Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

Afghanistan, who had won only one World Cup game before the start of the 2023 World Cup, can now point to three World Cup victories in a matter of weeks. Impressively, all three have come against former World Champions, with their latest triumph being over Sri Lanka, winners in 1996. On one of the best batting tracks in India, Sri Lanka had the chance to set a massive total. However, the Afghan bowlers, led by Fazalhaq Farooqi, who achieved his best ODI bowling figures of 4-34, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-38), restricted them to a below-par total of 241. In…

With two wins from five games, both Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have had inconsistent performances in the ongoing World Cup. As they approach the business end of the tournament, they cannot afford another setback. A single poor performance could spell the end of semi-final hopes for either team, and their encounter on October 30 has great importance. Notably, their overall ODI rivalry is heavily skewed in favour of Sri Lanka, who have also won their World Cup encounters. Afghanistan have demonstrated that they are not merely here to participate, but to compete and consistently win matches. Victories over England, defending…

A resurgent Netherlands side delivered an impressive performance at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, securing an 87-run victory over Bangladesh on Saturday. This marked Netherlands’ second win in the tournament as they handed Bangladesh their fifth defeat. Netherlands’ skipper Scott Edwards praised the lower-order batters for adding crucial runs lower down the order. He also lauded the bowlers, including Aryan Dutt, Colin Ackermann, and Bas de Leede, for their excellent performance. “I think it was easy to be fair. We were saying if we could get 220 plus, we were in the game,” he said in the presentation ceremony. “The lower order…

Australia clinched a thrilling victory over New Zealand by a mere five runs in a high-scoring contest, securing their fourth consecutive win in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. They posted a gigantic total of 388 in the first innings and effectively limited New Zealand to 383 runs. Pat Cummins, the Australian skipper, praised Travis Head for the positive intent he showed in his comeback game. “It was awesome. They just kept coming at us and it was a fantastic game of cricket. Travis has been away for 5 weeks, first hit back in the game and the kind…

After coming agonisingly close to securing their third victory in the 2023 World Cup but falling short, Pakistan captain Babar Azam conceded that the runs his team left out on the field – they were bowled out with 20 balls still remaining – played a crucial part in South Africa edging home in the best match of the tournament so far. Batting first, Pakistan posted a total of 270 all out in 46.4 overs, with Babarand Saud Shakeel both scoring half-centuries. In response, Aiden Markram’s 91, along with a resilient performance from the lower order, saw South Africa…

Despite arriving at the World Cup as champions in both formats of white-ball cricket, England’s title defence has been little short of a disaster, and spells the end of a special era. The team, led by Jos Buttler, has faced harsh criticism in the British media after dismal performances that have seen them win just one match out of five at the tournament. England’s chances of retaining the ODI World Cup have all but disappeared after a disheartening eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday. It left them ninth in the points table, with only…

Jos Buttler, the England captain, finds himself in the midst of a ruinous World Cup campaign. Their hopes of defending the title are about to evaporate, after a crushing eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. They are ninth on the table with just a solitary win from five matches. And the skipper is willing to take some of the blame himself. Buttler expressed his dismay, saying, “Obviously, incredibly disappointing and incredibly frustrating. We’re not just losing. We’re losing by a long way and playing well short of our best. It’s a huge disappointment. It’s never for a lack of…

Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan’s captain, celebrated his team’s ‘historic win’ against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at Chennai, describing the victory as ‘sweet’. He emphasized that they wouldn’t rest on their laurels and would continue to work hard to secure more victories in the tournament. Shahidi, with an unbeaten 48 off 45 balls, struck the winning boundary to complete Afghanistan’s remarkable 283-run chase, surpassing their previous highest ODI chase of 274 against the UAE in Dubai in 2014. “This win tastes sweet,” he said. “The way we chased was very professional. We are now looking forward…

Afghanistan’s World Cup is turning out to be a long evening in a theatre of dreams. After stunning defending champions England, they put up a clinical performance to beat Pakistan in Chennai. The calmness and professionalism they showed in chasing 283 losing just two wickets on what was expected to be a slow pitch with some turn suggested it was no upset. A second win in their fifth game didn’t brighten Afghanistan’s semi-final chances, but dented Pakistan’s. Babar Azam & Co are still fifth on the table, ahead of Afghanistan on run rate. But a third successive defeat means they…

While not as storied as India-Pakistan or England-Australia clashes, recent Pakistan-Afghanistan games have delivered thrilling moments for fans. These neighboring nations share a growing rivalry, often leading to intense on-field exchanges. This fierce rivalry is set to captivate spectators once more as they face off in the ongoing World Cup 2023. Pakistan’s dominance against Afghanistan is unquestionable in ODI cricket, having secured victory in all seven of their previous encounters. Pakistan commenced the tournament on a strong note, triumphing over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. However, they then suffered back-to-back losses to arch-rivals India and five-time champions Australia. Their current…