Ireland and United Arabic Emirates clinched their respective semi-finals at the global qualifier A in Oman to secure their ticket for the 2022 ICC men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. While UAE overcame Nepal by 68 runs, Ireland kept Oman at bay by a margin of 56 to confirm their places at the tournament to be played in October-November Down Under. It would be a big relief for them, especially Ireland, whose sustenance depends largely on the financial windfall that comes from qualifying for these major world events. One of the two newest Test-playing nations, they are still recovering from their absence at…
Author: Kashish Chadha
Kashish Chadha
Kashish Chadha is a cricket analyst and writer by heart and profession. You can find his works featured on such websites as CricXtasy, Circle of Cricket, and Cricfit.
India and Chennai Super Kings batter Robin Uthappa is worried Virat Kohli’s elongated patch without big scores may have something to do with menthal issues. Uthappa, mindful of the fact that Kohli has not scored an international hundred for over two years now, said the “ghosts” the right-hander must be dealing with “must be immense”. A well-wisher of his, he said he “truly hope” Kohli has a strong confidant with whom he can open up about his mental fatigue, if any, he may be carrying for a long time. “I really hope somebody is doing that with Virat Kohli, because it’s very hard for someone…
The Indian Premier League 2020 runners-up are set to rope in former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar as their new assistant coach ahead of the 2022 edition of the tournament, ESPNcricinfo stated in a report. Agarkar looks set to join the Delhi franchise’s support staff and play assistant coach to Ricky Ponting. He will be filling in the role that previously Mohammad Kaif and Ajay Ratra played for varying periods until the end of the 2021 campaign. Kaif played the hands-on job upon his appointment back in 2019, and it seems Ratra’s contract with the franchise was only for the 2021 season. Apart from entering the team’s support staff, Agarkar…
Bhanuka Rajapaksa has been left out of Sri Lanka’s three-match T20I series in India, starting February 24. The left-hander has been dropped again after failing to fulfil the desired standards of fitness laid down by Sri Lanka Cricket. The 30-year-old wasn’t considered for selection for the T20I series against Australia either in a matter that has gained controversial proportions and has raised debates if excessive focus on weight issues is denying Sri Lanka a competent batting option. While Rajapaksa has been undoubtedly a bit of a liability in the fielding unit, his performances with the bat have been relatively okay.…
The contentious matter of Wriddhiman Saha receiving threats from a journalist upon denying the request for an interview is set to be investigated thoroughly by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The Indian Test cricketer was threatened by this “respected” journalist, who said “I don’t take insults kindly” when the 37-year-old refused to budge over his proposal following the ouster from the squad for the Sri Lanka series. Saha came out with the details of the conversation by posting the screengrab of the WhatsApp messages made by this journalist on February 21 over Twitter, triggering a shockwave around the Indian cricket community. https://twitter.com/Wriddhipops/status/1495076230713917441?s=20&t=Aj7-yrsShxEbt5NBblGidg With…
The first-round games in the much-awaited 2022 edition of the Ranji Trophy saw some interesting draws spread around a few notable outright victories. While the clashes between Delhi-Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra-Mumbai ended in draws, MP defeated Gujarat and Bengal overcame Baroda. The Delhi-Tamil Nadu fixture saw TN take points out of a first-innings lead after a high-scoring bout in Guwahati. In the first half, debutant Yash Dhull (113) and middle-order bat Lalit Yadav’s (117) magnificent hundreds allowed Delhi to post 452. Reducing TN to 296/6 at one stage, despite opener Kaushik Gandhi’s fifty (55) and a century (117) from Baba Indrajith (117), Delhi would’ve felt secure of ending…
Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans came out triumphant on the double-header on February 20 in the Pakistan Super League 2022, defeating Karachi Kings and Islamabad United, respectively. In the first match, the Gladiators pulled off a consolation win to end their otherwise disappointing campaign, securing victory over wooden-spooners Kings by 23 runs. Once again, it was their England recruit Jason Roy, who made the stand-out contribution, scoring 82 off 64 balls to control the innings beautifully and almost singlehandedly allowing Gladiators to inch closer to the 170-mark. The next highest score in the innings was 29 from James Vince. https://twitter.com/thePSLt20/status/1495322957928935424 Kings, too, had only had one such major contributor with…
The duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer were absolutely brilliant in India’s 17-run win over West Indies in T20I series. While Suryakumar continued his magnificent form with the bat, Venkatesh showcased his promising allround capabilities to ensure another comprehensive win for their team. Yadav blasted a 31-ball 65 to take the game away from the opposition in a six-wicket partnership with Iyer, who contributed a 19-ball 35 not out. The duo took India to an intimidating 184/5 despite being 98 for four at the end of the 15th over mark with an incredible end-overs assault against the hapless West Indies attack. Credit: BCCI Suryakumar, especially, was in no mood for any…
India coach Rahul Dravid gave an honest account of his much talked about chat with Wriddhiman Saha, telling the experienced cricketer in South Africa that the selectors and team management are planning to move past him and try a younger back-up keeper. Dravid said he is not “hurt” that Saha spoke in the open about it and still have “deep respect” for the Bengal cricketer. He added that such has been Saha’s contribution to the team that “he deserved honesty and clarity” from him as the head coach about his future in the side. “I’m not hurt at all. I have a deep respect for Wriddhiman…
Australian allrounder James Faulkner was on February 19 officially barred from participating in the Pakistan Super League in future after Pakistan Cricket Board and his franchise Quetta Gladiators called out his claim of non-payment and poor treatment. Faulkner took to social media to announce his departure from the league bubble, citing that he has been managed inappropriately by the board and Gladiators management. He said the PCB did not honour “his contractual agreement/payments”. In a pair of tweets, the cricketer claimed that the PCB “lied” to him and treated him with “disgrace” despite his honest attempt at completing his playing duties in PSL, which has…