Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

That the United States wouldn’t be pulling off an upset was confirmed in the very first over, when Arshdeep Singh picked up two wickets. The very first ball of the match, after Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to field, accounted for Shayan Jahangir. In the final delivery of that over, Arshdeep removed Andries Gous. From 3-2, it was always going to be an uphill climb for the hosts to put a decent total on the board. They could only manage 110-8, which India knocked off in 18.2 overs to win by seven wickets and reach Super Eights. The…

A few years ago, during a conversation with former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed, who also worked as Pakistan’s bowling coach, the technical side of Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling was in focus. Aaqib analysed Bumrah’s bowling – from his run-up to loading and landing, and delivery release. He explained how the Indian ace is a complete fast bowler. “From run-up to release, Bumrah’s entire approach is completely linear, using his energy in a straight direction,” Aaqib had said. “It gives him more power. To me, he has got the best action in the business.” It was remiss of us not to…

Wasim Akram didn’t mince his words and called for a radical overhaul. Mohammad Hafeez questioned the integrity of the selection process. Waqar Younis slammed Pakistan’s batting. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly hinted at a “major surgery”. If Pakistan’s loss to their T20 World Cup opener against the United State was a one-off, then losing to India on Sunday was a bottle job. It has pushed Babar Azam’s team towards early elimination. The question is, what next? What does the future hold for Pakistan cricket? “Someone has to bell the cat,” said Akram on his #WazzWithU social…

India pulled off a heist in New York. For 75 per cent of the game against Pakistan, they looked down. But Rohit Sharma’s troops refused to be out. Pakistan, on the other hand, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. They seem to have lost their winning DNA. That apart, we also learned a few other things from Sunday’s game. Bumrah is indispensable After 18 overs, in their chase of 120, Pakistan needed 21 off 12 balls with five wickets in hand. It was still their game to lose. But Jasprit Bumrah bowled the 19th over, gave away just three…

How did Pakistan lose this game? They had to score 120 in 20 overs, and even on a tricky pitch, it was a fairly easy chase. They were 80-3 after 14 overs. From there, they did the most Pakistani thing and lost the game. They have lost their winning DNA. Like last year’s 50-over World Cup match in Ahmedabad, Mohammad Rizwan’s dismissal triggered a collapse in New York as well. Yet again, the Pakistan opener picked the wrong bowler to up the ante. An ugly cross-batted heave to a length delivery was neither here nor there. He was bowled neck…

This is the biggest game of the T20 World Cup. India versus Pakistan generates revenue for the International Cricket Council, which in turn is used for the development of the sport. India-Pakistan matches are not merely contests between bat and ball. They are cultural events, drawing in big crowds in the stands and millions of eyeballs in front of the telly. On Sunday, India and Pakistan will square off in their T20 World Cup Group A fixture and some premium tickets are priced at $10,000. And yet, the 34,000-seater Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York is expected to…

Midway into Pakistan’s innings, the game was evenly poised. India and Pakistan were playing a (50-over) World Cup game in Ahmedabad and Pakistan were 163/3 in the 33rd over. That was when Kuldeep Yadav struck. A flipper skidded off the surface and caught Saud Shakeel plumb in front. Four balls later, a googly castled Iftikhar Ahmed round his legs. Pakistan were suddenly 166/5 and staring down the barrel. Then, Jasprit Bumrah took over. Cut to Pakistan’s game against the United States at the ongoing T20 World Cup. Babar Azam’s men struggled against left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige, who ended up taking…

A visibly tired Mohammad Amir bowled the Super Over for Pakistan, instead of Shaheen Shah Afridi or Naseem Shah, and conceded three wides. When Pakistan batted, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan were given the task to chase down 19 off six deliveries. They failed. Why Fakhar Zaman, a left-hander who could have used the angles better against left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar, didn’t take strike was anyone’s guess. Pakistan’s defeat to the United States, however, wasn’t solely down to their Super Over tactical disaster-class. The US played better cricket and deserved their win. They had recently beaten Bangladesh in a bilateral…

Sandeep Patil recounted his conversation with Sachin Tendulkar. About 11 years ago, when he was the chief selector, Patil had to take the biggest/toughest call of his tenure as a selector. The five wise men were looking beyond the ‘master blaster’ as far as the Indian team was concerned. But Tendulkar wanted to continue. A conversation ensued and eventually, the legendary batsman decided to call it quits. “I did speak with him (Tendulkar) with my colleague Rajinder Singh Hans at Nagpur,” Patil said, speaking to RevSportz. “See, the selectors can’t ask any player to retire. The selectors can tell a…

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will closely monitor the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium pitches ahead of the India-Pakistan game. Efforts will be put in to ensure the surfaces play better. “Pitch monitoring process will apply,” a top ICC functionary told RevSportz. This came on the heels of India’s win against Ireland on Wednesday. Pitch No. 4 was used for the game and Ireland were bowled out for 96 in 16 overs, failing to cope with the up-and-down nature of the surface and exaggerated lateral movement. A couple of days ago, on Pitch No. 1, Sri Lanka were bundled out…