Author: Kashish Chadha

Having eased to a win in the first T20I, Pakistan also came out victorious in the second game of the three-match series on December 14 against the West Indies. The hosts had to fight a lot more for their win this time, though, as the visitors fell short by just 9 runs in Karachi. In the end, it was another pleasing series victory for Babar Azam and his men as they kickstarted the home season in a winning fashion. For WI, another painful reminder of the gap between them and the hosts in those conditions. Credit: PCB This time Pakistan won the…

Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins has confirmed his team’s playing XI for the second Test of the Ashes 2021-22, starting December 16. Captain has informed that experienced opener David Warner has been declared fit for the much-awaited D/N Test in Adelaide and young speedster Jhye Richardson is about to make his return after Josh Hazlewood got injured. The rest of Australia’s winning XI stays intact after they dominated the opening fixture at the Gabba and won by nine wickets inside four days. The Aussies have won all of their previous eight D/N Tests at home, including five out of five…

South Africa’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock could partially miss the all-important home Test series versus India, starting with the Boxing Day Test in Centurion on December 26, due to paternity leave. The chances are high that De Kock would miss the third Test, and potentially even the second, of the Gandhi-Mandela Trophy, with the two games coinciding with the time his wife is expected to give birth to their child in early January. The second Test of the series is scheduled from January 3 to 7 in Johannesburg and the third from January 11 to 15 in Cape Town. De Kock’s availability for these Tests depends on when,…

Pakistan proved to be too good for the West Indies in the first T20I of the three-match series in Karachi December 13, winning by a huge margin of 63 runs. The hosts posted a gigantic total of 200/6 before dismissing the visitors for a paltry 137 in 19 overs. Missing their regular skipper and experienced allrounder Kieron Pollard, West Indies led by young Nicholas Pooran failed to give a good account of themselves in trying circumstances. For Pakistan, it was a happy homecoming for the season as Babar Azam’s team continued their good run in T20Is after making the semi-final of the T20 World Cup…

Pakistan’s veteran wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal is set to skip the next year’s edition of the Pakistan Super League, starting in January, as he finds it humiliating on his old team Peshawar Zalmi’s part to be picked in the PSL 2022 draft in the lowest category. Akmal, PSL’s most-capped player in the league’s history and also its second-highest run-getter ever, says Zalmi picking him in the lowest category is a “humiliation”. The 39-year-old told ESPNcricinfo, “If it has to end like this, so be it, but I am not going to play”. Akmal stressed that his decision to not play PSL 2022 is…

India’s newly appointed white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma was effusive in praise for predecessor Virat Kohli, saying that the “grit and determination” to win every game for the country is what made him stand out. Rohit, who was Kohli’s deputy until his recent elevation to the ODI captaincy post, said he loved “each and every moment” playing under him. “Five years that he led the team, he led from the front every time, we stepped on to the park, and there was clear grit and determination to win every game, that was the message to the entire squad,” Rohit said in an interview with BCCI.tv.  “We…

In his first interview after being officially made India’s new ODI and T20I skipper, veteran opener Rohit Sharma has asked his team to keep the outside talk at bay and focus on their jobs rather than letting their brain think what others are saying. Rohit was speaking on BCCI.tv and mentioned that one of his major focus areas as captain would be to form a “strong bond” amongst the players that shall help when the chips are down and allow them to make a strong comeback. Part of it is to ensure what is said outside by the fans and in the media stays…

With England coming crashing down yet again in an Ashes opener, former skipper Michael Atherton took the team’s batting unit to task and called out its over-reliance on captain Joe Root. The Brisbane Test, which England lost by nine wickets inside four days, saw their skipper continue his great form this year. After a rare failure on Day 1, the modern-day giant was back in his element and made a defiant 89 in the second innings. In partnership with Dawid Malan (82), Root made Australia work hard for their wickets. Credit: ABC However, once those two departed at the start of Day 4, England lost their last six wickets for…

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes Virat Kohli won’t be bothered too much by the whole captaincy saga that has seen him being removed from the team’s ODI captaincy post after giving away the T20I leadership himself. Last week, BCCI last week contentiously sacked Kohli from the 50-over captaincy and replaced him with Rohit Sharma at the helm. The Indian board gave no presser or offered any explanation on the issue, stating only that Rohit will be the new ODI captain “going forward” apart from the T20I skipper. Credit: BCCI This led to a massive uproar over social media. Fans and media have been calling the…

Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor has come down heavily on England team management for their decision to leave outpace veterans Stuart Broad and James Anderson from the Ashes 2021-22 opener at the Gabba. Taylor feels England made a massive blunder in resting two of their highest ever Test wicket-takers despite the pitch offering the seamers nice pace and bounce to go with the seam movement. England confirmed leaving the Broad-Anderson duo from the Gabba Test, citing workload concerns in what is effectively a five-match Test series played inside six weeks. Credit: Sky Sports Indications are that both the pacers will be back…