Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

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).…

In a thrilling final showdown at Hangzhou’s Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, the India Women’s cricket team sealed the Asian Games gold medal in their maiden appearance in the competition. They defeated Sri Lanka Women by 19 runs on Monday, September 25, successfully defending a target of 117. Titas Sadhu emerged as the star performer for India with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 3-6 from her four-over spell. Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian captain back in action after a two-game ban, won the toss and opted to bat first. However, the typical explosive start from Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana,…

In a last-ball thriller, Charith Asalanka showed remarkable composure, steering Sri Lanka to a two-wicket victory in the must-win Asia Cup Super Four encounter against Pakistan in Colombo. The nail-biter secured Sri Lanka’s place in the final, where they will face India at the same venue on Sunday. Rain delayed the start of the virtual shootout by 75 minutes, reducing it to a 42-over affair. Pakistan chose to bat and managed a respectable 252/7 after early struggles. Sri Lanka made an energetic start, thanks to Kusal Perera’s eight-ball 17. It took a brilliant piece of fielding from Shadab Khan to…

Kuldeep Yadav achieved a remarkable milestone in the third T20I against West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Guyana as he became the fastest Indian to secure 50 wickets in T20Is based on the number of matches played. Kuldeep accomplished this feat in his 30th T20I appearance for India, surpassing his teammate Yuzvendra Chahal, who had reached 50 T20I wickets in 34 games. In the realm of full-member players, only Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis (26) and Ireland’s Mark Adair (28) have achieved this milestone at a faster pace than Kuldeep. Although he had missed the second T20I due to a…

Australia had much the better of the opening day in the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval, bowling England out for 283 in just over two sessions and then chipping away steadily to reach 61-1 at stumps. Harry Brook’s brisk 85 was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing English batting display, as they collapsed from 184 for 3 largely because of poor shot selection. Pat Cummins, the Australian skipper, won the toss and sent England in on a green-tinged pitch at The Oval. England’s openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, got off to a rapid start, and they…

Vaibhav Tripathi In the final of the Emerging Asia Cup 2023 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Pakistan Shaheens successfully defended their title by defeating arch-rivals India A with a convincing 128-run margin. Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, India A faced a formidable opening partnership from Shaheens’ Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, who displayed attacking cricket and quickly took the team to 103 runs without losing a wicket in just 15 overs. However, a crucial breakthrough by Manav Suthar, dismissing Ayub for 59, triggered India’s comeback as they picked up the next four wickets in quick…