Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

It was a sad day on a cricket field when this incident took centre stage. Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka was timed out, going by the letter of the law. Not many in the right frame of mind seemed to accept it, but it was right according to the rulebook. This cannot be overruled. Whether the law is just is up to interpretation, but going by the order of the day, it was valid. What was not, however, was what followed. Mathews calling Bangladesh a disgraceful country. Shakib Al Hasan saying everything is fair in war. Those were totally uncalled-for…

In cricket or in any other walk of life, there has to be room for common sense. We may look at something and come to a conclusion. But is that always right? Cricket faced this question during the World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in smoggy Delhi. The reply was smoggier. Cricket lost. Angelo Mathews was timed out in the first-ever instance of this mode of dismissal in the 146-year history of international cricket. It was the most bizarre incidents that this game has witnessed. One of the most, if we must be politically correct. It reminds…

He is the best batter in the history of 50-over men’s cricket when it comes to the second innings. He plotted and executed some monumental chases. He stood there till the end, ran crazily throughout and made sure that the result was achieved. Virat Kohli played probably his best and most significant first-innings knock at Eden Gardens against South Africa in this World Cup match. A world-record-equalling 49th century on his 35th birthday in the grandest of matches of the competition yet, at possibly the most charming of cricket venues, where he made his first international century! The stars could…

This match had to be won by Australia. They were in trouble at four or five wickets down. That’s when they picked themselves up. They recovered and made a match of it before winning it. England tried hard. They were in it for longer than expected. But it was actually match over after Australia made 286 from 117-4. England did not stand a chance on this pitch in Ahmedabad where the ball gripped, slipped and asked other questions. It was close going by numbers and the scoreboard. England, the defending champions, fought hard as the eventual score would show. Chasing…

Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the best batter the world has seen when it comes to the second innings in a 50-over game. He does not just chase down big totals, he bosses the chase. And he has been doing it since he was quite young. What stands out is this sense of responsibility, the awareness that he has to get the job done, come what may. He will do it. His average batting second in winning causes is an insane 90.40 in 102 games. Here are five instances, not including the ongoing World Cup and comprising only three-figure knocks when…

This is a rerun of the 2019 semi-final, where England ran roughshod over Australia. That was in Birmingham. Australia made 223 and that total was eclipsed with plenty to spare. Now, it is not a semi-final. The stage is Ahmedabad and things look very, very different. A resurgent Australia look ready to trample over an under-siege England. A look at the points table — England 10th out of 10, and Australia up to third – tells a story. Yes, Australia might be under strength because they will miss some of their main players due to different reasons. So might England.…

There are teams that win cricket matches. And there are teams that decimate the opposition. India put up a display of the second variety against Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday to seal their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup. It was difficult to believe at times that they were playing against the side they had met in a World Cup final at the same venue in 2011. Those two teams were evenly matched. This 302-run win where Sri Lanka sank to 55 all out was a no-contest. Had this been a bout of boxing, the referee…

Indian cricket fans will remember him for a lot of reasons. He smashed three hundreds against MS Dhoni’s team in a three-match ODI series in South Africa in 2013. He has been a standout performer in the Indian Premier League (IPL). And he is hitting hundreds for fun in a World Cup in India. Quinton de Kock would not be the first choice in an all-time fantasy ODI XI. There are illustrious peers and predecessors. Forget Dhoni, he is not mentioned in the same breath as Adam Gilchrist and Kumar Sangakkara when it comes to wicketkeeper-batters in this format. Utility,…

This is one match that apparently should be the least concern for this Indian team. Home-team heroes flying high on the back of six successive wins should be ultra-confident against a Sri Lankan team which has won two out of six. On paper, this is not quite befitting of a contest between two World Cup finalists at the same venue in Mumbai back in 2011. That Sri Lankan team had legends in its ranks. Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, for example. The problem for the beleaguered islanders is that they have not produced that kind of…

Let us go back to the end-of-match celebrations after Afghanistan had beated Pakistan. Yes, not Sri Lanka. There was jubilation. Jumping off chairs, hopping on to the ground and all those things. There was something equally unmistakable. The batters who steered the team past the border did not go overboard. Hashmatullah Shahidi took a deep breath, removed his helmet, raised his arms towards heaven and said thank you! His partner from the other end did the same. This composure of the captain of the team and rest of his teammates was again the talking point as the troubled nation claimed…