Specials – Associate nations at the World Cup, Part 1

Thanks to the International Cricket Council’s retrograde decision to reduce the number of the teams at the World Cup, the 12th edition of the showpiece event, set to begin in England on May 30, will feature only ten teams – the least number of teams since the 1992 edition. More tellingly, it will […]

Specials – Best of the 1999 World Cup, Part 1

With the 2019 World Cup almost upon us, it is great time to rewind to two decades back, when England last hosted the showpiece event. Besides featuring some riveting contests and quality performances, the 1999 World Cup, played primarily in England with a few fixtures in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Netherlands, was also […]

Record Book – Sri Lankan Test centurions in Australia

Sri Lanka have begun the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy off the wrong foot, as they got skittled for 144 on the first day at the Gabba. The Lions now face an uphill task if they are to succeed in Australia, where they have lost 11 and drawn two Tests so far. However, despite the winless record, […]

Specials – ODI cricket in Singapore, Part 1

In the first of this three-part series, we look back at the first ever One-Day International (ODI) tournament to be hosted by Singapore. The subcontinental trio of India, Pakistan and newly-crowned World Cup champions Sri Lanka came together to contest the Singer Cup, a week-long round-robin competition played on the Singapore Cricket Club ground […]

Specials – Best of the ODIs at Dambulla

The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium is scheduled to host the first two ODIs of the five-match series between Sri Lanka and South Africa, starting from today. The ground holds a unique place among Sri Lankan venues, in that it has only hosted ODI matches since its international debut in 2000-01 (though four T20Is between […]

Record Book – Numbers from West Indies v Sri Lanka Test history

Sri Lanka are set to begin only their fourth Test series in the Caribbean, and their first there in ten years, with the first of three Tests starting at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain tomorrow. Since their first meeting in whites in 1993-94, the two island teams have played each other […]

Record Book – The 100-ODI club

The second ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan at Nelson tomorrow will be the hundredth contested by the two teams against each other, in a span of nearly 45 years dating back to their first encounter at Christchurch in 1972-73. Thus, it will become the eleventh fixture to reach the milestone of a century […]

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 […]

Record Book – The first ODI on Kenyan soil

Following their impressive display in the 1996 World Cup in the subcontinent, during which they famously toppled the fancied West Indians at Pune, Kenya were awarded ODI status by the ICC. This was a welcome boost to their surge towards becoming the leading Associate nation in the world. A little over six months […]