on November 22 at the same venue. 

Despite losing two early wickets, batters kept the Tigers afloat after they opted to bat first in the second T20I against Pakistan on Saturday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  Saif Hassan, the right-handed opener, who got his maiden T20I cap in the first match, failed again to shine. He suffered a golden duck this time.  The other opener, Mohammad Naim, amassed two runs playing eight balls. He looked uncomfortable from the beginning of the innings, and eventually fell prey to Mohammad Wasim. READ:  Mahmudullah blames top-order batting after defeat to Pakistan In the third wicket stand, Afif Hossain and Najmul Hossain Shanto added 46. Afif looked to live on a good rhythm but he failed to carry on as he was dismissed playing a loose shot off Shadab Khan. With a four and a six, Afif added 20 off 20 balls.  Najmul kept batting well as Mahmudllah Riyad joined him in the fourth wicket stand.  READ:  Pakistan beat Bangladesh in low-scoring first T20I At the end of 12th over, Bangladesh were batting at 78 for three with Najmul batting at 38 off 30 and Mahmudullah at 12 off 12. 

Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan has revealed what had been their strength during the just-concluded T20 World Cup where Pakistan progressed to the semi-final. Rizwan was one of the players who drew the attention of millions during the event. He played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s success in T20Is in recent years. “Not losing wickets in powerplay and getting early breakthroughs in the powerplay was our strength in the T20 World Cup,” Rizwan said through a video message after arriving in Bangladesh. Also read: Rizwan spends two nights in a hospital with chest infection Pakistan will take on the hosts in a three-match T20 and two-match Test series. The first T20I of the series will take place on November 19 in Mirpur. The Pakistan opener became the first batter in history to score 1000 or more runs in T20Is in a calendar year. He credited Richard Pybus, Inzamam ul Haq and Shahid Aslam for his success. “I'm happy that I have scored the most runs in the calendar year. But I'm more delighted that I was able to secure this record for my country,” Rizwan told the media. Also read: Australia pull off late comeback to kill Pakistan's World Cup dream Pakistan team conducted their first training session on Monday at the BCB Academy ground. Rizwan was not part of the first day’s practice. He is expected to start preparation on Tuesday. Pakistan captain Babar Azam and veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik are yet to join the team. They are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Australia won their first Twenty20 World Cup title after defeating New Zealand by 8 wickets in the championship match in Dubai. It was New Zealand's third World Cup final defeat in a row. Australia's David Warner was named player of the tournament for his consistent performance throughout the competition. There were a total of 1 hundred, 405 sixes, 944 boundaries, and 526 wickets in 45 matches. Let's take a look back at the best 10 memorable moments from the T20 World Cup 2021.  T20 World Cup 2021: The 10 Unforgettable moments The 2021 Twenty20 World Cup is filled with memorable experiences. Here are the top ten most notable moments.   10) Bangladesh's embarrassing loss to Scotland Bangladesh's World Cup campaign had begun with a disheartening 6-run defeat against Scotland. If they hadn't won their next two games against Oman and Papua New Guinea, they could have been eliminated from the competition at the qualifying stage. The major upset in the seventh edition of the Twenty20 World Cup was Bangladesh's defeat to Scotland. Read T20WC Final: Wonderful Williamson propels NZ to 172/4 9) India's amazing 210/2 total against Afghanistan The highest and only 200+ score in the tournament was India's 210/2 against Afghanistan in the Super 12 Round. India eventually won the match by a margin of 66 runs. 8) The five-wicket hauls of Mujeeb and Zampa Mujeeb Ur Rahman of Afghanistan and Australia's Adam Zampa were the only two bowlers in the competition to take 5 wickets in an innings. Mujeeb took 5/20 against Scotland, helping his team to a stunning 130-run victory. On the other hand, Zampa grabbed 5/19 against Bangladesh and helped Australia win by 8 wickets. 7) Namibia's incredible run in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Ireland and the Netherlands were the favorites to proceed to the Super 12 round from Group A. However, Namibia surprised everyone by qualifying for the next round. They had maintained their dream run in the competition with a good victory against Scotland in the Super 12s. Read Thumb injury rules Tamim out of Pakistan series 6) Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 101* against Sri Lanka Jos Buttler of England was the tournament's only centurion. He became the only English player to score a century across all formats with an unbroken 101*-run knock against Sri Lanka in the Super 12 Round. 5) Mitchell Marsh's match-winning knock in the final The Australian team management was split on whether Mitchell Marsh deserved a spot in the playing XI. The all-rounder proved everyone wrong with a decisive 77 off 50 balls knock in the final. 4) Australia and New Zealand put up sensational run chases in the semi-finals England and Pakistan were favorites against New Zealand and Australia, respectively in the semi-finals. Though the two Oceania nations knocked out both of the favorites. Interestingly, New Zealand and Australia won their respective matches by chasing down challenging totals. Read T20WC Final: Australia bowl first in quest for maiden title 3) India's exit from the Super 12 Round India were a heavy favourite to win the T20 World Cup 2021, but their exit from the Super 12 Round was all but confirmed following two consecutive losses to Pakistan and New Zealand. 2) Pakistan's first victory over India in a World Cup match Pakistan had never beaten India in a World Cup match prior to this event. Finally, Pakistan defeated India in their first match of the Twenty20 World Cup 2021. They thrashed India by ten wickets in a one-sided affair. 1)  Outstanding Four wickets in four deliveries by Curtis Campher  Irish pacer Curtis Campher became the third bowler in T20I history to grab four wickets in consecutive deliveries after Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga and Afghan spinner Rashid Khan. He accomplished the feat against the Netherlands in a Group A qualifier match. Ireland won the match by 7 wickets. Read ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Final: Which Players would make it to an Australia-New Zealand Combined T20I XI? Aftermath Asian sides were regarded as favorites to win the T20 World Cup 2021. Though, only Pakistan made it to the semi-finals among the Asian teams. Champion Australia were in bad shape prior to the main event. However, they gradually improved as the competition progressed and finally won the tournament. On the other side, New Zealand had yet another heartbreaking World Cup event. They lost the title match to arch-rival Australia after failing to implement their tactics on the field. Australia will host the eighth edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup next year. 

