Author: Mishaal Mubarak

A tentative Champions Trophy 2025 schedule has been released after months of delays that were caused by the impasse between Pakistan and India. Last week it was decided that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would host the tournament in a hybrid model where all of India’s matches will be played at a neutral venue. The UAE was confirmed as the neutral venue after the PCB chair, Mohsin Naqvi, met the UAE minister Sheikh Nahyan Al Mubarak.  “The PCB has picked the UAE as a neutral venue for the Champions Trophy,” a PCB spokesperson confirmed.  All of the games involving India,…

If Pakistan were Superman, Johannesburg would have been their kryptonite. If Pakistan were Achilles, Jo’burg would be their heels. For those who still don’t get it, Johannesburg is one of Pakistan’s biggest weaknesses. Don’t take my word for it. That’s what the stats say. For any team that has played a minimum of four ODI games at this venue, the men in green have won the lowest number of games. In fact, out of all the stadiums Pakistan have played the 50-over format at, they have the lowest win-to-loss ratio here (min. two ODI games).  Cap it all off with…

Australia have decided to drop Nathan McSweeney from the squad for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests after his lackluster batting display against India in the first three games. McSweeney, who was selected in the hope of finding a long-term replacement for David Warner, was able to accumulate only 72 runs in six innings, struggling visibly against the Indian pacers. In his stead, the 19-year-old opener, Sam Konstas, has been added to the squad for the remaining two matches of the series.  But this makes one wonder if Australia are making panic decisions. After all, McSweeney only got to play three…

After a prolonged impasse, a solution has finally been reached regarding where the Champions Trophy will be held. The tournament will be played in Pakistan, except for the matches involving India, which will be staged at a neutral venue to be announced in due course. The same will be followed for the tournaments in India, where Pakistan’s matches will be arranged at a second venue. The hosting rights will remain with the originally designated hosts. The decision came after multiple ICC board members’ meetings, and during each of them, Pakistan stuck to their stance of only accepting the hybrid model…

With two-in-two wins, Bangladesh have the series in their pockets. Doing so, they not only outperformed their opponent, West Indies but also did better than how they did previously. Before this series, Bangladesh last defeated Bangladesh in 2018. Two matches in they have a series win next to their name. From what it looks like, they are far from finished. They will be eager to come back for the hosts in the last game too.  There is another interesting aspect to their wins. In both games, Bangladesh were asked to bat first by the Windies. This is ironic because so…

Pakistan had every reason to mess up the chase in the first ODI at Boland Park. Teams batting second don’t usually find it easy to get home at the venue. Add to this the ominous signs of the deck getting lower by the end of South Africa’s batting. Pakistan’s slow start did not make it any better. But what’s the thing about all automatically becoming well when the ending is as per your liking?  It would be unfair to pin all the credit on the team’s juju. Pakistan won the first game all credit to their temperament, something that gets…

Bangladesh had no business winning the series opener. The hosts needed only 18 off the last two overs. This is not a big ask in fast-paced cricket nowadays. Wham! Bang! Thud! Boom! and here you have the runs scored. But Bangladesh were not in the mood to endure that kind of beating in Kingstown. They had enough of Rovman Powell hitting sixes for fun, and so they retaliated in a way that turned the game on its head. Hasan Mahmed took two scalps in the last over to finish the game in his team’s favor before even the balls ended,…

Pakistan has 99 problems, but dominating the 50-over format is not one of them. Despite many things going downward for the team currently, they can vouch for their favorite format to bring them some good luck. And they would be needing the good luck anyway. This ODI series is one of their last preparations for the Champions Trophy, a tournament they are not only hosting but also playing as the title defenders.  In contrast, South Africa are not in an as much of a comfortable position. Their most recent ODI game came against Ireland, where the Proteas lost the game,…

West Indies are having the time of their lives in the fifty-over format. In their last nine ODI fixtures, the Windies have won six games, and mind you these wins were not only comprehensive, but they also came against oppositions like England, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. A dampener for all this glory would be the fact that they will miss the upcoming ODI multi-nation event, the Champions Trophy. However, that does (and can) not take the spotlight away from their brilliance in the format lately.  They have a T20I series coming up against Bangladesh, and while their nearest T20I mega-event…

‘Tis the season when the franchise leagues start rolling out one by one, and this year, the Big Bash League will hit the ground running for the franchise leagues. The 14th season of the BBL will kick off on December 15 and run until the last days of January. The eight-team tournament was cut short after many criticized the tourney as too long. This edition will last for 40 group stage games, with each side playing ten games, followed by four knock-out matches including the Final. Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars will play the opening game at the Optus Stadium,…