IN FOCUS – New Zealand in Bangladesh Test series 2013-14 : Preview

The Test season in the sub-continent is set to begin with the New Zealanders’ tour of Bangladesh, consisting of two Tests. Both these teams, placed in the bottom three of the world rankings, will be looking to prove a point – the Black Caps are seeking a long overdue series win while the Tigers […]

IN FOCUS – Three cheers for Team Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s historic 24 run win in the second Test over Pakistan at Harare was not only a great day for Zimbabwean cricket, but also for Test cricket. Besides underlining Zimbabwe’s steady improvement at the top level, the match also provided a gripping duel between bat and ball that only Test cricket is able to […]

IN FOCUS – Pakistan in Zimbabwe Test series 2013 : Preview

This will only be the fourth Test series of the 2013 season, and the second involving Zimbabwe. As expected, it is a two-match series, but thankfully at least it is going ahead after serious doubts of it being cancelled due to the ongoing Zimbabwean players salary issue. The Matches The short series will […]

REVIEW – England superior, but far from ruthless

In the end, an Ashes victory for England by a margin of three Tests was pretty much what many fans from both Australia and England had expected. Yet, though the margin might suggest a fairly one-sided series, the visitors had enough moments to indicate that the return leg would be much more competitive. […]

Famous Test Matches – Zimbabwe v England, Bulawayo, 1996-97

This Test played at the Queens Sports Club from 18th to 22nd December, 1996 was the first ever between England, the oldest cricketing nation and Zimbabwe, the then newest member of the Test fraternity. Zimbabwe had made their Test debut in 1992-93 and in the four years since, the African nation had been […]

IN FOCUS – Cricket Australia’s misplaced priorities

The Australian public was still stomaching the country’s sixth consecutive Test defeat – possibly its worst of the lot – when Cricket Australia decided to make things even more indigestible. It gleefully released the schedule of this summer’s Twenty20 Big Bash League, backed up by in-your-face statistics proclaiming its ‘success’. Not a big […]

Specials – Indian princes and Ashes hundreds

In what is one of the many interesting coincidences in the history of Test cricket, there have been three Indian princes who had the distinction of representing England in Test matches against Australia, and each of them scored a century on their Ashes debut. Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji of Kathiawar, Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of […]

IN FOCUS – The DRS dilemma

There was as much controversy regarding umpiring decisions in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge as there was the excitement of the cricket itself. It is easy to say that since both the teams found crucial decisions going against them, things might have evened out and it is part and parcel of the […]

IN FOCUS – The Ashes (Australia In England) 2013 : Preview

International cricket’s oldest rivalry is all set to resume tomorrow with the first leg of back-to-back Ashes series commencing at Trent Bridge. A well-oiled English unit will take on an Australian team which is, for a change, widely regarded as the out-and-out underdog this summer. But as Ashes series over the years have shown, […]

Specials – The Greatest Ashes Tests, Part 3

In this third and concluding part, we look back at three modern-day cliffhangers that further enhanced the Anglo-Australian rivalry: 4th Test, Melbourne, 1982-83 Following the disappointment of 1981, Australia made amends the next time by winning the 1982-83 home series 2-1. However, it could well have been 3-0 had England not won a […]