Author: Mishaal Mubarak

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have a title to defend this season. But before they can begin their campaign, they need a new captain. Shreyas Iyer, who guided the side to victory last year, has been released by the franchise. However, another Iyer has entered the picture. Venkatesh Iyer was KKR’s biggest buy this year. The franchise spent a whopping INR 23.75 crore for the fast-bowling all-rounder, who has a total of only eleven international caps to his name. Naturally, he is among the leading candidates to captain the Kolkata-based team this season.  While Iyer has no captaincy experience at either…

Bangladesh are one of the first two sides to crash out of the Champions Trophy. More or less, the same has been their fate in the ICC events in the recent past. But skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto admits his batters need more mental toughness. And that, according to him, can only come when the players are given consistent chances to prove themselves. “I have said it a lot of times in the past, but we [have] made the same mistakes over and over again,” Shanto said in a press conference after Bangladesh’s elimination from the Champions Trophy. “We have to…

One group in this tournament has gone zen, while the other is immersed in a full-blown rock concert. It’s chaotic in Group B. One slip and your team boards the first flight home. For Afghanistan and England, every game from here on is a must-win. But one of these sides will be relieved of that pressure by the end of this game, though not in the way they would fancy. In other words, whichever team loses in Lahore, will play their last game as a dead rubber. England would not want to be that team, not after crashing prematurely out…

The Australian players just rode back to the hotel after a washout in Pindi. Having already secured one win, in their opener, the rain interference does not threaten them too much. And that only makes them more grateful for how they trampled England the other day. For once, coming into a mega-event, Australia were far from their usual ruthless selves. They had lost their entire pace attack, their captain, one of their most explosive batters, and an all-rounder who would have been very crucial to their team combination in the tournament. The effects of these absences were immediate. The Aussies…

The hunt for the semi-finals is nearly over in Group A, but Group B still has plenty of drama in store, the first of which will unfold in the high-stakes contest between South Africa and Australia. Both teams have secured one victory each. Australia stunned England in what seemed to be a one-sided game in the latter’s favor. South Africa, on the other hand, silenced all the doubts about their form by comprehensively defeating Afghanistan. This game could go a long way in shaping the semi-finalists, but neither side will have it easy. Australia could not have asked for a…

This match will be the most crucial game of the Champions Trophy so far. It will all but confirm New Zealand’s advancement to the semi-finals and could officially end whatever survival chances Bangladesh and Pakistan have left in the tournament. But the Kiwis are in red-hot form, and it will take something special to stop them. Although they have only played one game in the tournament so far, they have looked unstoppable since the start of the tournament. In fact, their exploits in the Tri-nation series before the Champions Trophy made them favorites coming into the event. Bangladesh lost their…

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are just 26 runs away from reaching the 2,000-run milestone as an opening pair in ODIs. Of all opening pairs who have batted together in at least 20 one day games, none have maintained an average better than Rohit and Gill.To put that into perspective, they average over 70 at the top in just 29 innings, the next-best pair on the list sits at nearly 59. Gill believes that he and Rohit are as different as can be, and that is what makes their partnership so potent. “The way we play the game in the…

The world feels like it’s falling apart before these games. The air is thick with tension. Nerves are stretched to their limits. And anticipation crosses a fever pitch. But Pakistan’s coach Aaqib Javed does not think the Pakistan-India clash is any different from other games.  “For the cricketers, this is a profession,” Aaqib said. “For them, it definitely is an honour. But, it is a profession. You try your best. In that, you sometimes lose as well. It is a match… one team will win, one will lose. How does it matter? Why so much pressure? Every game is different.…

If you don’t know how big of a deal the Pakistan-India games are, you were either born yesterday, have been living under a rock—or both. There is no shortage of material deciphering why this rivalry gets the most hype. But this time, things are very different. Is there a similar hype? Yes. Are Pakistan again balancing at a knife’s edge for survival before facing India? Check. But what sets this clash apart this time is the fact that the entire build-up to the tournament has actually been about this very game. The schedule was delayed, meetings upon meetings were held.…

An example of a well-worn cricketing cliche is to name every high-stakes England-Australia clash the Ashes. It is irresistible, really—stopping oneself from using the A-word. But it makes the rivalry more marketable. And at a time when both sides are devoid of their usual pomp, such tactics could come in very handy. Coming into the tournament, Australia lost nearly half of their tentative squad, including their lethal, timeless, three-headed pace attack. Replacements were called in, and Steve Smith was handed the captaincy. But does the side still carry their invincible aura? Not quite. That’s why they would need to begin…