Chief executives of cricket boards will start hammering out on Thursday what cricket’s next eight-year calendar will look like. CEC (the ICC’s chief executives’ committee) meetings on the 2023-31 cycle have so far been exploratory in nature, in trying to suss out member views on various competitions, ICC events and the growing space domestic T20 leagues now occupy. But the …
Read More »ICC rankings – Babar Azam displaces Virat Kohli to become No. 1 ODI batsman
News Becomes only fourth Pakistan player to attain top ranking, after Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf Pakistan captain Babar Azam is now the No.1-ranked ODI batsman, ending India captain Virat Kohli’s long reign at the top of the charts. Babar’s match-winning 82-ball 94 in the third ODI against South Africa helped him gain 13 rating points to reach …
Read More »Match Preview – South Africa vs Pakistan, Pakistan tour of South Africa 2021, 3rd T20I
Preview South Africa might want to tinker with their batting personnel, while Pakistan would look for more from their bowlers Big picture Match one went down to the penultimate ball. Match two was as one-sided as they come. What are these two teams really about? South Africa have been rebuilding for much of the last six years and still don’t …
Read More »SA vs Pak 2nd T20I
Amidst the current panic about over rates and T20 matches extending beyond four hours, the second T20I between South Africa and Pakistan was over well within three. And yet, despite it’s brevity, it’s difficult to imagine George Linde will play another international match that provides as much gratification as this one did. Not only did the South Africa allrounder, whose …
Read More »Recent Match Report – Pakistan vs South Africa 2nd T20I 2021
Report Mohammad Hasnain replaces Haris Rauf in the second change for the visiting side Toss Pakistan chose to bat vs South Africa Both South Africa and Pakistan wanted to bat first at the Wanderers and the hosts initially thought they had won the right to it when match referee Andy Pycroft said the coin had landed tail-side up after Babar …
Read More »PCB accepts Dr Sohail Saleem’s resignation, looks to revamp medical department
News Dr Saleem had tendered his resignation last month, only for it to be accepted now The PCB has decided to release the head of its Medical Department Dr Sohail Saleem, officially accepting his resignation, which had been tendered on March 5 in the wake of the PSL’s postponement last month. The PCB believes there is a need to revamp …
Read More »Match Preview – South Africa vs Pakistan, Pakistan tour of South Africa 2021, 2nd T20I
Preview The visiting side won the first T20I despite not being at their best, which will give them added confidence Big picture It’s difficult to establish whether the nail-biting nature of the first T20I was about as good as this hollowed South African unit can produce, or the harbinger of a tremendously competitive T20I series. South Africa would brush off …
Read More »PSL 2021 – PCB to outsource management of bio-security protocols with PSL to resume on June 1
News The season was curtailed last month after an outbreak of Covid-19 among a number of players The PCB will outsource the management of its bio-security protocols to an international firm when the sixth season of the PSL resumes in June. The dates for the resumption have now been finalised, with the league restarting on June 1 and the final …
Read More »SA vs Pak 2020-21 – 1st T20I
At a time when the vast majority of people have not seen others regularly, one person has overstayed his welcome over the last three months from the South African point of view. With two hundreds, two fifties, and two forties in nine innings, and a T20I average of 135.50 in 2021, Mohammad Rizwan has been ever-present, and shows no signs …
Read More »Recent Match Report – South Africa vs Pakistan 1st T20I 2021
Report The home side has handed maiden caps to Wihan Lubbe, Sisanda Magala and Lizaad Williams Toss South Africa opt to bat vs Pakistan South Africa captain Heinrich Klaasen opted to bat first after winning the toss in the first ODI against Pakistan in Johannesburg on Saturday, and have named three debutants for the game: Wihan Lubbe, Sisanda Magala and …
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