The decade was full of roller-coaster emotions, stellar performances, surprising retirements, unexpected results, pleasant upsets, highlighting victories, disastrous losses and infinite cricketing memories. 2019, as one would want, quietly followed suit. The game that transpired both in and out of those 22 yards was sumptuous to watch and witness. 
Along with the traditional cricketing formats, the introduction of D/N Tests, the buzz created around T10 and The Hundred formats added completely new dimensions to the game this year. Though cricket also suffered a few hiccups during this period, the International Cricket Council (ICC) ensured that guilty were punished and timely order was restored.
First quarter of the year was broadly regarded as a final practice towards the prestigious English summer. With the ICC ODI World Cup in sights, teams tried to finalize their team combinations and give its players as much game time as possible. While the bilateral series also included Tests and T20s, expectedly so ODIs stole most of fans and critics’ attention. It was important for every team to tick boxes across all departments and also keep ready replacements in case of injuries. The ICC World Cup for the first time in 27 years was to be played in round-robin format and with a minimum of 9 matches, endurance and fitness was set to undergo a stern test along with the skill set. The month-long tournament was set to stage one of the most competitive competitions of the decade and India along with hosts England started as firm favorites.
Close encounters, last ball finishes, enthralling rivalries, easy giveaways, surprising wins as even one-sided triumphs and disastrous losses, this world cup would alone suffice to explain every cricketing emotion. India’s dream to win an ICC crown yet again was crashed by New Zealand in the first semi-finals. Thanks to India’s brain-faded 30 minutes of play on the reserve day and a miraculous throw from Guptill to catch MS Dhoni, and thereby Indian hopes, short of the crease, Indians were only left with a handful of depressing memories. 
However, to what is regarded as the game of the decade, the World Cup Final saw a series of exciting events, that included an overthrow running away to the boundary post deflection and a tied super-over. However, England walked away with their first ever title with a superior boundary count, a rule later criticized, discussed and eventually cancelled in due course.
Post World Cup, the world shifted its focus to cricket’s biggest rivalry, ‘The Ashes’. The tournament also marked the beginning of the World Test Championship, ICC’s best bid to revive cricket’s longest format in the coming years. Though none of the teams managed to steal an outright series win, the 2-2 draw had its own moments of excitement and stardom.
The comeback of Steve Smith, patience of the Aussie stand-in captain Paine, the lower middle order resilience of England and some exceptional swing bowling from both sides dictated the course of play. The 135* from Ben Stokes at Leeds, single-handedly taking England to victory batting would surely go down as one of Test cricket’s greatest fourth innings’ knocks. 
Both teams had a hunger to succeed and an apt mindset to tackle both conditions and the opposition with equal determination and grit. Another team that has been consistently achieving similar heights is India. Currently sitting at the top of the points table, Indians have also reigned supreme in consequent T20s and ODIs throughout the prolonged home season post World Cup. Virat Kohli and his team are on course to retain their Test mace once again and are on a roll in team as well as individual rankings this season.
The umpires have also had their share of criticism this year. The neglectance in spotting of No-Balls has forced ICC to introduce new rules while the increased gut of the players to criticize umpires has added a grey shade to the game. 
Moreover, the increasing pace of the game has taken toll of cricketer’s minds and has thereby brought a lot of lucrative T20 leagues and cricket matches under scanner for match-fixing and related associations. Senior players like Shakib-al-Hasan have been reprimanded with a 2-year ban for the same and a strong message is being sent by the ICC across the globe.
The year gone by has seen many international cricketers bid farewell to the game. To name a few, the services of Yuvraj Singh, Imran Tahir, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Shoaib Malik reached a permanent halt across formats. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni, the Indian maestro is yet to announce his playing status as he remains absent from the international as well as domestic scene since the World Cup. The management as well as Dhoni himself have left nothing for the fans even to read between the lines. So one would only hope that 2020 brings answers to desperate questions like these. Having said, the emergence of young talents like Rashid Khan, Marnus Labuchagne and Jofra Archer will surely highlight 2019 in the history books.
Safe to say, 2019 has been a perfect culmination of the decade. The year has involved every positive and negative aspect of the game in parts but has only helped improve its standards, both for the players as well as the fans. 2019 has also left everyone with loads of questions that perhaps only a new decade and a new era of cricket holds answers to. The growth of newer Test centers, expansion of T20 and ODIs across ICCs member nations, the increased intensity amongst fans and the unparalleled unconditional love for the game remain an ever-growing fulfilment.
(NOTE: Greatly humbled by the unconditional love and support to the blog over the past three years. Thank you everyone!)
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