International cricket in 2020–21
International cricket season
The 2020–21 international cricket season took place from September 2020 to April 2021.[ 1] [ 2] 29 Tests , 49 One Day Internationals (ODIs), 50 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), 17 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 21 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is) were scheduled to be played during this period. Additionally, a number of other T20I/WT20I matches were also scheduled to be played in minor series involving associate nations.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continued into the 2020–21 international calendar. The 2021 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand was scheduled to take place during this time, starting on 6 February 2021.[ 3] [ 4] However, in August 2020, this was postponed by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 5] The 2020 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was also scheduled to be played in October and November in Australia, but this was also postponed by one year due to the pandemic.[ 6]
In July 2020, the men's 2020 Asia Cup , scheduled to be held in September 2020, was postponed until June 2021.[ 7] In August 2020, the West Indies tour of Australia was postponed,[ 8] along with India's T20I fixtures against Australia .[ 9] Also in August 2020, England's ODI and T20I matches against India was rescheduled to take place in early 2021.[ 10] Bangladesh's tour to Sri Lanka , originally scheduled to be played in July 2020, was moved to October 2020.[ 11] On 28 August 2020, Pakistan's planned tour to South Africa was also postponed.[ 12] However, in October 2020, the tour was rescheduled to take place in April 2021.[ 13]
In September 2020, it was confirmed that the 2020 edition of the Women's Asia Cup , scheduled to be played in Bangladesh,[ 14] had been cancelled as well.[ 15] Also in September, Cricket Australia confirmed that the one-off Test match against Afghanistan , and the limited-overs series against New Zealand had both been postponed due to the pandemic.[ 16] On 28 September 2020, Bangladesh's planned tour to Sri Lanka was postponed for a second time, after both cricket boards could not agree on the quarantine requirements.[ 17]
International women's cricket started with the first WT20I between Australia and New Zealand , with Australia winning by 17 runs.[ 18] Australia won the WT20I series 2–1,[ 19] and then went on to win the WODI series between the two teams 3–0.[ 20] With their 3–0, the team recorded 21 consecutive wins in the format, equalling the men's record set by Ricky Ponting 's team in the 2002–03 season.[ 21] International men's cricket started with Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan , with Pakistan winning the first ODI match by 26 runs.[ 22] In November 2020, Ireland and Scotland women's planned tour to Spain was the next series to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after Scotland withdrew from the series.[ 23] In December 2020, England's ODI matches against South Africa were postponed following a COVID-19 outbreak.[ 24] On 31 December 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed that the India women's tour of Australia, scheduled to take place in January 2021, had been postponed by one year .[ 25]
In December 2020, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a revised schedule for fixtures that had been postponed due to the pandemic that formed part of the qualification pathway for the 2023 Cricket World Cup .[ 26] These included the Cricket World Cup League 2 matches scheduled to be played in Namibia and Nepal,[ 27] and the Cricket World Cup Challenge League series originally planned to be played in Malaysia.[ 28] In January 2021, Ireland were scheduled to play four ODIs in the UAE against the hosts. However, two matches were cancelled following a COVID-19 scare within the UAE's team, resulting in the tour schedule being changed on multiple occasions.[ 29] Disruption continued into February 2021, with Australia's planned tour of South Africa being postponed,[ 30] and Pakistan women 's tour of Zimbabwe being cut short after one match, following flight restrictions from Harare to Pakistan.[ 31] Rounds six and seven of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament, scheduled to take place in Oman and Papua New Guinea respectively, were also postponed.[ 32]
In January and February 2021, South Africa toured Pakistan for the first time in fourteen years , playing two Tests and three T20I matches.[ 33] During the tour, Pakistan became the first men's team to win 100 T20I matches .[ 34] In April 2021, the Australia women's cricket team set a new record of twenty-two consecutive wins in ODI cricket,[ 35] breaking Ricky Ponting's team record from 2002 to 2003,[ 36] when they beat New Zealand by six wickets.[ 35]
Season overview
Rankings
The following were the rankings at the beginning of the season.
ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings 16 September 2020 [ 38]
Rank
Team
Matches
Points
Rating
1
England
44
5,405
123
2
India
49
5,819
119
3
New Zealand
32
3,716
116
4
Australia
36
3,941
109
5
South Africa
31
3,345
108
6
Pakistan
32
3,254
102
7
Bangladesh
34
2,989
88
8
Sri Lanka
39
3,297
85
9
West Indies
43
3,285
76
10
Afghanistan
28
1,549
55
11
Ireland
24
1,256
52
12
Netherlands
5
222
44
13
Oman
12
479
40
14
Zimbabwe
24
935
39
15
Scotland
16
419
26
16
Nepal
9
161
18
Only the top 16 teams are shown
ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings 8 September 2020 [ 39]
Rank
Team
Matches
Points
Rating
1
Australia
22
6,047
275
2
England
22
5,959
271
3
India
35
9,319
266
4
Pakistan
23
6,009
261
5
South Africa
17
4,380
258
6
New Zealand
23
5,565
242
7
Sri Lanka
23
5,293
230
8
Bangladesh
20
4,583
229
9
West Indies
24
5,499
229
10
Afghanistan
17
3,882
228
11
Zimbabwe
18
3,442
191
12
Ireland
29
5,513
190
13
United Arab Emirates
23
4,288
186
14
Scotland
17
3,096
182
15
Nepal
23
4,148
180
16
Papua New Guinea
21
3,769
179
Only the top 16 teams are shown
ICC Women's T20I Rankings 2 October 2020 [ 42] [ 41]
Rank
Team
Matches
Points
Rating
1
Australia
29
8,438
291
2
England
30
8,405
280
3
India
32
8,640
270
4
New Zealand
23
6,197
269
5
South Africa
24
5,978
249
6
West Indies
26
6,126
236
7
Pakistan
24
5,516
230
8
Sri Lanka
18
3,631
202
9
Bangladesh
26
5,001
192
10
Ireland
13
2,180
168
11
Thailand
26
4,145
159
12
Zimbabwe
11
1,711
156
13
Scotland
10
1,491
149
14
Nepal
11
1,457
132
15
Papua New Guinea
11
1,423
129
16
Samoa
6
749
125
Only the top 16 teams are shown
On-going tournaments
The following were the rankings at the beginning of the season.
September
2020 Asia Cup
The T20I tournament was postponed in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 43]
2020 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup
The WT20I tournament was postponed in September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 15]
New Zealand women in Australia
October
West Indies in Australia
The tour was postponed in August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 44]
Zimbabwe in Sri Lanka
The tour was scheduled to take place in October 2020, but did not take place, before being rescheduled for January 2022 .
Zimbabwe in Pakistan
November
India in Australia
The T20I fixtures were originally scheduled to take place in October 2020, but were rescheduled for December 2020 after the T20 World Cup was moved back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 9]
2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League – ODI series
No.
Date
Home captain
Away captain
Venue
Result
ODI 4265
27 November
Aaron Finch
Virat Kohli
Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney
Australia by 66 runs
ODI 4266
29 November
Aaron Finch
Virat Kohli
Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney
Australia by 51 runs
ODI 4267
2 December
Aaron Finch
Virat Kohli
Manuka Oval , Canberra
India by 13 runs
T20I series
No.
Date
Home captain
Away captain
Venue
Result
T20I 1114
4 December
Aaron Finch
Virat Kohli
Manuka Oval , Canberra
India by 11 runs
T20I 1115
6 December
Matthew Wade
Virat Kohli
Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney
India by 6 wickets
T20I 1116
8 December
Aaron Finch
Virat Kohli
Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney
Australia by 12 runs
Border–Gavaskar Trophy , 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship – Test series
No.
