The most-read articles on ESPNcricinfo and the Cricket Monthly in 2021
31-Dec-2021Cricket MonthlyNews1. IPL retention rules: old teams can keep four players ahead of 2022 auction, three early picks for new teams2. R Ashwin: ‘I didn’t know the ball hit Rishabh, but I’d run even if I did’3. Virat Kohli: India were not ‘brave enough with bat or ball’ against New Zealand4. ‘I am not a racist’ – Quinton de Kock apologises, will take the knee5. Boult: ‘Hopefully I can mirror what Shaheen did to India the other night’6. Kohli backs Shami after social media abuse: ‘Attacking someone over religion is the most pathetic thing’7. IPL 2021 postponed as Covid-19 count increases8. Crowd trouble mars Pakistan-Afghanistan clash as ‘thousands’ of ticketless fans attempt to force entry9. IPL 2021 auction: The list of sold and unsold players10. FAQ: All you wanted to know about the T20 World Cup 2021Shaheen Shah Afridi produced some of the best spells of the year – and inspired some of the best writing•Getty ImagesFeatures1. Avesh Khan wants to be a bowler who can produce what his captain wants
By Nagraj Gollapudi2. The only T20 World Cup preview you need to read
By Andrew Fidel Fernando3. Which team has won the most matches in men’s T20 World Cups?
By Gaurav Sundararaman and Sreshth Shah4. ‘I was wasted, but in a good way’ – Why Moeen Ali felt it was time to retire from Test cricket
By George Dobell5. Are you a T20 opener facing Shaheen Afridi? Be afraid, be very afraid
By Osman Samiuddin6. Lessons from the IPL – how will the UAE pitches play out at the T20 World Cup?
By Gaurav Sundararaman7. ECB’s hypocrisy and double-standards could fast lose them friends
By George Dobell8. Chris Jordan: ‘I try to judge myself on execution, whether I go for a boundary or take a wicket’
By Matt Roller9. Who is Venkatesh Iyer, KKR’s latest debutant?
By Shashank Kishore10. Calling it like Kohli: When India needed their captain to stand up, he stood tall
By Sidharth MongaR Ashwin took no prisoners in his interview with the Cricket Monthly•AFP via Getty ImagesThe Cricket Monthly1. R Ashwin: ‘I’ve always been good at assessing batsmen, but now I think I’ve taken it to another level’
By Sidharth Monga2. India’s 2011 World Cup win: ‘I wanted to hug him and hit him at the same time till he confirmed we’d won the World Cup’
By Hemant Brar3. How did India build their world-beating bench strength? They have a system
By Sidharth Monga4. Ten ways T20 has changed since the last World Cup
By Sidharth Monga, Shiva Jayaraman and Girish TS5. Pat Cummins: ‘Once we knew Virat was going to miss the last three Tests, Pujara was the big wicket for me’
By Daniel Brettig6. Hardik Pandya: ‘When I am on the ground, I believe nothing’s impossible. I don’t feel fear’
By Nagraj Gollapudi7. India. Australia. Chennai. 2001
By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan8. Remember the game: the last six balls of the 2016 T20 World Cup relived
By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan9. This is us: New Zealand’s climb to the top
By Andrew Fidel Fernando10. Rashid Khan: ‘You can get form back, but once you lose respect, it’s hard to get that back’
By Nagraj GollapudiMore in our look back at 2021
