2016 in pictures
2016 in pictures
Ben Stokes lit up Newlands with the second-fastest Test double-century ever, and along with Jonny Bairstow, set a new record for the sixth wicket - 399 runs. The match ended in a draw after Hashim Amla responded with a double of his own. England went on to win the series in Johannesburg, where Stuart Broad took 6 for 17 to bowl out South Africa for 83.•AFP
Colin Munro scored the second-fastest T20I fifty - off 14 balls - in New Zealand's nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Auckland. It was New Zealand's fastest T20 half-century, a record Munro broke five overs after Martin Guptill (19 balls) set it. It was the final match of an abject tour for Sri Lanka, who won only one out of ten matches they played on the trip.•Getty Images
India Women won their first bilateral series against Australia when they clinched the three-match T20I series with a ten-wicket win in Melbourne. In the first match they completed their highest-ever chase - 141. But Australia won the ODI series 2-1.•Getty Images
The inaugural Pakistan Super League was won by Islamabad United, who beat Quetta Gladiators by six wickets in the final in Dubai. Andre Russell (in photo), the tournament's leading wicket-taker, took 3 for 36, after which Dwayne Smith and Brad Haddin made half-centuries to chase down 175 inside 19 overs.•Chris Whiteoak
Chasing 155, Oman scored 15 runs off the final over to hand a surprising two-wicket defeat to Ireland in their World T20 qualifying round match in Dharamsala.•International Cricket Council
Bangladesh needed two runs off the last three balls, with Mushfiqur Rahim on strike, to win their first T20I against India, and push the hosts towards an early exit from the World T20. But Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah were caught on the boundary and then MS Dhoni ran out Mustafizur Rahman off the final ball to clinch a thrilling win.•Getty Images/ICC
Tony Cozier, the West Indian commentator, writer and broadcaster, often known as the "voice of West Indian cricket" died at the age of 75 in Barbados following an illness.•PA Photos
Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to make 10,000 Test runs, getting to the milestone in the second Test against Sri Lanka, in Chester-le-Street. James Anderson took ten wickets in the innings victory in the first Test, at Headingley, and England sealed the series with a nine-wicket win in Durham.•Getty Images
At a venue where Pakistan cricket was scarred by the spot-fixing allegations in 2010, Misbah-ul-Haq's hard-working band of fighters provided the healing touch. Leading them in their 75-run win was legspinner Yasir Shah, who took ten wickets, though it was Misbah himself who had begun repairing the damage with a century in the first innings (celebrated by a memorable round of push-ups). Pakistan eventually drew the series 2-2 with a ten-wicket win at The Oval.•Getty Images
Australia were whitewashed for the first time in their one-day history when they lost 5-0 in South Africa in October. However, it was a second-string side, with John Hastings and Scot Boland leading the pace attack. David Warner's 173 in the final ODI, in Cape Town, was the second-highest individual score in an unsuccessful chase. For South Africa, Rilee Rossouw (in photo) starred with the bat with a hundred and two fifties.•AFP
Karun Nair became the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to score a triple-century, and Ravindra Jadeja took a career-best match haul of 10 for 154 in India's innings win against England in Chennai, capping a year in which they were undefeated in Tests (nine wins and three draws). Virat Kohli averaged 109.16 for his 655 runs and R Ashwin and Jadeja took 54 wickets between them in the five Tests against England.•Associated Press
Chris Gayle came under severe criticism after making sexist remarks to television presenter Mel McLaughlin during a Big Bash game in Hobart. "I wanted to come and have an interview with you as well," Gayle said to McLaughlin, when asked about how aggressively he had batted. "That's the reason why I'm here, just to see your eyes for the first time […] Don't blush, baby." He was fined A$10,000 by his team, Melbourne Renegades, but not suspended.•Getty Images
Mohammad Amir returned to international cricket with a Pakistan win in a T20I in Auckland. He took only one wicket in the match. New Zealand went on to win the series, however. Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson added a record 171 in Hamilton, and Pakistan were bowled out for 101 in Wellington.•Getty Images
West Indies beat tournament favourites India in a tense chase to clinch their maiden Under-19 World Cup title. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who went on to make his Test debut later in the year, took 3 for 39 and fellow quick Keemo Paul, who had mankaded the final Zimbabwe batsman to controversially helped his side qualify for the quarters, hit the winning runs in the final.•AFP
After a successful limited-overs run in 2015, Bangladesh warmed up for the 2016 World T20 by beating Sri Lanka and Pakistan to reach the Asia Cup final in Dhaka. However, they couldn't get past India, losing by eight wickets.•AFP
New Zealand left out Tim Southee and Trent Boult and picked spinners Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum for their World T20 game against India on a turning track in Nagpur. The move worked: defending 126, New Zealand bowled out India for 79; the three spinners took nine wickets.•Associated Press