Date
Home captain
Away captain
Venue
Result
Test 2396
17–21 December
Tim Paine
Virat Kohli
Adelaide Oval , Adelaide
Australia by 8 wickets
Test 2398
26–30 December
Tim Paine
Ajinkya Rahane
Melbourne Cricket Ground , Melbourne
India by 8 wickets
Test 2402
7–11 January
Tim Paine
Ajinkya Rahane
Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney
Match drawn
Test 2404
15–19 January
Tim Paine
Ajinkya Rahane
The Gabba , Brisbane
India by 3 wickets
West Indies in New Zealand
Ireland women against Scotland women in Spain
The tour was cancelled in November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 45]
England in South Africa
The ODI matches were postponed in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 46]
December
Afghanistan in Australia
The tour was postponed in September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 47] In December 2020, the Afghanistan Cricket Board rescheduled the match for November 2021 .[ 48]
Pakistan in New Zealand
Sri Lanka in South Africa
January
Ireland in United Arab Emirates
Two of the four matches were cancelled due to COVID-19.[ 49]
England in Sri Lanka
West Indies in Bangladesh
Pakistan women in South Africa
Ireland vs Afghanistan in the UAE
New Zealand in Australia
The tour was postponed in September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 50] In May 2021, Cricket Australia rescheduled the tour to take place in January and February 2022 .[ 51]
South Africa in Pakistan
February
England in India
The ODI and T20I matches were originally scheduled to be played in September to October 2020, but they were rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 52]
Anthony de Mello Trophy , 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship – Test series
No.
Date
Home captain
Away captain
Venue
Result
Test 2409
5–9 February
Virat Kohli
Joe Root
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
England by 227 runs
Test 2411
13–17 February
Virat Kohli
Joe Root
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
India by 317 runs
Test 2412
24–28 February
Virat Kohli
Joe Root
Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad
India by 10 wickets
Test 2414
4–8 March
Virat Kohli
Joe Root
Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad
India by an innings and 25 runs
T20I series
No.
Date
Home captain
Away captain
Venue
Result
T20I 1131
12 March
Virat Kohli
Eoin Morgan
Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad
England by 8 wickets
T20I 1132
14 March
Virat Kohli
Eoin Morgan
Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad
India by 7 wickets
T20I 1133
16 March
Virat Kohli
Eoin Morgan
Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad
England by 8 wickets
T20I 1135
18 March
Virat Kohli
Eoin Morgan
Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad
India by 8 runs
T20I 1138
20 March
Virat Kohli
Eoin Morgan
Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad
India by 36 runs
2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League – ODI series
No.
Date
Home captain
Away captain
Venue
Result
ODI 4281
23 March
Virat Kohli
Eoin Morgan
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , Pune
India by 66 runs
ODI 4283
26 March
Virat Kohli
Jos Buttler
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , Pune
England by 6 wickets
ODI 4284
28 March
Virat Kohli
Jos Buttler
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , Pune
India by 7 runs
Pakistan women in Zimbabwe
The tour was cancelled in February 2021 due to flight restrictions.[ 53]
Australia in New Zealand
England women in New Zealand
March
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan in the UAE
Sri Lanka in West Indies
South Africa women in India
Bangladesh in New Zealand
Australia women in New Zealand
2021 Oman Tri-Nation Series
The series was postponed in February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[ 54] and rescheduled for September 2021 .[ 55]
Australia in South Africa
The tour was postponed in February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 56]
April
Pakistan in South Africa
The tour was originally scheduled to be played in October 2020, but postponed in August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 57] In October 2020, Cricket South Africa announced that the tour had been rescheduled for April 2021.[ 58]
2021 Papua New Guinea Tri-Nation Series
The series was postponed in February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 59]
Bangladesh in Sri Lanka
The Test matches were originally scheduled to be played in July and August 2020, but the tour was moved to October 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ 60] However, in September 2020, the tour was postponed again after neither cricket board could agree on the quarantine requirements.[ 61] In February 2021, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced that they would be touring Sri Lanka in April 2021 to play two Test matches.[ 62]
Pakistan in Zimbabwe
See also
Notes
^ a b c d e The tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^ The tour was originally scheduled to take place in October 2020, but did not take place.
^ The T20I fixtures were originally scheduled to take place in October 2020, but were rescheduled for December 2020 after the T20 World Cup was moved back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^ The ODI matches were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^ Two of the four matches were cancelled due to COVID-19.
^ The tour was originally scheduled to take place in October 2020, but was moved to April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^ The tour was originally scheduled to take place in July and August 2020, but was moved to April and May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^ a b c d The tournament was scheduled to take place, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^ The tour was cancelled due to flight restrictions.
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September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 Ongoing