Author: Mishaal Mubarak

The T20I series could not go down the street, Pakistan wanted it to. Especially, after the promise they showed in the one-day matches. But that points towards one thing: the flaws in Pakistan’s batting lineup. They have a white-ball tour against Zimbabwe, where many key players will be sidelined to try and fix these gaps. Even before that, they have this final game down under where they can win to cap off a tour where they found more success than they are used to getting here. Team Overview: Australia have done well to grab the visitors by the neck in…

West Indies got their first win of the T20I series in the 4th T20I. Although it did not affect the fact the series is already done and dusted in Engand’s favor, the hosts would feel that things have started falling into their rightful places. The top-order fired in response to England’s yet another 200-plus score. With just one more game to go, can the Windies turn it into 3-2 to tone their series defeat into looking a touch better? Posting a gigantic total of 219, the English must have thought this would be enough to pin the West Indian team…

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is just a few sleeps away but the Indian team could definitely be losing even those. There has been a fresh epidemic of injury scares in India’s camp, affecting the batters who flew to the country early for training. However, injury scares to a visiting team in Australia has nothing unusual to it. It’s difficult to adjust to the bounce the Aussie pitches offer. And though these injuries are common, they do take a toll on a team’s morale. As per reports, no less than four Indian batters had to leave the field during training due to…

Dambulla has been the only home for this tour so far. Much to both team’s pleasure, they will move to a new venue for the 2nd ODI and hope that the horrors from Dambulla do not follow them. Having squared the T20I series, Sri Lanka are 1-0 up in the ODI series thanks to the brilliant work of their batters and spinners who turned the rain-hit game into an opportunity to get on top of the visitors.  New Zealand had to chase a revised (see: lesser) target in 27 overs to win the game. By the looks of it, the…

Despite their somewhat feeble but continuous attempts, West Indies could not win the 3rd T20I, hence, let the English soar away with the series as well. But English deserved every ounce of this series win. It is the first time since 2022 that a visiting team has outdone the hosts in the Caribbean in a T20I series. For England, winning here last came even before that. Having last won a series in this part of the world in 2019, this series win came just when they needed it the most.  West Indies would feel they let down crucial chances in…

In a way, the rain in the first game did Pakistan a favor. During the ODI leg, Pakistan’s batting lineup managed to avoid testing itself by hiding behind the wonders bowlers were doing. A truncated match, that too on a damp ground, which was already very conducive to stroke-making, meant that the bowlers would have not much say in shaping the game and both teams needed to accelerate with the bat. Australia did that. They shifted gears and went all guns blazing. Unsurprisingly, Pakistan did not. Aggressive hitting has never been Pakistan’s forte. And playing with a bunch of youngsters,…

Kiwi pacer and former Test captain, Tim Southee, has decided to call time on his career. The right-arm seamer will retire on his home ground, Hamilton, after the last Test against England in December. England were the same opponent the gutsy fast bowler made his Test debut against. Taking a five-wicket haul on his debut, removing the likes of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, the 20-year-old Southee set the tone for what would be an incredible career. He will retire as New Zealand’s second highest wicket-taker, second only to the legend himself, Richard Hadlee. Reportedly, he has yet to decide…

South Africa have a chance to square the series or lose it. There is no better result they can get. However, drawing the series after the way India have played, should be just as good.  Team Overview: ‘Hey, Skip. Look, I get it I have only played four T20I games this year. I know it’s a very crucial game in the context of the series. And trust me, I also know you usually bat at this spot. But how about letting me have a go at first drop in the third T20I?’ More or less, this was what Tilak Varma…

This is the second time the West Indies and England will play a T20 game at St. Lucia this year. Previously, when both sides met here the game ended in a heartbreak for the hosts who endured an eight-wicket defeat in a T20 World Cup Super 8 game. The loss shattered the Windies’ chances of reaching the knockout stages immensely. The situation is somewhat similar this time too. The hosts will once again find England already ahead of them as the latter come off back-to-back wins in the previous two games.  But that’s the thing about the T20I series with…

Following Pakistan’s 2-1 win in the ODI series, many criticized Australia for resting their key players for the series decider in Perth. However, reducing Pakistan’s dominance over Australia only to the hosts’ choice of not fielding their better players is criminally downplaying the way Mohammad Rizwan-led men have played so far. Even with an almost full-strength in the series opener, the Aussies barely managed to escape defeat. This is a far cry from a usual sight. Pakistan have always found playing against Australia and playing in Australia to be of their biggest banes. But somehow, this time, they were able…