The Australians made short work of their three-day game against South Africa A, winning by seven wickets. Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh cracked 70s each to make nonsense of a mild victory target. This after Mitchell Johnson had underlined his liking for South African wickets with a nine-wicket haul. In the UAE, a flawless century [...]
The Titans showed that cricket skills trump any format as they obliterated the Lions in the opening 50-over match of the new one-day competition. After the Lions had posted a decent 257/7, Henry Davids played a sublime innings full of authentic cricket shots. It was magnificent stuff as he lofted four sixes and added [...]
A brilliant KP half-century allied to brainless batting by India and sharp bowling by England were enough to keep England top of the T20 pops and give them their first victory of what has been a miserable tour. The moment the openers had failed, India were on the backfoot, and England exploited circumstances to perfection. [...]
For the second Test in a row, Pakistan knocked Sri Lank over on the first day of the match. This time Sri Lanka capitulated to the four-pronged attack of Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajma and Abdur Rehman, with only Kimar Sangakkara standing tall. Gul swung the ball and pitched the ball full, and the [...]
As noted before in these pages, a switch from England to India has wrought a fearful hiding for England. Having won everything on show at home, they collapsed in a sack to lose nine wickets for 47 runs. Indeed, the spinners took all 10 wickets to fall, chief among them RA Jadeja with 4/33 and [...]
Did Gary Kirsten read them the riot act after the dismal showing in Pretoria or did the Proteas go to batting and bowling school this week? I guess we will never know, but the improvement in performance of the top-order batsmen – Hashim Amla excluded – was a key factor in the victory as Smith, [...]
Kumar Sangkkara is regarded worldwide as among the finest of cricketers, and he showed just why with a fighting 211, his eighth Test double ton, that earned a draw from a seemingly hopeless position. He batted across days to keep Pakistan at bay. He was kept good company by wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene, the pair adding [...]
Couldn’t win a single match in England, now India can’t lose one at home. Jonathan Trott led England to a competitive 298, but India cruised to their third win in a row with two balls to spare. In the UAE, Pakistan took total control of the first Test and a big defeat looms for Pakistan. [...]
In only his second Test match, Pakistan’s Junaid Khan skittled Sri Lanka for 197 on the first day in Abu Dhabi. His left-arm seam ensured Pakistan took the high ground on a neutral pitch. Only Angelo Mathews with an unbeaten 52 was able to resist the Pakistan attack as Junaid knifed through the middle and [...]
West Indies came crashing to earth with their second lowest total ever in ODIs, making just 61 to give Bangladesh victory on a plate. The ultimate margin of victory was crushing, with 30 overs to spare. This would have been one of the most humiliating defeats ever for West Indies, as they lost to [...]