Cricket 365

The moving stage of the IPL is now behind us and we're almost mid-way through the tournament with every team knowing what its best XI is. With that being said, here's a detailed review of the third week of the IPL 2021; a week which comprised some of the most prolific cricketing action ranging super overs to last balls finishes, impossible human feats to sheer individual brilliance and giant upsets to dominating victories.   Match 17: MI v PBKS - Chepauk, Chennai Middle-order fails again as MI plummet ahead of Punjab With two early wickets in the form of QDK (3 off 5) and Ishan (6 off 17) and Sharma and Suryakumar gasping for runs in the dismal Chepauk track, MI struggled to score runs in the first half of the innings. Some fantastic bowling by the Punjab bowlers Ravi Bishnoi and Md Shami (2-21 each) helped contain the runs from leaking in the middle overs. Surya (33) and Rohit (63) batted through the middle overs but were dismissed in successive overs as Punjab gained the uppe...

The first week of the Indian Premier League saw everything from nail-biting finishes to tremendous batting collapses; from 5-wicket hauls to centuries and from giant upsets to comfortable wins. Now that the first week of the IPL is in the record books, let's have a look behind at the pulsating matches.   Match 1 - RCB vs MI - Mumbai's batting collapses as ABD proves why he's the Boss   After being put to bat first, the partnership between Chris Lynn (49) and Suryakumar Yadav (31) put MI on the driver's seat. Ishan Kishan made a cameo as well of 28 odd runs before MI's lower middle order collapsed courtesy of RCB's prodigal son, Harshal Patel; who ended up taking his maiden 5-wicket haul. The MI Paltan; who were eyeing around 190 had to settle for an average total of 159-9. RCB didn't have the ideal start as they lost wickets of Rajat Patidar and Washington Sundar early. However, the 30-run cameos from both skipper Virat and Maxwell helped build RCB a s...

It's that time of the year again, where eight teams compete among themselves; in the grandest T20 spectacle of them all, so as to etch their names in the history books. The stage where heroes are born, legends are made and Gods are immortalized. The majestic grandeur of the Indian Premier League still remains unparalleled since its inception back in 2008. This Friday marks the beginning of what is to be a two-month-long celebration of T20 franchise cricket in the form of the 14th Edition of the Vivo IPL. Here's a special look at where the teams stand and what is to be expected out of them.   Chennai Super Kings : 2020 was a year to forget for everyone and that's especially the case if you're a CSK fan. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in history and looked weak throughout the event. With vengeance in heart and motivation in mind, the Chennai lads will look to right their wrongs of the past. The team has great finishers and all-rounders of...

 The cricket world has for hundreds of thousands of years been guarded by mystery. Today we pull back the curtain and take a look at some of the biggest and controversial secrets those big wigs at ICC and BCCI don't want you to know.  8. Gautam Gambhirr used to be a fortune teller - We all know about Gautam Gambhirr the cricketer. The legendary top order Indian Batsman who had a habit of delivering at the grandest stage of them all. But did you know that GG used to be a fortune teller while he was trying to crack it as a cricketer? Yes! It most definitely is a true fact. You may see glimpses of his greatness in his recent tweets as the genius successfully predicts the future and tweets just the opposite of what is going to happen just so that no one doubts his magical abilities. Legend has it that the "Sundarlal" character from TMKOC was also inspired by some aspects of him.  7. Narendra Modii was named after the Narendra Modii Stadium - Did you know that arguably the gre...

  Millions of cricket fans; be it avid or casual, were glued to their seats as Natarajan bowled the final over that decided the fate of the entire ODI series as a young Sam Curran fearlessly stood at the other end of the pitch, fighting for his country alone. Everyone watching the spectacle knew that they were watching something historical unfold. How did the match get there and what happened next? Read the article to find out just how. Playing XI: India - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Prasidh Krishna. England – Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler (c&wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.   India 1 st Innings – Pant-Pandya help India reach a Respectable Total After losing the toss for the 10 th time this tour, Virat Kohli’s team was asked yet again to bat first. Owing t...

  After registering a massive total of 336 runs, India was almost guaranteed a win, given the home conditions were favoring India. The Indian fans were so over-joyed by the heroics of their team’s batting that they almost took the visitors a bit too lightly. They had very little idea that they were about to witness something historic. What followed next proved exactly why the England side is a force to be reckoned with. Want to know what went down? Read the full article to find out just how.   Playing XI : India – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav.   England – Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley. India 1 st Innings – Form is temporary, KLass is Permanent After failing to win yet another Toss, India we...

 As the 14th over of the English innings came to an end, the Indian fans at home were silenced by the sheer dominance showed by Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow. It looked as if they would go on and finish the match in the next 15 odd overs. But as they say, a game of cricket isn't over until the very last ball is bowled and a young tall lanky bowler, making his debut, proved just how. What followed was one of the most enthralling scripts of a cricket match ever written. How did it all unfold? Read the article to find out just how.  Playing XI :  India - Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya (Debut), Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna (Debut). England - Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (VC & WK), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood. India 1st Innings : Late start and a good finish help India put a par...

  After a triumphant showcase in the third match of the Test Series, India needed a win or at best a draw in order to confirm their ticket to Lord's; where the Finals of the World Test Championship will be held. After three days of players metaphorically fighting for the glory of their country through blood, sweat and dirt, India managed to overpower the English side by a significant margin, etching it's name in the record books. How did it all unfold? Read the article to find out just how.   Playing XI : India was forced to make a change as Jasprit Bumrah, who was unavailable for the match was replaced with Mohammad Siraj. England, on the other hand, had made a couple of changes. Daniel Lawrence and Dominic Bess were back in the playing XI in place of Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad.  England 1st Innings : ENGLISH BATTING FAILS YET AGAIN After winning the toss on back to back occasions, the English skipper, Joe Root chose to bat first. The Indian bowlers, namely Axar ...

  Well let's be honest, no one was expecting this article to arrive this early given that the 3rd Test match between India and England started a couple of days ago, but given the circumstances, here we are. The Test format is generally played between two sides for 5 consecutive days but this one ended right after the second session of Day 2. What exactly went down in these two days? How did the Pink Ball become a major factor? How were the pitch and other criterias equally responsible? Read the full article to find out just how.  Playing XI : England made four changes to the side with Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley, Jimmy Anderson and Jofra Archer all in for Rory Burns, Daniel Lawrence, Olly Stone and Moeen Ali. The hosts, on the other hand, had made just 2 bowling changes. Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah were back in the side after missing out on the second test match while there was no place for Mohammad Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav.  England 1st Innings : AXAR PUTS THE VI...

 On July 19, 2019, the ICC suspended Zimbabwe Cricket because of government interference in their cricketing affairs. Funding to Zimbabwe Cricket had been frozen and they were barred from taking part in any upcoming ICC events. It was a sad end to the story of a promising cricketing nation who rose through the ranks, produced great talent and emerged as a force to be reckon with. How did it all unfold? Read the article to find just how. Picture this. It's 2002. You're a cricketer from Zimbabwe.  Your team has been growing, you earn a decent salary and there's no room for politics in the sport. Life's well and good for you at the moment. You look forward to the future with high hopes and aspirations with very little idea of what awaits you.  But for that, we need to go a little back in time. "STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM, NOW WE'RE HERE" After gaining independence on April 18,1980, Zimbabwe became an associate member of the ICC on July 21, 1981. They flirted wit...