Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

Afghanistan will be watching the India-Australia match closely, hoping for an Indian victory, which would give them a golden chance to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals. This scenario sets up a crucial Super Eight match against Bangladesh at Arnos Vale, St Vincent, on June 25. If India defeat Australia, the Afghans will enter their game against Bangladesh knowing that any victory will secure their spot in the semi-finals. Conversely, Bangladesh will also have a slim chance of advancing, provided India wins and they achieve a massive net run rate improvement. Afghanistan bolstered their semi-final hopes with a memorable…

England were dominant with both bat and ball. After dismissing a struggling USA batting line-up for a meager 115, via a Chris Jordan hat-trick, the defending champions chased down the target in less than 10 overs. Jos Buttler led the charge, blasting the USA bowlers all over the park to score an 83 off just 63 balls. The victory took England to the T20 World Cup semi-finals. The United States’ top-order began with aggressive intent, and despite losing a couple of wickets, they had a promising Powerplay. Andries Gous flicked a delivery off his pads from Reece Topley in the…

The last time Afghanistan faced Australia, history was made. Glenn Maxwell, hobbling on one leg, pulled off a miraculous run-chase in Mumbai last year in the ODI World Cup. On June 23, Sunday, Maxwell seemed destined for a similar performance. He raised his bat after reaching his fifty. The way he was striking the ball—clean and precise—suggested that Afghan hopes might once again be dashed. Just as it appeared that the game had slipped away from Afghanistan’s grasp, Gulbadin Naib, brought on as the eighth bowler, turned the match around by dismissing Maxwell. From a cricketing perspective, it was an…

The race for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is intensifying with the Super 8 stage in full swing. With two games remaining in Group 2 of the Super Eight stage, the competition for the semi-final spots is largely a three-way battle. While the USA isn’t completely out of contention, they will need big wins to stay in the hunt. The first of these two crucial matches will feature the defending champions, England, against the co-hosts, USA, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. England barely made it to the Super 8s, relying on a series of fortunate events. However, in…

Despite holding the top spot in the T20I rankings for a long time now, which is well-deserved, Suryakumar Yadav has often been labelled as a minnow basher on the big stage. Out of his five half-centuries at the T20 World Cup, four have come against lower-ranked teams such as the Netherlands, USA, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan. He appeared to be India’s best batter in the last T20 World Cup in Australia. However, when it came to the big game, the semi-final against England, he managed only 14 runs. Criticism intensified against India’s best T20 batter following a tepid performance in the…

The best possible way for the USA to topple the West Indies was to take early wickets with the ball and chase down the target. That didn’t happen. The USA batters could only post 128 on the board, which was never going to be enough against a strong West Indies’ batting line-up. Early wickets could have turned the tide, but they failed to materialise, allowing the home side to chase down the target in under 11 overs. This victory was largely due to a sensational innings from Shai Hope, securing the West Indies their first win of the Super 8s…

The Super 8s are in full swing, with all eight teams battling for a place in the semi-finals. The co-hosts’ fate hangs in the balance as the West Indies and the USA face off in Barbados in a virtual knockout game. Both teams suffered defeats in their first Super 8 matches, making this a must-win encounter for both. Although the USA have impressed everyone, West Indies are still favoured to come out on top. Having remained unbeaten in the group stage of this World Cup, West Indies received a reality check from the England batters in St Lucia. This loss…

Coming into this game, Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow were under some pressure to perform with the bat. After losing Jos Buttler in the seventh over during the run-chase of 181, Phil Salt took responsibility, played the role of sheet anchor, and, together with Jonny Bairstow, put on a match-winning stand to help England win their first Super Eight game of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, handing West Indies their first loss of the tournament at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia. The co-hosts got off to a strong start with the bat, but…

The 2016 T20 World Cup final between England and the West Indies was a spectacle to behold. Carlos Brathwaite was the hero as he smashed four sixes off Ben Stokes’ bowling to win the game for the Men in Maroon. Fast forward to 2024, and while Brathwaite and Stokes are no longer part of their respective teams, there will be no shortage of excitement as the two long-standing rivals lock horns at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia to write a new chapter in this rivalry. Last year, England and the West Indies squared off in a five-match…

After a low-scoring group stage in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the final Group C game turned into a run-fest. West Indies set the highest score of the tournament, thanks to a scintillating innings from Nicholas Pooran, against Afghanistan at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia, on an excellent batting wicket. To chase down a record total of 219, the onus was on Afghanistan’s openers to do the bulk of the scoring, but unfortunately for the Afghans, they couldn’t do it. They lost by 104 runs. Afghanistan’s troubles began early when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a…