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Virat Kohli Net Worth 2023 (in Dollars USD and Indian Rupee INR): How Do Cricketers Earn Money?

What is Virat Kohli’s net worth? Virat Kohli’s total net worth in 2023 is estimated to be between $62-131 Million (Rs. 508-1075 Crore INR).

King Kohli’s net worth frequently sparks curiosity among cricket fans throughout the world.

As one of modern cricket’s greatest icons and being the world’s best batter for the better part of the last decade, it is no surprise that Virat Kohli has become one of the wealthiest athletes on the planet.

Virat Kohli Net Worth Case Study

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Virat Kohli’s net worth as a case study to understand the different ways cricketers can earn money.

This is the fifth piece in our series on analyzing Cricket’s Finances:

Virat Kohli Total Net Worth (Both Rupees and Dollars)

The inspiration for this article came from a report from Stock Gro, a social trading platform that was widely circulated on social media. They reported that Virat Kohli’s estimated net worth is about Rs. 1,050 crore (around $122 Million).

Today we break this down into little pieces (and try to fact check their estimates along the way).

Our Method and Sources on Virat Kohli’s Net Worth ($62-131 Million) Estimate

According to Forbes’s “The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023” list, soccer star, Cristiano Ronaldo, is at #1 with a whopping $136 Million ($46 Million on-field earnings & $90 Million off-field earnings), while American football legend, Tom Brady, is at #50 with $45.2 Million earnings ($1.2 million on-field & $44 million off-field).

The methodology of Forbes‘ off-field earnings calculation includes licensing, sponsorships, appearance fees, memorabilia, and business cash returns.

In the past, Kohli has been the only cricketer to have made the Forbes list (he has since dropped off and did not make the Top 50 of the Forbes 2023 list). He made the 2020 list as the #66th richest athlete in the world with $26 Million earnings ($2 Million – on field, $24 Million – endorsements). In addition, Virat Kohli made Sportico’s “100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World 2022” at #61 with $33.9 Million ($2.9 Million salary/winnings & $31 Million endorsements)

Conclusion: Based on these two trusted sources, Virat Kohli’s net worth based on on-field salary and off-field sponsorships cannot be greater than $45 million.

Virat Kohli’s Net Worth Breakdown

So, how can a cricketer earn money? A cricketer can earn money through annual contracts, match fees, IPL & franchise league salaries, post-match award earnings, properties, cars, and brand endorsements (sponsorships, paid tweets & Instagram posts, advertising, etc.)

Let’s get started and analyze each component of Kohli’s net worth.

*Note: We will use the conversion is as of 6/24/2023, where $1 US dollar is equal to Rs. 81.98 INR.

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Part 1: Virat Kohli On-Field Earnings ($3.1 Million)

1. Virat Kohli Annual Contract ($854,000)

  • Indian National Team A+ Contract: Rs. 7 Crores INR ($853,866.8)

Source: BCCI Press Release – Contract List

2. Virat Kohli Match Fees ($435,000)

  • Test: Rs. 15 Lakh INR ($18,297.15)
  • ODI: Rs. 6 Lakh INR ($7,318.86)
  • T20I: Rs. 3 Lakh INR ($3,659.43)

Between the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup, a three-format player like Virat Kohli had the potential to play 9 Tests, 27 ODIs, and 20 T20Is.

  • Test: Rs. 1.35 Crores INR ($164,674.35)
  • ODI: Rs. 1.62 Crores INR ($197.609.22)
  • T20I: Rs. 60 Lakhs INR ($73,188.6)

Putting it all together, Virat Kohli (or any Indian three-format international player) had the potential to earn a maximum of Rs. 3.57 Crores INR ($435,472.17) from match fees alone.

Here are the list of India’s matches over the past year:

  • India tour of Bangladesh (2 Tests)
  • Australia in India (4 Tests, 3 ODIs)
  • World Test Championship Final (1 Test)
  • India in West Indies (2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is)
  • India in New Zealand (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
  • India in Bangladesh (3 ODIs)
  • Sri Lanka in India (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
  • New Zealand in India (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
  • 2022 T20 World Cup (6 T20Is)
  • 2023 ODI World Cup (at least 9 ODIs)
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3. Virat Kohli IPL Royal Challengers Bangalore Salary ($1.8 Million)

  • IPL 2022 Retention Fee: Rs. 15 Crore ($1,830,000)

Note, Kohli’s retention fee decreased from Rs. 17 Crore in IPL 2020 to Rs. 15 Crore in IPL 2022 retention cycle.

Note: Non-Indian players can participate in other leagues and can earn more from franchise leagues as we discussed here.

4. Virat Kohli Awards ($12,000-$20,000)

Virat Kohli Award Earnings: Rs. 10-16 Lakhs INR ($12,190-$20,000)

In addition to the base salary and match fees, cricketers can earn money via awards earned in the match.

This is most evident in IPL’s post-match ceremonies. Kohli was in top-notch form during IPL 2023 and earned several awards along the way.

Virat Kohli – IPL 2023 Award Earnings Total: Rs. 11 Lakhs ($13,417.91)

  • Match 20 Total: Rs. 4 Lakhs ($4,879.24)
    • Rupay On-The-Go 4s: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Upstox Most Valuable Asset: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Dream11 Game Changer of the Match: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Player of the Match: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
  • Match 36 Total: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Rupay On-The-Go 4s: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
  • Match 43 Total: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Rupay On-The-Go 4s: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
  • Match 65 Total: Rs. 4 Lakhs ($4,879.24)
    • Visit Saudi Beyond the Boundaries Longest Six of the Match: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Upstox Most Valuable Asset: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Rupay On-The-Go 4s: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Player of the Match: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
  • Match 70 Total: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)
    • Rupay On-The-Go 4s: Rs. 1 Lakh ($1,219.81)

Kohli won an additional 4 player of the match trophies (about $5000) in international cricket in the past year:

  • T20 World Cup (India vs Pakistan)
  • Two player of match awards vs Sri Lanka in November
  • 4th Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Note: Teams and players may earn additional bonuses or prize money based on winning series or major tournaments.

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Part 2: Virat Kohli Assets ($17.7 Million)

5. Virat Kohli Properties ($13.9 Million)

  • Mumbai: Rs. 34 Crore ($ 4,147,353.01)
  • Gurgaon: Rs. 80 Crore ($9,758,477.68)

Total: 114 Crore ($13, 905, 830. 69)

6. Virat Kohli Cars ($3.8 Million)

  • Rs. 31 Crore ($3, 781, 410.1)
  • Audi R8 V10 Plus, R8 LMX, A2L, Q8, Q7, RS5, S5, Fortuner, Range Rover
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Part 3: Virat Kohli Brand Endorsements ($41-110 Million)

Endorsements are where accurate information is a little difficult to find. Some of these estimates may be close, while others may be totally off the charts.

7. Virat Kohli Brand Off-Field Earnings ($16-45 Million)

  • Brand Endorsements: Rs. 7.5-10 Crore/Day ($914,801-1,219,735)

Kohli endorses at least 18 brands. If he does one-three days of shoot for each brand, then he earns a minimum of Rs. 135-360 Crores ($16.458-43.9 Million) per year. This is consistent with our guess that Kohli’s off-field earnings are below $45 million.

Brands Endorsed by Kohli: Vivo, Myntra, Great Learning, Noise, Wrogn, Blue Star, Fire Boltt, Too Yumm!, Volini, Luxor, HSBC, Uber, Toothsi, Star Sports, American Tourister, MRF, Tissot, Cinthol

In particular, we know that Virat Kohli has also signed major long-term deals as follows:

8. Paid Social Media Posts ($25-65 Million)

Another way for influencers to endorse brands is via paid tweets or Instagram posts.

Virat Kohli has 253 Million Instagram followers, and 56.5 Million Twitter followers, and I am sure this will rise as the years go.

According to Stock Gro, Virat Kohli charges

  • Instagram: Rs. 8.9 Crore/Post ($1,085,630.64/Post)
  • Twitter: Rs. 2.5 Crore/Post ($304,952.43/Post)

However, I doubt this estimate.

Since June 2022, Virat Kohli has tweeted about 250 times. This can be divided into about 75 personal tweets and about 175 branded tweets, which amounts to about Rs. 437.5 Crore ($53,305,684.31) from Twitter.

Similarly, Kohli has posted about 240 Instagram posts since June 2022, 107 of which are paid partnerships. This results in a whopping Rs. 952.3 Crore ($116,162,478.65).

If this was true, Virat Kohli could earn over $169,468,162.96 in a year through social media posts alone! This seems slightly overboard.

According to Forbes, the highest earner on Instagram in 2019 was Cristiano Ronaldo with $47.8 Million (when he had 187 Million followers) and Lionel Messi earned about $23.3 Million from paid-Instagram posts. We can take an educated guess that Kohli also earns around $25-65 Million dollars from paid posts.

8. Businesses & Startups

Finally, a cricketer can earn money via investments and businesses.

Although we cannot estimate the exact amount of net worth Kohli derives from business initiatives, it could be another $10-20 million (Rs. 80-160 Crores INR). Since this is just speculation, we will not add it to the total net worth.

Here are the businesses Kohli is affiliated with.

Brands Owned: one8 commune (restaurant & athleisure brand), NUEVA (restaurant), WROGN (clothing), stepathlon (lifestyle), FC GOA, UAE Royals, Bengaluru Yodhas

Brands Funded: RAGE, Blue Tribe, Sport Convo, Universal Sportsbiz, Chisel, MPL, Digit, Hyperice

Final Thoughts – How Do Cricketers Earn Money?

These are not, however, all the ways cricketers can earn money.

For example, Ravichandran Ashwin, has a YouTube channel. In addition, current players like Dinesh Karthik & Stuart Broad participate in commentary stints during their off seasons, which adds to the income. This can add another $25,000-$100,000 to their total salary depending on the number of matches they commentate in.

Frequently Asked Questions – Virat Kohli Net Worth and Salary

What is Virat Kohli’s net worth?

Virat Kohli’s total net worth in 2023 is estimated to be between $62-131 Million (Rs. 508-1075 Crore INR).

What is Virat Kohli’s salary?

Virat Kohli has A+ contract worth Rs. 7 crores INR ($854,000) per year.

How much does Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pay Virat Kohli?

RCB retained Virat Kohli in 2022 for Rs. 15 Crores INR ($1.83 Million)

Sources: Sportico – Richest Athletes in the World (2022), Virat Kohli Forbes (2020), Forbes – Highest Earners on Instagram (2023)

Also Read:

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 06/25/2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

17 South Africa World Cup Chokes and Heartbreaks: The Complete List (Men’s & Women’s Combined)

South Africa World Cup Chokes, a phrase we have often heard before, maybe too often.

SOUTH AFRICA HAVE BEEN ELIMINATE FROM THE 2022 T20 WORLD CUP, COURTESY THE NETHERLANDS.

I personally do not like the ‘choker’ term, but there is a reason why the Proteas have earned this tag—rain interruptions, inexplicable collapses, internal politics, dropped catches & runouts, mathematical errors, and sometimes they just don’t show up on the big day. So, to refresh your memories, here is the List of Top 17 South Africa World Cup Chokes & Heartbreaks—Men & Women Combined.

Top 17 List of South Africa World Cup Chokes

Here is the complete list of South Africa’s heartbreaks.

Also Read: Top 51 Greatest South African Cricketers of All-Time (Updated 2024) | List of the Best South African Cricket Players (A Complete Guide)

1. 1999 World Cup Semi-Final (The Run-Out)

Match Scorecard:

What Happened?

The heartbreaks of all heartbreaks. 8 runs needed in 1 over, 1 wicket remaining. Lance Klusener, in the form of his life, hits two fours. 1 run needed in 4 balls. Klusener – 31*(14). Surely, Proteas has one foot in the finals. Unfortunately, not enough feet as Klusener calls for a panic run, Allan Donald ball watches, runs late, and gets run out. Match Tied. The tie breaker? The Super Six match between Australia and South Africa, which Australia won, most famously known for Steve Waugh’s comment to Herschelle Gibbs, “You just dropped the World Cup.” Waugh went on to make a century and Australia won that clash.

