Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

Jos Buttler, the England captain, expressed his dissatisfaction with the sandy outfield in Dharamsala during a press conference ahead of his team’s match against Bangladesh at the HPCA Stadium on Tuesday, October 10. Buttler criticised the outfield’s condition and emphasised that players shouldn’t have to hold back while fielding to avoid potential injuries. “I think any time you’re talking about being careful diving or sort of being careful when you’re fielding, it sort of goes against everything you want to be as a team,” Buttler said in the press-conference. Concerns about the Dharamshala outfield emerged during the match between Bangladesh…

After their impressive start to the World Cup with a thumping win over defending champions England, New Zealand will look to make it two in two when they face the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Monday (October 9). These teams have met four times in the past. New Zealand emerged victorious on all four occasions. New Zealand seem to have a lot of things going in their favour at the moment. They beat England by nine wickets despite missing captain Kane Williamson and key bowlers Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson. Matt Henry’s impressive new-ball spell, Mitchell Santner’s control in the middle…

In what was anticipated to be a closely contested World Cup match, Bangladesh secured a resounding six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday (October 7). Bangladesh chased down the target of 157 runs in less than 35 overs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz (57 and 3/25) was successful with the bat and the ball. Shakib Al Hasan (3/30) contributed as a bowler, while Najmul Hossain Shanto (59 not out) made sure the chase was smooth. It was an easy win after Afghanistan messed up a good start. After being put into bat, the opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran…

Bas de Leede’s all-round heroics (67 & 4/62) went in vain as Pakistan secured their first victory of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, defeating the Netherlands by 81 runs, in Hyderabad, on Friday, October 6. Netherlands managed 205 in a chase of 287. The game began with the first delivery from Aryan Dutt challenging Fakhar Zaman’s outside edge. It spun and bounced, which in turn indicated the pitch’s suitability for slow bowlers. Aryan maintained tight lines in his initial two overs, building pressure that benefited pacer Logan van Beek. Van Beek dismissed the out-of-form opener Fakhar Zaman,…

India dominated Bangladesh in the Asian Games 2023 semi-final and secured their spot in the final with a crushing nine-wicket win. On a turning deck, Tilak Varma (55*) and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (40*) led the charge as India reached the target in just 9.2 overs. Earlier, Sai Kishore (3/12) and Washington Sundar (2/15) shone with the ball, limiting Bangladesh to 96 in their 20 overs. Batting conditions in Hangzhou were far from ideal, leading to Bangladesh’s struggle in building partnerships. Pervez Hossain Emon’s painstaking 23 was the highest individual score. Jaker Ali’s unbeaten 24* and Rakibul Hasan’s brief cameo…

Pakistan’s eagerly-awaited World Cup campaign in India begins with an easy one. Up against Babar Azam’s side in Hyderabad are the Netherlands. Incidentally, the European side’s last World Cup appearance was also in India, in 2011. Despite their much-vaunted pace attack falling short in the warm-up matches against New Zealand and Australia, Pakistan possess a formidable line-up. The in-form Babar, along with Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed, performed well in the warm-ups, boosting the confidence of the batting order. Babar’s batting was instrumental in Pakistan’s ascent to the No 1 position in the ICC ODI rankings, which they recently conceded…

Expectations Expectations of Afghanistan aren’t very high, and there are reasons for this. While their players have showcased their skills in the 20-over format, they are still in the process of mastering the nuances of the 50-over game. Fortunately, the subcontinent conditions should help them adapt swiftly and capitalize on their strengths. This is an opportunity for them to challenge a few teams and show that they may not be serious contenders, but serious competitors they are. Where they finished last time Afghanistan displayed only glimpses of their potential. They defeated the West Indies twice to qualify, but struggled to…

Expectations In the context of the 50-over World Cup, South Africa has a history of reaching the semi-finals on four occasions. They are yet to go beyond that. Over the years, they have had a mix of bad luck and nerve-wracking setbacks in crucial situations, which earned the ‘label’ of chokers. India 2023 is an opportunity for South Africa to shed this unwanted tag. The Proteas aren’t among the favourites to clinch the title, with teams like India, England, and Australia carrying that expectation. So they are the underdogs. Where they finished last time It was a dismal campaign, where…

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s majestic hundred, complemented by three-wicket hauls for Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan, were the highlights of India’s thrilling 23-run victory over Nepal in the first quarter-final at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou on Tuesday, October 3. Batting first after winning the coin toss, Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, his opening partner, set the stage in what was India’s first appearance in the Asian Games cricket competition. Jaiswal set a blazing pace right from the start, while Gaikwad, who led the side, initially struggled to find his rhythm. Jaiswal swiftly reached his half-century and the partnership crossed the…

England and New Zealand posted victories in rain-affected World Cup warm-up matches on Monday (October 2). In Guwahati, England beat Bangladesh by four wickets. In Thiruvananthapuram, New Zealand defeated South Africa by seven runs. Both games were decided on the DLS method. Opting to bat, Bangladesh scored 189/9 in 37 overs. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the top-scorer with 74 runs (89 balls). England’s left-arm pacer Reece Topley took three for 23 runs in five overs. Rain set a revised target of 197 for England. They chased it down in just 24.1 overs. Moeen Ali contributed 56 runs (39 balls).…