All the hits

We totted up the numbers for the best-performing articles on ESPNcricinfo and the Cricket Monthly over 2021 and here are the top tens. (Match and series previews and reports are not included in these lists.)

News

1. IPL retention rules: old teams can keep four players ahead of 2022 auction, three early picks for new teams

2. R Ashwin: 'I didn't know the ball hit Rishabh, but I'd run even if I did'

3. Virat Kohli: India were not 'brave enough with bat or ball' against New Zealand

4. 'I am not a racist' - Quinton de Kock apologises, will take the knee

5. Boult: 'Hopefully I can mirror what Shaheen did to India the other night'

6. Kohli backs Shami after social media abuse: 'Attacking someone over religion is the most pathetic thing'

7. IPL 2021 postponed as Covid-19 count increases

8. Crowd trouble mars Pakistan-Afghanistan clash as 'thousands' of ticketless fans attempt to force entry

9. IPL 2021 auction: The list of sold and unsold players

10. FAQ: All you wanted to know about the T20 World Cup 2021

Features

1. Avesh Khan wants to be a bowler who can produce what his captain wants
By Nagraj Gollapudi

2. The only T20 World Cup preview you need to read
By Andrew Fidel Fernando

3. Which team has won the most matches in men's T20 World Cups?
By Gaurav Sundararaman and Sreshth Shah

4. 'I was wasted, but in a good way' - Why Moeen Ali felt it was time to retire from Test cricket
By George Dobell

5. Are you a T20 opener facing Shaheen Afridi? Be afraid, be very afraid
By Osman Samiuddin

6. Lessons from the IPL - how will the UAE pitches play out at the T20 World Cup?
By Gaurav Sundararaman

7. ECB's hypocrisy and double-standards could fast lose them friends
By George Dobell

8. Chris Jordan: 'I try to judge myself on execution, whether I go for a boundary or take a wicket'
By Matt Roller

9. Who is Venkatesh Iyer, KKR's latest debutant?
By Shashank Kishore

10. Calling it like Kohli: When India needed their captain to stand up, he stood tall
By Sidharth Monga

The Cricket Monthly

1. R Ashwin: 'I've always been good at assessing batsmen, but now I think I've taken it to another level'
By Sidharth Monga

2. India's 2011 World Cup win: 'I wanted to hug him and hit him at the same time till he confirmed we'd won the World Cup'
By Hemant Brar

3. How did India build their world-beating bench strength? They have a system
By Sidharth Monga

4. Ten ways T20 has changed since the last World Cup
By Sidharth Monga, Shiva Jayaraman and Girish TS

5. Pat Cummins: 'Once we knew Virat was going to miss the last three Tests, Pujara was the big wicket for me'
By Daniel Brettig

6. Hardik Pandya: 'When I am on the ground, I believe nothing's impossible. I don't feel fear'
By Nagraj Gollapudi

7. India. Australia. Chennai. 2001
By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

8. Remember the game: the last six balls of the 2016 T20 World Cup relived
By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

9. This is us: New Zealand's climb to the top
By Andrew Fidel Fernando

10. Rashid Khan: 'You can get form back, but once you lose respect, it's hard to get that back'
By Nagraj Gollapudi

More in our look back at 2021