Author: Bharath Ramaraj

New Zealand succumbed to their third straight loss of the 2023 World Cup, leaving questions marks over their progression to the semifinals in a tournament they began with four consecutive wins. They hurtled to a humongous 190-run defeat against South Africa after Quinton de Kock composed his fourth ton (114) of this World Cup, and Rassie van der Dussen chipped in with 133. With the ball in hand, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj took seven wickets between them as they wrested back the top spot in the points table from India. It was South Africa’s batters who once again…

In the last three decades, South Africa have had a storied history in the world of cricket. But in the midst of all those laurels, one prize is still missing from the cabinet – the World Cup trophy. In that context, the chokers tag has been linked with the South African team. In the ongoing World Cup too, there were whispers about South Africa’s frailties getting exposed under pressure after they couldn’t overhaul the target against the Netherlands. Those whispers would have become louder when South Africa were eight down against Pakistan. In the nick of time, Lungi…

It seemed like any other normal evening on a weekday. Just then a message came across that Percy Abeysekara, the ever-present Sri Lankan fan, had passed away. A mixture of emotions gushed forth. Only last month, this writer had met ‘Uncle Percy’ in Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup. Although Percy looked quite frail, there was still a glint in his eyes when he remembered those stories from the past. He even said in a light-hearted manner that at 87, he was perhaps a tad healthier than Garry Sobers, the great all-rounder and his good friend of many years. But…

India continued their unbeaten march in the 2023 World Cup with a commanding 100-run victory over England, rock-bottom in the ten-team table, in Lucknow. Rohit Sharma (87 runs) and Suryakumar Yadav (49) starred with the bat for India, before outstanding spells from Mohammed Shami (4-22), Jasprit Bumrah (3-32) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-24) saw England skittled for just 129 in a mere 34.5 overs. With this loss, the defending champions have all but made an embarrassing exit from the tournament. All England can do from here is play for pride and win a few consolation games. The foundation for India’s victory…

For a minute or two, traipse back down Memory Lane. It is the 2019 World Cup and England are in a spot of bother, having lost to Sri Lanka and Australia. Next up are an undefeated India. At a crucial juncture of the tournament, the Eoin Morgan-led England see off India in a high-scoring game. They don’t look back. Four years is a long time. Although England had lost two games in a row in the 2019 World Cup, there was a sense of optimism that they could chart an escape route. In 2023, as England once again brace themselves…

The 2023 World Cup needed that one humdinger after a slew of mostly one-sided games. And we got to see one of those classic thrillers in Chennai, as South Africa edged Pakistan by a solitary wicket to clinch a memorable victory. This is the first time that South Africa have defeated Pakistan in a World Cup game (ODIs and T20Is) in seven attempts since 1999. As South Africa inched closer towards victory, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi and Usama Mir bowled incisively to almost make it Pakistan’s day. Keshav Maharaj, however, waded through the tricky spells of old-ball swing from Pakistan’s…

Bharath Ramaraj at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru It was an Under-19 World Cup game between India and England. India, who have an enviable record at the junior level, were expected to emerge victorious. For a while, it seemed that way. England lost one wicket after another, and there seemed to be no way out of the abyss. But each time a wicket fell, one young all-rounder kept clearing the boundary ropes. He cracked an imposing 88-ball 100 and played a pivotal role in one of England’s rare wins over India in Under-19 World Cups. His name was…

With the 2023 World Cup reaching halfway point, it is time to have a peek into the hits and misses of the tournament. Who are the players to have hogged the limelight with their breathtaking performances and who are the ones trying to find a way out of a bad patch…. HITS Heinrich Klaasen: A succession of South African players put up stellar performances, but he perhaps stands out among the lot. Klaasen, who bats at No. 5, has staggering numbers — 288 runs at 57.6 and at a strike rate of 150.78. He notched up a blazing 61-ball hundred…

More than the sum of the parts is an often-used phrase in the sporting world. But looking at how England have played in the 2023 World Cup, another term comes to mind. That is being less than the sum of their parts. The defending champions were upset by Afghanistan and that was followed by a crushing defeat against South Africa at the Wankhede cauldron. For a brief period, England were even the last-placed side on the table. To add to their woes, the luckless Reece Topley injured his finger in the Wankhede game and was subsequently ruled out of the…

It was a sweltering evening at the Wankhede Stadium. As Heinrich Klaasen made a mockery of the English bowling line-up, something else was clearly evident – Sweat was dripping out of his helmet, eyes, arms, everywhere. Mark Wood, the tearaway fast bowler, soon nailed a yorker, with Klaasen falling flat on the ground due to the sheer impact of the toe-crusher. A few thoughts flashed in the mind as to whether Klaasen’s fireworks were coming to an end. Reality turned out to be something different. After taking refreshments, Klaasen was back up on his feet. Wood was deposited into the…