Tag: between wickets

When cricket is forced to serve an agenda, everyone loses

September 1, 2026 admin

In his superb analysis of Pakistan cricket’s troubles on and off the field, Osman Samiuddin writing in Cricinfo uses the phrase “governmentalisation of the board.” It might be an awkward construction, but you can’t argue with its relevance in the subcontinent. Governmentalisation of the cricket board has a long and hoary history here. A large section of fans thinks it’s…

Sports

Sooryavanshi has made a point — let us resolve to leave him alone

July 28, 2026 admin

When Mahendra Singh Dhoni was starting out as an India player, he had a favour to ask of the media. Please don’t rush to my parents’ house every time I score some runs, he pleaded. It is difficult to say which comes first, the public’s obsessive interest in a player or the media’s creation of…

Sports

Cricket’s governing body shifts the goalposts for the usual reasons

July 21, 2026 admin

The irony of international cricket is that while the motivation for lower-ranked teams is to improve by playing against top teams, that of two of the stakeholders, television and the International Cricket Council, is money. The interests of the sport therefore often take a backseat. The last 50-over World Cup (in 2023) had only 10…

Sports

BETWEEN WICKETS | Great win for Harmanpreet’s team, and some lessons for the men

July 14, 2026 admin

What the Indian women had and the men lacked in England was better planning, more time to acclimatise (players have been there since May for the World Cup and the T20I series), sensible selection, superior captain-coach co-ordination, better fielding (that catch by Richa Ghosh at silly mid-off was one of the finest ever), keener awareness…

Sports

Kohli and Rohit for the World Cup: only fitness and form should matter

June 23, 2026 admin

Pretty soon, the Indian selectors will have to take a call on the future of two of the greatest players to have put bat to white ball. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma appear keen to play in the World Cup in October-November next year. India play at least 18 One-Day Internationals before that, possibly…

Sports

Feeding the beast: a lesson in the spirit of the times

March 24, 2026 admin

Sunil Gavaskar is not a bigot. Of that I am fairly certain, even granting that people can change and that as you grow older you tend to drift towards the more conservative end of the political spectrum. Without quite being buddy-buddy, we have known each other for four decades now. We have had our good days —…

Sports

No global solutions however positive can work without India

August 20, 2024 admin

In theory it is a good move, even overdue. The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) is reviewing the game’s global structure to find solutions to the “increasingly disjointed and cramped cricket calendar.” The WCA has no faith in the International Cricket Council (ICC) to do the job. All very good except for one thing — the…

Sports

No global solutions for cricket, however positive, can work without India

August 20, 2024 admin

Image of the BCCI logo for representation only | Photo Credit: Reuters In theory it is a good move, even overdue. The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) is reviewing the game’s global structure to find solutions to the “increasingly disjointed and cramped cricket calendar.” The WCA has no faith in the International Cricket Council (ICC) to…

Sports

A great player’s farewell is handled with respect and common sense

May 14, 2024 admin

When coach Brendon McCullum flew over from New Zealand to tell Jimmy Anderson, England’s most successful Test bowler that his time was up, it was a tribute to both parties. That Anderson had the intensity to keep going and needed a tap on the shoulder spoke for his competitive spirit. That McCullum flew nearly 18,000…

Sports

Jimmy Anderson | A great player’s farewell is handled with respect and common sense

May 14, 2024 admin

File picture of England bowler James Anderson celebrating a wicket at Lord’s Cricket Ground | Photo Credit: Getty Images When coach Brendon McCullum flew over from New Zealand to tell Jimmy Anderson, England’s most successful Test bowler, that his time was up, it was a tribute to both parties. That Anderson had the intensity to…

Sports