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There has been no respite for England, both on and off the field. Ever since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, the English players have played the Hundred, and two three-match Test series against West Indies as well as Sri Lanka. But this will be the first time the Three Lions will play an international T20 match after their defeat in the semi-final at the hands of the eventual champions, India. Off the field, too, a lot has happened. From talks of sacking both the white-ball captain and coach, to eventually getting rid of the coach and keeping the…

England have decided on their squad for the Pakistan tour which will begin on the 7th of October at Multan Cricket Stadium. The 17-member squad will be led by Ben Stokes, who had to sit the Sri Lankan tour out due to a torn hamstring he picked during the Hundred tournament.  In addition to Stokes’ return, England have decided to go heavy on both of their pace and spin picks. Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach have both been called back to the team. Leach was sidelined after he picked a knee injury in India earlier this year during the fifth…

India unveiled a 16-member squad for the first Test match against Bangladesh which is scheduled to begin in Chennai on 19th September as a part of a two-match Test series. This will be India’s first red-ball fixture after their epochal 4-1 win over England earlier this year. Although the squad announcement had no stuff for breaking news, the uncapped Yash Dayal’s selection has stirred interest in fans and pundits alike.  Keeping in view the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India would love to have a young left-arm seamer on board. Should Dayal really do what the management wants him to, India will…

Amidst the big and sturdy mountains of Afghanistan, something new is transpiring. Something that has always been native to the country, just like many in its region, but it’s just now that this ‘new’ is being seen by the world. It is kind of like the birth of a new star, which for many years remained concealed and growing in the heart of an isolated nebulae. It’s enough of the hiding now; the star has decided to come to face the audience. It’s out and shining brighter than ever. There is a mourning, far away from Afghanistan’s mountains, too. Perhaps,…

A limping Mark Wood made his way back to the pavilion during the third day of the first Test match against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford. It was the last thing England would have wanted after seeing their captain picking an injury earlier. However, the news the management as well as the English players very much dreaded came and confirmed that the injury Mark Wood picked has decided to elongate its stay. The Durham quick has been sidelined for the remaining red-ball fixtures of this year owing to a bone-stress injury to the elbow of his bowling arm.  His withdrawal…

Without a flicker of doubt, Pakistan cricket is going through its worst right now. Fresh off a red-ball series sweep against Bangladesh on home turf, the team knows that it has a lot to fix. But this mending has been under process since their dismal outings during the T20 World Cup, as a part of, what the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief famously calls, a major surgery. One of the first big steps taken for the surgery in question was the introduction of a domestic tournament, the Champions Cup. PCB has been dropping details of the mentioned tournament occasionally, and…

The English Test Summer comes to an end and without any embarrassment for the home team this time. They have won five out of five games played on home soil, and another victory in the closing Test match can make them do what they have not done since 2004. But the Oval has previously shown PDA, much to England’s trauma, to Sri Lanka on their last tour to the historic ground when the Islanders bagged the game by 10 wickets. As both teams prepare to cross swords one last time this season, a warm feeling of nostalgia would be third-wheeling…

The third day of the second Test match between England and Sri Lanka spared the drama and excitement for the next day. The next day was a Sunday. Would fans not love to watch the decisive day of the Test match at the Home of Cricket on a Sunday? Yeah, they would but only around 9000 fans. Thats how many people showed up to see the contest, which by all means had excitement (though one-sided) filled within, in a stadium that can seat around 30,000 people.  What could be the reason behind this no-show from fans? Have the fans suddenly…

Runs which, once, came so easily for Babar Azam have been evading him for a little while now. Bad form is inevitable in a player’s career. Regardless of the skills you possess, the hours you spend practicing, or the mental strength you have, one of these days you ought to be humbled by a trough in your form. Similar is the case with Babar. However, his persistent bad run is getting frustrating now. By the looks of it, you can not spot a significant issue with his technique. His dismissals are random, without any pattern, which is a good thing…

While Ben Stokes is out tending to his injury, the England players have not forgotten their Bazballian Mantra, as is evident from their two in two wins. For some technical reasons, though, many people believe the stand-in captain Ollie Pope is not a great choice for the long run. Although we are not sure why this debate has been sparked in the first place as Stokes is likely to get back into his role as soon as he is declared fit, the sentiment regarding the issue is somewhat understandable. No one receives hate more than an out-of-form captain. You would…