3 first-ever incidents in cricket that happened in 2019

Yet another eventful year of international cricket draws to a close. 2019 provided us with riveting cricketing action and kept us hooked. Virat Kohli continued his brilliant run with the bat and strengthened his position as the era's most complete batsman. Rohit Sharma owned the ODI arena plundering runs against every opposition, and Steve Smith returned to international cricket with a bang by blasting a colossal 774 runs in the 2019 Ashes Series against England. Marcus Labuschagne announced to the world that he is a player for the future for Australia in the longest format of the game. There were also some ‘first time ever’ events that took place during this year. In this article, let us look at three first time ever events that took place in 2019.

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#3 India wins a Test Series in Australia

India created history by winning a Test series in Australia for the first time in 2019.

The 4th Test match between India and Australia at Sydney in January 2019 ended in a draw which meant that India won the series 2-1, having triumphed over the Kangaroos at Melbourne and Adelaide. It was an extremely special occasion for the Indian team because this was the first time in history that India had won a Test series Down Under. Cheteshwar Pujara lead the carnage with the bat, scoring hundreds in both Adelaide and Melbourne. The young brigade under the dynamic leadership of Kohli had arrived in style, and had triumphed in a country many believe is the toughest for a sub-continental team to emerge victorious from. In a sense, the final frontier for the Indian team had been conquered. Despite a weakened Aussie side, the Indians winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia is a significant achievement.

#2. 5 centuries by a batsman in one World Cup

Rohit Sharma blasted five hundreds in the 2019 edition of the World Cup.

Rohit Sharma literally owned the 2019 edition of the World Cup and toyed with the opposition bowling attack. ‘The Hitman’ was in the form of his life, and blasted five hundreds during the competition. It was a feat that has been never accomplished before, and in all probability, this record will stand the test of time. Sharma scored hundreds against South Africa, Pakistan, England, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka and played a pivotal role in India reaching the semi-finals of the multi-nation event. He also scored a staggering 647 runs during the entire tournament, the second highest run tally by an Indian batsman in a World Cup. He eventually fell short of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s towering tally of 673 runs in 11 innings during the 2003 edition in South Africa.

#1. England wins their first ODI World Cup

A jubilant England cricket team with the 2019 World Cup

The 2019 World Cup in England was a riveting one. After several teams battled it out, England and New Zealand made it to the summit clash. Both teams had not triumphed at cricket’s biggest stage and were keen to lay their hands on the trophy. The 2019 World Cup final went down to the wire. There was nothing to separate the teams after the allotted 50 overs. Both teams had scored an identical 241 runs.

So, a Super Over was called for, to decide the winner. Even then, there was nothing to separate both the teams. In the Super Over too, both the teams scored 15 runs each. So, England was declared the winners, by the virtue of having scored more boundaries as compared to the Kiwis. There was jubilation and ecstasy in the England camp. The team had finally tasted success in cricket’s biggest stage, and the players celebrated in unbridled joy.