Mitchell Marsh hit 77 not out after an outstanding bowling spell by Josh Hazlewood to help Australia lift their maiden T20 World Cup title against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. Hazlewood's 3/16 off 4 overs helped restrict New Zealand to 172 for 4 before all-rounder Marsh, bolstered by in-form David Warner, struck a match-winning half-century to inflict yet more misery on New Zealand in ICC World Cup Finals. Kane Williamson, leading his side in a third consecutive ICC world championship final since 2019 (NZ also played the final of the 2015 ODI World Cup under Brendan McCullum), compiled a masterful 85 to help guide his team to a challenging total after losing the toss. In reply, David Warner and Marsh hit a fifty each to guide the mighty Aussies to their maiden T20 World Cup in their second finals appearance. Australia played their first T20 World Cup final back in 2010 which they lost to England. Warner won the player of the tournament award for his outstanding performances throughout the tournament (289 runs), and Marsh won the award for player of the final for taking the game away from New Zealand from the moment he hit the first ball he faced for six. Read:ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Final: Which Players would make it to an Australia-New Zealand Combined T20I XI?

After being dropped on 17 by Josh Hazlewood, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson smashed 85 off 48 balls to propel his team to a competitive 172/4 in 20 overs against Australia in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday in Dubai. Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first. The teams that fielded first in Dubai in this World Cup have won most of the matches (11 out of 12). That trend might have given Australian captain Aaron Finch the advantage on winning the toss. Williamson's 85 is the highest score by a captain in T20 World Cup finals. Along the way, Williamson surpassed 64 of Sri Lanka’s former captain Kumar Sangakkara (2014). And, it was the joint highest innings by any batsman tied with Marlon Samuel’s 85 not out in 2016. Read:ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Final: Which Players would make it to an Australia-New Zealand Combined T20I XI? During the powerplay, New Zealand remained mostly quiet as they scored 32 for one. In the next 5 overs, the Blackcaps scored only 25 runs without any further loss of wicket. In the 11th over, Williamson hit Mitchell Starc off three fours and amassed 19 runs in that over. When Williamson was on fire, Martin Guptil was slightly slow, but his slow stay in the middle ended off the first ball of the 12th over when he went for the slog-sweep, but couldn’t hit the ball well and caught at the deep mid-wicket area. Williamson picked up his fifty off 32 balls hitting Glenn Maxwell for two sixes in the 13th over. At the end of 15 overs, New Zealand were at 114 for two. In the 16th over, Williamson went after Starc and smashed him off four fours and one six to score 22 runs with a dot. Read:T20 World Cup: Finalists eye maiden title in shortest format However, in the 18th over, Hazlewood scalped two wickets and kept New Zealand down under 180 runs. New Zealand’s highest partnership came in the third wicket when Williamson and Guptil added 68 off 37 balls. The Blackcaps eventually, ended up on 172 for four in 20 overs. They couldn’t hit the ball well in the last two overs when they posted only 23 runs, after Williamson was dismissed.

