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The last time India contested New Zealand in a Test match was in 2021 when both teams met for the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC) final. Almost three years on from their last encounter, things are contrastingly different. Barring Devon Conway, Tom Latham, and Tim Southee, the New Zealand team has no one on the team from that game. India, on the other hand, have mostly only tasted success in the red-ball format since then. Unlike Rose Bowl, Bengaluru does not boast conditions better suited to the Kiwis’ skill. What Bengaluru does have, like the Rose Bowl on that day,…

Kamran Ghulam may have envisioned a grand welcome into the international set-up for himself, but he got a far cry from that. He was slotted in at the expense of the nation’s darling. Even his 50 FC average could not save him from the fans’ subtle ire. The pitch that awaited him on his debut was rumored to have lost interest in helping batters. His team stood at 19/2 as he strode toward the ground to face his first international ball. That he had big shoes to fill, further took away any chance of calming down he had.  But Kamran…

West Indies showed in the first T20I match, that despite everything that is wrong with cricket in the country, the shortest format remains in their wheelhouse. This means the victory in the first game was not a fluke and by all means, the visitors would love to have a go at Sri Lanka again to get the series in their bag.  Sri Lanka were not too bad in the series opener either. Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka both scored, what they thought were, match-saving fifties after the top-order collapsed like a house of cards. But West Indies postponed the collapsing…

We don’t have a name for that. We don’t even know if it can be called an approach. But Pakistan, at least for this Test match, have decided to do things in a new way. Yes, new way. It is not one of the regular ‘new ways’ Pakistan cricket introduces every few weeks. This one is insanely mind-blowing even by Pakistan’s standards. The defeat at England’s hands during the first Test game was what triggered the launch of this mission.  The board sacked the selection committee the very next day, materialized a new committee out of thin air, announced that…

Pakistan Cricket Board regularly drops new pieces worthy of discussion. Which, as a fan of their work, is an immense privilege. However, it does make the fans question their own sanity. Even get a few to think if they have followed the sport enough? Are they missing out on some big piece of information? Because the story is not aligning as it should. Ideally, the players that form the core of your team should not be forced out of the squad 48 hours before the game. But ideally, you also don’t sack the selection committee shortly after losing a match.…

Hyderabad witnessed an absolute carnage by Indian batters who thumped the visitors for 297 in the last T20I game. Hyderabad is famous for its flat decks, as was seen during the recent season of the Indian Premier League where seven out of twelve games hosted at the venue saw the teams scoring more than 200. However, what the Indian team did tonight at the venue, left all the previous records shattered. This is the second-highest total ever scored in a T20 International game, the highest if you only count full-member nations. India were 17 runs short of grabbing the highest-inning…

India have won the series 2-0, Bangladesh have recognized their weaknesses and per a few players, have also relayed their concerns and requirements to the board. But cricket has to be played anyway. Even if the match holds as much importance as a spinner on a pitch after rain, it has to be staged in front of the crowd, more like a show without a script. This game, though, could serve a few better purposes than being entirely a dead rubber, one of which is for Bangladesh to bid adieu to one of their veterans and a part of Poncho…

It’s all going downhill for Pakistan currently at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Piles of runs have been accumulated by the English batters especially, Joe Root and Harry Brook. Almost like an insult to the injury Pakistan is already suffering through. Blame it on Multan’s pitch or the frustrated Pakistan bowlers who could not extract so much as an ounce of assistance from their home turf, England have cashed the chance with both hands.  As if it was not enough, Pakistan’s usual third inning woes have come at them again, but this time a bit more harshly. Cherry on the top,…

Bangladesh veteran all-rounder, Mahmudullah, has decided to retire from the shortest format of the game after the conclusion of the ongoing T20I series against India. The decision was announced by the 38-year-old himself during a press conference in Delhi.  “I am retiring from T20I cricket after the last game of this series. I was pre-decided before coming here,” Bangladesh batter said. “I had a chat with my family. I spoke to the coach (Chandika Hathurusinghe), captain (Najmul Hossain Shanto), chief selector (Gazi Ashraf Hossain), and the board president (Faruque Ahmed) as well. I think it is the right time to…

For some time now, there has been quiet around this topic but to say that anyone has forgotten would be entirely wrong. It’s like the leftover food you stored to have later. Clings to your mind but you wait for the right time to devour it. However, a little peek into your refrigerator to see if it’s still there hurts no one. And these little peeks are what the cricket world wants regarding the question of India coming to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. For some, this is the calm that anticipates a storm. For the others, the silence is…