Video: The Final Over, Gibbs Drops the World Cup

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2. 1992 World Cup Semi-Final (Rain Drama)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of England vs South Africa 2nd SF 1991/92 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

What’s the fuss with DL method? Or the DLS vs VJD methods? Well, long, long time ago these rules did not exist. 22 needed in 13. Anyone’s game. Rain intervened for a short 10-minute break. Next thing you know, South Africa need 22 runs in 1 ball. Explain that.

3. 2022 T20 World Cup Group Stage Exit (Nerves)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Netherlands vs South Africa 40th Match, Group 2 2022/23 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Tom Cooper, and Scott Edward’s little contributions took Netherlands to 158/4. Quick start by the Proteas but regular wickets and THAT CATCH by former South African cricketer, Roelof van der Merwe meant SA could only get to 145/8. From top of the group to crashing out. They only needed to win one game of the last two and they failed. The No-Result vs Zimbabwe will pinch them as well.

4. 2003 World Cup Group Stage Exit (Math/DL Method)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs South Africa 40th Match 2002/03 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

1, 0, 0, 5 wides, 1, SIX!, 0, RAIN. Match Tied. South Africa eliminated in the group stage at a home world cup.

Murali bowling to Klusener-Boucher. Last ball-Dot. Reason? South Africa management had miscalculated the DL method and stayed at 229. Had they taken a single, SA would have qualified for the next round.

When asked captain Shaun Pollock in the post-match presentation whether there was any confusion over DL calculations, Pollock replied with “Yeah, Boucher was given a message of 229.”

“So for the second time in a row, South Africa exited with a Tied game. South Africa and the public couldn’t believe it. One run the difference between success and failure.”

– Broadcaster

Video: Duckworth Lewis Drama

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5. 2015 World Cup Semi-Final (Politics, Nerves)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of South Africa vs New Zealand 1st Semi-Final 2014/15 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

Well on the field, you cannot really blame South Africa. With the bat, Faf-ABD-Miller got South Africa to a massive total in a, wait for it, rain curtailed game. NZ had less overs to chase, Baz went all out, Grant Elliot played the innings of his life, and Dale Steyn was on his feet at the end. Rain had arrived when SA were cruising at 216/3 in 38 overs. They got 281 in 43, but NZ magnificently chased 299 (DL).

Nerves, drops, run outs missed. But more serious was the off the field news that emerged later about the Abbott-Philander fiasco and the quota interference. The great South African generation was fractured and would collapse in the next couple of years.

Grant Elliot, Superman.

Video: Ian Smith’s Final Moments

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6. 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup Semi-Final (Rain/DL Method)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of AUS Women vs SA Women 2nd Semi-Final 2019/20 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

Meg Lanning gets Australia to 134/5. Runs on the board, but still chaseable with South Africa’s solid batting order. But then, rain intervened. Again. And now they needed 98 in 13 overs, much more challenging with the higher required rate. Laura Wolvaardt played a gem of a knock 41* (27) and brought it down to 19 off 6, but unfortunately, no Carlos Brathwaite moment for them.

Video: Australia breaks South Africa’s Hearts

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7. 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup Semi-Final (Nerves/Drops/Extras)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of SA Women vs ENG Women 1st Semi-Final 2017 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

South Africa scored a competitive 218. South Africa defending their last over – Dropped dot ball, 1, Wicket, Four. Another last over heartbreak. The difference between the sides? Extras.4 given by England and 25 by South Africa.

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8. 2011 World Cup Quarter Final (Run-Out Induced Collapse)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of New Zealand vs South Africa 3rd Quarter-Final 2010/11 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

Small total to chase, good partnership. All looking good. Then some harsh fighting on the field, a run-out, and the collapse. Perfect ingredients for the ideal South African choke.

From 108-2 in 24 overs to 172 all out in the small chase of 222.

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9. 2021 T20 World Cup Group Stage (Net Run Rate)

Match Scorecard: South Africa beat England South Africa won by 10 runs – South Africa vs England, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 39th Match

What Happened?

4 wins out of 5. Net Run Rate of +0.739. Temba Bavuma unites the team after Quinton de Kock sits out. Surely, nothing can stop them now? Nope. England & Australia both won 4/5 and had an EVEN BETTER net run rate. The Stoinis-Wade partnership in the low scoring first match hurt South Africa.

In their final match against England, they had scored 189/2 and won against the great English side. Even that wasn’t enough as they had to restrict England to 131 to get their NRR high enough.

10. 2009 T20 World Cup Semi-Final (Collapse)

Match: Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs South Africa 1st Semi-Final 2009 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

5 overs, 39/0 in chase of 150. Kallis, AB De Villiers, Smith, Gibbs. Pakistan team squeezed, SA lost by 7 runs. Another semi-final loss.

11. 2007 T20 World Cup Group Stage (Net Run Rate)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs South Africa 24th Match, Group E 2007/08 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

India won this one comfortably. South Africa could only get to 116 in chase of 154. Had they got 10 more runs, they would have qualified to the semi-finals of the inaugural T20 World Cup, but lost out due to NRR yet again.

12. 2007 World Cup Semi-Final (Outplayed)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of South Africa vs Australia 2nd Semi-Final 2006/07 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

Finally, South Africa could take revenge of the 1999 World Cup semi-final.

However they only scored 149 and at one time were reeling at 27/5. Never in the game as McGrath blew them away.

13. 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup Semi-Final (Outplayed)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of ENG Women vs SA Women 2nd Semi Final 2021/22 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

Danni Wyatt 129* and Ecclestone’s 6/36 made sure South Africa were just not in the game.

14. 2014 T20 World Cup Semi-Final (Virat Kohli Special)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of South Africa vs India 2nd Semi-Final 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

Yuvraj Singh departs. India 133-3 in 16 overs, India still need 43 in 4, but Virat Kohli was just too good on that day.

Video: http://Kohli demolishes South Africa

15. 2000 Women’s ODI World Cup Semi-Final (Outplayed)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of SA Women vs AUS Women 1st SF 2000/01 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

South Africa got to 181 in 50 overs, but Lisa Keightley & Belinda Clark were just too good. Chase complete in 31.2 overs.

Also Read: History of Women’s Cricket World Cup – Everything You Need to Know to Prep Yourself for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup

16. 2014 Women’s T20 World Cup Semi-Final (Outplayed)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of SA Women vs ENG Women 2nd Semi-Final 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

South Africa could only score 101, while England’s stalwarts Sarah Taylor, Charlotte Edwards, and Heather Knight breezed through the chase in 16.5 overs.

17. 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup Group Match (Collapse)

Match Scorecard: Full Scorecard of SL WMN vs SA WMN 1st Match, Group A 2022/23 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

What Happened?

In a chase of 130, South Africa were cruising at 44-1 at 7.2 overs with Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp forming a steady partnership. Then, the spin crunched South Africa as the Proteas collapsed to 72-5. Sune Luus & Sinalo Jafta brought them close, but after the usual run-outs & panic, the Sri Lankan squeezed and won a historic match.

Also Read: Other South African Cricket Articles

  1. Quota System in South African Cricket and Transformation Policy – The Complete Guide
  2. Top 10 Richest Cricket Leagues (By Average Salaries). Which Cricket League Pays the Most (2022)? Can You Guess Where SA20 Ranks?
  3. Salary of Cricketers (Men’s) from Each of the 12 Nations (2022)—The Complete Guide
  4. SA20 Auction Big Takeaways: List of Players Sold, Squads, Surprises, Exclusions, and More!
  5. 49 South African Cricketers Who Left Their Country for Kolpak Deals
  6. 20 South African Born Cricketers Who Play for Other Countries: Labuschagne, Neil Wagner,…Can you Guess the Rest?
  7. Top 11 Cricketers Who Retired Too Early – The Lost Generation of Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, AB De Villiers, Hashim Amla, and Michael Clarke
  8. Faf du Plessis & AB De Villiers’ Friendship: Broken Dreams of Faf and ABD
  9. Dale Steyn, The Embodiment of Simplicity and Intensity, Retires—The Greatest Fast Bowler of Them All
Why are South Africa called ‘Chokers’ in world cricket?
South Africa have failed to qualify due to rain & nerves in 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011, and 2015 ODI World Cups along with 2007, 2009, 2014, and 2022 T20 World Cups, 2014, 2022 Women’s T20 World Cup and 2000, 2017, and 2022 Women’s ODI World Cups.

A collage of South Africa World Cup Chokes and Heartbreaks

Comment below on your thoughts about South Africa World Cup Chokes and Heartbreaks! Also, feel free to checkout some of our other recent articles.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 11/04/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Virat Kohli’s 25 Best Innings Across International Formats (RANKED): Mohali 2016, MCG 2022, Hobart 133*, Adelaide 141…Which One is Your Favorite?

Ranking Virat Kohli’s best innings is no easy task.

With 71 hundreds, 127 fifties, and countless other important knocks out of his 529 international innings, picking the Top 25 is a challenge. As Roman philosopher, Lucius Anneas Seneca is credited of saying,

“It is a rough road that leads to the height of greatness.”

– Lucius Anneas Seneca

Kohli’s consistency and the ability to rise to the top from the depth of hardship is what makes him truly great.

The winning moment at the MCG give cricket fans chills. Literal chills. This match reminded us of Virat Kohli’s eternal greatness. No man has been as dominating of a cricket player in all the three formats. Here is our Top 25 ranking of Virat Kohli’s best innings across T20I, ODI, and Test cricket.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Net Worth & Salary 2023, How Many Test Centuries has Virat Kohli Scored? (The Complete Guide) List of Virat Kohli’s 29 Test Centuries, How Many ODI Centuries has Virat Kohli Scored? (The Complete Guide) List of Virat Kohli’s 46 ODI Centuries, 5 Ways Captain Virat Kohli Transformed Indian Cricket

List of Virat Kohli’s Best Innings

All the scorecards and some video highlights are linked for your reference.

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1. 82*(52) vs Pakistan, 2022 T20 World Cup

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Australia

Context: Melbourne Cricket Ground. 90,000 crowd. T20 World Cup 2022. India 31-4. Pakistan pacers all over India. The ghost of 2021. The 71st hundred wait. Questions on his form. Mental health break. And then came that innings. Then came that shot—The Shot Heard Around the World. From 31-4 to needing 28 runs in 8 balls to winning the match on the last ball. The chase master is back. The King is back.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs India 16th Match, Group 2 2022/23 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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2. 133*(86) vs Sri Lanka, 2012 CB Series

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Australia

Context: A love story begins in Australia. The coming of age for Virat Kohli. Needing to chase 320 in 40 overs, Kohli and co did it in 36.4 overs. Malinga’s figures of 7.4-0-96-1 says it all. The way Kohli handled the pressure, accelerated…this was only the signs to come for the record chaser he was about to become.

Video Highlights: Kohli Hobart Innings – YouTube

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs India 11th Match 2011/12 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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3. 82*(53) vs Australia, 2016 T20 World Cup

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh India

Context: Virat Kohli Mohali innings. India vs Australia 2016 knock-out match. What an innings under pressure. Must-win game. A virtual quarter final. Australia & James Faulkner run into Virat Kohli at his absolute peak. Steady innings to begin with but flourish at the right time. The running, six hitting, and MS Dhoni, this innings had everything.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 31st Match, Super 10 Group 2 2015/16 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

4. 141 (175) & 115 (184) vs Australia, 2013-14 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Adelaide, Adelaide Oval, Austral

Context: A glimpse of Virat Kohli, the captain, before he was the official captain. India had never won a Test series in Australia and chasing 364 on Day 5 was unthinkable. Enter Kohli. Centuries in both innings. Aggressive approach. Got India so close, but he was caught on the boundary with sixty runs still to go. India continued their positive approach and collapsed agonizingly short.

Video Highlights: 2nd Innings, 1st Innings

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 1st Test 2014/15 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

5. 119 (181) & 96 (193) vs South Africa, India Tour of South Africa 2013-14

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

Context: One of the great Test matches of the 2010s. Will always be remembered for the Faf-De Villiers partnership as South Africa almost chasing 438 before the draw was announced eight runs short. However, the game was nicely setup by the dominance of Kohli in both innings.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs South Africa 1st Test 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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6. 169 (272) vs Australia, 2013-14 Border Gavaskar Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia

Context: This match will always be remembered for THAT partnership. Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane smashing Mitchell Johnson’s bouncers. The transition from the Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman era to the Kohli-Rahane era was complete.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 3rd Test 2014/15 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

7. 149 (225) vs England, 2018 Pataudi Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: England
  • Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham, England

Context: 134 runs in 10 innings. Six single digit scores. 2 ducks. And a Jimmy Anderson. Probably the lowest point in Kohli’s career, technically and mentally. To come back in the next tour, score 593 runs, dominate Anderson, and conquer his inner demons is a life lesson for us all. It all started with this 149 in tough conditions.

