From Australia and South Africa choking at home to India’s 2007 shock and England’s woes, half a dozen CWC nightmaresThe year 2007 changed cricket, a transformation that pivoted on India’s performance in its two international tournaments – their early exit from the 50-over shindig and their triumph in the inaugural Twenty20 one. In a Caribbean World Cup that opened with four groups of four from which only two teams progressed, the competition’s defining day was not its concluding one – when Australia emphatically beat Sri Lanka to secure a third successive crown – but its fifth, on which Pakistan and India crashed to cataclysmic defeats, against Ireland and Bangladesh respectively. Pakistan’s tournament was then engulfed by tragedy with the death...
Victory for England, fireworks from Chris Gayle and a Sri Lankan meltdown: our pundits set out their forecasts for a month and a half of ODIsVic Marks Australia. England may have the batsmen but Australia, if they’re fit and firing, have the bowlers in Starc and Cummins, plus a highly motivated Warner and Smith. Two other reasons: they have won five out of 11 World Cups. I’m usually wrong. Related: Boos, hairbands and Cricket World Cup predictions – The Spin podcast Related: West Indies' Jason Holder: ‘Hopefully we can bring the people of the region closer’ Related: The Spin | A brief history of the Cricket World Cup Related: Gareth Batty’s guide to the Cricket World Cup grounds Related: The...
They may have differing styles but the veteran West Indies opener and India wicketkeeper are proving their class and their longevity in recent inningsEven after four hundred-and-some years cricket still has its mysteries, like whether the weather really causes swing, exactly what happened to the ball Garry Sobers hit for that sixth six, and quite why so many of the best players seem to end up advertising hair transplants. You can make a great team of these, say, off the top of my head (and theirs), Graham Gooch and Virender Sehwag, Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Martin Crowe, Jacques Kallis, Sourav Ganguly, Greg Matthews, Shane Warne, Darren Gough, and Doug ‘the rug’ Bollinger. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The cricketers get one...
The India batsman has three hundreds in four Tests this summer – Australia are beginning to appreciate his rare talentsRespect is often described as grudging, and it doesn’t get more grudging than from Australians for Cheteshwar Pujara. Yet as this Australia v India series plays out its final stanza, the admiration from the home players and supporters is real. Here’s a player who does what their own cannot: bats as long as he wants, puts distractions aside, and refuses to go away.Australians tend to celebrate impulsiveness. We like to think we have a national style summed up by Adam Gilchrist pulverising hundreds, or Shane Warne twirling out bunnies. But with no talents like theirs in the national team, people suddenly...
Series victory against India was a fillip as was Joe Root’s century but who opens the batting in Sri Lanka is no clearerThe players deserve their rest after a whirlwind five-Test series completed in record time, which has enchanted those able to watch it. The margin of victory, 4-1, compared with 3-1 in 2014, is a bit of a puzzle since India competed far better this time around, especially when the ball was in the hands of their pacemen and the bat in the hands of their captain, Virat Kohli. But by the Oval both those parties had run out of steam.In at least two Tests the outcome was in doubt during the final innings. As a consequence the cricket...