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Test cricket thrives even when it’s context-less, senseless, and even meaningless. Let’s put it this way. Pakistan are hosting West Indies for a Test match after 18 years. Yet despite such a long wait, the occasion feels distant from historic. It’s an ordinary, anticlimactic game between two bottom-level teams in the World Test Championship table. Hardly a game that would capture the world’s attention. The timing is not very helpful either. The WTC finalists have already been decided, the ongoing myriads of franchise leagues have shortened the attention span of fans, and an ODI format multi-national tournament is just a…

It’s Afghanistan’s first-ever Champions Trophy campaign. On top of that, they are in the same group as Australia, England, and South Africa. However, they did well enough in their previous ICC event not to fall victim to the enormity of the task ahead of them.  Ibrahim Zadran’s return to the side, having fully recovered from his injury, would further boost Afghanistan’s morale. Mujeeb ur Rehman, though, remains ‘unavailable’ for selection due to his persistent injury struggles that kept him out of the side for the larger part of Afghanistan’s international fixtures since the ODI World Cup in 2023.  Ahmad Suliman…

Najmul Hossain Shanto, to Bangladesh fan’s elation, is good as new to make his return to the side for the Champions Trophy, due to begin on February 19. A groin strain had kept him out of all international fixtures for Bangladesh since early November last year. Along with Shanto, the Champions Trophy-bound squad will have Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, and Mustafizur Rahman making comebacks as well.  The opening batter Litton Das has been left out of the squad owing to his dismal outings with the bat of late. Litton has not scored even a single fifty in the last 19…

The Test series against England in November last year had a moment of epiphany for Pakistan. The team finally realized they could tailor the home conditions to their strength/liking. What followed this realization was a strategy to dish out their industrial-sized fans and desiccate any moisture out of the surfaces in a bid to make them suit the team’s spin finesse. For the Test games against West Indies, Pakistan seem to be planning to follow the same script, as is evident by the spin-heavy squad they have announced for the tour.  The hosts have dropped Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas,…

During a cricketing season, which is crammed with a handful of other leagues and international games, the International League T20 (ILT20) managed to squeeze in its blockbuster third edition. Set to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January 11 to February 9, the franchise league will see six teams racing for the title. These teams include the defending champions MI Emirates along with Dubai Capitals, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Gulf Giants, and Sharjah Warriors.  Barring Desert Viper, all of the remaining teams are owned by IPL or WPL based franchises. The defending champions will play…

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to shift its tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa to Karachi and Lahore. Originally, the series was slated to be played in its entirety at the Multan Cricket Stadium. However, the four-match tri-series will be now played at the National Bank Cricket Stadium, Karachi, and Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore instead.  The decision to relocate the games was made to demonstrate confidence that ongoing renovation and construction projects at the stadiums for the upcoming Champions Trophy will be completed in time for the eight-team tournament.  Both stadiums in Karachi and Lahore have been undergoing…

Fakhar Zaman well and truly rose through the ranks in the last Champions Trophy played in 2017. With another approaching in roughly a month, can he find a place in the team this time? The answer is yes; if you ask Fakhar himself, at least. He believes his (enforced) sabbatical is nearing an end and he will be seen playing for Pakistan again soon. “A 100%, I will play for Pakistan (again),” Fakhar said while speaking on a podcast. “Actually, many people do not know about that, but after the T20 World Cup I got sick and because of my…

SA20 is starting its third season, and many eyes are waiting to see how the tournament will fare. The tournament will be played between six teams including Sunrisers Eastern Cape, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals, Durban Giants, Pretoria Capitals, and Joburg Super Kings. As the names show, all six teams are owned by IPL-based franchises. The opening match will be played between MI Cape Town and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who also happen to be the side that has won two of the two SA20 seasons played so far. Each side will play two fixtures against each other in the SA20…

Australia have successfully joined South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. This means they will not have to rely on the one-off Test match versus Sri Lanka, which was added late into the WTC schedule. This also means that the senior players who have already put in the hard yards can opt to miss the series, or as Pat Cummins said, to go ‘back as full-time Dad and husband’. He is also expecting his second child around the same time as the Sri Lanka tour, which makes it more likely for him to rest. “In terms of Sri…

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises have announced their retained players ahead of the draft which is due to take place on January 11. All six franchises were allowed to retain a maximum of eight players for the upcoming PSL edition. Three franchises including Islamabad United, Lahore Qalandars, and Quetta Gladiators maximized all eight of their retention options, while Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, and Karachi Kings retained seven players each. The retained players are spread across five categories starting from Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Emerging. Interestingly, no trades between franchises have taken place this year.  Islamabad United: The defending champions…