Video Highlights: Kohli 100 England 2018

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of England vs India 1st Test 2018 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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8. 100*(52) vs Australia, 2013

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, India

Context: Some of the best shots you will ever see. Dancing down the wicket, straight over the bowlers’ head, numerous inside out shots. The series will be remembered for the emergence of Kohli-Rohit duo as the next stars of Indian cricket.

Video highlights: Virat Kohli 100* off 52 Balls | Ind vs Aus 2013

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 2nd ODI 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

9. 49 (51) vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2016

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh

Context: The scorecard doesn’t tell you what we all felt that day. Pakistan 83/10 and India won by 5 wickets. Easy, right? Wrong. Due to the comeback kid, Mohammad Amir. Rohit, Rahane were gone for ducks. Raina soon followed, India 8/3. Then came Kohli’s masterclass, one full of patience, perseverance, and maturity.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs India 4th Match 2015/16 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

10. 115*(66) vs Australia, 2013

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur, India

Context: One of the highest scoring ODI series in memory. Although he was already scoring loads of runs earlier in the series, this chase was the best of them all.

Video Highlights: Virat Kohli 115* of 66| India Vs Australia 2013

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 6th ODI 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

11. 72*(44) vs South Africa, 2014 T20 World Cup Semi-Final

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh

Context: Before Melbourne, before Mohali, there was Mirpur. 72 off 44 balls. He himself said it was his ‘best T20 knock’ until that point.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of South Africa vs India 2nd Semi-Final 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

Embed from Getty Images

12. 153 (217) vs South Africa, India Tour of South Africa 2017-2018

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: Supersport Park, Centurion, South Africa

Context: Under testing conditions and batting against the trio of Philander-Rabada-Morkel, Virat Kohli was excellent. Next highest score was just 46.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of South Africa vs India 2nd Test 2017/18 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

13.160* (159) vs South Africa, 2018

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa

Context: Kohli at his absolute peak.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs South Africa 3rd ODI 2017/18 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

14. 123 (257) vs Australia, Perth, Border Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia

Context: “Masterclass in mind and skill. One for the ages.” The commentator couldn’t have described it any better.

Video Highlights: Full highlights of Kohli’s Perth classic

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 2nd Test 2018/19 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

15. 183 (146) vs Pakistan, 2012

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh

Context: Smashed Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, and Shahid Afridi on his way to his top ODI knock.

Video Highlights: Kohli 183 vs Pakistan 2012

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs India 5th Match 2011/12 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

Embed from Getty Images

16. 103 (197) & 97 (152), 2018 Pataudi Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: England
  • Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Context: Test matches mean a lot more when the team wins. Although India lost 4-1 in THAT Sam Curran series, Kohli’s 97 & 103 ensured at least one win in the series.

Video Highlights: 1st Innings, 2nd Innings

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs England 3rd Test 2018 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

17. 243 (287) & 50 (58) vs Sri Lanka, 2017

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India

Context: A marathon 7-and-a-half-hour knock followed by a fifty in the second innings.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test 2017/18 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

18. 35 (49) vs Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup Final

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Wankhede, Mumbai, India

Context: Among his plethora of centuries and fifties, this one is usually forgotten. After 31-2 with both Sehwag & Sachin back in the hut, Kohli & Gambhir’s steady 83-run partnership got India back in the game. Useful, impact knock.

Video Highlights: 2011 World Cup Final Highlights

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs India Final 2010/11 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

Embed from Getty Images

19. 154* (134) vs New Zealand, 2016

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: New Zealand
  • Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, India

Context: Exhibition of the cover drive, pull shot, flick, and the straight drive.

Video Highlights: Virat Kohli 123 off 111 balls vs New Zealand 1st ODI Napier

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of New Zealand vs India 3rd ODI 2016/17 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

20. 89*(47) vs West Indies, 2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final

  • Format: India
  • Opposition: West Indies
  • Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India

Context: Yet another one of Kohli’s ICC men T20 World Cup classic. After Rohit-Rahane 40s provided India a decent start, Kohli took the mantle to finish the innings off. From 50*(33) to 89*(47), but it was not meant to be.

Video Highlights: 2016 T20 WC Semi-Final Highlights

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs West Indies 2nd Semi-Final 2015/16 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

21. 211 (366) vs New Zealand, 2016

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: New Zealand
  • Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, India

Context: A Top-25 Kohli series should probably include one of his seven double centuries. A marathon 365 (673) partnership between Rahane & Kohli. NZ were out of the game in the first innings.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs New Zealand 3rd Test 2016/17 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

22. 94* (50) vs West Indies, 2019

  • Format: T20I
  • Venue: Ranjiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad, India
  • Opposition: West Indies

Context: Kohli’s highest T20I score. India chases 209 in a T20 with 8 balls to spare. 6 sixes and 6 fours. Destructive.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of West Indies vs India 1st T20I 2019/20 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

23. 107 (126) vs Pakistan, 2015 ODI World Cup

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia

Context: A solid knock. India win against Pakistan via Kohil magic, a theme over the last decade. Better yet, India started the 2015 WC well and went onto play the semi-finals despite dismal preparations.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs Pakistan 4th Match, Pool B 2014/15 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

Embed from Getty Images

24. 122*(105) vs England, 2017

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: England
  • Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Context: Known as the ‘Kedar Jadhav match’ who scored a 120 (76) from #6, Kohli held the innings together. From 53-4, a 200-run partnership followed between the two before Pandya finished it off.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of England vs India 1st ODI 2016/17 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

25. 123 (111) vs New Zealand, 2014

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: New Zealand
  • Venue: MacLean Park, Napier

Context: Not all matches have a positive ending. Although India lost, Kohli dragged India close. The next best score was 40, and India lost by 24 runs.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of New Zealand vs India 1st ODI 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

26. 107 (114) vs Sri Lanka, 2009 (Bonus)

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India

Context: Things have to begin somewhere, don’t they? Virat’s maiden ODI ton, including a 224-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Rescued India in chase of 316 after they were 23-2 after 3.4 overs. A glimpse of greatness for years ahead.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs India 4th ODI 2009/10 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

Honorable Mentions – Virat Kohli’s Best Innings – Which Knock Missed Out?

  1. 129*(96) vs South Africa, Centurion, 2018 (ODI)
  2. 70*(29) vs West Indies, Mumbai, 2019 (T20I)
  3. 90*(55) vs Australia, Adelaide, 2016 (T20I)
  4. 116 (213) vs Australia, Adelaide, 2012 (Test) – 1st Test Hundred
  5. 123 (95) vs Australia, Ranchi, 2019 (ODI)
  6. 107 (119) vs West Indies, Pune, 2018 (ODI)
  7. 131 (96) vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2017 (ODI)
  8. 140 (107) vs West Indies, Guwahati, 2018 (ODI)
  9. 157*(129) vs West Indies, Vishakapatnam, 2018 (ODI)
  10. 114*(99) vs West Indies, Port of Spain, 2019 (ODI)s

Frequently Asked Questions – Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Each Format

Other Virat Kohli Content

What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in T20I Cricket?

Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in T20I cricket are as follows: 82* (52) vs Pakistan (2022 T20 World Cup), 82*(53) vs Australia (2016 T20 World Cup), 72*(44) (2014 T20 Worl Cup Semi-Final, 89* (47) vs West Indies (2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final), and 49 (51) vs Pakistan (2016 Asia Cup). Virat Kohli flexing his arm

What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in ODI Cricket?

Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in ODI cricket are as follows: 133*(86) vs Sri Lanka (2012), 100* (52) vs Australia (2013), 115*(66) vs Australia (2013), 160*(159) vs South Africa (2018), and 183*(146) vs Pakistan (2012).Photo of Virat Kohli celebrating his 133* vs Sri Lanka at Hobart

What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Test Cricket?

Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Test cricket are as follows: 141 vs Australia (2013), 119 vs South Africa (2013), 169 vs Australia (2013), 149 vs England (2018), and 153 vs South Africa (2018).Photo of Virat Kohli raising his bat to Test crowd in England after scoring 149.

Here is some of the other content on Virat Kohli:

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 10/27/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

2022 T20 World Cup Quickest Preview Ever: One Sentence Preview of all 16 Teams!

2022 T20 World Cup Quick Preview!

Why waste time when there is so much cricket to come? Let’s save all that energy for the World Cup itself!

Here is the Quickest Preview of the 2022 T20 World Cup team-by-team.

1. Afghanistan

No longer minnows, BBL experience of Rashid-Nabi-Qais-Mujeeb, future stars in Farooqi and Gurbaz, and guaranteed 5 games in Group 1, expect them to overthrow one of Australia/England/New Zealand.

2. Australia

Reigning world champions, defeated by England in bilateral series, acquisition of Singaporean finisher Tim David, the Steve Smith issue, Maxwell’s form, Wade’s fireworks, the promise of Cameron Green (and not actually being in the team), can they make it 2 in 2 at home?

3. Bangladesh

Will Bangladesh ever win another T20I? Shakib-Liton key if the Tigers have any hope.

4. England

The return of Alex Hales, golf injury to Bazball’s Bairstow, where does Stokes even fit, finishing trio Brook-Moeen-Livingstone, but will Wood’s pace & the Topley-led bowling hold up?

5. Ireland

Post the Porterfield & O’Brien generations and the dropping of Andy McBrine, onus is on the new generation of Balbirnie-Delany-Tector-Tucker to bring with them new hope—expect them to be contenders to go to the next round & look out for Josh Little.

6. India

New captain, 30+ bilateral games, injuries to Bumrah-Jadeja-Chahar, comeback of a 37-year-old, the 19th over scars, Dravid as coach, Pandya-Surya on fire, is it finally their time to shed the ‘chokers’ of the last decade tag?

7. Namibia

Best names (Pikky Ya France, for example), great jerseys, shrewd captain in Erasmus, and a David Wiese – surely they will repeat the magic of 2021?

8. Netherlands

Can the Dutch captain, brought up in Australia, erase the horror of 2021 with Max O’Dowd and a new generation (plus an everlasting Roelof van der Merwe)?

9. New Zealand

Conway’s consistency, Allen’s aggression, Williamson’s wisdom, flying Phillips, blistering Bracewell, nifty Neesham, the spinners/all-rounders, and with the Boult-Southee-Ferguson-Milne combo – can we ever really count the Kiwis out?

10. Pakistan

Babar-Rizwan, Rizwan-Babar, that’s all Pakistan is these days, aren’t they? Wrong—There’s Rauf, and Naseem, and Shaheen, but it all depends on Nawaz-Shadab, both with the bat and ball.

11. Scotland

Last chance for Scotland’s great generation (Berrington-MacLeod)? Have some internal issues to sort out.

12. South Africa

Killer Miller, mighty Markram, Rabada-Nortje, oh yeah and there is the Temba Bavuma vs Reeza Hendricks thing to sort out, but forget about them all and look out for Tristan Stubbs, it’s Proteas time now.

13. Sri Lanka

Asia Cup champions, modern T20 template, inspirational captain-finisher-allrounder Shanaka, and the brilliance of Bhanuka Rajapaksa – the dark horses of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

14. West Indies

The end of the great generation, Hetmyer misses a flight, Pooran-Lewis-Holder to carry the load, good fast bowling unit, and who in the world is this Yannic Cariah?

15. Zimbabwe

If they want to qualify to the next round, it will happen on the shoulders of Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, maybe with a little bit of Blessing (Muzarabani).

16. UAE

Participation points? Captaincy change & good show in Asia Cup but will be tough for them to progress to the next round.

Finally here are my predictions and some images from the T20 World Cup media event.

Embed from Getty Images

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© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 10/14/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Should Virat Kohli be a part of India’s T20 World Cup Squad?

Should Virat Kohli…be in India’s T20 World Cup squad? Should he not? The burning question in every Indian fan’s mind. Rohit Sharma is getting increasingly annoyed with every press conference (Here are his conferences after the 1st ODI and 2nd ODI vs England).

