Author: Bharath Ramaraj

As Eden Carson bowled the last ball of the Women’s T20 World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates hugged each other. The rest of New Zealand’s players raced to the middle of the pitch to celebrate the momentous occasion of their maiden T20 World Cup triumph. The summit clash between the two sides had its share of plots and subplots. But sport is such that there can be only one winner, and it was New Zealand’s players who etched their names in the history books by hoisting the trophy. The ever-reliable Amelia Kerr…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai It was the semifinal of the 2017 50-over World Cup between England and South Africa in Bristol. South Africa needed a good start in conditions where the ball was doing just enough off the seam. Lizelle Lee, one of the openers, didn’t survive long. Just when it seemed like the South African batters would be tied down, Laura Wolvaardt, all of 18, unfurled a cracking cut shot. The sound of the willow meeting the leather was a crisp one and it gave an indicator that it came right off the middle. The kind of stroke that…

A famous victory is echoed for many generations. It is feted and written in indelible ink. But there is also defeat. In sport, barring one, others have to wade through the path of disappointment. Cricket is no different. As Suzie Bates, the veteran New Zealand cricketer, pumped her fists and celebrated with her teammates, a few tears rolled down the cheeks of Hayley Matthews, the West Indies captain. The cruel nature of sport. That was in brief about the second T20 World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and the West Indies. In Dubai, South Africa stunned Australia, the six-time champions.…

The human brain has its limitations. It is akin to a large storehouse, but beyond a point, it can’t take every single memory. So, it is about picking the important moments and storing them in the chambers of the brain. While listening to Georgia Plimmer’s replies in an interview, the first point that sticks out is her self-assuredness. “Getting used to the heat” was the New Zealand opener’s confident reply to an informal question. That unmistakable confidence has also been the hallmark of her batting in the ongoing T20 World Cup. She began the tournament with an aggressive knock of…

Five years ago, when Anneke Bosch made her international debut for South Africa, she had mentioned that Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers were two of her favourite cricketers. She may not go on to emulate the feats of Kohli or De Villiers, but fast-forward to October 2024, and on the grandest of stages, she achieved something that would make either of them proud. Her unbeaten 48-ball 74 was the cornerstone of South Africa’s stunning victory over Australia, six-time T20 world champions. When she walked out to the middle, very few would have envisaged Bosch being a potential game-breaker. Over…

As South Africa inched closer to a historic victory at the Dubai International Stadium, it just made one wonder how many days have gone by since Australia lost a knockout game at the T20 World Cup. 3,119 days. Yes, 3119 days ago, Australia had slipped to an eight-wicket loss versus the West Indies, in the summit clash of the 2016 World Cup. That little bit of information tells us why this was an epoch-making eight-wicket victory for South Africa. As soon as Anneke Bosch (74) hit the winning runs, Chloe Tryon punched the air in delight and hugged her batting…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Ellyse Perry is a legend of the game. That is an undisputed fact. But behind the scenes, she is also one of the most hardworking cricketers going around. Around three years ago, she was seen trying to rectify a flaw perhaps in relation to her load-up and front-arm for hours together. Just before Australia’s 2024 World Cup semifinal against South Africa, she didn’t do any of that, but the focus was on lower-back mobility exercises. Perry performed various exercises for a while before taking high catches. From one of the proven performers of the game, the…

About 30 minutes before the start of the West Indies-England T20 World Cup game, there seemed to be some kind of a forewarning. A gusty wind blew across the Dubai cricket ground. Some three hours later, that wind had manifested into a ‘Qiana-Joseph-storm’ inside the stadium. Such was the power and strength of Qiana’s batting that it blew away England’s chances of progressing to the World Cup semifinal and powered the West Indies into the last-four. Qiana’s thought process was clear – if you bowl in my arc, it will go out of the park. Agricultural hoicks to pulls…

For the last many years, one has indulged in watching Sachin Tendulkar’s ‘Desert Storm’, Javed Miandad’s six in the Austral-Asia Cup, Gavaskar’s catches in the Rothmans Cup or Brian Lara smacking Waqar Younis, time and again. Perhaps there is some unknown force that makes cricket lovers recount the unforgettable moments. Incidentally, all those memories are synonymous with one stadium – The Sharjah Cricket Ground. Before the India-Australia T20 World Cup game, all those momentous occasions gushed forth while taking a tour through the Sharjah stadium. Initially, the eyes zoomed in on a photo that dates back to somewhere in 1982.…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai India’s World Cup campaign in the UAE crash-landed with a thud after New Zealand defeated Pakistan in their final group game and progressed to the last four along with Australia. So, how was India’s overall performance? Who were some of the better performers? Here are RevSportz’s ratings for the Indian players who took part in the tournament. Shafali Verma – 4.5 The opener accumulated 97 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike-rate of 105.43. She did play a crucial hand of 43 versus Sri Lanka and also laid the foundation for India’s formidable total…