Author: Kashish Chadha

On Tuesday, Ireland pulled off a historic maiden ODI victory over South Africa in Dublin on Tuesday with their skipper Andrew Balbirnie leading from the front. He struck a magnificent century in his team’s 43-run memorable win against the Proteas. Balbirnie’s seventh ODI hundred – a well-compiled knock of 102 off 117 balls – propelled Ireland to a highly competitive total of 290/5 in the first half. Balbirnie’s innings was ably supported at the other end by Harry Tector’s brilliant 79 off 68 balls and George Dockrell’s crucial 45 from 23 deliveries. The hosts were just 127/2 at the end of the 30-over mark. However, they went on…

A fantastic maiden ODI century from James Vince helped England sail through a difficult chase against Pakistan in Edgbaston on Tuesday as they completed an incredible 3-0 sweep over the visitors. Despite missing multiple first-choice players, England pulled off an emphatic whitewash over the visitors, who were considered by many as favourites heading into the series. This, thanks largely on the day to outstanding innings under pressure from Vince as he struck 102 runs off 95 balls and aided England’s quest to inch past Pakistan’s 331/9. Vince’s memorable first ODI hundred was backed up superbly by all-rounder Lewis Gregory, who made a 69-ball…

It’s been all West Indies in this T20I series. Except for the first game where Australia were in the driver’s seat and found a way to lose, West Indies have dominated. With bat or ball, the hosts have been a lot more consistent than they were in the series against South Africa and have shown why they are still one of the most dangerous T20 sides in the world. West Indies have been without skipper Kieron Pollard and opening batsman Evin Lewis due to niggles. Yet, they have produced clinical performances. While the batting has been slightly up and down, the bowling has stood…

West Indies took an unassailable 3-0 lead over Australia in the ongoing five-match T20I series this Monday in St Lucia with star performances from spin twins Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh and the mighty Chris Gayle. The duo of Allen and Walsh put the breaks on Australia through their quota of four overs each and shared three wickets between them, ending with fantastic figures of 1/26 and 2/18, respectively. Experienced all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (1/17) also chipped in with a breakthrough during his economic spell. Australia could manage only a modest total of 141/6 after opting to bat upon losing the toss. Lack of clarity and execution with the bat…

Indian cricketers and the rest of the touring contingent have received their second jabs of vaccine and will now be going through regular testing for COVID-19 ahead of and during the much-anticipated Test series against England, mentioned Cricbuzz in a report. The report also stated that Indian players, coaches and the travelling family members went through a round of testing on Saturday as their three-week break following the end of the World Test Championship final nears its conclusion. They’ll undergo several rounds of testing in the coming weeks till they are in England. The idea behind tightening up the protocols and taking regular…

Former India captain is now part of the 11-member working group created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to ensure rightful compensation of domestic Indian cricketers and detail how a full-fledged 2021-22 season can be planned and executed. With the Ranji Trophy getting cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the very first time since its inception in 1934, players, especially those not featuring in white-ball tournaments and the IPL, lost out on a lot of money which sustains their livelihoods. The BCCI has now formed a committee to take care of the players’ compensation and look after the…

Suresh Raina has come to the defence of Virat Kohli, who has been constantly criticized for the lack of trophies in his cabinet during his captaincy tenure, saying we need to give him more time. Indian skipper has been under scrutiny for years now, mainly because he hasn’t been able to win any major trophies. Former India player Suresh Raina has weighed in on the debate, asserting that Kohli needs to be given more time as a captain. In a conversation with News24 Sports, Raina said, “You’re talking about ICC trophies, he hasn’t even won an IPL”.  The comments soon sparked outrage…

After dominating Zimbabwe for most parts in Harare, Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque said his team shall take inspiration from their performance and 220-run victory heading into the next cycle of the World Test Championship. Bangladesh could only manage a last-place finish in the league’s inaugural cycle that culminated in June after getting to play just seven of their scheduled fixtures amid the COVID-19 pandemic and losing six of those. With things gradually but surely improving, the Asian darkhorse will have a much better opportunity to push for the coveted trophy when the next cycle begins from August. They’ll play Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India at home and travel…

Premier India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has signed up with London based Surrey for the club’s next round County Championship fixture against Somerset, starting Sunday. Ashwin will get some crucial game time and overs under his belt at The Oval before rejoining the Indian team’s camp in Durham for their pre-series preparations ahead of the all-important five-match Test series against England. Ashwin has got the opportunity to represent Surrey as their second overseas player alongside South African great Hashim Amla after untimely injuries to Sean Abbott and Kyle Jamieson. “Once the extent of Jamieson’s injury was understood, Director of Cricket Alec Stewart began the process of recruiting Ashwin…

Bangladesh middle-order batsman Mahmudullah Riyad left his teammates shocked on Saturday when he told them of his decision to retire from Test cricket. That, despite having just made a superb comeback to the side with an unbeaten score of 150 against Zimbabwe in Harare. A report in ESPNcricinfo mentioned that Mahmudullah made his announcement to other Bangladesh players after the third day’s play at the Harare Sports Club ground.  Interestingly, Mahmudullah didn’t reveal his plan to retire when he spoke to the media after his magnificent century or made official statements through his social media accounts. But the communications from…