Virat Kohli has now been rested for the West Indies 5-match T20I series. India’s series against South Africa and Ireland gave a hint of India’s new aggressive gameplay and how the future might look without Kohli. These five games against the West Indies will make it clear, can India survive without Virat Kohli?

Here is my take—Virat Kohli should be in the Indian T20 World Cup squad but as a floater, not the #3 batter.

Also Read: 54 Contenders for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad — Do Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli Deserve a Spot?

Table of Contents

  1. What are the Pros of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
  2. What are the Cons of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
  3. Virat Kohli’s T20I Stats Since December 2020 (Post-Pandemic Break)
  4. Possible Scenarios for Virat Kohli
  5. Final Thoughts

What are the Pros of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?

Several international players have come to Virat Kohli’s defense. Rohit Sharma reiterated that even though each player suffers from ups and downs in his or her career, the player’s quality never reduces. Here are some other reasons why a player like Virat Kohli might be valuable in a T20 World Cup.

  • Experience matters in a World Cup
  • Great record across formats in Australia consistently for the past 14 years
  • Player of the tournament in 2014/2016 T20 World Cups. Single handedly carried India.
  • Although IPL record is poor, his recent T20I stats have been pretty decent
Embed from Getty Images

Virat Kohli’s T20I Stats Since December 2020 (Post-Pandemic Break)

One of the misconceptions from Virat Kohli’s bad form is due to all formats getting mixed – Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and IPL. He has horrid IPL seasons and been found out at the Test level at times as well, but in ODIs and T20Is, he has been pretty solid.

  • In Australia (December 2020)
    • 9 (9)
    • 40 (24)
    • 85 (61)
  • Vs England in India (Match 2021)
    • 0(5)
    • 73*(49)
    • 77*(46)
    • 1(5)
    • 80*(52)
  • T20 WC
    • 57 (49) vs Pakistan
    • 9 (17) vs New Zealand
    • DNB vs Afghanistan
    • 2* (2) vs Scotland
    • DNB vs Namibia
  • West Indies (Feb 2022)
    • 17 (13)
    • 52 (41)
  • England (July 2022)
    • 1 (3)
    • 11 (6)

Source: Virat Kohli StatsGuru

In summary, since Dec 2020, Virat Kohli in T20Is has stats:

17 matches, 15 innings, 514 runs, 46.72 average, 134.55 SR, best of 85, 6 fifties, 1 duck

Here are his overall career T20I stats:

99 matches, 91 innings, 3308 runs, 50.12 average, 137.66 SR, best of 94*, 30 fifties, 3 ducks

What are the Cons of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?

Now that we have discussed some of the positives, now let us discuss what is on everybody’s mind. Kapil Dev, Venkatesh Prasad, and lots of other cricketers have asked for players to be picked on form and merit, not reputation.

Also Read: 3 Unfairly Treated Cricketer: Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Prithvi Shaw

So, what are the cons of Virat Kohli in a T20 World Cup side?

  • Low Strike Rate in the Modern T20 Age
  • Needs some time to get going unlike a Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, or Deepak Hooda at #3, who can continue the momentum
  • Can get bogged down by spin in T20s during the middle phase
  • Does not offer another skill (bowling, keeping, and unfortunately, no longer captaincy)

To give a complete picture, here are Virat Kohli’s stats in the last three IPLs:

  • IPL 2020
    • 15 matches, 466 runs, 42.36 average, 121.35 SR, 3 50s, best of 90*
  • IPL 2021
    • 15 matches, 405 runs, 28.92 average, 119.46 SR, 3 50s, best of 72*
  • IPL 2022
    • 16 matches, 341 runs, 22.73 average, 115.99 SR, 2 50s, best of 73
Embed from Getty Images

So, is there a way to fitting Virat Kohli in the squad while considering both of these things?

The answer is YES. Virat Kohli can play a similar role to what Steve Smith played during Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup victory run.

Possible Scenarios for Virat Kohli

Since India are going with an ultra-aggressive batting approach, there will be volatile days when the team may collapse. Going for 225 everyday, the team might end up collapsing for a score below 100.

In this case, a Grant Elliot-esque insurance policy is needed. For India, Virat Kohli can be that insurance policy (In the current setup, either Dinesh Karthik comes in earlier to do this role or Axar Patel has been sent to delay DK’s entry. In both cases, India lost momentum. Virat Kohli instead of Axar Patel would be the ideal scenario)

Here are some get possible scenarios:

  1. If openers have a blazing start, send in Sanju Samson-Suryakumar Yadav-Hardik Pandya, etc. depending on the situation/number of overs left. Push Virat Kohli down the order until absolutely necessary.
  2. If an opener gets out early, still send Suryakumar Yadav in hoping he will continue the positive approach. However, if another wicket falls during this tricky phase, send Virat Kohli at #4 to stem the flow of wickets.
  3. While chasing, if it is a tricky small run-chase in difficult batting conditions, send Virat Kohli at #3.
  4. Another option is to carry him in the World Cup squad without playing him in the XI. In case another batter is horridly out of form during the World Cup or gets injured, Virat Kohli can adapt to whatever role is necessary.

In this way, India will still be utilizing Virat Kohli’s core skills and experience rather than expecting him to be India’s modern T20 #3 batter.

Final Thoughts

Rohit Sharma made it clear in his press conference that each player will be given confidence, especially since India are trying to play with a new approach. Failures will happen, but judgements should not be made based on one or two series.

Based on his recent IPL stats, Kohli should not make it. Based on his recent T20I stats, he should be in contention for the World Cup, but not necessarily a certainty. But based on captain Rohit Sharma’s statements, Virat Kohli will be on that plane to Australia and more than likely, in the XI. So, why not give him our full support as fans?

These were my two cents. I have presented you with both perspectives. What do you think? Which side are you on?

Here is the Quora article that instigated this idea.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 07/14/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

15 Cricket Problems That Needs to Be Solved in the Next Decade | How to Fix Cricket 101

Let’s talk about cricket problems, shall we?

In 1900, German mathematician David Hilbert proposed a list of 23 unsolved mathematics problems that would keep mathematicians busy for the next century.

And indeed, they did. Over the next hundred years, several of these challenging problems were either completely answered or partially solved. However, some of these problems remain unsolved even after a few centuries and failed attempts by great mathematicians.

So, at the turn of the 21st century, the Clay Institute of Mathematics put a $1 million reward (the hardest way to get a million dollars, I would say) for anyone who would solve any of the 7 proposed problems, known as the legendary Millennium Prize Problems [Millenium Maths Problem Explained in 90 Seconds].

So far, only one of them has been successfully solved (and the mathematician Grigori Perelman rejected the monetary award).

With Inspiration from my friend, Vandit

Table of Contents

Why Cricket Needs to Solve Problems?

At this point, you must be thinking, “Why I am reading four paragraphs of math when I signed up for cricket?”

Don’t worry. Here comes the cricket.

2021 had a fair share of its problems for cricket—The Azeem Rafiq scandals, Tim Paine’s sexting exit, Thailand women losing a spot in the World Cup due to a flawed system, Glenn Maxwell, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Tom Banton taking time off due to mental health, Quinton de Kock’s kneeling issue in the T20 World & then retiring from Test cricket at the age of 29, the dissolution of the ODI Super League, New Zealand & England pulling out of Pakistan, the Afghanistan crisis, The Hundred Vs County Cricket debate, and just a general overdose of the IPL & cricket.

For a full read on these issues, check the following articles out:

The Structure of the Proposed Problems

Today I propose a list of 15 problems that will keep the cricket community (ICC, administrators, and cricketers themselves) busy for the next decade.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Neither do I have any monetary reward for you. I offer possible solutions—some of them you might like. Others? Not so much. So, then what is the point of all this?

The point is to churn up debate and conversations in the cricket community so eventually some of these solutions reach the upper echelons of the cricket boards and ICC. Comment below on your thoughts and ideas. Who knows, your idea might one day change cricket altogether.

If you like this content on Captain Virat Kohli, please subscribe above for FREE and follow us on our social media accounts.

Follow us here if you are on Medium or Bloglovin‘.

I. Global Expansion of Cricket

1. Need for a Global Cricket Calendar and T20 Leagues

The Problem: How can the cricket calendar provide space to the three international formats—Test, ODI, and T20I—as well as the growing T20 leagues?

These days, cricket is here, there, and everywhere. Today, we have the BPL, PSL, IPL, Global T20 Canda, T20 Vitality Blast, The Hundred, CPL, Shpageeza Cricket League, T10 League, SLPL, MSL, Super Smash, and the Big Bash running from January to December.

Cricket will hit its ceiling in the next 5-10 years. With new T20 leagues growing around the world, IPL becoming a 10-team venture (twice a year IPL also proposed), T10 leagues, The Hundred, a ‘Ninety-90 Bash’, & other retired professional leagues adding to the calendar, what is the limit?

And don’t get me wrong. Leagues are not necessarily a bad thing—more opportunities for Associate cricketers, professional life for players who cannot make their international XIs, and more match practice & auditions to make comeback cases, but it does threaten the existence of international cricket as a whole.

Possible Solutions

  1. In The Need For Champions League & a T20 League Calendar article, we proposed that
    1. Two-Three month reservation for the pinnacle of international cricket (T20/ODI WC, WTC Final), without T20 leagues during this period.
    • Reinstatement of the Champions League as the center of the T20 yearly calendar.
    • Enforcement of maximum of 3 leagues per year for a nationally contracted player.
  2. Eventually, cricket may need to adopt the soccer (European football) model.
    • International games reserved only for ODI World Cup qualification, WTC matches, and some friendlies/warm-ups. As many have suggested, bilateral T20Is should be scrapped totally.
    • Players contracted by year-long leagues. They take leave to play a couple of international games every now and then until the World Cup, which dominates the summer every couple of years.
  3. Experimental formats like T10 cricket and ‘Ninety-90’ Bash should end. Who knows, we might be playing a Super Over league at this rate.

Possible Pitfalls

The Indian Premier League and the BCCI holds a bit of influence over the cricket finances. If they reject any of the calendar limits, that may the end of any negotiations even though all the other cricketing nations might agree.

2. Decisiveness and Pathways on Olympics

The Problem: The ICC on cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics—Yes, No, maybe so?

For too long, cricket has dabbled with the idea of being in the Olympics and are closer than ever in making a decision. The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games will include a women’s 8-team T20 tournament. USA Cricket hopes for the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 LA Olympics and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics being ICC’s long-term goal.

However, what format will it be? T10? T20? If it is T10, does that mean cricket will have a fourth international format? How will qualification work? At this point, there are way too many questions and zero details on a path forward.

If cricket is serious about being in the Olympics, the administrators need to get their acts together. One or two meetings a year just doesn’t cut it.

Possible Solutions

It is worth a try regardless of the format. Ideally T20 cricket, starting from the 2028 LA Olympics (building upon USA’s Major League Cricket) would be great for the game.

The format of soccer’s 4 group of 4 is a good template (16 teams in the Olympics instead of 32 in the FIFA World Cup to keep the WC as the pinnacle product). If the T20I WC expands to 16-24 teams (both men/women) in the next decade, the Olympics can start with 8-12 teams with the best 2-3 teams qualifying from each region.

Also Read: T10 Cricket in Olympics? You Have Got to Be Kidding; USA Cricket: The Next NFL Or NBA – Trillion Dollar Bet?

Possible Pitfalls

  1. Not every country has cricketing infrastructure. To create a consistent following, cricket at Olympics can only succeed if it is at every iteration. Unless cricket stadiums are built in every nation on earth, the ICC will have some complications in the early years at the Olympics.
  2. Another tricky slope to navigate is the West Indies. Since each nation like Jamaica and Barbados will play the Olympics as its own nation, those teams will be significantly weaker in strength than the West Indies cricket team.

3. Expansion of the Women’s Game and Need for WIPL

The Problem: Women’s cricket is now mainstream, but is the structure in place to take the game forward?

Between 2017- March 2020, women’s cricket enjoyed a sort of golden era. The quality of cricket and broadcast in the 2017 ODI World Cup brought new fans to the game, and a record 86,174 attendance at the MCG for the 2020 WT20 Final proved that women’s cricket was on the rise.

However, the pandemic has exposed several gaps in the women’s game. For almost 12 months, women’s international cricket was largely halted around the world while the men’s IPL happened twice. Several smaller boards like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have not seen much gameplay. Although India have played a few internationals, there does not seem to be a plan for women’s domestic cricket. And a request for the women’s IPL is falling on deaf ears.

