What all did we have in 2023, didn’t we? There was the World Test Championship, World Cup Qualifiers, Asia Cup, World Cup 2023, bilaterals, and of course, franchise cricket, which can’t be left behind in modern-day cricket.
But for times to come, this soon-to-end year will be remembered as being the year of one day international cricket. And that’s not only because of some exasperating performances in 50-over cricket and also, not only down to the brilliance of the bat.
So what standout performances in the fifty-over white ball cricket made 2023 a year to remember and who were the names behind these performances?
Bas De Leede’s All-round Display Against Scotland (World Cup 2023 Qualifiers)
The Netherlands were nothing short of impressive this year with their continuous display of standing tall even against the tougher of opponents like Bangladesh and West Indies, who play all three formats of the game regularly.
Bas De Leede was one of the chief architects in their run to reach the league stage of the World Cup 2023.
Leede’s match-winning performance against Scotland helped the Netherlands inch a step closer to qualification for the World Cup 2023.
While bowling, he took a five-wicket haul helping his
team restrict Scotland to 277 runs. And when it came to batting, he played a blistering knock of 123 that came off just 92 deliveries, winning the game for his team.
Dunith Wellalage’s Magical Spell Against India (Asia Cup 2023)
At the age of just 20, Dunith Wellalage had an arm of disturbing the best of Indian batters in the Asia Cup 2023. With his left-arm bowling skills, he caught the eyes of the selectors during the Under-19 World Cup, where he picked up 17 wickets in just six games and also scored 264 runs, including a century.
In the Super 4s clash against India, Wellalage was ready to take a huge leap and challenge one of the strongest batting lineups. He went on to take a five-wicket haul, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya.
His performance did not end there, his
team were 99 for 6 when he came to bat and went on to score 41 not out, almost taking the
Lankans over the line.
Glenn Maxwell’s Big Show Against Afghanistan (World Cup 2023)
Whenever there will be a discussion about the top performances in ODIs not in just 2023 but in the history of ODI cricket, Glenn Maxwell will be a part of the discussion for what he did against Afghanistan in the World Cup 2023. For what he did that day was something that rarely happens.
After a brilliant batting display from Afghanistan that helped them post 291 against
Australia, they were brilliant with the ball as well, taking seven wickets of the Aussies for just 91.
But Maxwell would have done anything on that day, even if you would have asked him to walk
on water, he would. He smashed 201 off just 128 deliveries and took Australia home, playing one of the greatest innings in the history of ODI cricket.
Mohammed Shami’s Seven-Wicket Haul Against New Zealand (World Cup 2023 Semifinal) Team India cruised their way into the semifinals with zero defeats in the league stage of the World Cup 2023.
But again, they were about to face the Kiwis. Kohli’s 50th century and Iyer’s century, helped India post a mammoth total of 397, and all India needed to do was to restrict the Kiwis for anything under 397.
Mohammed Shami, who was left out for the first few games and made a comeback in the
league game against New Zealand by picking up a five-wicket haul, was again greedy against the same opponents.
When Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson were building a partnership, it was Shami who not only broke the partnership but went on to pick seven wickets, helping India win by 70 runs.
Fakhar Zaman’s Blazing Ton Against New Zealand (World Cup 2023)
Pakistan team did not have a great time in India during the World Cup 2023. After winning the
first two games, they went on to lose the next four, and the only way for them to reach the
semifinal was to win the remaining three on the trot. After a win against Bangladesh, they were facing New Zealand in a must-win game.
The Kiwis posted a total of 401, and the only way Pakistan could win this one was if one of the players kept depositing the balls into the stands of Chinnaswamy stadium, and that’s what Fakhar Zaman did.
The left-hander known for dashing the white ball smashed 11 sixes and scored a 126 unbeaten runs off just 81 deliveries.
Although the rain helped the Pakistan team, it was a smart play from Fakhar, who kept Pakistan ahead of the DLS par score.
Rachin Ravindra’s Classy Hundred on World Cup Debut Against England
The exciting talent from New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra did everything possible to make sure his team wins every game. He has the class of a conventional left-handed batter and possesses the skills to bowl left-arm orthodox as well.
After opening the innings for the first time in the World Cup warm-up games, he impressed the management by scoring two half-centuries.
When he came to open the innings in the opening game against England, he stood tall and smacked 123 off just 96 deliveries. He did not stop there and went on to smash 578 runs in the tournament.
Virat Kohli’s Consistent Show During the World Cup 2023
The most consistent cricketer of the modern era was nothing short of exemplary in this tournament, scoring 700+ runs in one day cricket’s grandest stage.
Doing so made Virat Kohli, known as the king of batting, the first ever player to achieve the feat.
He also broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar of most centuries in ODI cricket.
With three centuries and six half centuries, averaging 95.62, he was there to win the World Cup for his team, but unfortunately destiny had different plans.
With a half-century in the final, he helped the team reach a decent total but that wasn’t enough to win the trophy.
2023 was the year of ODI cricket & the year of Shubman Gill
The right-handed top-order batter, Shubman Gill, also popularly known as Prince among the fans, had one of the best years of his cricketing journey. He went on to smash over 1584 in just 29 innings with a staggering average of 63.
In the beginning of the year, Gill entered the elite club of players, who have scored a double hundred in the ODIs. It was the first ODI of the bilateral series against New Zealand, where gill slammed a double hundred off just 145 deliveries and did not stop since then.
De Kock batted akin to a Quinton Tarantino Masterclass on the big screen
The Southpaw from South Africa, Quinton De Kock declared that he will be retiring from the ODIs after the World Cup. All he could do in his last World Cup was do anything possible to take the team to the next stage in the tournament and that’s what he did by hammering 500+ runs in the tournament.
With four centuries in the tournament, De Kock was one of the highest run-scorers. In the game against Bangladesh, he went on to smash 174 runs with the help of seven maximums and 15 boundaries. The Proteas will remember this tournament and cherish his knocks for a long time.
Ibrahim Zadran’s Display of Character Against Australia (World Cup 2023)
While there were concerns about the batting of the Afghanistan team, the batters in this World Cup were composed and helped the Afghan team win four games. Ibrahim Zadran was one of the key players in their great run at the World Cup 2023.
Ibrahim Zadran now holds the record for scoring most runs in ODIs in a calendar year for Afghanistan, as he has smashed 854 runs this year including two centuries and five half-centuries.
He showed great composure against Australia in the World Cup, playing a blistering knock of 126 runs helping Afghanistan post a good total of 291.
Rohit Sharma’s Aggressive Display During the World Cup 2023
We have seen Rohit Sharma playing till the 50th over scoring double hundreds not just once, but thrice.
But this time around, he gave himself a different role as a captain, playing the role of an aggressor from the first delivery. Despite playing this brand of cricket, he became the second highest run-scorer of the World Cup 2023 with 597 runs which includes one century.
Rohit also holds the record for hitting most sixes in a single edition of the World Cup, as he hammered 31 maximums in this tournament and also became the player with most sixes in international cricket.
But unfortunately, nothing was enough to win the World Cup trophy for his team.
