2021, The Year In Sports: April recall

2021, The Year In Sports: From the Australian women's team going one clear of Ricky Ponting's ODI winning streak to Manchester City clinching the League Cup for the fourth time, here is a look at the top sporting moments from April.

Fernandinho of Manchester City lifts the Carabao Cup trophy as his team celebrates the victory after the final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium in London.

From the Australian women's team going one clear of Ricky Ponting's ODI winning streak to Manchester City clinching the League Cup for the fourth time, here is a look at the top sporting moments from April.

Apr 1: Sydney to host 2023 Women’s World Cup final

Five Australian cities and four in New Zealand will host matches at the Women’s World Cup in 2023, with the tournament getting underway in Auckland and concluding with the final at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.

Apr 2: Tendulkar hospitalised

Former India captain and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, who was hospitalised as a precautionary measure after testing positive for COVID-19, was discharged.

Apr 4: Trailblazing Aussies

Australia's women set a new world record for consecutive one-day international victories with a six-wicket win over New Zealand. Their 22nd successive victory beat the record for the longest winning streak held by Ricky Ponting's Australia men's team since 2003.

Meg Lanning of Australia bumps fists with New Zealand players after her team's win in the first WODI at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

Apr 4: Sociedad creates history

Real Sociedad ended a 34-year wait for the Copa del Rey by beating Athletic Bilbao in a tight final in Seville.

Apr 4: Gold rush for Pramod

Pramod Bhagat won two gold medals, one each in the Men's Singles and Doubles categories, at the Dubai Para-Badminton tournament.

 

Apr 4: Chepngetich breaks half-marathon record

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich smashed the women’s half-marathon world record in a time of one hour, four minutes and two seconds.

Apr 7: Kumanan qualifies for Tokyo Olympics

Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman ever to qualify for the Olympics in Sailing when she finished first in the laser radial class at the Mussanah Open.

Nethra Kumanan - leaving ripples in her wake.

Apr 8: Harendra Singh named head coach of US men's team

Former India coach Harendra Singh was appointed the new head coach of the U.S. men’s hockey team.

Apr 10: Malik youngest Indian female wrestler to qualify for Tokyo 2020

Eighteen-year-old Sonam Malik became the youngest Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics as the country bagged two quota places in the Asian Olympic Games qualifiers in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Apr 13: Balbir Singh Junior passes away

Balbir Singh Junior, a member of the silver medal-winning 1958 Asian Games Indian hockey team, died at the age of 88.

Apr 14: Heath Streak banned for eight years by ICC

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak was banned from all cricket for eight years for corruption offences.

Apr 15: On top of the world

Ben Stokes was named as the leading cricketer in the world for a second consecutive year in the 2021 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, which was published on April 15.

Apr 16: Captain Cool's double hundred

M. S. Dhoni played his 200th Twenty20 match for Chennai Super Kings when he took the field against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. CSK won by six wickets.

Another milestone for Dhoni in the yellow jersey!

Apr 17: Mirabai sets world record

Mirabai Chanu set a new World Record in the women's 49kg Clean and Jerk with a massive 119kg lift. She recorded a new personal best of 205kg (86+119) to clinch the bronze at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent. This was her first competition in over a year.

Apr 18: The titles keep coming

Barcelona scored four goals in 12 minutes - including a brilliant strike from Lionel Messi - to thrash Athletic Bilbao and win the Copa del Rey.

Apr 18: Max claims top honours

Red Bull's Max Verstappen took his first win of the year in a chaotic, incident-strewn Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton fought back to second after a rare error.

Verstappen tasted his first success of the 2021 F1 season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy.

 

Apr 19: Mourinho shown the door

Jose Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham after just 17 months in charge.

Apr 20: Six Premier League teams withdraw from competition

All six English teams involved in the European Super League (ESL) formally dropped out of the competition. Manchester City was the first club to quit after Chelsea had said it would look to prepare plans to withdraw. The other four sides - Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - all did the same.

Apr 25: Monumental feat

Manchester City won the League Cup for a record-equalling fourth time in succession with a deserved victory over a disappointing Tottenham Hotspur side at Wembley.

Manchester City players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Carabao Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium in London.

 

Apr 25: Barty back among titles

Ashleigh Barty beat Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to win the Porsche Grand Prix, her first title on clay since the 2019 French Open.

Ashleigh Barty (right) celebrates with the trophy after winning the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix against Aryna Sabalenka (left) at Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany.

 

Apr 27: A watershed moment

Europe's most successful women's football team hired a woman as its coach for the first time with Lyon's appointment of Sonia Bompastor to replace Jean-Luc Vasseur.

Apr 27: Wimbledon to end middle Sunday break from 2022

Wimbledon will stage matches on its traditional rest day on the middle Sunday of the tournament from 2022.