Add to that, the crisis faced by Thailand, one of the rising teams in women’s cricket. When omicron abruptly cancelled the qualifying tournament, it was tough to not see them qualify for the ODI World Cup despite being #1 in the group since their ODIs were not given ODI status.

Surely the structure and expansion in women’s cricket needs more thought, structure, and investment.

Also Read: #Controversy Alert: Who Cares About Women’s Cricket Anyway?

Possible Solutions

  1. Multi-format series have been a brilliant idea but should become the standard across all teams.
  2. The Hundred was a huge success for the women’s game in terms of awareness and equal split of men’s/women’s game. Each top league needs to adopt the same structure.
  3. More teams to qualify for the T20 World Cup.

Also Read: History of Women’s Cricket World Cup

Possible Pitfalls

In order for the multi-format series to become the standard, more Test cricket and 3-day practice matches have to become the norm, which will take time.

4. Planned T20 Exposure for Cricket’s Growth

The Problem: Roadmap and resource management needed for the rapid growth of T20I cricket in emerging markets.

While women’s cricket and the Olympics are avenues to cricket’s global expansion, the ICC is utilizing T20 cricket for the spread of the game. In 2018, T20I status was granted to every cricket team (As of January 2022, 91 men’s teams and 53 women’s teams are in the T20I rankings). Further, a regional qualifier structure was provided for future T20 World Cups, which will be held every two years.

All this is good, but how are the resources going to be divided among these nations? Will they get professional international stadiums, broadcasting rights, DRS, and facilities? Will they be able to host tournaments? (like the earlier ICC Knockout tournaments). Step in the right direction, but a lot of work to do in the decade ahead.

Possible Solutions

  • Just like a major Asia Cup tournament, each continent should set up their own major tournament (separate from the regional qualifiers). This will ensure that there is a systematic ranking/room to grow for the newer teams in each continent, and they are not here just to make up the numbers.

Possible Pitfalls

If teams ranked at the very bottom continue to lose, they might leave the game altogether. Some sort of incentive needs to be provided to these lower ranked newer cricketing nations.

II. Standard of Cricket

5. Standardization of Pitches in Test Match Cricket

The Problem: How Can We Balance Pitches to Minimize Boring Draws and 2-Day Tests?

In the 2000s, stellar middle orders and flat pitches combined for some high scoring matches and boring draws. Over the last 5-10 years, a great crop of fast bowlers (and spinners in the subcontinent) combined with pitches suited to the home side has made 2-day and 3-day Tests a recurring event.

Possible Solutions

  1. Keep the pitches suited to home teams with 4-Day Tests (more on this later)
  2. Preparing pitches suited to overseas conditions in domestic cricket (example: More spin tracks – weather permitting – in England’s county circuit) or encouraging/funding spin from an age group level (How India progressively became a better fast bowling nation, England can do that in the long run).
  3. ICC standardize the pitches across the globe.

Possible Pitfalls

The beauty of Test cricket is in its variety. If the batters cannot overcome the challenge, so be it. That is life.

6. The Toss

The Problem: Is the toss leading to too many predictable results?

It was clear in the IPL and the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE that teams winning the toss and batting second had a higher probability of winning.

The beauty of the toss is in the uncertainty, and when things start to get predictable, innovation becomes the need of the hour.

Possible Solution

Tosses impact T20Is and Test cricket more than ODIs. So, one thought is to start experimenting with various ideas (listed below and more) in T20 leagues or domestic 4-day cricket, while leaving ODI cricket the same as it is now.

  1. Each team alternates decision to bat/bowl in a series. (If an odd number, last match is decided by a coin toss…)
  2. The bat flip idea like the Big Bash League.
  3. Away Teams in Tests get to choose

Possible Pitfalls

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Cricket is already complicated, why make it more complicated?

7. Bat Vs Ball Debate

The Problem: The Eternal Debate—How Can We better balance bat vs ball advantage?

This is the Riemann Hypothesis of cricket. A seemingly intuitive problem that is always up for discussion, has never been solved, and is the unproven underlying assumption that is the basis of strategy for the rest of cricket.

In limited overs cricket, the bat dominates (bigger bats, flat pitches, stronger players, etc.). In Test cricket over the last decade, the ball has dominated.

Possible Solutions

I have a truly marvelous solution to this, but the margins are too narrow to contain for my answer [Fermat’s Last Theorem].

Just kidding! Here they are:

  1. Abolish wide behind leg side in limited overs. Small margins really do hurt the bowlers.
  2. In Test cricket, one more review to the batting side instead of the bowling side.
  3. In limited overs, one bowler can bowl a couple of overs more than the maximum limit of 10 overs (ODI) or 4 overs (T20I)

Possible Pitfalls

As players get physically stronger and technology increases, the balance will always remain one side or another. However, as spinners have shown in the middle overs in a T20 or fast bowlers during the death with the slower balls, adaptation of skill is required, not so much the mechanics of the bat and ball.

III. Survival of Test & ODI Cricket

8. Disparity Between Level of Performance in Test Cricket

The Problem: How can the gap between top and mid-tiered teams be reduced?

The gap between top and mid-tiered Test nations is gradually eroding confidence in Test cricket. Even though some spectacular matches in the last five years have reinvigorated Test cricket, gaps in skill level between the top sides and mid-tiered/bottom ranked teams makes for a boring viewing on the other end of the spectrum.

Social media’s pendulum swings from “Test cricket is the best format” claims to “Is Test cricket dying?” every few months.

Case and point: Men’s Ashes 2021-2022. Except for Jonny Bairstow’s 4th Test, there was absolutely no resistance. There have been several subsequent calls for the 5-Test Ashes to be reduced to a 3 or 4 match affair. If England, who play 10-15 Tests a year, are not properly utilizing resources and are behind the golden standard, how can we expect the likes of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan to compete?

Possible Solutions

  1. Regularized international schedule should dominate bilateral agreements. Australia’s refusal to host Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and now Afghanistan (for other reasons) does not help smaller teams get the experience. The more the Top 4 countries play the mid-tiered teams, the better they will get in the long run.
  2. Prioritizing domestic funding over white ball funding (County cricket vs white ball dominance)
  3. Abolishment of two-Test series (The smaller countries only get to play 2 Tests while the Big 3 and South Africa gets 4-5 matches per series).
  4. Relegation-Promotion system (details outlined below) in three brackets: Bracket A (#1-6), Bracket B (#7-12), and Bracket C (non-Test playing nations)

Also Read: Relegation & Promotion Proposal in World Test Championship: Make Test Cricket Great Again Part III

Reducing the Influence of the Big 3 | How Can the World Test Championship Improve?

Possible Pitfalls

Money, money, money. Even the World Test Champions like New Zealand cannot afford to host more than two Tests due to finances. Ideally, we would like an equal distribution of Test match cricket, but if there are no finances, there is no cricket.

9. Associate nations, the ODI Super League, and the Expansion of Test Cricket

The Problem: Lack of clarity is hurting the survival of Associate nations, the backbone of global cricket.

The ODI Super League provided Ireland and Netherlands much needed game time against the top eight teams. Ireland actually has done a pretty decent job and Netherlands’ cricketers received much needed stability, but the inexplicable cancellation of the ODI Super League has stumped many. The World Test Championship has flaws, but the ODI Super League was a step in the right direction.

Yes, T20I is the right vehicle for growth in globalization of cricket, but should teams like Ireland be alienated, who have invested in ODI cricket and want to play Test cricket?

Possible Solutions

The ICC suggested that they may trial teams like Scotland and Netherlands into Test cricket as a temporary Test status. That might be a good move if it actually happens, but here are some other solutions:

  1. Touring Associate and new Test nations before embarking on a 4-5 Test tour (playing ODIs/T20Is vs Scotland/Netherlands & 1-off Test vs Ireland before a series in England, vs Afghanistan before India, vs PNG before NZ & Aus, Namibia/Zimbabwe vs SA). This is happening more and more with Ireland’s progress, but it is only the beginning.
  2. Revival of the Tri-Series? Similar idea as above, but to reduce logistic and travel issues, two full members plus an Associate nation for an ODI tri-series in a common location.
  3. Mandatory 1-2 Associate players per squad per T20 league. Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Tim David, and Sandeep Lamichanne are great templates. These players will be a boon for the franchises, not a burden.

Possible Pitfalls

10. 4-Day Tests for Men, 5-Day Tests for Women?

The Problem: Making Test cricket accessible for spectators without jeopardizing the game.

The Decision Review System (DRS) and pink-ball day-night Tests have now been adopted as major innovations in the game which had resistance in the early days. In the age of technology and innovation, cricket has to find ways to re-invent itself and stay relevant every 5-10 years.

One such suggestion is 4-day Tests (plus a 5th day for rain affected games) for men’s cricket, while expanding to 5-day Tests in women’s cricket, especially since they do not play as many Tests.

Possible Solutions

  • Just like D/N Tests were tested one Test per series every now and then, similarly one of the Tests can be scheduled as a 4-day game (and vice-versa for women)

Possible Pitfalls

Draws. One of the major drivers for 5-matches in women’s Tests are the number of draws. This forces teams to declare early (even when they are trailing) and enforce follow-on more often. If men’s game introduces 4-day Tests, then strategies will similarly begin to change and/or draws will increase.

11. Fixes to the World Test Championship

The Problem: Test matches are now better contextualized, but a lot is still left to be desired in achieving a better system.

We have already provided several solutions for World Test Champions in our earlier articles (shown below), so here is a summary:

  • Number of Tests Played is uneven: In the first WTC cycle, England played 21 Tests, while West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand played 11 each. Marquee series like Ashes, Border-Gavaskar, Basil D’Oliveira Trophy, etc. are 4-5 Tests each while SL & NZ only play 2 Tests regularly.
  • Currently no distinction is made for Home/Away advantage: Bangladesh winning in NZ, West Indies winning in Bangladesh, India winning in Australia, or Australia drawing in England should be worth more than home wins.
  • All-or-Nothing System: Test matches occur over 5 days or a max-of-15 sessions. One session can have a huge impact on the series. Yet, the points are awarded on an all-or-nothing basis.

Possible Solutions

My solution is detailed in Alternative World Test Championship Points Table.

Possible Pitfalls

No system is every going to be perfect, but at least more of an attempt can be made. One of the other pitfalls is the pandemic. This has severely restricted travels between countries and longer, more straining quarantine rules. Hence, even more uneven number of Tests are begin played.

IV. Other Concerns

12. Mental Health Support & Overkill of Cricket

The Problem: Mental Health Awareness A Necessity in Today’s sport

Non-stop cricket alongside heavy quarantine is changing the commitments of a professional cricketer. It is no longer feasible to play three international formats, travel around the world, away from family, and still have a sane mental health.

Marcus Trescothick, Glenn Maxwell, and Ben Stokes are some of the many high-profile players who have taken time off the game to focus on their health. They have paved a way for many others in the future to follow. The real question is, does the cricket fraternity have the support each player needs and deserves?

Possible Solutions

  1. Support Groups/Staff, Paid Leave
  2. Separate teams for separate formats (Maximum of two formats per player)

Possible Pitfalls

Mental health is still looked as taboo in many cultures. Even though awareness is increasing, some players may still keep things to themselves, which is detrimental.

In addition to mental health, physical health is also a concern as more research is done on concussions in general. Concussion substitutes were a great innovation to the game, but it took the death of Phillip Hughes for the radical change. Let us make sure to be proactive before any such incidents. Injury prevention and player health should be duly monitored.

13. Spot Fixing and Associate Nations

The Problem: Match-Fixing for the Next Decade

Brendan Taylor’s story illustrates that even in the year 2022, match fixing & spot-fixing is still an issue cricket needs to be careful against. After the spot fixing that emerged from Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 and the growth of T20 leagues, there is a lot more education and maturity in ICC’s anti-corruption unit.

However, teams like Zimbabwe and Associate nations, whose players do not earn a survivable income or cash flow from leagues, are easy targets for corruptors (as seen in the UAE). So the nature of match fixing might have changed since the 1990s, but it is still a problem that threatens the core fabric of the sport in one way or another.

Possible Solutions

The structure of the ICC anti-corruption unit and education before every major tournament shows that cricket has already matured in most of this regard. The real responsibility now lies on the players for self-reporting such approaches.

