2021 was a great year when it comes to cricket. We saw many moments in all the formats of the game. This year we witnessed two major ICC events. But cricket without controversies is not a perfect match. So, it was expected 2021 was also a year with some of the major controversies in cricket. In this article, we will see all the major controversies that occurred this year.
Ravi Shastri (COVID Case)
During India’s tour of England. Before the fourth Test at the Oval, Ravi Shastri and various other staff members got covid and blame was on the Indian coaching staff for their attendance in a book launch event in London. Due to which they were not part of the Indian team in the fourth test. Ravi Shastri denied the reason for the event for covid. Even BCCI did not appreciate this thing of the Indian coaching staff.
Shakib Al Hasan – misbehaved
In the 2021 Dhaka Premier league, Shakib Al Hasan was captain of Mohammedan Sporting Club. Shakib got himself in a major controversy during that match when he misbehaved with the umpire twice in that match. Shakib was not happy with the umpire’s decision of LBW and for the second time, he was not happy with the umpires’ decision to stop the game due to rain. In videos, Shakib was seen throwing wickets and kicking them. Later on, Shakib apologised for his behaviour.
David Warner (SRH Captaincy)
Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021 sacked their most successful player and captain David Warner from the captaincy of the franchise. The 2021 season of IPL was not good for SRH. They finished at the bottom of the points table and registered only three wins in the whole season. Warner was removed from the captaincy in between of the season. Later when asked by the Aussie batter he said that he was not even aware of the decision. It was SRH’s management who told him about the captaincy. SRH’s management was heavily criticised for this decision.
Virat Kohli Captaincy
In the latter half of the year, we saw many controversies arising in the Indian camp. First, it was Virat Kohli who stepped down as T20I captain and then he also stepped down as RCB captain in IPL. Later a statement came from BCCI President Sourav Ganguly that they asked Virat to reconsider his decision which was denied by Virat Kohli.
Then came a controversial move from BCCI when they removed Virat as ODI captain and named Rohit Sharma as their new ODI captain. It was a shock for Virat fans as Virat said in his statement that he wants to lead India in ODIs. Virat said he was informed one and a half hours ago that he was removed from the ODI captain.
New Zealand cancelled Pakistan Tour
In September 2021 Pakistan was putting pressure on their home games. Due to this, they were inviting teams from all around the world to play cricket in their country. After numerous efforts, New Zealand was ready to play a 3 match ODI series and 5 matches T20I series in Pakistan. Before the first ODI, New Zealand refused to play. New Zealand cancelled to play with Pakistan only a half-hour ago before the match. Earlier it was the reason of covid which was considered but later on, it was found that it was security issues that led New Zealand to take this decision. New Zealand postponed this tour till 2022.
Tim Paine resigned Test Captaincy
It was Tim Paine who was given the captaincy of Australia after the sandpaper controversy. Tim Paine led Australia even after his less experience in captaincy. It was The Ashes 2021-22 which can give back Tim Paine’s image as captain after facing two times defeat against India at home. Before the Ashes 2021-22 Tim Paine resigned as captain of the test and also took an indefinite break from the game. The reason was his scandal of sexting with one of his female co-workers which happened a couple of years ago.
Azeem Rafiq Faced racism
Azeem Rafiq who is a county cricketer in England faced the problem of racism throughout his life. He even calls this problem for his thoughts to commit suicide. England cricket board faced a lot of criticism after Azeem’s case. Some big names like Michael Vaughan were also included in this case. It was England’s County team who was responsible for such an act. Rafiq also opened about the racism he faces when he was playing.
Quinton De Kock refused to take the knee
In the T20 world cup 2021, in a match between South Africa and West Indies. The wicketkeeper batsmen of South Africa Quinton De Kock refused to take the knee before the match to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Quinton in his statement said that he grew up in an environment where he saw such kinds of things and he does not consider this fancy thing as the only way to solve this problem. After which CSA and Quinton de Kock were not happy with each other. Quinton De Kock was also not part of a team against the West Indies.
Mohammed Siraj faced racism
In the third test of Bordar Gavaskar trophy of 2020-2021 at Sydney. Indian Speedster Mohammed Siraj faced racism when Aussie crowd mock him with words like a monkey and all. Siraj complained about the incident to his captain Ajinkya Rahane and match officials after which in an investigation 6 members were found guilty and they got banned from entering the stadium.
Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan
After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, it was very hard for sportsmen to survive there. Especially the women athletes. Although the Taliban liked cricket and they did not interfere in men’s cricket. But they heavily tried to stop women from participating in any of the sports events. They even cancelled the telecast of IPL second half in Afghanistan as it was included with a lot of non-Islamic things according to them. It was the Australian board who cancelled the test match with Afghanistan as a stand for Afghanistan’s people. It was a strong and motivating move from Australia.
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