Harare, Zimbabwe: New Zealand defeated Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the first Test, needing only 14 balls to knock off a target of eight runs in their second innings. The victory was a dominant one, largely orchestrated by New Zealand’s bowlers, who twice bowled out Zimbabwe for under 170. This loss marks Zimbabwe’s fifth consecutive Test defeat. The star of the match was fast bowler Matt Henry, who claimed his second career nine-wicket haul. His exceptional performance included figures of 6 for 39 in the first innings and 3 for 51 in the second. Other bowlers also contributed significantly, with…
Author: Raghav Mutdeyja
Gus Atkinson’s Five-Wicket Haul Seals India’s Collapse for 224 London, UK: Gus Atkinson made a brilliant return to the England team in the fifth Test, dismantling India’s lower order to help dismiss them for a first-innings total of 224. Atkinson, who was playing on his home ground at Surrey, finished with exceptional figures of 5 for 33, taking three of the four wickets that India had remaining when they resumed on Friday morning at 204 for 6. Atkinson’s performance was especially crucial as it was announced that fellow seamer Chris Woakes would take no further part in the match due…
Mumbai, India: India and Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been appointed captain of the West Zone squad for the upcoming 2025-26 Duleep Trophy, which begins on August 28. The 15-member squad features several prominent names, including India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle-order batters Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan. A total of seven players from the Mumbai team have been selected. Other notable inclusions are Ruturaj Gaikwad, along with wicketkeepers Harvik Desai (Saurashtra) and Saurabh Nawale (Maharashtra). Veteran players Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were not named in the squad. The selection was made by a committee chaired by Sanjay Patil…
London, UK: England has seized control of the fifth Test on Day 2, thanks to a devastating morning session. In just 21.4 overs, Gus Atkinson’s five-wicket haul dismantled India’s first innings for a total of 224. This was followed by a thunderous opening partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, who propelled England to 109 for 1 at lunch, now trailing by just 115 runs. The England openers were particularly aggressive, hitting 92 runs off a mere 77 deliveries and punishing every minor error in line or length from the Indian bowlers. Duckett, the primary aggressor, struck the first two…
Lucknow, India: Bharat Arun has been named the new bowling coach for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the IPL 2026 season, the franchise confirmed on Wednesday. This move marks the end of Arun’s four-year stint as a bowling consultant with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Arun’s role at LSG is expected to be comprehensive, encompassing not only direct coaching but also scouting and year-round development of the team’s young fast bowlers. “It’s an honour to join the Lucknow Super Giants, a franchise that reflects professionalism, ambition, and vision at every level,” Arun said in a statement. He expressed excitement about…
Injured Ben Stokes Out of Fifth Test; England Rests Archer and Carse London, UK: England will be without their captain, Ben Stokes, for Thursday’s fifth Test against India at The Oval, as he has been ruled out with a torn shoulder muscle. Ollie Pope will step in to deputize as captain for the fifth time in Tests. England has made four changes to their side following the draw in Manchester, bringing in Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are being rested due to heavy workloads in the previous Test, while Liam Dawson…
Birmingham, UK: The India Champions team has withdrawn from their World Championship of Legends (WCL) semi-final match against Pakistan Champions due to strained political relations between the two countries. The match was scheduled for Thursday in Birmingham, resulting in Pakistan Champions automatically advancing to the final. They will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia Champions and South Africa Champions. This is not the first instance of India Champions refusing to play their rivals in this tournament. They had previously declined to play their group stage match against Pakistan Champions on July 20. While both teams shared…
Dubai, UAE: India’s Abhishek Sharma has ascended to the top of the T20I batting rankings, surpassing his Sunrisers Hyderabad opening partner, Australia’s Travis Head. Head had held the coveted No. 1 position since June last year, when he overtook Suryakumar Yadav. However, his inactivity in T20I cricket since September 2024, including opting out of Australia’s recent five-match series in the West Indies, led to his slide. Sharma now becomes the third Indian player to reach the summit of T20I batting, following in the footsteps of Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. Sharma’s last T20I appearance for India was in February, during…
Manchester, England: India showed significant resilience on Day 4 of the Old Trafford Test, as Shubman Gill (52)* and KL Rahul (30)* batted through the middle session without losing a wicket. Their crucial partnership helped India recover from a dramatic start to their second innings, although they still trail England by 225 runs at tea, with the score at 86 for 2. England had earlier declared their first innings at a colossal 669, largely propelled by an extraordinary century from captain Ben Stokes. This monumental total, England’s fifth-highest in Test history, provided them with a commanding lead of 311 runs.…
Harare, Zimbabwe: South Africa’s all-format coach Shukri Conrad expressed “bitter disappointment” after losing “a game of millimetres” to New Zealand in the T20I tri-series final in Harare, yet he remains “thrilled” with the performance of his new-look team. Despite losing all three matches against New Zealand in the competition, South Africa came tantalizingly close to lifting the trophy and achieving their highest successful chase against them. Conrad views this near-triumph, achieved with a squad featuring only two players from their last T20 World Cup squad (Reeza Hendricks and Gerald Coetzee), as a testament to the strong depth in South African…