Australia have won the toss and opted to bowl first against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2021 final in Dubai on Sunday.  It is only the second time Australia marched to the final of the T20 World Cup while it’s the first final appearance for New Zealand.  Read:ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Final: Which Players would make it to an Australia-New Zealand Combined T20I XI? The two neighbouring countries have previously faced each other in the final of the World Cup 2015 when Australia outplayed New Zealand with nearly no resistance from the Blackcaps.  To qualify for the final, New Zealand beat England, and Australia won against Pakistan riding on late surges to win almost identical thrilling encounters. In most of the matches of this World Cup which has taken place in Dubai, the team who fielded first came up victorious (11 out of 12). David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa were the best players for Australia during the Super 12s and semifinal stages while Martin Guptill, Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi helped New Zealand to march to their first T20 World Cup final.  Read:T20 World Cup: Finalists eye maiden title in shortest format New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Tim Seifert(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Aaron Finch(c), Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade(w), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

The final match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 between arch-rivals Australia and New Zealand will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (November 14). Both teams are well-prepared for the much-anticipated championship match and will be vying for their first Twenty20 World Cup title. Australia and New Zealand both have a number of outstanding World Class players. They have the ability to turn a game around and can easily make any national team's playing XI. Let's see who can make it to a combined Australia-New Zealand T20I XI. ICC T20 World Cup 2021 combined T20I XI: Australia-New Zealand  One of the best opening pairs in this year's T20 World Cup is Australia's David Warner and Aaron Finch. On the other hand, Kiwi pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult are causing panic in the opposition camp. New Zealand batsmen have had a lot more success in the middle order in comparison to Australia. Among the spinners, Ish Sodhi and Adam Zampa have bowled brilliantly. Let's see who make it into the playing XI.    1)  David Warner (Australia) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Runs: 236 | HS: 89* | SR: 148.42 David Warner has been one of the best players at the World Cup thus far. His consistency has aided Australia's second-place finish in Group 1 of the Super 12 Round. Warner also laid the foundation for Australia's run chase in the semifinal encounter against Pakistan. Read Women’s ODI: Bangladesh win 3-match ODI series beating Zimbabwe by 9 wkt 2)  Martin Guptill (New Zealand) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Runs: 180 | HS: 93 | SR: 131.38 Martin Guptill has regained his groove and delivered an important knock against Scotland in the Super 12 Round. He is one of the leading run-scorers in the openers. 3)  Aaron Finch (Captain, Australia) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Runs: 130 | HS: 44 | SR: 119.26 Aaron Finch edged out Kane Williamson for the no.3 spot due to his better strike rate in the competition. The Australian captain Finch will be one of the key players in the final. Read: T20 World Cup: Finalists eye maiden title in shortest format 4)  Mitchell Marsh (Australia) T20 WC’21 M: 5 | Runs: 108 | HS: 53 | SR: 142.10 Mitchell Marsh has been on a roll this year. Marsh has also been the most consistent middle-order batsman for Australia in this tournament. 5)  Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Runs: 87 | HS: 39* | SR: 112.98 Glenn Phillips plays an important role in New Zealand's middle order. He has performed well for the Kiwis thus far, and he has the potential to become a match-winner in the tournament final.  Read T20 World Cup: Finalists eye maiden title in shortest format 6)  James Neesham (New Zealand) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Runs: 73 | HS: 35* | SR: 173.80 | Wkts: 3 | BBI: 1/6 | Econ: 6.60  New Zealand defeated England in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 thanks to James Neesham's aggressive batting. His all-round performance could be the deciding factor in the final match against Australia. 7)  Mathew Wade (Australia, wicket-keeper) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Runs: 74 | HS: 41* | SR: 164.44 Mathew Wade steered Australia to the final with a blazing knock against Pakistan in the second semi-final. Wade has the most dismissals (8) in the tournament. Read T20 World Cup 2021 Final: Preview of Australia vs. New Zealand Match 8)  Tim Southee (New Zealand) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Wkts: 8 | BBI: 2/15 | Econ: 5.75  Tim Southee is a genuine breakthrough bowler in limited-version cricket. However, more importantly, he has one of the best economic rates in this World Cup. 9)  Trent Boult (New Zealand) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Wkts: 11 | BBI: 3/17 | Econ: 6.54 Left-arm pacer Trent Boult is one of the most destructive bowlers of his generation. He has been in outstanding form in this competition and will lead New Zealand's bowling attack in the final against Australia. Read: Pakistani cricket team arrives in Dhaka 10)        Adam Zampa (Australia) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Wkts: 12 | BBI: 5/19 | Econ: 5.69  Australia's leg-spinner Adam Zampa has been the most successful bowler in the T20 World Cup 2021 so far. In addition, he is one of the tournament's most economical bowlers. New Zealand batters will certainly find it difficult to deal with his bowling in the tournament final. 11)       Ish Sodhi (New Zealand) T20 WC’21 M: 6 | Wkts: 9 | BBI: 2/17 | Econ: 7.33  Ish Sodhi has given the batters a great deal of trouble in the middle overs in this tournament. He has been productive with his leg break deliveries against big opponents. That is why Sodhi may be an important asset for New Zealand in the championship match against Australia. Read Pakistan cricket team arrive in Dhaka Saturday Afterward  Picking the best-combined XI from two of the top international teams is never straightforward. Australia-New Zealand combined T20I XI has been selected depending on the performances in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021. These players have exhibited consistency, and their performances have had a meaningful impact on the results of the matches. All eyes will be on these cricketers in the Twenty20 World Cup 2021 final match between Australia and New Zealand.