Healthy compensation for Associate players can also prevent such instances.

Possible Pitfalls

In the age of technology, new forms of corruption might appear (cyberattacks, ransomwares, NFTs?) ICC needs to be proactive and take actions earlier.

Also Read: Netflix ‘Bad Sport’ Fallen Idol Review: Must Watch for All Cricket Fans – How Will History Judge Hansie Cronje?

14. The Afghanistan Crisis

The Problem: ICC and cricket boards’ philosophical stand on the Afghanistan women’s team and the status of the men’s team.

Post the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in September, cricket’s stakeholders have been sending mixed messages. Australia rescinded their invitation to Afghanistan for a Test match due to a lack of a women’s team/Taliban’s stance on women. However, requirement for a women’s team was waived off when Afghanistan became a Full member four years ago.

The ICC allowed Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup at UAE and many Afghani players are contracted around the world despite the drama. On the other hand, Zimbabwe was not allowed to qualify for the 2019 ODI World Cup due to crisis in the Zimbabwean government.

Why are players/ sports’ teams penalized for government interference? Why is different approach taken against different countries? Who sets the precedent?

Possible Solutions

  • Afghanistan is a cricket-loving country, and we should not stop its growth despite political tensions. They have now qualified for their 2nd U-19 semi-finals in the last three attempts. Let the men’s team continue to blossom while promoting cricket in age levels for women’s cricket if situation allows.

Possible Pitfalls

Each country might have a different political relationship with Afghanistan, which may mean a conflict of interest. As a byproduct, the relationship between other cricket boards can get strained.

15. Player Behavior

Problem: Similar Player Behavorial Issues, Different Consequences

As players gain more power over administrators due to financial security and unions, there have been some side-effects. Players have been acting up a lot lately.

Shakib Al Hasan’s antics (not much backlash), Ollie Robinson’s tweets (socially alienated), Alex Hales & Joe Clarke (not selected in the national side), Sri Lanka’s players in England (suspended for six months), Steven Smith, David Warner, & Cameron Bancroft’s sandpaper gate ball tampering scandal (banned by Cricket Australia for 1 year), Netherlands’ ball tampering (4 matches ICC), Quinton de Kock defying teammates (kneeling and not playing) and Virat Kohli shouting at the stumps (no consequence).

Possible Solution

  • Digging up old tweets should be removed as a cultural practice.
  • For major offences, a uniform code of conduct that applies to every player regardless of the cricket board they are playing under.
  • An impartial body assigned to monitor and judge player behavior for uniform convictions

Possible Pitfalls

Each circumstance is different. Uniform offences might not be ideal. On the other hand, ICC vs national boards hierarchy will become muddled if ICC centralizes power.

Also Read: Gentleman’s Game No More: Shakib Al Hasan & Ollie Robinson Highlight Larger Disciplinary Issue

This is not the end. More avenues and ideas to explore for sure. Please bring in your comments. Would love to hear YOUR opinion. Thanks everyone for reading ❤ Anyway, time to go the duel or swim across the shores of France…

*Thank You Credit: In conversation with my friend, Vandit. Thanks for listening to my ideas and engaging in meaningful discussion.

Further Reading:

Make Test Cricket Great Again Articles:

Analysis Articles

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 01/29/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Big Bash League 2021 (BBL 2021): Everything You Need To Know Quickly—Teams, Fixtures, & Predictions

Big Bash League (BBL 2021)—The Australian T20 League is back.

Australia is coming back from a victorious T20 World Cup campaign with a backdrop of Tim Paine’s scandal and an Ashes running in the background.

The first match of the Big Bash is already upon us. Glenn Maxwell’s Melbourne Stars suffered a horror loss by a mammoth 152 runs. If this game is anything to go by…we are going to be in for a long journey.

Here is everything you need to know about BBL 2021 quickly.

Also Read: What Can Ellyse Perry Not Do?

Quick Summary

  • Matches: 61 (8 teams, 14 matches each, double round robin, top 5 qualify for the playoffs)
  • Teams: Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunders
  • Dates: December 5th 2021- January 28th, 2022
  • Venues: City: Stadium (Number of Matches)
    • Adelaide: Adelaide Oval (7)
    • Brisbane: The Gabba (5)
    • Canberra: Manuka Oval (2)
    • Coffs Harbour: Coffs Harbour International Stadium (2)
    • Geelong: Kardinia Park (also known as GMHBA) (2)
    • Gold Coast: Carrara Stadium (2)
    • Hobart: Bellerive Oval (also known as Blundstone Arena) (5)
    • Launceston: York Park (University of Tasmania Stadium) (2)
    • Melbourne: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) (6), Docklands Stadium (also known as Marvel Stadium) (5), Junction Oval (1)
    • Perth: Perth Stadium (7)
    • Sydney: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) (5), Sydney Showground Stadium (5)
  • Fixtures can be seen here.

History

  1. Sydney Sixers: 2011, 2015, 2019, 2020 (Winners), 2014, 2016 (Runner-Up)
  2. Perth Scorchers: 2013, 2014, 2016 (Winners), 2011, 2012, 2020 (Runner-Up)
  3. Adelaide Strikers: 2017 (Winners)
  4. Brisbane Heat: 2012 (Winners)
  5. Melbourne Renegades: 2018 (Winners)
  6. Sydney Thunders: 2015 (Winners)
  7. Melbourne Stars: 2015, 2018, 2019 (Runner-Up)
  8. Hobart Hurricanes: 2013, 2017 (Runner-Up)

BBL 2021: Teams & Expected Playing XI

Before we begin with the BBL 2021 squads, here are the Ashes squad for the first two Tests as well as the Australia A squad that is due to face the England Lions between Tests. In case of conflicts, several players might miss some of their Big Bash matches.

We might also see some early overseas signings replaced due to COVID, Australian quarantine rules, and visa issues.

Ashes XI

  1. David Warner, 2. Marcus Harris, 3. Marnus Labuschagne, 4. Steven Smith 9VC), 5. Travis Head, 6. Cameron Green, 7. Alex Carey (WK), 8. Pat Cummins (C), 9. Josh Hazlewood, 10. Mitchell Starc, 11. Nathan Lyon

Squad: 12. Michael Neser, 13. Jhye Richarson, 14. Mitchell Swepson, 15. Usman Khawaja

Australia A Squad (December 9-12 Tour Game)

  1. Matt Renshaw, 2. Josh Inglis (WK), 3. Nic Maddinson, 4. Mitchell Marsh, 5. Alex Carey (WK), 6. Ashton Agar, 7. Henry Hunt, 8. Bryce Street, 9. Sean Abbott, 10. Scott Boland, 11. Mark Steketee

*Teams highlighted in their respective jersey colors

Adelaide Strikers

Captain: Travis Head (C), Alex Carey (VC/WK)

  • Australia Internationals: Peter Siddle, Matt Renshaw, Fawad Ahmed, Daniel Worrall (3 ODIs), Wes Agar (2 ODIs)
  • Australia Domestic: Jake Weatherald, Harry Conway, Ryan Gibson, Spencer Johnson, Harry Nielsen (WK), Liam O’Connor, Liam Scott, Matthew Short, Jonathan Wells
  • Foreign Recruits: Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Phil Salt, George Garton (England)

Coaching Staff: Jason Gillespie

I am looking forward to Peter Siddle and Rashid Khan. It is the time of the year where Siddle’s energy flows through and Rashid Khan’s presence is enough to send fears to the opposition camp.

Adelaide Strikers Expected XI:

  1. Phil Salt, 2. Jake Weatherald, 3. Travis Head/Alex Carey (C), 4. Matt Renshaw, 5. Ryan Gibson, 6. Jonathan Wells, 7. Michael Neser, 8. George Garton, 9. Rashid Khan, 10. Fawad Ahmed, 11. Peter Siddle

Predicted Result: 7th

Brisbane Heat

Captain: Jimmy Peirson (WK)

  • Australia Internationals: Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn, Michael Neser, Mitchell Swepson, Sam Heazlett (1 ODI), Jack Wildermuth (1 T20I)
  • Australia Domestic: Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mark Steketee, Connor Sully, Matthew Willans, Liam Guthrie, Will Prestwisdge
  • Foreign Recruits: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Tom Abell (England), Tom Cooper (Netherlands), Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Coaching Staff: Wade Seccombe

I am looking forward to the foreign recruits. Ben Duckett was the find of The Hundred, and Mujeeb and Banton are match winners on their day.

Brisbane Heat Expected XI:

1. Chris Lynn, 2. Max Bryant/Labuschagne/Banton, 3. Ben Duckett, 4. Sam Heazlett, 5. Jack Wildurmuth, 6. Jimmy Pierson, 7. James Bazley/Michael Neser, 8. Xavier Bartlett, 9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10. Matthew Kuhnemann, 11. Liam Guthrie/Mitchell Swepson

Predicted Result: 8th

Hobart Hurricanes

Captain: Matthew Wade (C/WK)

  • Australia Internationals: Scott Boland, Nathan Ellis, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Ben McDermott (WK), Riley Meredith, D’arcy Short
  • Australia Domestic: Jake Doan (WK), Caleb Jewell, David Moody, Mitchell Owen, Wil Parker, Aaron Summers, Charlier Wakim, Nick Winter, Macalister Wright, Jordan Thompson
  • Foreign Recruits: Tim David (Singapore), Johan Botha (now domestic Australian player), Colin Ingram (South Africa), Dawid Malan, Will Jacks, Harry Brook (England), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Keemo Paul (West Indies)

Coaching Staff: Adam Griffith

I am looking forward to World Cup star Matthew Wade. Finally rising to the international stage, can he take Hobart to their first BBL? Also watch out for Tim David from Singapore, who is making his name in T20 leagues around the world.

Hobart Hurricanes Expected XI:

1. Matthew Wade, 2. D’Arcy Short, 3. Colin Ingram/Dawid Malan, 4. Peter Handscomb, 5. Ben McDermott, 6. Tim David, 7. James Faulkner, 8. Scott Boland, 9. Nathan Ellis, 10. Riley Meredith, 11. Sandeep Lamichhane

Predicted Result: 1st/Winners

Melbourne Renegades

Captain: Nic Maddinson

  • Australia Internationals: Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Harris, Cameron Boyce, James Pattinson (retired from international duty), Kane Richardson
  • Australia Domestic: Zak Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Mackenzie Harvey, Josh Lalor, Jonathan Merlo, Jack Prestwidge, Will Sutherland, Mitch Perry
  • Foreign Recruits: Mohammad Nabi, Zahir Khan (Afghanistan), Reece Topley (England), Unmukt Chand (USA/ ex-India)

Coaching Staff: David Saker

I am looking forward to James Pattinson, Shaun Marsh, and Mohammad Nabi. These three are at the end of their careers, and I hope they still have a couple of good years in them. Also curious if Melbourne will play Unmukt Chand or if it is only to lure future Indian cricketers.

Melbourne Renegades Expected XI:

1. Aaron Finch, 2. Shaun Marsh, 3. Nic Maddinson, 4. Jake Fraser-McGurk, 5. Mackenzie Harvey, 6. Mohammad Nabi, 7. Kane Richardson, 8. James Pattinson, 9. Reece Topley, 10. Zahir Khan, 11. Cameron Boyce

Predicted Result: 3rd

Melbourne Stars

Captain: Glenn Maxwell (C), Marcus Stoinis (VC)

  • Australia Internationals: Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake, Will Pucovski, Peter Nevill (WK)
  • Australia Domestic: Jackson Coleman, Seb Gotch (WK), Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Lance Morris, Tom O’Connell, Sam Rainbird, Beau Webster, Sam Elliot, Brody Couch
  • Foreign Recruits: Qais Ahmed (Afghanistan), Syed Faridoun (Pakistan), Joe Clarke (England)

Coaching Staff: David Hussey

I am looking forward to the Australian international regiment. Maxwell, Stoinis, Zampa won’t be missing much due to the Ashes and they are in red hot form. Hope they rebound from the first game.

