Five Biggest Cricketing Controversies Of 2021

Amidst the Covid-19 scare, the fans got to witness plenty of cricket this year. The inaugural edition of the World Test Championship concluded in 2021. New Zealand beat India by 8 wickets to lift the title. India toured England for a much anticipated Test Series. ICC T20 World Cup 2021 brought smiles to the faces of cricket fans across the world.

Currently, Australia are hosting England in the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 series. Along with cricketing action, what was frequent this year has been the controversies. The year 2021 witnessed some of the biggest controversies which rocked the cricketing world. On that note, we take a look at the five biggest cricketing controversies of 2021.

Five Biggest Cricketing Controversies Of 2021

Cricket Australia cancelled South Africa tour amidst the Covid-19 scare

Amidst the second wave of Covid-19, Cricket Australia decided the postpone the Test series between Australia and South Africa, which was scheduled to play from March 2021. Cricket Australia took the decision to not travel to South Africa as it could pose an unacceptable level of health and safety risk to the players, support staff, and community.

As a result of that, Cricket South Africa suffered huge losses financially. Australia too had to pay the price as they failed to reach the final of the World Test Championship.

IPL 2021 postponement due to Covid-19 outbreak

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League was held in India. Things were going pretty well until the coronavirus entered the BCCI’s bio-secure bubble. It led to an outbreak of coronavirus cases. Several members of CSK, KKR, and SRH were tested positive and BCCI had no option but to postpone the tournament indefinitely. The second leg of the tournament was staged in September in UAE. Chennai Super Kings eventually lifted the title after beating Kolkata Knight Riders in the final.

Taliban put a ban on women’s sports in Afghanistan

Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan led to sports getting affected badly in the nation. Cricket, one of the most popular sports in the country, too was restricted to only the men’s and not the women’s. Besides, the Taliban banned all the cricketing coverage which had women’s involvement.

Add to that, they banned women of the country to play any kind of sports. As a result of that, Cricket Australia also postponed the Test match against Afghanistan to show support for women in Afghanistan.

“CA is committed to supporting growing the game for women and men in Afghanistan and around the world, however, given the present uncertainty, CA felt it necessary to postpone the Test match until a later time when the situation is clearer,” Cricket Australia stated.

Ramiz Raja’s appointment as chairman led to the coaching staff stepping down from their roles 

Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja’s appointment as the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board on 13^th September didn’t go down too well with the coaching staff. Perhaps, the members of the coaching staff of the Pakistan Cricket Team weren’t too happy with the team. Pakistan’s then-head coach Misbah Ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis stepped down from their role just a month prior to the start of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Though, the duo stated that bio-bubble fatigue as being the major reason behind the decision.

In his statement, Misbah, a former skipper said: “The quarantine in Jamaica post the West Indies series provided me with an opportunity to reflect on the past 24 months as well as the schedule for international cricket ahead.

Considering that I would have had to continue to spend considerable time away from my family and that too in a bio-secure environment, I have decided to step down from the role. “I understand that the timing may not be ideal but I don’t think I am in the right frame of mind for the upcoming challenges and it makes sense for someone fresh to step in and take the side forward.”

Racism Row in Yorkshire Cricket which rocked world cricket 

During an interview in 2020 with a leading publication that former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq claimed deep-rooted racism in the club and later revealed that the events led him to contemplate suicide.

After almost a year, Rafiq’s claim was blown up and created havoc in Yorkshire and England’s county cricket. In December 2020, Rafiq files a legal complaint against Yorkshire for direct discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race. The county cricket club tried to resolve the issue with Rafiq through the process of judicial mediation in June 2021, but they failed.

In July, Yorkshire issued an apology to Rafiq where it admitted that the cricketer was “the victim of inappropriate behaviour” and refused their racism allegations. The cricketer didn’t hold back and continued his fight against the club as ECB commends him for “the bravery he has shown in speaking up and shining a light on the racism he said he experienced as a Yorkshire Cricketer.”