Author: Kashish Chadha

Experienced opening batter Dimith Karunaratne produced one of the better hundreds made on Indian soil, but Sri Lanka still succumbed to a heavy 238-run defeat in the second and the final Test of the series on March 14.  The stoic left-hander fought and fought hard for his memorable 107 off 174 deliveries to almost singlehandedly frustrate the mighty Indian bowling attack for the first couple of sessions on Day 3. Karunaratne’s 14th Test century was the only shining light for the hapless visitors as they collapsed to 208 inside 60 overs in the fourth innings against the skiddy pink-ball on…

Usman Khawaja was elated on March 12 after completing his maiden Test hundred on Pakistan soil. Born in the Asian country, the elegant left-hander celebrated a magnificent century on Day 1 of the second Test at “my home” away from home in Australia. The 35-year-old fell only three runs short of doing so in Rawalpindi, the venue for the first Test of the series and also his place of birth. But he fulfilled his longstanding desire at the National Stadium in the following Test, finishing the play with an unbeaten 127 off 266 deliveries. “This is where the Khawajas are from. This is my home. Would…

In an interesting twist, Shakib Al Hasan will be travelling to South Africa for Test and ODI series in the country as the Bangladesh allrounder has had a last-minute change of heart around his participation. The Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed the latest development on Saturday (March 12).  Shakib told the press he has had proper discussions with BCB president Nazmul Hassan over his participation and they have together planned his participation in international cricket for the rest of the year. He stated he is available for all formats, including the coming tour of South Africa. “I spoke to [BCB president…

Ending the speculations, Royal Challengers Bangalore named Faf du Plessis as their new captain for the forthcoming Indian Premier League 2022. The experienced South African batter has been handed the helm of affairs as he joins the RCB franchise for the very first time. Losing the race of retention to prominent names in the Chennai Super Kings camp at the end of the 2021 Premier League campaign, Du Plessis entered the mega auction for IPL 2022 in Bangalore in February, where he was bought by RCB for INR 7 crores. The Royal Challengers were expected to go after Shreyas Iyer as an Indian face to…

While Rohit Sharma’s leadership has been impressive so far, former India international Saba Karim believes the newly appointed all-format captain needs to come to the party with the bat in hand as well. According to Karim, Rohit must come up with a substantial score in the D/N Test against Sri Lanka, starting March 12. Rohit missed out against the visitors in the first Test in Mohali, also his first as new full-time Test match skipper, getting out against the run of play after a brisk 29 off 28 balls on Day 1. It was his only knock in India’s innings & 222 runs victory.  Credit: BCCI…

England opening batter Alex Hales has opted out of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, citing bubble fatigue and the need to look after his mental health. The 33-year-old announced his decision on March 11 as the attacking opener felt wary of excessive burn-out staying in the IPL biosecure bubble for more than two months. “Having spent the last four months away from home in restrictive bio-bubbles and testing position for Covid myself, I don’t feel as though I can commit myself to another extended period in a secure environment,” he said in a statement issued over his official…

Premier allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has received a full-time contract from the Bangladesh Cricket Board for the coming year despite an uncertain future in the Test team. Cricbuzz reported on March 10, Shakib is one of the five male Bangladeshi cricketers who have gotten a full-time contract for the year 2022. The news came to light only a couple of days after it became clear that Shakib will not take any part on the tour of South Africa. BCB gave Shakib a break from all international cricket till April 30 to refresh himself physically and mentally, enabling his absence from both ODIs and…

While the surface in play for the first Test has received a “below average” rating from ICC, Pakistan’s opening batter Imam Ul Haq decided not to get drawn into the debates surrounding the benign track in Rawalpindi and defended the hosts’ right to play to “our strength”. In a dull draw, only 14 wickets fell with over 1100 runs scored across three innings of the Test match. While the quicks found no pace and bounce to work with, spinners failed to extract any sharp turn even deep into the game. Low bounce was the only factor that held the batters’ horses during certain passages. Otherwise, it was…

M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore will be open for crowds of 100% capacity for the pink-ball D/N Test between India and Sri Lanka, starting March 12. The fixture, only India’s third D/N Test at home and the city’s adopted son Virat Kohli’s 101st Test match, can have a full capacity crowd cheering from the stands. The Karnataka State Cricket Association had earlier green signalled only 50% crowds for the Test match, but that has been revoked following timely government advisory in the state. The KSCA was settling for half a crowd for the Test match – their first Test since…

The Marylebone Cricket Club, cricket’s law-making body, has approved a few major changes to the sport’s rule book, with the de-stigmatisation of running out the non-striker being the major highlight.  The MCC wishes to detach the taboo associated with this form of dismissal, stating it is a perfectly “legitimate” and legal mean to send a batter back if he is caught outside the crease. Over the years, bowlers have faced scrutiny and criticism on the unwritten ‘Spirit of Cricket’ account whenever they have dismissed a non-striker run-out for standing outside the crease in an attempt to steal crucial inches to…