Viewpoint – Things wrong with India’s Test squad Down Under

The world is still battling the coronavirus, but sports events all over the world have resumed with necessary precautions. International cricket restarted with England hosting the West Indies for a three-Test series. However, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was the tournament that cricketing fans all over the globe were waiting for, and it delivered more […]

Viewpoint – Pros and cons of four-day Tests

The venue is Newlands in Cape Town, South Africa. The host nation is playing England in the second Test of a four-match series. It is the final session of the fifth day – England are looking for another five wickets to win the match and level the series, while South Africa need an improbable […]

Viewpoint – Time for Nepal’s batsmen to rise and deliver

Not for the first time, Nepal go into an ICC tournament with a few million hopes riding on them. There will be a lot at stake when Paras Khadka’s men take the field against hosts Namibia at Windhoek’s Affies Park in their opening game of the World Cricket League Division Two on Thursday. After […]

Viewpoint – Sri Lanka’s journey an inspiration for Ireland

As the two-match ODI series between Ireland and Sri Lanka gets underway today, it would be interesting to note the similarities between the cricketing stories of the two nations. Both the Emerald Isles took off rapidly after modest beginnings on the cricket scene. Sri Lanka’s ascent to the top tier of international cricket […]

Viewpoint – Cricket would do well to take a few lessons from rugby

The eighth edition of the Rugby World Cup is underway, having kicked off at the iconic Twickenham stadium on 18th September. The tournament will go on for six weeks and will feature 48 matches to be played in England and Wales. As has been the case since 2003, 20 nations divided into four […]

Viewpoint – Sledging : Nothing official about it

The Gentleman’s Game has come a long way from the days of Bodyline. Today, due to cricketers travelling across the world and plying their trade in various T20 leagues, the contests are rarely as heated as they used to be. Since the game play has simmered down, the purists are now often taking issue with […]

Viewpoint – Myths of a ten-team ‘World Cup’ debunked

The ICC, after successful 14-team World Cups in 2011 & 2015, seem to be taking a massively backward step with a ten-team round-robin format (as in 1992) slated for 2019 – a measure supposedly taken to create a ‘competitive’ tournament. Let us debunk a few myths surrounding this illogical decision:- 1. 1992 World Cup […]

VIEWPOINT – Time to get our World Cup back

With the utterly callous decision of reducing the number of teams to just ten in the 2019 World Cup finalised, it is now or never for the Associate nations to show what they are capable of. It is time for them to give a performance so strong that it mortifies the ICC and sparks […]

VIEWPOINT – Wellington victory exhibits Black Caps’ new-found resolve

For the second time in less than a year, the Basin Reserve was witness to an astounding fightback by a tenacious New Zealand side. Finding themselves in another backs-to-the-wall situation, the Black Caps produced one of the best performances in their history to win the series against Sri Lanka. Last February, captain Brendon […]

VIEWPOINT – Ireland can pack a serious punch Down Under

Ireland have named their 15-man squad for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand next month. The squad will be the same as the one which is currently in the United Arab Emirates for a triangular series with Afghanistan and Scotland. A look at the squad […]