Author: WebDesk

Before the Indian Premier League’s inaugural season, there was some disquiet about the possibility of heated, on-field skirmishes between Indian and Australian players. The Sydney Cricket Ground had been witness to Monkeygate just over three months earlier, and The Sydney Morning Herald, the country’s leading newspaper, had called Australia’s controversial victory “the ugliest performance put up by an Australian side for 20 years”. Peter Roebuck, their columnist, had gone further and accused Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, of turning “a group of professional cricketers into wild dogs”. What happened in Sydney was hardly a one-off either. In 2003, Glenn McGrath…

In what ranks as a monumental achievement, Nepal secured a historic seven-wicket win against United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final match of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2023 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground on Tuesday. The victory earned them a place in the 2023 Asia Cup. Nepal will be in Group A, pitting them against India and Pakistan. Group B comprises Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Opting to bat first, UAE struggled to find their footing as they lost wickets regularly, eventually slumping to a below-par score of 117 in 33.1 overs. Asif Khan’s composed knock of…







Just a couple of months ago, when Australia and India were involved in a keenly-contested Test series, Cheteshwar Pujara and Steve Smith were on opposite sides. However, with Smith all set to join Sussex this week for a short County stint, the two cricketers will share the same dressing room. Although, in a few weeks time, the duo will again have to face each other when India take on Australia in the WTC final at Oval on June 7. Pujara, who is also the captain of Sussex, shared his thoughts on playing alongside Smith. “We have spoken, but most of…



Former India opener Aakash Chopra has lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal’s stunning 62-ball 124 against Mumbai Indians, in an IPL game played at the Wankhede Stadium. The Rajasthan Royals opener smashed as many as 16 fours and eight sixes in his innings. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra observed that the promising cricketer has the required skillset and temperament to perform with equal finesse in varying formats. “There is no doubt in my mind or your mind that the most valuable player of the match has to be Yashasvi Jaiswal. Firstly, he is an all-format player, don’t even think…

Among the team sports that command a sizeable following, cricket has always been the odd one out. Though Sussex County Cricket Club, the oldest of England’s 18 first-class counties, was founded in 1839, the history of cricket is largely a narrative based on matches between international teams. Competitions like the County Championship, the Sheffield Shield in Australia and the Ranji Trophy in India have a niche following, but they never dominated the headlines in the manner in which, say, the Indian Premier League (IPL) does now. When you mention “Don Bradman”, it’s the baggy green cap of Australia that you…