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Australia and South Africa culminated the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle in a historic final at Lord’s, where South Africa took the cricketing world by storm with their win. It was South Africa’s first ICC title, and while it gave cricket in the country a strong boost, the thirst for more trophies has not been quenched (not that it ever is). The next ICC tournament, the 2026 T20 World Cup, is their immediate target, but the side is aiming beyond that. South Africa have been including young players in squads off and on for some time now to build a…

Transitions do not only have to come after a golden age is over. They also don’t need to be awfully bumpy. South Africa are eyeing one where they fast-track talent into the team while the seasoned players are still around. The mix of young and experienced South Africans will play three T20Is and as many ODIs against Australia in Darwin, starting Sunday. Kagiso Rabada, who returns to the side for the first time after ravaging through the Australian lineup in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, thinks it will be an opportunity ‘to get a feel for one another as…

Who would want to watch a format that promises neither the exuberance of T20Is nor the timeless suave of Tests? And especially when it’s between two teams that seem to have agreed on ceasing to thrill the fans a while ago? Pakistan and West Indies, like the rest of the formats, have been bagging unwanted records in ODIs too. This, in addition to the fact that both sides weren’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of any ODI games, is perhaps why the build-up to the ODI leg didn’t garner much attention. Pakistan’s form in ODIs has been brutally miserable this…

The debate about dividing the Test-playing nations into two tiers has been around for more than a decade; however, nations still have mixed opinions about the model. During the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) annual conference in July, the model was a significant talking point, which reignited the discussion once again. The global body formed a group, headed by former New Zealand batter Roger Twose, to work out ways for improving the World Test Championship (WTC) before the next cycle (2027–29). The details about the group were not revealed, but it is understood that it includes representatives from both Test-playing and…

Four years and a month ago, Brendan Taylor played what would have been the last Test match of his career. He had retired two months after that Test. A year later, he was sanctioned for not reporting a corrupt approach in time. As if that wasn’t enough, he was also found to be addicted to alcohol and drug use. Even one of the things above is enough to end the most celebrated of careers. Taylor, however, has received a second chance to represent his country in whites once again. In an emotional interview ahead of the second Test match versus…

There isn’t a consensus among cricket fans about this. Some have already written off cricket as a dying sport. The rest insist it has never been more alive. But whether cricket needs defibrillation or just a little push is a debate for another time. One thing everyone agrees on is that the sport is in desperate need of expansion. It’s ironic and maybe even unfathomable to some extent. Walk down a bustling New York street and ask someone what they know about cricket. Watch them stare back at you confusedly, as if you just asked them to explain rocket science.…

“Hindsight is a beautiful thing,” Harry Brook said after his team lost the Test match and the chance to win the series by just six runs. Six runs aren’t that big a deal. Take a single each ball of the over, and you’ll have them. Dispatch a loose ball to the pavilion, and bingo. But the chances of all of that happening when there is one (and a half, with due respect to Chris Woakes) wicket left become increasingly slim. Which is why Brook rues ending his innings with a shot that, if it had gone well, would have ended…

There is a popular cricketing adage that goes, ‘catches win matches’. Mohammad Siraj, like many of us, believed in this too, which is why he thought the game was over when he lost the chance to get rid of Harry Brook by stepping on the boundary cushion on the fourth day of the final Test. Brook, who went on to score a quick century, ensured that thought weighed down on Siraj as he went back at the close of play. However, the Indian pacer revealed he woke up the next day believing that he could turn the game around. “I…

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a ban on Pakistan’s inclusion in the World Champions League (WCL) moving forward. The decision, which was taken during the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting on Sunday, comes in response to the Indian team opting out of two tournament games, including the semi-final, citing tense relations between the two countries. Despite walking over, Indian Champions, featuring retired players, were handed one point in the group stage game. PCB expressed its disappointment at the tournament organisers’ response to India forfeiting both games, which the board said was ‘tainted with hypocrisy and bias’. “The Pakistan…

A fan was removed from Old Trafford on the final day of the Test between England and India after refusing to cover a replica of Pakistan’s limited-overs shirt. This has since prompted an investigation into the matter, followed by an apology from Lancashire County Cricket Club, which manages the venue in question. The man, who was named Farooq Nazar, was approached by a security staff member who identified himself as an employee of Lancashire and requested that he cover his shirt with his coat. Following Nazar’s refusal to do so, he was escorted out of the stadium, though he managed…