Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand won the ICC Spirit of the Game Award for his show of sportsmanship during the ICC World T20 2021 semifinal clash against England.
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New Zealand cricketers winning the ICC Spirit of the Game Award is nothing new. When Kane Williamson’s New Zealand team suffered the ultimate heartbreak in the 2019 ICC World Cup final against England in Lord’s, his post-match calmness was exemplary. Now, one more New Zealand player has joined the list. After Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, and Williamson, Daryl Mitchell has won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award.
The award was for his magnificent display of sportsmanship during the ICC World T20 2021 semifinal against England in Abu Dhabi. James Neesham hit a ball from Adil Rashid down the ground. It could have been an easy single but Daryl Mitchell, the non-striker, did not want to take the run. He conceded that he had impeded Adil Rashid’s attempt to stop the single. In a high-pressure semifinal, Mitchell’s action was class. It showed that playing the game in the right spirit mattered more than winning.
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New Zealand was boosted by a masterclass from Daryl Mitchell. He blasted an aggressive 72 off 47 balls to help the Kiwis beat England. They lost in the final of the ICC World T20 2021 to an aggressive and super-competitive Australia.
When Mitchell refused the single with New Zealand needing four runs from eight balls, the action was universally praised. Former England captain Nasser Hussain commended Mitchell for the act and said this represented New Zealand cricket. “That is very good. That is so New Zealand, it really is. So easy to take a run there. But the non-strike said, ‘No, I’ve got in the way of Adil.’ Anything sums up New Zealand cricket – it was that,” Nasser Hussain said.
When he received the ICC Spirit of the Game Award, Daryl Mitchell said, “To be part of that T20 World Cup in UAE was an amazing experience. To receive an award like this is pretty cool. It’s something that we pride ourselves on as New Zealanders. The way we go about playing our cricket, and yes, the Spirit of Cricket side. Personally, I felt I got in the way and we wanted to win on our own terms. We didn’t want to be controversial in such a big game. It paid off in the long run that we won the game. Looking back, it all happened pretty quickly.”
A gesture that won the hearts of millions ?
— ICC (@ICC) February 2, 2022
Daryl Mitchell – the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021 ?
Details ? https://t.co/pLfSWlfIZB pic.twitter.com/zq8e4mQTnz
Speaking about the decision to not take the single at that time, Mitchell said, “I t was a pretty tight game against England in that semi-final, with only a few overs to go. Neesh (Jimmy Neesham) hit a single down to long-off I think it was, and I felt like I’d obstructed Rashid from getting to the ball. The game that we play, we play it because we love it. Yes, we want to win as much as we can, but we don’t want that to come about from doing things that go against the values of cricket. Spirit of Cricket is vitally important. It sets a platform for kids in the future, who will go about playing the game in the right way,” Mitchell explained.
About the ICC Spirit of the Game Award, it clearly states, “Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its laws but also within the spirit of the game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself.”
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