Author: Sandip Pawar

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to be resumed in the UAE after four months of postponement due to Covid-19. Arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will clash at Dubai on Sunday to get the season up and running. MS Dhoni’s side are sitting second on the points table with 10 points, winning five and losing two of their seven games. They have played one fewer game than the table-toppers Delhi Capitals and have by far the best net run-rate in the tournament of +1.263. The defending champions Indians are in fourth place with eight points…

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots won their maiden CPL championship by defeating St Lucia Kings in the last-ball thrilling final on Wednesday, thanks to Dominic Drakes’s all-around display. The Patriots enjoyed a redemption in CPL 2021 after an abysmal bottom-placed finish last year. In the final, Dominic Drakes was the hero for them, picking 1/38 and then taking the Patriots home with a blistering knock of 48* off 24. As it happened, St Lucia Kings won the toss and elected to bat first on the big match day. They scored 46/2 in the powerplay, thanks to Rahkeem Cornwall’s early blitz. Fabian Allen cleaned him up on…

South Africa Women have been ruthless in the ODI leg of the West Indies tour, beating the hosts comprehensively in three consecutive matches to take a series-winning 3-0 lead. The fourth match will place at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua on September 16. The third contest between the two sides saw Dane van Niekerk’s side doing a fantastic job dismantling the WI women on only 157. Shabnim Ismail took three wickets while Ayabonga Khaka and Sune Luus picked two wickets each. Deandra Dottin (71) and Rashada Williams (37) were the only players to make any contribution for the hosts. The South African openers continued their great form, with Lizelle…

After a month of high octane action in the CPL, we have our four semi finalists. Trinbago Knight Riders will take on St Lucia Kings in the first semi-final, while Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots will battle it out in the second on Tuesday, September 14.  Kieron Pollard’s TKR topped the points table with 12 points, winning six out of 10 matches. The Warriors and Patriots also finished with 12 points each, but TKR had the best net run-rate in the league of +0.700. GAW claimed the second spot with +0.109. SKNP finished third due to -0.328 net run-rate, and St Lucia Kings finished fourth…

On Friday, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club conceded that their former bowler Azeem Rafiq was subjected to racial harassment and bullying in his stint at the club. Rafiq’s fight for justice against the YCCC has been going on for a long time. Azeem had accused that he was racially harassed at Yorkshire during his first stint at the club from 2008 to 2014. The club had launched an investigation by a private firm. The club released part of the panel’s report only after they were forced to do so due to rising voices in the social media and cricket fraternity. …

After claiming the ODI series by 2-1, Sri Lanka didn’t get off to an ideal start in the three-match T20I series as South Africa hammered the hosts by 28 runs in the first game on Friday. The second match slated for Sunday will be crucial for both the teams, especially Sri Lanka, who will be desperate to avoid the series loss.  In the series opener, SA posted 163/5 on the board, batting first with contributions from Quinton de Kock (36 off 32), Reeza Hendricks (38 off 30), David Miller (26 off 15) and Aiden Markram (48 off 33). Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers for Sri…

Dani Wyatt, Heather Knight and Amy Jones help England Women clinch the T20I series, defeating New Zealand Women in the third match by four wickets at Taunton on Thursday. The English Women’s team is one of the best sides in the world, and they proved it again, winning the three-match T20I series against New Zealand by 2-1. The hosts won the series decider by four wickets to claim their second T20I series victory of the English summer, having defeated India by 2-1 in July. The batting contributions from Dani Wyatt, Heather Knight, Amy Jones and Sophia Dunkley helped England Women chase down the target of 145 with one ball to spare.  Credit: Sky Sports As it happened,…

Having taken an unassailable lead of 3-1, Bangladesh will host New Zealand in the fifth and last T20I of the series at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Friday. Bangladesh home performances have been excellent in recent years, but they have taken the home advantage term to a new level in the last two series. After annihilating Australia by 4-1, they have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing series against New Zealand. The Bangla Tigers were clinical in the first game of the series, bundling NZ out on 60 and chasing it down with seven wickets to spare. The second game turned out to be…

England coach Chris Silverwood insisted that the well-being of Ben Stokes, who has taken an indefinite break from cricket to focus on mental health, remains their top priority. T20 World Cup is returning after five years, and the teams are starting to finalize their 15-member squads to compete at the world event. There are some serious doubts about whether England will have the services of Ben Stokes. Before the start of the Test series against India, England all-rounder insisted that he will be taking an indefinite break from the sport to focus on his mental well-being. England’s head coach Chris Silverwood has given his…

Indian captain Virat Kohli on India’s bowlers after a spectacular victory in the Oval Test over England, hailing the performance as one of the top three under his watch. It has become a norm for this Indian Test team to pull off incredible wins in overseas conditions time and again. After the Lord’s Test, the Indians pulled off another memorable victory in the fourth Test at Kennington Oval to lead the series by 2-1, with one match to go. The proud captain Virat Kohli spoke to Michael Atherton in the post-match presentation and showered praises on the Indian bowling attack. “The best thing about…