Author: Mishaal Mubarak

385 runs target. There are around 136 overs left of the game to be bowled in four sessions. The track has become flatter over the past few days. The task is daunting, yes. But it’s not entirely impossible for the West Indian team. Now that they have scored 61 runs without losing any wickets, they are onto just the start they need. Here comes the drinks break. If Captain Kraigg Braithwaite had even the slightest idea of the hell that was about to break loose, he would have requested poly juice potion to disguise himself and run as far from…

Sometimes, when one gets tired of hearing about the continuous movement of time which is forcing everything to move towards its doom, stumbling upon a picture of a newly-born star somewhere in the universe makes one think that maybe the end is not as near as it seems. The news of Test cricket growing weaker and hence nearer to death each day has been around for years now but when you think of it, this very news has equally been challenged by introducing new nations and strategies. The newly born Test nation Ireland is on its way to one day…

England’s white-ball team captain, Jos Buttler has picked a calf injury mere hours before the start of the fourth edition of the hundred-ball tournament, The Hundred. The 33-year-old was slated to lead Manchester Originals during the mentioned tournament, which, following his injury, has become a no-go area. This comes as a blow to not only Buttler but to his team and the tournament as well as the English wicket-keeper batter was the top-scorer during the previous season of the tournament. The injury news weakens Buttler’s position as a captain as he is likely to stay sidelined for at least 6…

The 4-day International Cricket Council Annual General Meeting concluded in Colombo on the 22nd of July with a few matters resolved. As per the ICC, the meeting was themed around the objective to capitalize on the Olympics 2024 which will begin in Paris this week. Besides this, many other matters were discussed in the meeting, which was attended by representatives from all 108 ICC members. The most pressing matter on the meeting agenda was the discussion about the budgetary overruns during the America leg of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The board members had earlier raised eyebrows regarding…

We are at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and it’s a November night in 2022. The ground is tearing at the seams with attendance numbers shining brightly on the screen. The number is nearly 1 lac spectators. Mind you, this game is in a country miles away from both the nations competing at the G today. Also, there are millions watching this game online with bated breath. But its not stuff for news. India versus Pakistan games have always sent seismic waves across the world just like this. Many think the craze this rivalry enjoys is because of the political tensions…

The fourth season of Global T20 Canada is slated to begin on the 25th of July in Ontario, a venue where the entire tournament will be staged. However, Pakistan’s main players including Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi will miss the complete edition after their request to acquire the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) was declined by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). PCB was expected to go down the same road by many but the governing body had not commented on the matter officially. That was until late 19th July when the Board released a media statement to announce…

If the West Indies team thought things would become easier for them to grasp after they were done and over with goodbyes for Anderson, they were not exactly wrong. That was until Mark Wood was not called back into the squad once and then announced as a part of the playing XI. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood can fuse to form a creature more lethal than Anderson at his peak. And to back them England has Gus Atkinson. The debutant from the previous game, who demolished the Windies batters by taking 12 wickets. Add another worrying factor for the visitors.…

Ireland is slated to play a home Test against Zimbabwe in Belfast next week. The buzz around the red-ball game is justified as it is the first time in six years that the Irish will put up a show in white on their home turf. After acquiring Test status, the European nation have only played one Test in Ireland, against Pakistan in 2018. Andrew White, National Men’s Selector of Ireland, unveiled the 14-member squad in a press conference on Wednesday. There were no surprises as most of the revealed squad had already been worked out by fans and pundits. Andy…

The first Test match against West Indies finished sooner than it should have but it did not matter, everything was eclipsed by a single news that a legend was about to retire. Now that all goodbye rituals for James Anderson have ended, it’s time for the English team to get back to the business. To mark that, England has announced their playing XI for the second Test match against West Indies two days before the match, as has become a tradition for the team now.  Trent Bridge Test will be the first time in 12 years that the English men…

Although England made it to the semi-final in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, their campaign lacked the mojo title defenders are known to carry. The English team returned to the hunt quite late and were almost knocked out from the group stages by their northern neighbor, Scotland. Now that it is all in hindsight, many pundits are examining the reasons behind England’s not-so-good days at the office. While everyone is coming up with their own reasons, England’s leadership has been brought under the radar of criticism by many.  While many might deem the reaction a little far-fetched, when you…