A cricket match, a wise old scribe has written, is played in the minds of the opposing captains. Even in today’s changed world of T20 cricket? Hmmm…. Let’s see… For a full century after Australia’s 45-run victory over England at Melbourne in the first-ever Test match in 1877, the statement …
Read More »Where T20 cricket is going next; and how Sobers and Viv helped shape its course
At a critical moment in the final Super Eights game, one of the team coaches left the pavilion and came to the boundary’s edge. Bangladesh looked well on course to get the 115 runs they needed to stop Afghanistan in their semifinal-bound tracks. One point is enough to make the …
Read More »Is it time for older WI fans to shelve purity preference in cricket formats?
If, in the Lloyd Best definition, limbo is finding space where there is none, the cultural artform had its best ever day on the international stage in Sydney in January of 1993. No matter how many policemen Aussie captain Allan Border placed in the area between point and wide long-off, …
Read More »Pooran not batting properly? Really?! Start watching T20 cricket with 21st Century eyes
Brian Lara says Nicholas Pooran should be playing Test cricket for the West Indies. Not everyone agrees. But no one doubts that the prolific, talented almost-30-year-old left-hander is the West Indies’ best T20 batsman. By far. Pooran, though, is under attack—directly and indirectly. And whether the criticisms constantly levelled at …
Read More »Can WI force England to take us seriously? Will Lara’s advice help?
In the lead-up to the First Test which ended at Lord’s last week, Brian Lara, a master of timing, reaffirmed his long-held position on the possibilities for West Indies cricket. “I still believe we have some of the best talents in the world,” the Guardian reports him as saying, “but …
Read More »CPL 24: Patriots draft Mayers; final team rosters confirmed
West Indies allrounder Kyle Mayers was the first pick of the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) player draft, as teams completed their business and confirmed their T20 squads for the upcoming season. Mayers, who represented the Barbados Royals last season, will suit up for the Saint Kitts and …
Read More »Dear Editor: West Indies struggling with inferiority sickness against England
“[…] Mikyle Louis, you must bat deep into the innings; always go back to square one after a restart. Alick Athanaze, Kirk McKenzie and Kavem Hodge, get to the pitch of the ball, play the ball under the eyes, keep it on the ground. “[…] The bowling unit never disappoints …
Read More »Early Bird: Looking back at T20WC24; where will Pooran be for 2026 tournament?
There can be no doubt that eventual winners India deserved to have the lion’s share of the places on the T20WC24 Team of the Year. With a twelfth man included, India’s six picks represent exactly half of the places. But if we take away the capital letters and reference the …
Read More »T20WC24: Kohli, Suryakumar, Proteas give inspired India 2nd T20 title
They choked! Again! At the last hurdle, just the wrong time! At just the right time, struggling star batsman Virat Kohli found his form to help 2007 Champions India sneak past South Africa by seven runs at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday. The former skipper’s carefully constructed 76 (59 …
Read More »Vaneisa: T20WC24 thrills, revived WI interests—but Big Three concerns linger
Both of the semi-final matches in this T20 World Cup were demolitions. The match between Afghanistan and South Africa was actually painful to watch. Even if you supported the SA team, from a sporting perspective, it is unpleasant to look at that kind of devastation—like schoolchildren being trounced by adults. …
Read More »T20WC24: India avenge 2022 England defeat; set up final clash of unbeaten teams
A measured third-wicket partnership of 73 between skipper Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav put India in the driver’s seat in the T20 World Cup semifinal in Providence, Guyana today. On a track where the bounce remained low throughout, the pair got India to a just-above-par score of 171—a sub-par England …
Read More »T20WC24: Shamsi, Jansen demolish Afghanistan; South Africa coast into first final
Riding high after qualifying for their first ever World Cup semi-final, Afghanistan were yesterday brought very low—56 all out—by South Africa. At the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, Aiden Markram’s men reached their target for the loss of just one wicket to book a place in a World Cup final …
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