Author: Kashish Chadha

After two successive draws, the historic Pakistan versus Australia Test series will conclude with the third and final Test in Lahore, starting March 21. The series-deciding fixture has garnered extra context and value as the two teams eye a decisive 1-0 lead that would help them take the Benaud-Qadir trophy. The game also carries heavy weightage in the new cycle of the World Test Championship, spanning 2021-23, with a win here set to give the successful team 12 crucial points. After sharing four points apiece from the two previous games, both the sides will be hoping to take full points of their own. Heading into…

Captain Babar Azam’s marathon knock of 196 and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan’s counter-attacking century helped Pakistan hold their own in an impressive draw on Day 5 of the Karachi Test against Australia this March 16. Pakistan played out over 171 overs in the fourth-innings, batting nearly two days to fight their way to a draw, with their skipper and modern-day batting giant Babar leading from the front. He recorded the highest-ever score made in the fourth innings of a Test match by a captain to push Pakistan into safe waters. Rizwan was equally fantastic for his team as the wicketkeeper-batter continued his rapid…

Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje are among the South African stars set to skip the national team’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home as it overlaps with the initial couple of weeks of the IPL 2022. The Proteas look set to field an understrength side for the two World Test Championship versus the Asian rivals, starting March 31, five days after the Indian Premier League 2022 kicks-off. As per ESPNcricinfo, a “unanimous” call has been made by South Africa’s IPL-bound cricketers to join their respective franchises immediately after the ODI series against Bangladesh gets over on March 23, potentially via a chartered flight to enable bubble-to-bubble…

PCB chairman Ramiz Raja is very keen to adopt an IPL-style auction process to finalise squads in the Pakistan Super League as early as next season. The official said PSL 2023 could well have a pre-tournament auction taking place. The PSL has followed the draft process since its inception back in 2016, with players divided into different categories depending on their respective performances. But that could well change ahead of the 2023 season, with Ramiz, the former Pakistan batter, hoping to “elevate” the perceptions around PSL and see if it could rival the financial clout of the mighty IPL. “We need to create…

In a historic news, Cricket West Indies on March 14 announced that a women’s Caribbean Premier League will be held for the first time alongside the men’s edition this summer. The women’s tournament will be organised in the month-long window announced for the men’s version of the event from August 30 to September 30. The WCPL will be a three-team tournament, for now, featuring Trinbago Knight Riders, Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors. It is not clear, however, as to what the design of the competition will be and which venues will be in play. Clarity around the same is expected in the coming…

India’s premier fast-bowling allrounder Hardik Pandya – who will be leading new entrants Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2022 – is set to undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, starting March 26. Missing from action since the T20 World Cup last November, the 28-year-old will be at the NCA for a couple of days and go through various fitness-related tests. These tests are part of BCCI and NCA’s necessary procedure for players who are making a comeback upon recuperating from an injury. In Hardik’s case,…

A ground that has seen some of Virat Kohli’s absolute best at the crease, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on March 13 also saw the great batter’s Test average slip below 50 for the first time since 2017. The marginal dip came to light after Kohli suffered his second successive cheap dismissal in the D/N Test against Sri Lanka at the venue.  Kohli entered the match – also his 101st in Test whites for India – with an average of 50.35 after 100 Tests, having scored a whopping 8,007 runs with 27 centuries and 28 half-centuries. But twin scores…

Veteran cricketer Dinesh Karthik heaped effusive praise on India’s young sensation Rishabh Pant, saying he is well on his way to join the legendary MS Dhoni as one of the great wicketkeeper-batters to have played the game. Karthik’s remarks came after Pant produced another eye-catching performance in Tests on Day 2 of the D/N fixture against Sri Lanka in Bangalore this Sunday.  The aggressive left-hander blasted a 31-ball 50 on a turning pitch versus the Sri Lankans, backing his game-transforming 39 off 26 deliveries in the first-innings of the Test match. “Rishabh Pant is undoubtedly on his road to stardom.…

Pakistan’s veteran batter Shoaib Malik is confident of continuing in the national side despite suggestions and calls for retirement from outside aged 40. Malik said despite his age, he can’t be considered a liability due to his contributions to the team. The right-hander is taking a lot of heart from his performances at the T20 World Cup last year and the recent Pakistan Super League 2022.  In UAE last year, Malik produced some critical runs in the middle-order. His 100 runs in four innings came at an average of 50 while striking at an eye-catching 181.81. He played an instrumental…

Faf du Plessis was all praise for Virat Kohli after taking over from the Indian batting maestro as the new captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.  The experienced South African batter lauded his predecessor for his captaincy influence on Indian cricket. He believes Kohli has transformed the way India play their game on the field. The 37-year-old said while Kohli’s batting contributions put him among the greatest to have graced the game, his captaincy has also left its stamp on Indian cricket, making the team fitter and more attacking through his…