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What a year this has been for sports worldwide. 2021 will be remembered in history as a huge turning point in the world of sports, especially after the Coronavirus pandemic. It was in 2021 that the Tokyo Olympics branded as 2020 Olympics but played in 2021 was successfully organized and it was in this year that several of the world's most high-profile football transfers happened. However, as much as there were moments of joy, there were also emotional lows and surprises in store.
Presenting in this piece are the most bizarre moments on the cricket field in 2021. There were quite a few of these in the calendar year but only 5 of them are mentioned underneath:
1. Bangladesh bat without knowing target in T20I against New Zealand
The incident happened during New Zealand vs Bangladesh's second T20I in Napier in March. In what was a rain-truncated game, the visitors came out to bat in the second innings without knowing their target. After being asked to bat first, New Zealand made 173/5 in 18 overs when the innings had to stop due to rain and later when the Bangladesh openers came in they did not know their target until they were stopped and given a revised target of 70 from 16 overs. The Kiwis eventually won by 28 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
2. Infamous YouTuber Jarvo 69's repeated invasion onto the ground during India vs England Test series
Jarvo 69 grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The individual who is known as Daniel Jarvis repeatedly intruded on the grounds during the Test series between India and England and was seen wearing the India jersey and acting as if he was a part of the Indian XI. While many had thought it to be a harmless prank on the first instance, his repeated offences led many to believe that it was a serious case of a security breach.
Later Jarvo was banned for life from several of the stadiums and was even fined a hefty sum to ensure he does not engage in such acts again.
3. ICC awards special Dog of the Month award to Dazzle the Dog
The International Cricket Council awarded a dog in 2021 for "exceptional athleticism in the field." Notably, the dog had invaded the pitch during All-Ireland T20 Women's Cup match. In the 9th over the second innings of the match, the batting side needed 27 runs to win off 21 deliveries, which is when the dog sprinted, collected the ball and had a little run around the ground before it ran towards the batter at the non-striker end who held her in her arms while all the players, as well as the commentators, burst into laughter.
4. Umpire's outrageous headstand while signalling a wide
In a video that went viral on the internet, an umpire pulled out a gesture to signal wide which would force the budding gymnasts to have a bit of introspection. The video is from Maharashtra's Purandar Premier League during a game in which when a bowler bowled wide, the umpire did not just stretch his arms sideways, the usual gesture to signal a wide but pulled off a headstand while stretching his legs to signal that the ball was outside the reach the batter. The video spread quickly and received thousands of views in no time.
5. Batters gets bowled but survives because of no appeal from fielding team
In yet another bizarre incident, a batter was dismissed bowled but survived since there was no appeal whatsoever from the fielding side. The incident is from a match in the Women's National Cricket League in Australia. During the contest between Queensland and Tasmania on December 17, in the 14th over of the first innings of the game, Tasmania's Belinda Vakarewa bowled a good length ball that went past the edge of batter Georgia Vall.
While there appeared to be a slight confusion since the bails had been dislodged in the process, it seemed like the wicketkeeper's gloves might have taken the bails off. However, replays confirmed that the ball had dislodged the bails but the batter survived since there was no appeal.