Author: WebDesk

South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen revealed that using the short-ball ploy against the Indian batters was an afterthought, with the ball not moving off the pitch at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. Jansen bagged six wickets on the red-soil pitch, which has been largely unresponsive for the majority of the match so far. The tall pacer made the most of his height and unsettled the Indian batters with a hostile spell of fast bowling. Pitching the ball up in search of movement, Jansen could not find a breakthrough in the first hour of play as the Indian openers forged a 65-run…

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald is open to the idea of a flexible opening batter amid the debate over Travis Head replacing Usman Khawaja as an opener for the remainder of the Ashes series. Head smashed a blistering century to help his team win the first Ashes Test within two days at Perth Stadium. In a game where most batters struggled, Head was the only centurion while opening the batting. The southpaw earned a promotion after Khawaja, the incumbent opener, was deemed unfit to bat in the fourth innings. Head’s century has made him a favourite contender for the opening…

New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has been picked in the 14-man squad for the first Test against the West Indies in Christchurch. On the back of good returns with the white ball, Blair Tickner has earned a recall for the first time since 2023. Having retired from T20I cricket, Williamson skipped the three-match ODI series in order to prepare himself for the red-ball challenge. Before joining the Test squad, New Zealand’s highest run-scorer- Williamson will turn out for Northern Districts in the second round of the Plunket Shield. “Kane’s ability on the field speaks for itself, and it will be…

South Africa’s Senuran Muthusamy reflected on his maiden Test century against India in Guwahati saying his focus was to help the team post a big first innings total. Drafted into the playing XI in place of Corbin Bosch, Muthusamy justified his selection by scoring hundred while batting at number 7. By doing so, he also became the first Test centurion at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. During his innings he was involved in two important partnerships which were instrumental in taking the team to 489. With Kyle Verreynne, the southpaw added 88 runs for the seventh wicket, while with Marco Jansen,…

KL Rahul has been appointed captain of the 15-man squad announced by the BCCI on Sunday, 23 November. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have been ruled out due to their respective injury concerns for the series, which will also mark the return of Ravindra Jadeja. Having led India in 12 ODIs, Rahul is no stranger to the role and has been a regular part of the ODI set-up since 2022. Axar Patel was preferred over Jadeja for the ODI series in Australia, which India lost 2–1. Also making a comeback after a long hiatus are Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad.…

South Africa batter Tristan Stubbs took the blame upon himself for not converting a good start into a big score after making 49 in the team’s total of 247 at the end of day one of the series-deciding second Test in Guwahati. On a red-soil wicket, which played better than the Eden Gardens pitch, South Africa performed well in the first two sessions before losing four wickets in the final session, giving India the advantage on the opening day. Stubbs described it as a better wicket for batting. “I definitely think it’s a better wicket for batting. You can bat…

The spectators present on day two of the first Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium were on their feet in acknowledgement of Travis Head, who smashed a sensational 83-ball 123 to make light work of the 205-run chase against a fiery England pace attack. After playing a memorable knock, Head said his focus had been on blunting the new ball and avoiding early wickets while opening the batting in the absence of Usman Khawaja. For the second consecutive time in the match, Khawaja did not come out to open the batting. While it was Marnus Labuschagne in the first innings,…

Australia pacer Mitchell Starc shattered multiple records after completing his ten-wicket haul on day two of the first Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Having taken seven wickets in the first innings yesterday, Starc claimed three more in the first session to complete his third ten-wicket haul. With match figures of 10/113, Starc became the first Australian seamer to take a ten-wicket haul in an Ashes Test since Craig McDermott’s 11/157 in 1990–91. Coincidentally, that feat was also achieved in Perth. After Australia were bowled out earlier in the day for 132, England came out to bat, and…

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) new recruit Sanju Samson is excited beyond words to share the dressing room with his idol, MS Dhoni, for the entire season after having played against him in the IPL since his debut with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2013. In a historic player swap, Samson was brought in by CSK for Rs 18 crore in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, who moved to RR. At CSK, he will reunite with his childhood hero and former India team-mate, Dhoni. The Kerala-based cricketer recounted his first interaction with the five-time IPL-winning captain. “There’s one person…

Brydon Carse recalled how Ben Stokes gave a motivational talk that bolstered the morale of the England camp and helped them fight back to finish the opening day in a better position than Australia, despite being bowled out for 172 in their first innings in the ongoing Ashes opener at Perth Stadium. After opting to bat first, England’s batters disappointed on a pitch that offered assistance to the pacers. The visitors fought back to leave the hosts reeling at 123 for nine, still trailing by 49 runs. Stokes, who was dismissed for just six, led the team’s response with the…