Specials – Morocco’s tryst with ODI cricket

The only time top-tier international cricket was played in North Africa was in August 2002, when an ODI triangular series between Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka was contested in Tangier. This tournament was the brainchild of Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, the man instrumental in bringing cricket to Sharjah. It was a lucrative affair – […]

Famous Test Matches – Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi, 1999-00

Pakistan, under new captain Saeed Anwar, were looking for redemption on their home turf following a 3-0 whitewash defeat in Australia. The Sri Lankans however had started the tour on a positive note, sweeping the ODI series 3-0, and aimed at repeating the success of their last Test series in Pakistan – a 2-1 […]

Specials – Revisiting Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign

Before the commencement of the long-awaited ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan was a team struggling for direction, representing a nation fighting for identity. The country has long been at the mercy of erratic politics and incessant terrorism that has left its sporting venues deserted and neglected for a major part of the last decade. […]

Specials – India v Pakistan ODI finals over the years

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to face each other in the final of the eighth edition of the Champions Trophy at the Oval today. Though this will be the first time that these two sides will contest an ICC ODI tournament final, they have often met in summit clashes over the years. Let […]

Famous Test Matches – West Indies v Pakistan, Bridgetown, 1976-77

Pakistan’s 1976-77 tour of the Caribbean was only their second to the region, following their maiden sojourn back in 1957-58, which remains the only Test series to have featured two triple hundreds. As was the case 19 years earlier, the opening Test of the 1976-77 series was also played at the Kensington Oval in […]

Specials – Best of the Tests: New Zealand v Pakistan

Pakistan’s 13th Test tour of New Zealand is underway, with the first of two Tests having been played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. New Zealand has been a happy hunting ground for Pakistani teams over the years – prior to the start of the ongoing series, they have won ten and lost five […]

Specials – Best of the Tests at the Bellerive Oval

Tasmania got its first taste of Test cricket in December 1989, when Hobart’s Bellerive Oval hosted the second Test between Australia and Sri Lanka. Since then, the ground has been an occasional fixture on the Australian Test calendar, having hosted a total of 12 Tests – four against New Zealand, three each against Pakistan […]

Specials – Australia v Pakistan at the World Twenty20

One of the most crucial games of the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 will unfold tomorrow as Australia and Pakistan lock horns at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. Placed in the tight Group 2 of the Super 10 stage, both the teams need to win this clash in order to remain in contention for a […]

SPECIALS – The greatest World Cup matches, Part 2

Continuing from Part 1 of this two-part post, let us look at five more great matches in the history of the World Cup that left many a viewer enthralled. Australia v West Indies, Final, Lord’s, 1975 The final of the inaugural World Cup was akin to a drama full of twists and turns. […]

SPECIALS – The greatest World Cup matches, Part 1

With the eleventh ICC World Cup only two weeks away, the excitement for the quadrennial event is rising by the day. In a two-part Special post, let us look at ten of the best World Cup matches played over the four-decade history of the tournament, starting with the top five in Part 1. […]