Melbourne Stars Expected XI:

  1. Marcus Stoinis, 2. Joe Clarke, 3. Joe Burns, 4. Nick Larkin, 5. Glenn Maxwell (C), 6. Hilton Cartwright, 7. Peter Neville (WK), 8. Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9. Syed Faridoun/Qais Ahmed, 10. Billy Stanlake, 11. Adam Zampa

Predicted Result: 6th

Perth Scorchers

Captain: Ashton Turner

  • Australia Internationals: Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft (WK), Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Cameron Green, Kurtis Patterson (2 Tests), Joel Paris (2 ODIs)
  • Australia Domestic: Josh Inglis (WK), Peter Hatzoglou, Matthew Kelly, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson
  • Foreign Recruits: Colin Munro (New Zealand), Laurie Evans (England), Cameron Gannon (USA international/Australia domestic)

Coaching Staff: Adam Voges

I am looking forward to Josh Inglis. Alex Carey barely pipped him to the Ashes spot but he will be there for Australia A game. Can he warm up with some BBL runs? You can never count Perth Scorchers out.

Perth Scorchers Expected XI:

1. Josh Inglis (WK), 2. Cameron Bancroft, 3. Mitchell Marsh, 4. Colin Munro,, 6. Ashton Agar, 7. Cameron Green, 8. Jhye Richardson/Jason Behrendorff, 9. Andrew Tye, 10. Joel Paris, 11. Kurtis Patterson

Predicted Result: 2nd

Sydney Sixers

Captain: Moises Henriques (C), Daniel Hughes (VC)

  • Australia Internationals: Dan Christian, Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Nathon Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Josh Philippe (WK)
  • Australia Domestic: Jordan Silk, Ben Dwarshuis, Hayden Kerr, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Benjamin Manenti, Lloyd Pope
  • Foreign Recruits: Carlos Brathwaite (injured), Chris Jordan (West Indies), Tom Curran, James Vince (England)

Coaching Staff: Greg Shipperd

I am looking forward to James Vince and Tom Curran. Vince has the Big Bash to thank for his England return last year and both Curran-Vince needs good BBLs to make it the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Sydney Sixers Expected XI:

  1. Josh Philippe (WK), 2. James Vince, 3. Moises Henriques (C), 4. Dan Christian, 5. Tom Curran, 6. Jordan Silk, 7. Daniel Hughes, 8. Sean Abbott, 9. Hayden Kerr, 10. Chris Jordan, 11. Steve O’Keefe

Predicted Result: 5th

Sydney Thunder

Captain: Usman Khawaja

  • Australia Internationals: Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Chris Tremain (4 ODIs)
  • Australia Domestic: Chris Green, Jason Sangha, Baxter Holt (WK), Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes (WK), Arjun Nair, Alex Ross, Tanveer Sangha, Sam Whiteman, Gurinder Sandhu, Jonathon Cook
  • Foreign Recruits: Alex Hales, Sam Billings (WK), Saqib Mahmood (England) (Adam Milne – NZ)

Coaching Staff: Trevor Bayliss

I am looking forward to The English foreign brigade. Alex Hales at the top, Sam Billings to finish it off and Saqib Mahmood with the pace. Also much to prove for captain Usman Khawaja since Travis Head was picked as Australia’s #5 for the Ashes.

Sydney Thunder Expected XI:

1. Usman Khawaja (C), 2. Alex Hales, 3. Sam Whiteman, 4. Matthew Gilkes, 5. Sam Billings (WK), 6. Alex Ross, 7. Daniel Sams, 8. Ben Cutting, 9. Chris Green, 10. Gurinder Sandhu, 11. Tanveer Sangha

Predicted Result: 4th

Big Bash League 2021 (BBL 2021) Predictions

Finally here are my predictions.

My prediction for the team to lift the BBL 2021 trophy is….Hobart Hurricanes!

  • Most Runs: Josh Philippe
  • Most Wickets: James Pattinson
  • MVP: Matthew Wade
  • Emerging Player: Tanveer Sangha/Jake Fraser-McGurk
  • Surprise Package: Johan Botha
  • Broken Cricket Dream: Most Australian internationals miss BBL for the Ashes; most internationals lose out due to COVID; crowd skips the tournament altogether

Here were my Big Bash League – BBL 2021 Predictions. What did you think? What are YOUR predictions? Comment Below!

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T20 World Cup 2021 Prediction Results, Statistics, and Team of The Tournament

Time for the T20 World Cup 2021 Prediction Results! We first present the categories and winners as well as the specific points. Scroll down to the bottom for our Team of the Tournament and let us know what you thought!

Also Read: All 16 Team By Team Reviews: Complete Review of the 2021 T20 World Cup

The Categories

We had asked our Twitter followers and fellow friends to reply back with their predictions to these categories and we recorded them here at the start of the tournament.

Fast forward a few weeks, and now Australia are the T20 World Cup Champions and New Zealand are the runners up! Neither of them were even in the Top 5 choices for title contenders.

Since lot has not gone according to expectations, we expanded the opportunities to get more guesses right on the #BCDPredictions. We will accept top 3-4 for Most Runs/Most Wickets and have a few different options for the other categories.

#Winner

  • Australia

#Top4

  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • England

#BestAssociates

  • Namibia
  • Scotland

#PlayeroftheWorldCup

  • David Warner

#MostRuns

  • Babar Azam (303)
  • David Warner (289)
  • Mohamad Rizwan (281)
  • Jos Buttler (269)

#MostWickets

  • Wanindu Hasaranga (16)
  • Adam Zampa, Trent Boult (13)
  • Shakib Al Hasan, Josh Hazlewood (11)

#BestCatch

  • Akeal Hosein
  • Devon Conway
  • Sam Billings-Jonny Bairstow
  • Kane Williamson
  • Aiden Markram

#Surprise

  • Australia winning/Aus & NZ in the semis
  • Namibia’s lovely story/ Trumpelmann/Wiese’s tournament to remember
  • Scotland surprise Bangladesh
  • Asif Ali/Shoaib Malik surprise even their own fanbase
  • Mark Watt, Imad Wasim, and R Ashwin’s accuracy in the middle overs

#BrokenDream

  • Ryan Ten Doeschate, Dwayne Bravo, & Asghar Afghan retire. Chris Gayle semi-retires
  • South Africa fail to go to the semis despite 4/5 wins, a win against England, and only a close loss
  • Pakistan, England, & NZ losing in the semi finals/finals after a brilliant tournament
  • Tymal Mills, Obed McCoy, Devon Conway, Jason Roy suffer freak injuries
  • Virat Kohli bows out T20 captaincy career with a loss
  • Bangladesh lose 5 out 5 in the Super 12s

The Winners

And the winners are….Wisdom with 7/12 correct! Wow! 🥇

From our twitter crowd, Short Leg Cricket emerges as victorious with 6/12. 🥈

CONGRATULATIONS!!

I myself had a decent run with 5/12, along with Chalupa.

Overall lots of 4/12 and good scores nevertheless. Good job everybody! We are improving 😊

Prediction Results

– 12 is the maximum score (Top 4 – you will get a point for each correctly identified semi-finalist)

WinnerTop 4Best AssociatesPlayer of the WCMost RunsMost WicketsBest CatchSurpriseBroken Dream
Me
(5/12)

WIWI
England✔
Pakistan✔
India
NetherlandsJadeja/ChaseButtler✔ShamsiFabian AllenNamibia✔
Afghanistan
Malik/
Sarfaraz/
Gayle/
Bravo/ ✔
Morgan/
Nabi retire
Veer 🏏 (@CricCrazyVeer)

(4/12)
IndiaWI
England✔
NZ✔
India
Ire/NethJadejaRizwan✔ShamsiFabian AllenScotland✔, AfghanistanHafeez retires
Mohd Shamir Ansari (@ShamirMohd)

(3/12) +1 (quote below) = (4/12)
IndiaIndia
WI
England✔ NZ✔
Oman JadejaRohit SharmaIsh SodhiGlenn MaxwellAfghanistanGayle and Bravo retire ✔

Sourabh Sanyal

(4/12)
IndiaWI
England✔
Pakistan✔ India
Scotland✔ Boom (Bumrah)KL RahulStarcJaddu/KohliAfghanistanBangladesh✔
Anand

(2/12)
WIIndia
WI
Australia✔ NZ✔
Afghanistan KL RahulKL Rahul Varun ChakravarthyJadejaAfghanistan
Sourabh Negi

(2/10)+1 (quote below) = (3/12)
IndiaIndia
WI
Australia✔ NZ✔
AfghanistanKL RahulKL RahulS Thakur/ Rashid KhanFabian Allen/JadejaAfghanistan
Paras

(4/12)
Hard to Say✔India
Pak/NZ✔ Aus/Eng✔ WI
Rohit
Starc
Namibia✔
Afghanistan
Deepak Kumar Panda
(3/12)
+1 (quote) = (4/12)
IndiaWI
England✔
Pakistan✔ India
NetherlandsRahul/JadejaRahulTymal MillsJadejaAfghanistanBravo and Gayle retire✔
Kickit Wicket

(4/12)
IndiaNZ✔
WI
Australia✔ India
NetherlandsJadejaMaxwellShamsiWilliamson✔NZ✔Morgan duck in final innings
𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙮𝙪𝙨𝙝

(2/12)
EnglandWI
England✔
NZ✔
India
NetherlandsMaxwellKL RahulNortjeJadejaAfghanistan/Scotland✔Malik/Morgan retire
Wisdom
(7/12)
PakistanAustralia✔
England✔
Pakistan✔ NZ✔
Scotland✔
Ireland
Babar AzamBabar Azam✔SoutheeFabian AllenFabian AllenVirat Kohli✔
Chalupa
(5/12)
IndiaAustralia✔
NZ✔
WI
India
Scotland✔Kane WilliamsonVirat KohliBumrahJadejaScotland✔Pakistan✔
Vandit
(3/12)
IndiaIndia
Pakistan✔ England✔ WI
NetherlandsKL RahulKL RahulAdil RashidShimron HetmyerR Ashwin✔Sri Lanka or Bangladesh might not make it to the Super 12s
Short Leg Cricket
(6/12)
PakistanWI
England✔ Pakistan✔ India
Scotland✔MaxiBabar✔RabadaJordanNZ✔Virat Kohli✔
Wow
(3/12)
NZNZ✔
WI
Ban
Afg
Scotland✔Rashid KhanKL RahulShardul ThakurGlenn MaxwellIndia winNZ out✔
Harrison
(3/12)
IndiaIndia
England✔ Pakistan✔ WI
IrelandKL RahulGlenn MaxwellAdil RashidFabian AllenBangladeshEngland & being double white ball champions✔
CRICKET 2021

(3/12)
India
WI
England✔
NZ✔ (without a doubt)
Buttler✔ (may not be an Indian, cannot rule QDK too)
T20 World Cup 2021 Review – Prediction Results

Sourabh

Quote Predictions

“If India want to win India’s top three form is very crucial.” ✔

Sourabh

Unfortunately that did not happen in the first couple of games

“Yes surely looking at great spin condition in UAE. [Sodhi] is definitely going to have a good impact in this WC for NZ…” ✔

Mohd Shamir Ansari

He surely did! When Sodhi played well, NZ won. When he did not….

“Seeing how the pitches played out in most games in IPL, expect Tymal’s variations to come in handy.” ✔

Deepak Kumar Panda

Tymal Mills was a revelation. Unfortunately he suffered another injury

“The problem with NZ might be the UAE conditions. Guptill couldn’t bat UAE conditions in the second leg of PSL.” ❌

Asad Ali

Guptill’s final apart, he was decent including a 93 in tough conditions.

“Namibia or PNG may qualify for the main draw. Afghanistan may eliminate one of the Asian teams and reach semis. It can be an #IndvNZ final.” ❌

The Falling Sweep

Namibia did qualify for the main draw, but PNG, Afghanistan, and India were below par.

“With Faf, Morris, & Tahir not in team, it is a huge task for SA.” ❌

Bhagyesh Joshi

Interestingly enough, South Africa were one of the most improved teams of the tournament.

“India are the perpetual bottle jobs.”

Matt Gray

Yep that happened again…although in the Group Stage itself.

BCD’s 2021 T20 World Cup Team of The Tournament

Based on all the final tournament statistics and how the World Cup progressed, here is my team of the tournament. Note, players will only be considered for the positions they actually played in unless they played as a floater. For example, Mitchell Marsh & Charith Asalanka will only be considered for the #3 position.

