Daryl Mitchell has been awarded the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021

The ICC has announced the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021 and Daryl Micthell has come out on top for this award as he denied a single against England in the T20 World Cup semifinals in November 2021 at a critical moment of the run chase. When the event occurred, New Zealand needed 34 points from 18 deliveries to win. After James Neesham struck the ball slightly wide of the bowler, Adil Rashid attempted to stop the ball on his follow-through. When Rashid collided with Mitchell, the non-striker declined to take a single because he believed he was in the path of the bowler, and Neesham was subsequently sent back.

According to cricbuzz.com, Mitchell says, “Receiving the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award is a great honour, and being a part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE last year was incredible. With only a few overs to go in the semi-final against England, Neesh struck a single down to long-off, and I believe I impeded Rashid, who was attempting to get to the ball”.

“We take pride in the way we play cricket as a team, and I suppose that’s the essence of the game. I felt like I was getting in the way, and we wanted to win on our own terms. We won the game, so I guess it paid off in the end. We want to win every game, but we don’t want to do it at the expense of cricket’s ideals. Cricket’s spirit is really vital. It’s a place where young cricketers can come to watch, learn, and be motivated to play the game and win it the right way, “Daryl concluded.