Author: Mishaal Mubarak

Shukri Conrad says South Africa might need to act more ostentatiously for the sake of their own good. Following the series loss against Australia in the Top End, which was decided in the last over of the final T20I, the Proteas coach was concerned that the side might not be fully ‘showing off’ what they are capable of. In several situations throughout the series, Australia were saved by something that might practically be the same approach. In the first T20I, the hosts were four down within the powerplay but managed to orchestrate a comeback from there. South Africa, meanwhile, have…

Salman Ali Agha will lead Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup and the Tri-series leading up to the tournament, involving Afghanistan and the UAE. The 17-member squad does not feature Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, both of whom haven’t been part of Pakistan’s shortest-format plans lately. Babar last played a T20I in December 2024 and was left out of the team for the home and away series against Bangladesh, as well as the away West Indies series. The right-handed batter has managed a pretty decent average in the format, the kind that makes his exclusion almost farcical. However, his strike-rate…

The series isn’t dead after all. West Indies took note of every place Pakistan faltered in the first game and made sure to use it to their advantage in the second ODI. There were a few episodes of rain that finally truncated the game. Pakistan had a late-innings blitz that helped the total look somewhat respectable. Some early breakthroughs gave the visitors some hope, but all of it was bundled out by the West Indies middle order, who got their team over the line with 10 balls and five wickets to spare. It was the first time in eight years…

Marnus Labuschagne says his time away from the team has helped him get ready to make a strong case for his return. Labuschagne, who has been averaging less than 30 with one century since 2023, was dropped from the Australian red-ball team ahead of the West Indies Test tour. This was the first time the side had left him out of a Test game since 2019. He has been training with the Australian coaching staff, both during the tour and after returning home. Following the ODI series against South Africa, where he is very likely to feature, being retained in…

It’s something that’s as Pakistan-esque as it gets. The visitors were saved from having an unsuccessful chase of a below-par target by a pair that was least expected to make headlines. Hussain Talat, who has only ever played a solitary ODI game, that too in 2019, along with the debutant Hasan Nawaz, made up for Pakistan’s early fumbles and got them off to a win in the first ODI. West Indies missed the chances early on to get rid of Nawaz, who went on to stitch a 104-run partnership with Talat, and similarly, their mishaps throughout the game have them…

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 does). 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…