T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament

  1. Jos Buttler (WK)
  2. Babar Azam (C)
  3. Charith Asalanka
  4. Aiden Markram
  5. Moeen Ali
  6. Najibullah Zadran/David Wiese
  7. Wanindu Hasaranga
  8. Anrich Nortje
  9. Adam Zampa
  10. Josh Hazlewood
  11. Trent Boult

Honorable Mentions: David Warner (needed a captain so Babar was preferred), Mohammad Rizwan, Daryl Mitchell, Haris Rauf, Tymal Mills, Bhanuka Rajapaksa

1 left arm pacer, 2 right arm fast medium, 2 leg spinners, 1 off-spinner, and a Markram (+Wiese if chosen at 6). Not a bad all-round attack. What do you think? Comment Your XI Below?

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© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 11/21/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Image Courtesy: Booking.com, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Australia Vs New Zealand – T20 World Cup 2021, The Grand Finale Quick Review! Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, & Josh Hazlewood Outclass Kane Williamson & Trent Boult

Australia Vs New Zealand, The Grand Finale Quick Review – Mitchell Marsh etches his name in history with a memorable knock as the Kiwis find the runners up podium once again.

CONGRTULATIONS AUSTRALIA!!! 🥇

Embed from Getty Images

Match Details, Scorecard, & Video Highlights

Scorecard: Australia Vs New Zealand Video Highlights

Toss: Australia won the toss and chose to field first.

Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, UAE

Umpires: Marais Erasmus & Richard Kettleborough

What Actually Happened – Pakistan Vs Australia

  • Winner: Australia won by 8 wickets
  • Scores: New Zealand 172/4 Australia 173/2
  • Player of the Match: Mitchell Marsh 77* (50)
  • Best Figures
    • Josh Hazlewood (4-0-16-3), Adam Zampa (4-0-26-1)
    • Trent Boult (4-0-18-2)
  • Most Runs
    • Kane Williamson 85 (48)
    • Mitchell Marsh 77* (50), David Warner 53 (38)

Player of the Tournament: David Warner

Moments of The Day: Williamson Plays World Cup Final Knock of the Ages; Marsh-Warner Combination One Step Better

New Zealand

New Zealand had two strong performersKane Williamson with the bat and Trent Boult with the ball.

  • NZ began brightly with Daryl Mitchell’s positive approach against Maxwell, however things quietened down after his wicket. Test match bowling lengths by Hazlewood & Cummins strangled the experienced duo of Guptill & Williamson.
  • From 27-1 in 3.1 overs, NZ could only get to 32/1 by the end of the Powerplay, 40 by the end of 8 overs, and 57 at the end of the 10th. At the halfway stage, Williamson 18 (19) & Guptill 27 (33). Then came Starc’s over. Dropped by Hazlewood, & 4-4-4 including a waist height no-ball. 19-run over, NZ back in the game, and Williamson would hit 67 runs in his last 29 balls. Shots & sixes all around the ground. One of the best World Cup innings you will ever see.
  • The bowling figures of the Kiwi bowlers were sub-par. The economies were—11.21, 13.33, 15.00, 7.66, & 7.50. Sodhi & Neesham went for 55 runs in their 4 together. Only one bowler gave New Zealand hope, Trent Boult. 4-0-18-2. 4.50 economy. Boult’s wicket of Warner almost sparked New Zealand alive, and the tough dropped catch off his own bowling in his final over was the final hope.

Australia

  • Australia’s victorious campaigns had three consistent cogs—Hazlewood, Zampa, & Warner—around which the matchwinners Stoinis, Maxwell, and Wade rotated. Today, the consistent 3 came to the party once again.
  • When Kane Willamson was going haywire, Hazelwood, Zampa, & Cummins combined for figures of 12-0-69-4. The other three went for about a 100 runs in 8 overs. After Starc’s 22-run 16th over, NZ were in pole position with 136/2 in 16 overs. Good death bowling and slower deliveries ensured NZ only get 36 from the late 4 with wickets in hand.
  • The moment where the game turned was after Finch’s dismissal. Australia 15/1 in 2.3 overs. What does Mitch Marsh do first ball in a pressure final? Hits it for six! He did not look back after that. Australia did not look back after that. 92 (59) partnership between Warner & Marsh and a 66* (39) partnership between Marsh & Maxwell ensured World Cup victory. Finally, a classic reverse hit from Maxwell against Southee to seal the deal.

Nobody hates you anymore, Mitch Marsh 😊👏

Shane Watson Tribute

It was only fitting that Shane Watson, player of the 2012 T20 World Cup, and Australia’s first T20I star was present in the commentary box.

He was the first Australian IPL star who made it big in the international arena and represented Australia for all the six World Cups until 2016. Although he did not win a T20 World Cup, it was only fitting that Watson was there for the moment that Maxwell hit the winning runs.

What a refreshing commentary debut he has had on the World Cup stage as well. Loved his analysis and you could see that this man loves every aspect of the game of cricket.

Celebrations of the Day – Feat Marcus Stoinis

The best part of the ending of a World Cup is the celebration. Here are some of the few videos that have come out on social media. Lovely stuff, watch out for Stoinis.

Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: New Zealand Ends Up Second Best…Again

Broken Dream #1 – End of an Era?

Mitchell Starc was the player of the 2015 ODI World Cup. Martin Guptill hit a memorable 237 and was one of the centers of NZ’s inspirational campaign in 2015.

In this World Cup, although Starc chipped in with a couple of wickets in most of the games & Guptill starred with a 93 in the UAE heat, today was a match losing performance by both oif these legendary players.

Guptill’s 27 (35) at a SR of 80.00 drained the energy out of the Kiwi batting and Starc’s 4-0-60-0 almost took the game away from Australia. Starc is approaching 32, and as a fast bowler, might focus on elongating his Test career, while Guptill is 35. It might be time for him to focus on ODI cricket and make way at the top in T20Is for someone like Tim Seifert.

Broken Dream #2 – Have New Zealand Underachieved?

The New Zealand cricket team has always been characterized as a “collective unit,” a team that “punches above their weight.” From 1975-2011, this was probably true.

  • 6 ODI World Cup Semi Finals (1975, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011)
  • 3 ICC Champions/Knockouts Trophy Semi Finals (Semifinalists in 2006, Runners up in 2009, Winner in 2000)
  • 1 T20 World Cup Semi Finals (2007)

Since the 2015 ODI World Cup, New Zealand has been one of the teams to beat. Their recent records stand as follows:

  • 2 ODI World Cup Finals (2015, 2019 – barely lost)
  • 2 T20 World Cup Semi Finals (Semifinalists in 2016, Runners Up in 2021)
  • 1 World Test Championship Winners (2021)

New Zealand are the WTC champions, but the fact they did not lift any of the last 4 limited overs trophy means they have underachieved, not overachieved.

Still good campaign overall. 👏🥈

Also Read: 200th Article Special: 5 Things I have Learned From My Journey of Cricket Writing

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 11/15/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Home » T20 World Cup

Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images

Pakistan Vs Australia Semi Final #2 – T20 World Cup 2021 Match #44 Quick Review! Matthew Wade Channels His Inner Mike Hussey As Australia Triumph

Pakistan Vs Australia Semi Final #2  Quick Review – Marcus-Matthew match winners for Australia.

Almost identical to the first semi final – 170ish score, team batting first starts slow & accelerates at the death. Bowls well in the second innings and takes out the top order before some recovery work and a cinematic finish from the chasing team.

Brilliant semi-finals these two games. Rarely do we get to see one close game. Now, we have seen two in two days.

Match Details, Scorecard, & Video Highlights

Scorecard: Pakistan Vs Australia Video Highlights

Toss: Australia won the toss and chose to field first.

Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, UAE

Umpires: Chris Gaffaney & Richard Kettleborough

What Actually Happened – Pakistan Vs Australia

  • Winner: Australia won by 5 wickets
  • Scores: Pakistan 176/4 Australia 177/5
  • Player of the Match: Matthew Wade 41* (17)
  • Best Figures
    • Mitchell Starc (4-0-38-2), Adam Zampa (4-0-22-1)
    • Shadab Khan (4-0-26-4)
  • Most Runs
    • Mohammad Rizwan 67 (52), Fakhar Zaman 55 (32)
    • David Warner 49 (30), Matthew Wade 41* (17), Marcus Stoinis 40* (31)

Moments of The Day: Rizwan, Fakhar, Shadab Shine; Warner, Stoinis, & Wade Shine Better

Pakistan’s Inning

  • Mohammad Rizwan had been hospitalized for two days. He had been in the ICU for 2 days, recovering from a “severe chest infection” but had a speedy recovery. At the beginning, Babar Azam was at his silky best, but poor Rizwan could not connect. He was struggling initially, but later Babar slowed down. After Babar got out, Rizwan 2.0 took action, ending at 67.
  • Fakhar Zaman was one of the two players in the XI who had not yet made a significant contribution thus far in Pakistan’s campaign. Today he was magnificent, especially against Mitchell Starc. To dig up yorkers with full swing bat at that speed is insane skill. He built on Rizwan’s knock and got Pakistan to a par score of 176.

Australia’s Inning

  • The first over by Shaheen Shah Afridi was the best over of the tournament. First ball, beats Warner. Then, a nervy single. 3rd ball – perfect good length delivery to LBW Aaron Finch for a golden duck. The 4th ball was my favorite – swinging toe crushing yorker with the appeal of the ages. Unfortunately it was not given out by the umpire, and it was umpire’s call on review. Mitchell Marsh got a close one a ball later. Beat his bat and close to the stumps. Pakistan ahead, crowd on fire.
  • Then came David Warner’s time, a man under pressure by his IPL team who has devoted half a decade to. Having already scored a couple of fifties, he was on song today. Despite Shaheen’s wicket up front, he made sure the pressure does not build up. A brilliant 49 with a couple of interesting moments (look at the videos below).

The Finish

  • Then came the finishers, Stoinis and Wade. Both have excelled in the BBL as openers, but Australia do not have space up top. Although Stoinis sharpened his finishing skills at the IPL, Wade was not a recognized finisher. They had come together earlier against South Africa to win a close game together, but this chase was a different beast altogether.
  • 96/5 after 12.2 overs with in-form Maxwell gone. Pakistan has one foot in the finals. Wade was nudging the singles as Stoinis took control. 13 runs in the 17th over off Haris Rauf. Stoinis 38* (27), Wade 8* (9).
  • Then Hasan Ali’s over came and Wade fired 15 including a six. Got his timing back. Now 22 off two with Shaheen in, Pakistan still marginally ahead. Third ball, Wade hits it and is dropped by Hasan Ali. Next 3 balls,
    • Scooped for 6!
    • Huge six over – Magnificent (especially with Ian Bishop’s voice in the background)
    • Another scoop! Australia win.

Why not have a look below yourself!

For comparison, here is the Michael Hussey sixes a decade earlier in a similar scenario. Pakistan Vs Australis semi-final in the 2010 T20 World Cup Semi-Final. 50 needed in the last 4 and 17 in the final over. Hussey seals it in style.

Funny Moments of the Day – Feat David Warner

Here are two of the most peculiar moments you will see in cricket – (1) A double bounced ball (that was called a no ball) and Warner hits it for six, and (2) Warner walks…with no ultraedge.

Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Hasan Ali Feels The Heat

Hasan Ali’s dropped got some harsh words from captain Babar Azam after the game and even worse, by the social media community. Some of his family members, especially his wife, received abuse and threats due to their nationality and religious beliefs.

Cruel world we live in. Broken dream…everyone goes through tough phases. Hasan Ali is a legend. He will remain one.

In any case, Congratulations to the Pakistan cricket team and Pakistan fans for the wonderful memories! This has been an amazing tournament for Pakistan, especially after the cancellations that came earlier (from England and NZ).

Matchwinners throughout, great fielders, and youth galore. Positive future for this team. Keep the hopes up.

Also Read: 200th Article Special: 5 Things I have Learned From My Journey of Cricket Writing

T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals

After this Pakistan Vs Australia semi-final, here are the updated stats.

  • Babar Azam – 303 runs (Pakistan, 6 Matches), David Warner – 236 runs (Australia, 6 matches)
  • Wanindu Hasaranga – 16 wickets (Sri Lanka, 8 Matches), Adam Zampa – 12 wickets (Australia, 6 matches)
  • Calum MacLeod 8 catches (Scotland, 7 Matches), Steve Smith – 7 catches (Australia, 6 matches)
  • Matthew Wade – 8 dismissals (Australia, 6 Matches)

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 11/12/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Home » T20 World Cup

Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images