Pakistan’s 7-run win over West Indies in the second T20I at the National Stadium in Providence, Guyana, on Saturday turned on six elements: Pakistani skipper Babar Azam’s beautiful batting, rain’s inopportune 17-minute interruption, Man-of-the-Match Mohammad Hafeez’s miserly bowling, Evin Lewis’ untimely injury, WI skipper Kieron Pollard’s uncharacteristic lack of timing, …
Read More »Rain reigns as weather puts damper on start to West Indies vs Pakistan series
No sooner had the strains of the Pakistan national anthem finished washing over the Kensington Oval in Barbados than the skies opened and began to empty themselves on to the venue. And by the time the rains had subsided long enough to allow Kieron Pollard’s West Indies batsmen to hustle …
Read More »W/Cup addict comments: which craft is more powerful, English fight or Pakistani obeah?
I have never been a great believer in the occult. After Wednesday, however, that may change. And if Pakistan win the 2019 World Cup, that will change. Ah telling allyuh, it could only be obeah! Listen up. There are only a handful of things I know for certain about the …
Read More »Kohli’s mean machine rolls past Pakistan, India virtually into final four
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that! If you are still unsure which team is going to top the round robin stage and then go on to win the 2019 World Cup, you must have missed today’s game between India and Pakistan. Indians turned up in their numbers in the …
Read More »Bad mind fails Pakistan as Australia get home easily to move to second
If Pakistan’s Asif Ali were the cousin of T&T’s Inshan Ali or Zaheer Ali, Australia would today be fifth in the 2019 World Cup standings instead of second. The two points Aaron Finch’s team earned for their 41-run victory over Safaraz Ahmed’s side in Taunton yesterday lifted them to a …
Read More »W/Cup addict comments: Scoreboard pressure does buss pipe; South Africa’s chances down the drain?
Sunday 9 June. India and Australia, their places almost reserved in the final four of the 2019 World Cup, are trying to settle the pecking order. The Indian innings is almost at an end. And already, with six balls still left, Australia are going to have to put together the …
Read More »Safaraz rights drifting Pakistani ship as things go wrong for confident England
“They turned up here today expecting to win…” former England captain Nasser Hussain unabashedly declared immediately after Pakistan’s unexpected 14-run win over the home team at Trent Bridge yesterday. Hussain can finish his own sentences and, given the choice before the game, he’d probably have opted for “… because they …
Read More »Confessions of a World Cup addict: Picking the best of the rest; as easy as ABC?
The best time to be in front is at the end. So that now that the final warming-up is done and the real business has begun, expect Australia, England and India to be out front in a league of their own. Two vowels are left but one place. Either Oman …
Read More »Short on length, long on luck, West Indies blow away hapless Pakistan; but Bravo’s woes continue
On another day, it might have gone another way; the boot might well have been on the opposition’s foot. Yesterday, however, Jason Holder’s West Indies kicked some butt, embarrassing Pakistan with a rapid, convincing seven-wicket defeat. On a lively pitch in not unhelpful conditions, the West Indian pace attack exploited …
Read More »PITT STOP: ODI numbers don’t lie; WICB must stop running its own cricket team out!
“The supply of cricketers is not nearly as great here in the West Indies as in Pakistan, say, with its almost 195 million or India (1.2 billion) or even England (55 million). “Inexplicably, however, we have found a way to reduce the supply of players available for international cricket by …
Read More »PITT STOP: Politics aside, something else is holding WI back from cricket success
Can anyone explain why the West Indies are playing Pakistan at virtually the same time the Indian Premier League games are being played? One can understand why Pakistan, whose players do not play in the IPL, would be willing to be involved but what is the rationale for the involvement of …
Read More »Who will lead WI away from the abyss? Vidale urges fans to rally for the team we deserve
“It is bad captaincy that is causing us to be scrambled, everybody is whispering and shrugging shoulders. ... In this campaign I shall spare nobody… I hereby give notice; I shall not let this question rest until it is corrected… This fooling with the West Indies captaincy has gone on too …
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