New Zealand swept into the year with a dominant 2-0 victory over visitors West Indies. Kyle Jamieson picked up 11 wickets in the two Tests and contributed 71 runs.•Getty Images

"See you at the Gabba, mate": Australia captain Tim Paine would come to rue those words to R Ashwin during the Adelaide Test. A severely depleted India side would go on to play the final Test and win, breaking Australia's 32-year dominance in Brisbane.•Getty Images

Kyle Mayers' 210 not out on debut and Nkrumah Bonner's 86 helped West Indies chase 395 to win in Chattogram against Bangladesh, but it would be their only Test series win for the year: they lost to South Africa at home, and Sri Lanka away later in the year.•BCB

West Indies steamrolled Australia 4-1 in a T20I series at home in July, raising hopes that the T20 defending world champions might have it in them to steal another title. Instead, they would crash out after winning just one of their five matches.•AFP

At the end of India's inaugural day-night Test, Smriti Mandhana emerged with the highest score by a visiting player in women's Tests in Australia - 127. It was India's second drawn Test of the year, after a riveting encounter with England in June.•Getty Images

David Wiese starred in Namibia's fairy-tale run in the T20 World Cup, guiding his team to wins against Netherlands and Ireland to qualify for the Super 12s. They beat only Scotland after that, but their underdog story was one of the highlights of the tournament.•ICC via Getty

Dwayne Bravo didn't quite get the farewell he wanted, his final international game ending in a loss to Australia at the T20 World Cup. It seemed like it might be Chris Gayle's last game too, but the Universe Boss is hoping for a chance to say goodbye with one last game in Jamaica.•ICC via Getty

It was the Dominic Drakes show in the CPL final: the 23-year-old Barbadian clobbered 48 in 24, to go with one wicket, taking St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to their maiden title.•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Just before the Ashes, explicit messages Tim Paine sent a co-worker in 2017 came to light, and details of a CA investigation that had cleared him back then. Paine stood down as Australia Test captain, paving the way for Pat Cummins to become the first fast bowler to lead Australia since Ray Lindwall in 1956.•Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty Images

Virat Kohli was unceremoniously divested of India's white-ball captaincy after he voluntarily stepped down from the role in T20Is. His press conference after the fact revealed a stand off between him and the BCCI, and Kohli pulled no punches.•Associated Press

Sri Lanka's trip to South Africa went all awry when injuries felled a third of the squad. The tourists lost both Tests, the first one by an innings.•AFP

A remarkable year for Joe Root, and a terrible one for England. Root amassed over 1700 Test runs in 2021, but despite his six centuries - including two double-hundreds - England lost all but one of the 12 matches they played in 2021 after starting the year with three wins on the trot in Asia.•SLC

In the shortest completed Test since 1935, England were skittled in under two days on a contentious pitch in Ahmedabad. When R Ashwin picked up the wicket of Jofra Archer in the second innings, he became the second-fastest bowler to 400 wickets.•BCCI

Ben Stokes found himself captain for the first time after seven Covid cases in the England camp forced the selectors to announce a fringe players' XI just two days before the ODI series against Pakistan. Stokes and his third-string side would go on to sweep the series.•Getty Images

Harshal Patel became the fourth Royal Challengers Bangalore player to take a hat-trick in the IPL, and the only one of the season. He also went on to claim the purple cap, picking up 32 wickets in 15 matches.•BCCI

CSA's mandate on South Africa collectively taking the knee at the T20 World Cup met with pushback from Quinton de Kock, who chose instead to withdraw from the fixture against West Indies, leaving the team in turmoil. He apologised later for his actions but it was one more wrinkle in South Africa's complicated reckoning with antiracism.•ICC via Getty

A trans-Tasman final at the T20 World Cup and Australia ticked the only unchecked box on their trophy list. Mitchell Marsh's 77 off 50 trumped Kane Williamson's 85 off 48 to make Australia T20 World Cup champions for the first time.•ICC via Getty Images

Harmanpreet Kaur was named Player of the Tournament at the WBBL, where she made 406 runs in the season, including three match-winning half-centuries, but it wasn't enough to propel Melbourne Renegades into the final. Perth Scorchers won the title, their first.•Getty Images

Ajaz Patel became only the third bowler to take all ten wickets in a Test innings, against India in Mumbai. The singular achievement couldn't salvage a win for New Zealand, though, who lost the series and slipped to No. 2 on the Test rankings.•BCCI

England's year ended with a horror tour of Australia, the Ashes scoreline at 3-0 after a hiding in Melbourne. Australia retained the Ashes, while England's long wait for a series win down under went on and Joe Root's captaincy came under intense scrutiny.•Getty Images

South Africa had no luck on their first Test tour of Pakistan in 14 years. Babar Azam claimed a 2-0 victory over the visitors in his first Test series as captain. Hasan Ali, who picked up five-fors in both innings of the second Test, would end the year with 41 wickets.•AFP via Getty Images

Two years after they lost the ODI World Cup to England in 2019, New Zealand took the first-ever World Test Championship title, beating India in the final in Southampton. It was also the curtain call for one of New Zealand's lynchpins, BJ Watling, who hung up his boots.•Getty Images

After two years of build-up, ridicule, delays and other hurdles, the Hundred finally kicked off. Fans showed up in numbers for the men and women's games, and Dane van Niekerk led Oval Invincibles to their maiden title. She was also the women's tournament's top scorer, with 259 runs.•Getty Images

"No more sore toes," said Dale Steyn on Twitter, calling time on a legendary fast-bowling career. Steyn announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in August, but he came back with another hat on, to commentate on the T20 World Cup. In November, his team-mate AB de Villiers joined Steyn in retiring from all forms.•ICC via Getty Images

In their 13th attempt in World Cups, Pakistan finally beat India, and in epic fashion. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan coasted to a ten-wicket win after Shaheen Shah Afridi rattled India early by removing both India openers in his first two overs. Pakistan cruised to the semi-finals, where Australia called a halt to their progress.•ICC via Getty

Minutes before the first ODI was meant to start, New Zealand pulled its players out of their series in Pakistan, citing a security threat and bundled them back home. Pakistan were hit with a double whammy - England cancelled their men's and women's joint tour soon after.•AFP/Getty Images

Azeem Rafiq's protracted battle against racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club came to a head at a parliamentary hearing, where his testimony sent shock waves through the game, prompted an overhaul at Yorkshire, and moved other clubs to take action on racism within their own ranks.•Peter Byrne/PA Photos/Getty Images

Mohammad Rizwan sent T20 records tumbling when he became the first batter to aggregate 2000 runs in T20 cricket in a year (more than half of those in T20Is). Opening partner Babar Azam followed closely on both charts, and together the two logged 1380 runs together at an average of 57.50 in the format, a record.•PCB