New Zealand cricketer Daryl Mitchell received the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for refusing to score a run against England in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021.
He became the fourth New Zealand player to win the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award after Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson.
Daryl Mitchell received the ICC honour in 2021 for his choice of not taking a run during the 2021 T20 World Cup in the first semi-final against England in Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium on November 10, 2021.
On Adil Rashid’s ball, Daryl Mitchell decided not to take a run and he attempted to get back inside the crease after striker James Neesham slapped the ball down the ground. He got in the bowler’s way was enough for him to refuse a single despite they had a few balls to score 167 runs.
ICC Awards: New Zealand All-rounder Daryl Mitchell wins the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021
Former England cricketer praised him after Mitchell’s reaction. He added, “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.”
When asked about his gesture, Daryl Mitchell replied
“It 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. At the end of the day, it is a game, it’s something that we love. So obviously we’re so lucky to do that.”
The spirit of the Cricket Award involves respecting your
- Your opponents
- Your own captain and team
- The role of the umpires
- The game’s traditional values
Read more: Top 5 Football Clubs who have sold Most Jerseys in 2021