Multi-league T20 deals spook boards in changing landscape on May 2, 2023NEW DELHI: The prospect of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises becoming primary employers of foreign cricketers over their national boards is moving closer with multi-tournament contracts already being offered to some players. Eight of the IPL’s 10 franchises own at least one team in another league abroad and the owners of Mumbai Indians and Delhi […]
India’s hot property against Australia — spinners who can bat on February 21, 2023NEW DELHI: India’s spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were always going to play key roles in the home series against Australia but few, particularly the touring side, expected so much of it would be with the bat. The three have done justice to their primary role, sharing 32 of the […]
India combined empathy and ‘kick in the backside’ to best England on March 8, 2021NEW DELHI: To get the best out of a bubble-weary squad in a COVID-19 world is never easy, but India combined empathy with a “kick in the backside” approach to get the job done in the just-concluded home Test series against England. Virat Kohli and most of his team mates have been hopping from one […]
Sports and politics to mix again in Pakistan, India match-up on May 25, 2019The old adage that sports and politics do not mix will ring hollow again when former champions India and Pakistan clash in a geopolitically charged World Cup match months after being on the verge of war. Tensions run high in any sporting contest featuring the nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought two of their three wars […]
‘Sandpapergate’ scandal dominates cricketing year on December 26, 2018NEW DELHI: A ball-tampering scandal that devastated Australia cast a dark cloud over a dramatic cricketing year during which England soared, master Indian batsman Virat Kohli shone and two new test-playing countries underwent a baptism of fire. Even if Cameron Bancroft’s career survives ‘Sandpapergate’, the 26-year-old will remain the face of the worst scandal in […]
Pakistan show rare consistency to scale T20 summit on November 13, 2018Pakistan have long been regarded as one of cricket’s most unpredictable sides, but now their long-suffering army of fans can finally enjoy the benefits of a new level of dependability, at least in the shortest format of the sport. Consistency has never been a strong point for Pakistan, who, over the years, have built a […]
Pakistan warm hearts, India and Australia shine at home on December 31, 2017NEW DELHI: Steve Smith helmed Australia’s successful Ashes mission and India proved impregnable at home but it was cricket exiles Pakistan who had the most memorable year in 2017. Top teams have shunned the South Asian country since gunmen in Lahore attacked a bus carrying the visiting Sri Lankan side in 2009, killing eight locals […]