If you are not a batter (or, by extension, part of the batting team), the best sound that you will hear is of the leather of the ball clacking with the timber of the willows. But as a batter in this day and age, this sound is not the only ominous sound that you would fancy avoiding. You need to be careful that the ball does not hit your pads or arms or even the slightest edge of your bat. The safest detour you can opt for is to try and get the ball on your bat so that you…
The fourth edition of the Global T20 in Canada is breathing its last breaths; however, rain has been plaguing the tournament without mercy lately. Just this week, as many as four games were washed out, two of which were play-off games. The first qualifier, which was to be played between Montreal Tigers and Brampton Wolves, was abandoned before the captains could come out for the toss. This saw the Montreal Tigers heading to the Eliminator against Bangla Tigers Mississauga since they occupied a higher position in the table than the Brampton-based team. Even the Eliminator game was not spared from…
The political tension in Bangladesh has escalated as the country’s long-standing Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajid has resigned and fled the country with the Chief of Army Staff, Waker-Uz-Zaman, forming an interim government. While many deem that this development has marked the end of the anti-government protests that have been taking place for weeks now, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people, the International Cricket Council (ICC) does not seem convinced to hold the Women’s T20 World Cup there. In all fairness, the situation in the country still stands at a crossroads, amid which staging a multi-national event will…
As a part of the major surgery, which was expected ever since Pakistan’s senior men’s team’s early departure from the T20 World Cup 2024, where Babar Azam-led men failed to get past the group stages, the incumbent chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, announced three new domestic tournaments to ‘bridge the gap between domestic and International cricket’. Starting 1st September 2024, three five-team tournaments will be introduced to the country’s existing domestic circuit which includes two first-class tournaments; the Quaid e Azam Trophy and President’s Trophy, one List-A competition namely the President’s Cup and two T20 Tournaments including…
Sri Lanka bamboozled themselves more than anyone in the first ODI. But in all the ecstasy that the victory tie brought, there was an emptiness for the hosts. The hollow but sinking feeling that they struck the gold a little too late. By the time, a true Test of their ODI skills arrives (i.e. a multi-national tournament), this combination might not be relevant anymore. Although the 21-year-old rookie, Dunith Wellalage seems like an antidote to this feeling, the question about the relevancy of whatever the Islanders do in anticipation of the ODI World Cup 2027, will linger for quite some…
If you look at things this way, Sri Lanka was the runner-up when India lifted an ODI World Cup last time. Compare it to today. India are heading toward a Champions Trophy (Assuming they don’t pull out willingly) while Sri Lanka have to wait more than 30 months before they can even think about welcoming an ICC ODI event. There is a long list of what has gone wrong for the Islanders, especially in limited-overs cricket. And an even longer list of the things that are still going the polar opposite of how Sri Lanka would have wanted them. For…
England’s 3-0 win over West Indies on Sunday has earned them third-highest points in the World Test Championship 2023-25. However, despite having fewer points than only Australia and India, Ben Stokes’ men occupy the sixth position on the table, just below Pakistan. This owes to the penalty points they have accrued thanks to slow over rates. But it’s not about England at the moment. It’s about the other two red-ball cricket giants who, unperturbed by what’s happening with the remaining teams in the World Test Championship, are heading towards another potential WTC Final. India currently reside at the top of…
Bangladesh has been in the news quite a lot lately but not for any good reasons. The country has just sneaked out of a political turmoil that saw them going into an internet blackout for 11 days. The Government of Bangladesh also imposed a state of emergency to quell protests which led to the killing of at least 40 civilians. Where it has affected the country as a whole, the Women’s T20 World Cup preparations have received raised eyebrows from the outside world. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was awarded the hosting rights for the mega-event back in 2022. The Board…
England Cricket Board’s (ECB) Chief Executive Officer, Richard Gould, confirmed that the England cricket team and board are not only willing to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025 but also are committed to ensuring the mega-event is entirely played on the rightful hosts’ soil. In an interview with BBC Test Match Special during the Tea break of the recently concluded last Test match between England and West Indies, Gould voiced his strong support for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by saying, “There’s a great deal of determination to make sure it [Champions Trophy 2025] is [hosted in Pakistan…
All magic comes with a price whether it is spinning straw into gold or winning the final of the World Cup against the favorites. The price, although, needs not to be rendered immediately; a debt of like worth has to be cleared whenever. Jos Buttler had to pay off this debt with two shambolic World Cup defenses. Unlike fairytales, his story is expected not to end in a happily-ever-after. As the management sniffs around to find who is to blame for bottling not one, but two mega-events, many fingers point toward Buttler and his Jedi Matthew Mott. For Buttler and,…