West Indies Women converted their maiden appearance in a World T20 final into a historic victory in Kolkata, beating three-time defending champions Australia for the first time in a T20 international by pulling off the second highest chase - 149 - in the tournament's history. The heroes were 18-year old Hayley Matthews and the captain, Stafanie Taylor, whose half-centuries and 120-run partnership came at more than a run a ball.•Getty Images
England Women's captain Charlotte Edwards announced her retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a 20-year career, in which she captained England for ten and became one of the most influential women in British sport. Edwards continued to play domestic cricket and, in August, even led Southern Vipers to victory in the inaugural Women's Super League.•Getty Images
West Indies had looked dominant with two wins against South Africa and one against Australia in the tri-series in the Caribbean, but they tripped up in the final, in Barbados, and Josh Hazlewood's 5 for 50 gave Australia the trophy.•AFP
Sri Lanka had beaten Australia in only one Test match in 11 series between the two from 1983 to 2013. This year they more than doubled their tally of wins by whitewashing Australia 3-0 at home. The star was 38-year-old Rangana Herath, who took 28 wickets at a strike rate of 31- the best for any spinner with 15 or more wickets in a Test series against Australia in 100 years. It was also Australia's third consecutive whitewash in Asia.•Associated Press
After a narrow, heartbreaking loss in Chittagong, Bangladesh bounced back to win their first Test against England, in Mirpur. Nineteen-year-old debutant offspinner Mehedi Hasan was the star of the series, taking 12 wickets in the win in Mirpur and a record 19 for the series.•Getty Images
The year began with the Lodha committee releasing its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the governance and administrative structures of the BCCI. It ended with the BCCI steadfastly refusing to implement the majority of the recommendations, though they had been ordered to do so more than once by the Supreme Court.•Sajjad Hussain/AFP
Needing 71 off 65 balls with six wickets in hand and a 212-run platform provided by Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, India still went on to lose the Canberra ODI against Australia by 25 runs. Fast bowler Kane Richardson took 5 for 68. Australia won the five-match series 4-1. But India bounced back by whitewashing the hosts in the T20Is.•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
Brendon McCullum bowed out of international cricket with a century, but Australia won both Tests in the series, in Wellington and Christchurch, comprehensively. McCullum's 170 runs at the Hagley Oval were the most by a captain in his farewell Test.•AFP
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe died at the age of 53 after a four-year battle with lymphoma. Widely considered the country's finest batsman, Crowe scored a New Zealand record of 17 Test centuries, including a 299, and he led the side to the World Cup semi-final at home in 1992.•Getty Images
Jason Roy and Joe Root (in photo) starred in the highest successful World T20 chase ever, and the second highest in T20 internationals, in England's two-wicket win over South Africa in Mumbai. Set 230, England's openers, Roy and Alex Hales, set the pace with 44 in the first two overs - the most in a T20I. After Roy's dismissal, Root directed the chase with a 44-ball 83.•Getty Images
Carlos Brathwaite smashed his way into cricket history with four consecutive sixes that sealed West Indies' second World T20 title, just a few hours after their women's team had won the trophy. Marlon Samuels, the hero of the 2012 victory, steered the 156-run chase with an unbeaten 85, but it was Brathwaite who faced the final over with West Indies needing 19 - and wrapped it up with two balls to spare.•Getty Images
David Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their first IPL title with a narrow win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final. Warner's 69 took his side to 209, which Royal Challengers couldn't overtake despite half-centuries from Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli.•AFP
R Ashwin had a prolific year with the ball, but he was also productive with the bat, particularly in the West Indies, where he made two hundreds in India's 2-0 win, which made Virat Kohli the first Indian captain to win two Tests in the Caribbean.•Associated Press
Kraigg Brathwaite became the first opener to be unbeaten in both innings of a Test, as he led West Indies to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the day-night Test in Sharjah - their first Test win outside the West Indies and Bangladesh since 2007. West Indies nearly drew the first Test, in Dubai, after Devendra Bishoo negated the impact of Azhar Ali's triple-century by taking 8 for 49, but Pakistan eventually won the series 2-1.•AFP
In Hobart against South Africa, Australia were bowled out for 85, their lowest total at home in 32 years. After they lost Dale Steyn to injury on day two of the first Test, Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada took hold of the South African bowling attack. Rabada took a five-for in Perth, and Philander and Abbott shared 14 wickets in Hobart, where South Africa won the series 2-0. It was their third consecutive win in Australia.•Getty Images
Asad Shafiq gave Australia some nervous moments as he pushed Pakistan towards the mammoth target of 490 on the final day in Brisbane. In the end, they fell 40 short. Australia had dominated the game for most part, gaining a first-innings lead of 287 after Steven Smith and Peter Handscomb scored centuries. •Cricket Australia/Getty Images