Author: Mishaal Mubarak

It’s a new era. India has a new captain. England have more youngsters than experienced players. The trophy has a new name, too. But old demons will surely follow India as they gear up to face England. Since their revival in Test cricket, when they built an incredible team with all the faces that have now called it quits, one of the few things they weren’t able to leave behind from their era of gloom was defeating England in an away tour. The last time they did so was in 2007, years before they became the invincible force they are…

Big Bash League’s (BBL) overseas draft saw English and Pakistani players making headlines, with as many as seven Pakistanis and ten English cricketers getting picked. Each team had to pick at least three overseas players, making 24 in total for the eight teams in the league. The draft began with Brisbane Heat using their first pick to rope in Shaheen Shah Afridi, who just recently led Lahore Qalandars to their third PSL trophy. Picking Afridi was almost a no-brainer after he confirmed his availability for the entire season. He took eight wickets in Pakistan’s recent ODI series down under, playing…

England have decided to persist with Ollie Pope at the first drop for the first Test against India in Leeds on June 20. Despite going through a slump in form, Pope managed to score two fifties at four down in New Zealand, which tilted the conversation of the No. 3 position more in Jacob Bethell’s favour. Bethell, who made his debut against New Zealand in December, scored three fifties, including a 96 and a 76, during the three-match series. He batted one down, which had pushed Pope to No. 6 while also taking on the wicketkeeping duties in the absence…

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the schedule for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. The tournament, which will be played between June 12 and July 5, will be hosted by England across seven venues, including Lord’s, The Oval, Old Trafford, Headingley, Southampton, Bristol, and Edgbaston. Teams have been divided into two groups, with six teams making up one group. This means a total of 12 teams will feature in the tournament, which will be a first for the Women’s tourney, having increased the number from 10 teams in the last edition. Pakistan, India, Australia, South Africa, and two…

The world is moving towards shorter formats of the game, but for some reason, the peak honour in cricket still remains representing one’s side in the longest format. Not many would think twice when offered to lead their team in red-ball cricket, but Jasprit Bumrah is unlike them. With the talent he possesses, the biomechanics of his action that make him injury-prone, and his history with those injuries, he knows he can’t have it all. Speaking in an interview for Sky Sports by Dinesh Karthik, though, Bumrah’s tone had no hint of FOMO. He revealed the reason why he wasn’t…

Kagiso Rabada belongs to a class of pacers who are too nonchalant to relate to the superset. Fast bowlers generally are menacing, entitled, and perhaps somewhat emotional, too. They sting like a bee and float like one as well. But Rabada’s kind likes to stay low. He said he isn’t a star, just a few hours after he bagged nine wickets in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s. The thing about Rabada and the type of fast bowlers he represents is that such statements aren’t usually made to avoid being labelled immodest. Rabada is self-aware to a dangerous…

Yorkshire have roped in Abdullah Shafique on a short-term deal to represent the club for two rounds of the ongoing County Championship in June and the last four group matches of the Vitality Blast next month. The signing comes at an important juncture in the season for Yorkshire, who are currently struggling to stay afloat in both the County Championship and the Vitality Blast. They currently sit second last in the Championship table, ahead only of Worcestershire, and are anchored to the bottom of the standings in the North Group of the Blast. Shafique, who recently played an immense role…

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially made two changes to its playing conditions that will come into effect in men’s international cricket soon. The changes include the long-argued two-ball rule in one days and a new, more structured concussion-substitute protocol. The two-ball rule in 50-over games has been updated to shift balance back in the favour of the bowlers. Currently, two new balls are used in each inning from opposite ends, in alternate overs throughout the innings. Under the new rule, two balls will be used for 34 overs in the same way, but from 35th over onwards, the…

In addition to the changes to the playing conditions by the ICC, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has also tweaked the boundary catch law. The regulation, which has until now allowed fielders to legally tap the ball multiple times outside the boundary provided they weren’t grounded beyond the line, will now tighten that leeway. Implemented from later this month, as per the ICC’s updated playing conditions, such catches will no longer be valid under the new rule. An airborne fielder outside the boundary rope will be allowed to touch the ball only once, that too while in the air. The…

Steven Smith has escaped surgery on his dislocated finger, which he sustained during the World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Lord’s. Smith was fielding in the slips on the third day when attempting to grab a thick edge off Temba Bavuma, and he injured his finger. Smith immediately left the field for the hospital, and looked in pain as he was clutching his right shoulder while leaving, and walked off the field even before the physios came. The finger is now in a splint, which means even if he manages to recover from the injury, the splint will stay…