Virat Kohli, Carlos Brathwaite’s WT20 heroics dominate cricket headlines in 2016

Virat Kohli’s stupendous success across all formats, West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite’s heroics in World T20, Bangladesh’s coming of age in Tests and Pakistan’s Lord’s redemption were the major headlines in the world of cricket in 2016.

Cricket witnessed several stirring moments in 2016. It was a year that saw some amazing feats of batting. It was a year that saw one team assert its dominance in the shortest format. It was a year when Asian nations made a big impact on the Test stage. Here are some of the memorable moments.

Virat Kohli enjoyed a stupendous year, scoring three double centuries, going 18 Tests without a loss and staying undefeated as captain.(Pratham Gokhale/HT PHOTO)

Brathwaite brings West Indies glory

The World T20 final between England and West Indies in Kolkata. 19 needed off six balls, Ben Stokes was bowling the final over. First ball, six over fine leg. Second ball, six over long on. Third ball, six over long off. Fourth ball, six over deep mid-wicket. In four balls, West Indies secured the World T20 title for the second time, and a superstar was born in the form of Carlos Brathwaite. His four consecutive sixes prompted Ian Bishop to scream on air, “Carlos Brathwaite, Remember the name.”

West Indies Carlos Brathwaite hits a six during the final of the ICC World Twenty20 2016 cricket tournament against England at Eden Gardens. (AP)

His exploits summed up West Indies run in the tournament, where they played with flair and aggression to win hearts. It was a magnificent start to 2016 as their under-19 team won the World Cup in Bangladesh while the women’s team won the Twenty20 World Cup for the first time.

Virat Kohli enjoys a Bradmanesque year

The year should be rechristened the Virat Kohli year. In every format, he redefined batsmanship. In the Indian Premier League, Kohli notched up a record 973 runs with four centuries. However, it was bitter-sweet as his team, Royal Challengers , lost the final for the third time.

In Tests, Kohli enjoyed a stupendous year, scoring three double centuries, going 18 Tests without a loss and staying undefeated as captain. Kohli’s form promises bright things for Indian cricket in the coming years.

Pakistan’s push-ups at Lord’s after victory

Lord’s 2010, Pakistan were shamed by the spot-fixing scandal. Lord’s 2016, redemption. When Mohammad Amir, one of the accused in the spot-fixing saga, took the final wicket, the emotions were evident as they won the Test by 75 runs.

The Pakistan team perform push ups in celebration after winning the 1st Investec Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's Cricket Ground. (Getty Images)

The players celebrated in a different way, by performing push-ups on the turf. Misbah-ul-Haq, the skipper, stated that before the series they had gone to an army boot camp to prepare and this was a tribute to the army men.

Hasan creates history

Bangladesh have been playing Test cricket for 16 years. Their success involved series wins only against Zimbabwe. All that changed on October 30 in Mirpur during the second Test against England. This was due to the efforts of the 19-year-old Mehedi Hasan.

Bangladesh's Mehedi Hasan Miraz, right, and teammate Taijul Islam celebrate after their victory over England in the second cricket test match in Dhaka. (AP)

In the second Test, he picked up a match haul of 12/159 as England lost 10 wickets in a session to lose the match by 108 runs and suffer their first loss to Bangladesh. Finally, Bangladesh had finally got the better of a big team.

Faf’s ‘Mintgate’ problem after Australia series win

South Africa secured a Test series win in Australia for the third time. Faf du Plessis, who had taken over the realms from AB de Villiers, was on top of the world after the win in the Hobart Test, which the Proteas secured by an innings and 80 runs.

South Africa's Faf du Plessis was fined for ball-tampering at the Hobart Test against Australia. (AP)

However, the achievement was tarnished by claims that Du Plessis had tampered with the ball. Footage showed him applying saliva to the ball with a lolly in his mouth.

The ICC fined him 100 percent of his match fee but the South Africa skipper pleaded not guilty and decided to appeal the verdict. Although he lost his appeal, the saga soured what was a fine performance by a South Africa team which had bounced back after a tough 2016.