Of celebrations and tributes: The world of cricket in 2014
This was the year of cricket. Here are some of the best captured moments.
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Australia's Mitchell Johnson (L) celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Gary Ballance during the third day of the fifth Ashes cricket test at the Sydney cricket ground January 5, 2014. Johnson wreaked havoc with his fiery bumpers as Australia whitewashed England 5-0 to regain the Ashes. Reuters
Australia give South African captain Graeme Smith a guard of honour as he comes out to bat for the last time during the fourth day of the third cricket test match at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town, March 4, 2014. A glorious career came to an end as Smith bid adieu to international cricket. He finished with 9265 runs at an average of 48.25 in Tests, 6989 runs at 37.98 in ODIs and 982 runs at 31.67 in T20Is. One of the most successful captains, Smith captained the Proteas in a record 109 matches. Under Smith, South Africa won a record 30 tests at home, while his 23 away wins equalled the record held by the West Indies' Clive Lloyd. Reuters
DHAKA, BANGLADESH - APRIL 06: Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka and his team celebrate with the trophy on the podium after winning the Final of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 between India and Sri Lanka at Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur Stadium on April 4, 2014 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sri Lanka broke their final hoodoo as they cruised to a six-wicket victory over India in the World Twenty20 finals. Sangakkara played a classy knock of 52 off 35 balls and was named the Man of the Match. Getty
Gautam Gambhir captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders and team mates lift the trophy to celebrate the tournament win during the final match of the Pepsi Indian Premier League Season 2014 between the Kings XI Punjab and the Kolkata Knight Riders held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India on the 1st June 2014.KKR lifted their second IPL title as beat Kings XI Punjab by three wickets in a thriling final at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. Chasing 200, Manish Pandey played a defining innings of 94 off 50 balls as KKR chased down the total with three balls to spare. Piyush Chawla hit the winning runs and set off in wild celebrations. Sportzpics
MCC's captain Sachin Tendulkar smiles as Rest of the World's Yuvraj Singh attempts to grab his leg during a cricket match to celebrate 200 years of Lord's at Lord's cricket ground in London, July 5, 2014. It was nostalgic day for the cricket fans as the past legends and present superstars locked horns in the Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord's between the Marylebone Cricket Club and the Rest of the World. Tendulkar lead MCC beat Shane Warne's Rest of the World. Aaron Finch hit a cracking 181 off 145 balls as MCC chased down 294 and Yuvraj's century went in vain. Reuters
LEEDS, ENGLAND - JUNE 24: James Anderson of England hangs his head over his bat as Sri Lanka winning the 2nd Investec Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley Cricket Ground on June 24, 2014 in Leeds, England. A thrilling 2nd Test saw Sri Lanka clinch victory over England off the penultimate ball of the Test at Headingley, Leeds. With 20 overs to go, Sri Lanka needed just one wicket for a victory but Moeen Ali and Anderson showed great resistance and hung on as if playing for their lives. Anderson went 54 balls without scoring but off the penultimate ball of the over, Shaminda Eranga produced a snorter and Anderson was caught at short leg. It sparked wild celebrations as Sri Lanka won their first ever Test series in England. Anderson was so distraught that he broke into tears while receiving the Man of the Series award. Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 21: India celebrate running out James Anderson of England to win the 2nd Investec Test match between England and India at Lord's Cricket Ground on July 21, 2014 in London, United Kingdom. Ishant Sharma's brilliant seven-wicket haul powered India to a historic win over England at Lord's, just their second in 82 years at the Home of Cricket. Ishant came out all guns blazing after lunch on the final day of the Test and bounced out England batsmen to clinch career-best figures of 7/74 as India beat England by 95 runs. Getty
Pakistani batsman Misbah Ul Haq celebrates after scoring a century during the fourth day of the second test cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Zayed International Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on November 2, 2014. Misbah created history as he smashed the joint-fastest Test century off 56 balls. He was just unstoppable as he thrashed the Australian bowlers all over the park and ended with eleven fours and five sixes during his breathtaking knock. Pakistan won the match by a huge margin of 365 runs. AFP
The Eden Gardens in Kolkata was a witness to one of the most breathtaking innings in the history of ODI cricket. Rohit Sharma went on a rampage against Sri Lanka and broke records after records on his way to a historic 264 against Sri Lanka in the 4th ODI of the series. Rohit registered the highest score in the history of ODI cricket with an array of sumptuous shots. His 264 off 173 balls included 33 fours and nine sixes. India scored 404 batting first and Sri Lanka didn't even surpass Rohit's score as they were bundled out for 251. November 13, 2014. Sportzpics
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 13: The Australian team sing victory song 'Under the Southern Cross I stand' in a huddled over the number 408 after their win over India which was dedicated to the late Phillip Hughes during day five of the First Test match between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval on December 13, 2014 in Adelaide, Australia. After an emotional roller-coaster, Australia produced an inspired performance to win the first Test against India at the Adelaide Oval. After the win, the entire Australian unit gathered in a huddle over 408 painted on the ground and paid tribute to Hughes singing the victory song. It was a poignant moment and a grand salute to Hughes. Getty