Author: Sandip Pawar

The Indian Premier League 2022 is one game away from having its two finalists. It’s the Qualifier 1 losers Rajasthan Royals going head to head against the Eliminator winners Royal Challengers Bangalore for a shot at Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2022 final. The two teams will lock horns at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 27. The Royals had earned themselves two chances of making it to the final, courtesy of finishing in the top two on the table with nine victories and a superior net run-rate. Their first chance didn’t quite work out as they went down…

The 35-year-old announced her retirement from international cricket with disappointment over not receiving a central contract for New Zealand and said she still had more to offer. In her 15-year long international career, Amy Satterthwaite became the most capped ODI player for the White Ferns with 145 matches since her debut in 2007. She has had the honour of captaining the side in 2018 and 2019. Satterthwaite has also played 111 T20 matches in international cricket.  She has had a stellar career in the fifty-over format in particular, being the second-highest run-getter for New Zealand behind Suzie Bates. Satterthwaite has amassed 4639 runs in ODIs at…

Namibia registered their first ever T20I series win over a full member cricketing nation, beating Zimbabwe by 32 runs in the decider of the five-match affair in Bulawayo on May 24. Gerhard Erasmus (2/9) and Jan Frylinck (2/25) were the standout contributors, while each of the other four bowlers, including the experienced David Weise, bagged a wicket each. For Zimbabwe, Tony Munyonga played the lone hand with a fighting 28. Earlier, Craig Williams led Namibia’s batting charge with a 39-ball 48, which included five fours, after being put in to bat. Zimbabwe operated with eight different bowling options, with Luke Jongwe, Wesley Madhevere and Sikandar Raza returning two wickets apiece. Zimbabwe had begun the series on…

The former ICC elite panel umpire Simon Taufel argued that DRS for wide calls would stretch the match too long. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, however, believes it should be a welcome move. The umpiring standards in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League have been at an all-time low, with plenty of bad calls resulting in some controversies. Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal recently suggested that allowing DRS reviews for close wide calls could avoid many game-changing moments.  Credit; IPL The player wasn’t happy with the umpire’s decision to call a wide in their match against Lucknow Super Giants, which ended up…

All-rounder Shadab Khan has been named in Pakistan’s 16-member squad for the three-match home ODI series against the West Indies, beginning June 8. Notably, top-order batter Abdullah Shafique and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz have earned a call-up as well. 23-year-old Shadab had missed the ODIs against Australia in March-April with a groin injury and will be back to the vice-captaincy role. Shafique and Nawaz have also been included, while Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Saud Shakeel and Usman Qadir, who were all a part of the Australia series have been sidelined. Rawalpindi will host each of the three ODI’s scheduled to be played on June…

Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das put on a record 253-run partnership to dig Bangladesh out of the hole, recovering from 24/5 to 277/5 in the Dhaka Test against Sri Lanka on May 23. The Bangla Tigers were in a big trouble, having been reduced to 24/5 inside seven overs but the duo then batted through the day, adding 253 runs to take the side to 277/5 at the end of the day one. Sri Lankan pace duo of Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando ripped through the Bangladesh top order, sending half the side back inside the first seven overs. However, veteran Rahim and Das…

The final grid for the season is out, with four teams securing their spots in the playoffs. The table-toppers Gujarat Titans and second-placed Rajasthan Royals battle each other in Qualifier 1 while third-placed LSG will compete against RCB. The two teams will meet in the Eliminator at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 25. The Super Giants have been outstanding in their debut season, winning nine out of 14 group matches. However, they missed out on the top two finish by a narrow margin due to an inferior net run-rate of 0.251 compared to the Royals’ 0.298. Which means they now have to…

Salman Butt, former Pakistan captain, has been appointed the consulting head coach for the Singapore national side for the entire 2022 season. A local support staff will assist him in this stint, with the former Pakistan women’s team trainer Jamal Hussain joining as fielding coach and trainer. Singapore, an associate member of International Cricket Council, will compete in three tournaments in the next five months for qualification into ICC’s marquee events. The three tournaments include T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe in July, Asia Cup qualifier in August in Sri Lanka and Men’s Challenge League A in Canada for ODI…

Virender Sehwag was highly impressed with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s match-winning half-century in Rajasthan Royals’ five-wicket win against the Chennai Super Kings on May 20. Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s U19 World Cup captain from two years ago, has been in fine form of late for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022, with scores of 68, 19, 41 and 59 in his recent outings. That was after he made a comeback into the XI, after being dropped with underwhelming returns at the start of the season. Jaiswal stroked a 44-ball 59 in the Royals’ successful run-chase of 151, which helped them secure a top-two…

Piyush Chawla has given his verdict on Mayank Agarwal’s captaincy stint with Punjab Kings, saying the captaincy isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and it was clearly evident. Mayank Agarwal, who was retained by Punjab Kings ahead of the 2022 mega auction and built the team around him, had a torrid time in the IPL 2022. While his personal form wasn’t great, he couldn’t lead the side to the playoffs either. Piyush Chawla reckoned the Punjab skipper let the pressure get to him. Agarwal replaced KL Rahul as the captain of Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022, following his excellent season…