The tumultuous year of cricket began as South Africa lit up the Women’s T20 World Cup at home with an impressive run to the final, where they then took on the mighty Australians who dashed the home crowd’s hopes and secured a record-equalling sixth title fetched.

And 2023 ended in similar fashion, with India hosting the men’s 50-over World Cup and the home favorites recording a torrid unbeaten run to the final at the sport’s biggest stadium in Ahmedabad, but losing a surprise six-wicket loss to the five-time champions -Accept defeat for Australia.

Between the two tournaments, a lot of news, action and big results rocked the cricket world. Al Jazeera looks at sport’s 10 biggest moments in 2023:

1. Australia repeat three T20 titles

The ninth Women’s T20 World Cup began with Sri Lanka’s thrilling win over hosts South Africa, but the Proteas soon bounced back and reached the final after defeating strong England.

The Australian juggernaut, led by Meg Lanning – powered by Beth Mooney’s 53-74 balls and the controlled performance of her experienced bowling unit – defeated the hosts by 19 runs in a hard-fought final in Cape Town.

2. The Women’s Premier League starts in India

On March 4, India launched its lucrative women’s version T20 Franchise League amidst fanfare. A week after the T20 World Cup, top players from around the world competed in five teams.

Over five years, more than $580 million was spent to acquire the five franchises and the broadcast rights were sold for $117 million.

India and Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the maiden trophy after her side defeated Lannings Delhi by seven wickets in the final. The league is touted as a game-changer in women’s cricket, similar to its men’s version, the Indian Premier League.

3. South African legend Shabnim Ismail is retiring

The fastest woman in cricket ended her 16-year international career, which began as an amateur player in 2007. Ismail went on to play 241 caps for South Africa and is the all-time leading wicket-taker in international matches, with 317 scalps to her name.

Her 191 one-day international (ODI) wickets surpass only India’s Jhulan Goswami, while her participation in all eight T20 World Cups and four 50-over World Cups is a testament to her legendary status in the game.

Ismail cited a desire to “spend more time with my family, especially my siblings and parents as they get older” as the deciding factor, but said she would continue playing league cricket.

SHABNIM ISMAIL RETIRES 🚨

Legendary fast bowler Shabnim Ismail has announced that she is retiring from all forms of international cricket for the Proteas Women with immediate effect to focus on her family 🏏

2⃣4⃣1⃣ international matches
3⃣1⃣7⃣ wickets

Thank you for everything, Shabnim 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GqzD9WZNn5

— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) May 3, 2023

4. India vs Pakistan is the focus of the Asian Cup

After months of deliberations and discussions, India refused to play its 2023 Asia Cup matches in host country Pakistan and more than half of the matches were moved to Sri Lanka.

The much-anticipated Group A match between India and Pakistan was inundated by heavy rain in Kandy, raising fears that a similar scenario could occur in the Super Four clash. With more rain forecast in the capital Colombo, tournament organizers added a reserve day for the marquee game, sparking criticism from fans who called it a financially motivated decision given the interest in the game. The reserve day came into play and India walked away with a huge 228-run win. A few days later they lifted the trophy with a 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka.

5th World Cup opens in front of an empty stadium

The ICC Men’s Over-50s Cricket World Cup was expected to attract millions of fans in cricket-mad India to 10 stadiums across the country. However, the completely empty Narendra Modi Stadium at the tournament’s opening match in Ahmedabad shocked fans and set the tone for all matches not involving the host country.

While fans filled the venues with a sea of ​​blue jerseys at all the games in India, others were far from filled. Fans need to ask questions Ticket sales, tournament planning and marketing.

6. Afghanistan is developing from a small player into a competitor

Afghanistan got off to a weak start to the World Cup campaign with defeats against Bangladesh and India, but then fought through England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to secure a chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Their top batters combined their skills with calm confidence while the spin bowling led by Rashid Khan left their opponents reeling. Although the team failed to qualify for the final four, they left India with a changed reputation from minnows to world beaters.

7. Cricket gets Olympic nod

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) added cricket as one of five sports to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles in October at the request of the host city.

Cricket last appeared at the Olympics in 1900. The games in Los Angeles are expected to see six teams – both men and women – play the T20 version of the game.

8. Maxwell’s magic lights up Mumbai

Australia were facing defeat against a rising power in the form of Afghanistan when Glenn Maxwell walked onto the field at 91-7 and limped off having won the game for his side.

Maxwell’s 201 runs were littered with fours and sixes during which he made minimal foot movement while battling cramps all over his body. Still, his big goal and 202-year partnership with captain Pat Cummins got them over the finish line and broke Afghans’ hearts.

Against all expectations 🙌

The stats behind one of the greatest ODI knocks of all time 📲 https://t.co/rv0UVeOWYZ pic.twitter.com/F5LI5xGEXv

— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) November 8, 2023

9. Virat Kohli scores 50th ODI century

When India began their World Cup campaign, Virat Kohli had 47 ODI centuries, two shy of his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s record. As the tournament progressed and Kohli took over the role of host, it became clear that it was only a matter of time for him to break the record.

Every game left his fans in awe, but the former India captain made them wait until his birthday on the day of the semi-final against New Zealand, in whose presence Tendulkar wanted to scale the summit.

10. Australia surprise India to win sixth title

After a stunning 10-game unbeaten run in the group stage and semi-finals, it seemed only a matter of time before India won their third World Cup at home and thrilled the nearly 100,000 Indian fans in Ahmedabad.

But Australia had other plans as they took the field surprisingly slower at the final venue. From stemming the flow of runs to impossible catches, the five-time champions put India in trouble by dismissing them for 240 runs.

Despite an initial stutter, the experienced Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne brought the team home in green and gold with seven overs to spare and six wickets to spare.

The shock and anguish on the faces of the Indian players and fans told the story of a barely believable end to what was supposed to be the crowning glory for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Co.

ℂℍ𝔸𝕄ℙ𝕀𝕆ℕ𝕊 𝕎𝕀𝕋ℍ 𝕋ℍ𝔼 🏆#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/7PGtzziVoc

— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) November 19, 2023