Amidst the India Vs England series, the Pakistan Super League, and IPL Auctions around the corner, this series was not really supposed to be the marquee series. In hindsight, this series will be remembered forever due to the extraordinary feats of Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner.
As Ian Bishop exclaimed, “These men have achieved what many thought was impossible.”
There were other moments as well during the series—Shakib Al Hasan’s much anticipated return, Rovman Powell’s ODI resurgence, Mehidy Hasan Miraz & Mominul’s tons, and finally, the new West Indian ‘engine room’—Jermaine Blackwood, Bonner, Mayers, Joshua Da Silva, and Alzarri Joseph.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
The West Indies batting underwhelmed in the ODIs with scorecards that read 5-56 (122 all out), 8-88 (148 all out), 6-117 (177 all out). Questions will be asked for the second string squad & the necessity of mental health breaks during COVID, but the Test series saved those questions for now.
In all the collapses, one batsman stood out—Rovman Powell. 28, 41, & 47 briefly resurrected the West Indies’ innings, but he would want to convert those in the near future.
With not many runs on the board, only Akeal Hosein stood out with a 3-wicket haul.
Tests
Rakheem Cornwall joins the party. Ever since his international selection, questions have always surrounded him – whether it is his fitness or batting ability. 14 wickets in the series and great slip catches will ensure he stays in the squad for a while now.
Time to talk about the debutants—Kyle Mayers & Nkrumah Bonner. The talk of the town. Debuting at the age of 28, his maturity was on-spot with a 40 and a 4th innings 210*. Mind blowing. Successful chase of 396 with a partnership of 216. Although Bonner did not scale the heights of a century, he contributed in both matches with 17 & 86 and 90 & 38.
With the glory surrounding Mayers & Bonner, Joshua Da Silva has quietly emerged as a solid middle order option for the West Indies. Scores of 42, 20, 92, & 20 did not light the world on fire, but the partnerships surely did (99, 100, 88, 118).
Alzarri Joseph is turning out to be a gem for the West Indies. After his 86 against New Zealand recently, he came up with a 82 in Bangladesh. Future fast-bowling all rounder?
Bangladesh
ODIs
Tamim Iqbal’s batting has been effective without being flashy, unlike the pre-2015 Iqbal. A senior top-order batsman & now captain, he was responsible with scores of 44, 50, & 64. With 7360 runs in ODI, he is definitely Bangladesh’s all-time best ODI batsman. And he is only 31.
Shakib Al Hasan’s return to cricket after his 1 year ban was seamless. 4/8 in the first ODI, player of the match, and player of the series. Unfortunately, the injury cut his Test series short. Next place? IPL with KKR. What a steal (Although he is skipping the Sri Lanka Test series).
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is the next all-rounder in line after Shakib Al Hasan. Already a star, he regularly contributes with the bat and ball. In the ODI series, he was the highest wicket taker.
Speaking of Mehidy Hasan, Test match batting. 103, 57, & 31 – losing cause but kept his shoulders high.
Liton Das, another budding youngster, has largely underwhelmed in his short career so far. Averages of 28.62, 30.97, & 22.71 in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, does not justify his talent. Pretty 20s and 30s are not going to get you too far in international cricket, but scores of 69, 38, 71, & 22 show growing signs of maturity for Liton Das.
Captain Mominul Haque quelled the voices around him with a second innings 115 in the first Test. 3048 runs at 41.18 with 10 centuries and best of 181 is a decent record, but he needs to play more of these “captain’s innings.”
We like to spice things up with our own awards for the series. Here they are:
Bangladesh
West Indies
Emerging Player
Mehidy Hasan Miraj, the Test batsman
Joshua Da Silva & Ian Bishop’s commentary
Surprise Package
Liton Das
Rakheem Cornwall
Broken Cricket Dream
Shakib Al Hasan (injured)
Jason Holder’s captaincy (Braithwaite permanent?)
West Indies Vs Bangladesh 2021: Awards
Who would have been your Emerging Player for the West Indies Vs Bangladesh 2021 series? Surprise Player? Broken Cricket Dream? Let us know below WITH COMMENTS! Also please subscribe!
Bangladesh will fly to New Zealand for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs. Then they will tour Sri Lanka in April to complete the twice postponed WTC series.
West Indies
West Indies will tour Sri Lanka for a T20I series. Returns for Chris Gayle (who cut his PSL campaign short for international return) and Fidel Edwards (Kolpak deals end with Brexit). Definitely looking like a side who is willing to go for their 3rd World T20 World Cup title.
Gayle even said he will try to play cricket till 45. Wow. GOAT.
Pakistan Vs South Africa 2021 Series Review—a historical series. South Africa’s first visit to the nation after more than a decade.
The return of Aiden Markram and Hasan Ali, the absence of Mohammad Hafeez, lots of Mohammad Rizwan, and curtains to Faf Du Plessis’ Test career. We look at the highs & lows, broken dreams, emerging players, and World T20I Watch.
Mohammad Rizwan – 197 runs (1 – 100, 1 – 50, best of 104*, average 98.5, 145.92 SR)
David Miller – 116 runs (1 – 50, best of 85*, average 116, 156.75 SR)
Most Wickets
Usman Qadir – 4 wickets (best of 2/21, 6.90 economy)
Tabraiz Shamsi – 6 wickets (best of 4/25, 5.08 economy)
T20I Series Stats
The Highlights
Pakistan
Test
The energizer is back with Pakistan. Hasan Ali’s domestic resurgence has translated directly into international performances. 5/54 & 5/60 match winning 10-fer. Skiddy action, the passion, and the celebration.
In the last 5 first class matches, Fawad Alam has scores of 139 (vs NZ A), 102, 109, 45. Consistency and the 109 at home. Destined.
It is the season of Faheem Ashraf-Mohammad Rizwan partnership. After a streak of match-saving consecutive overseas 50s for Rizwan, he finally converted to a ton with 115* in Rawalpandi. Similarly, following his 91 in New Zealand, Ashraf followed up with 64 and 78* in Pakistan.
T20I
Rizwan strikes again. Followed up his Test century with a 104*, 51, and 42 in the T20Is. Brilliant. Just brilliant. And if you thought that was consistent enough, now has scores of 71 and 41 for Karachi Kings in the PSL.
Let us talk about the ones missing in action (at least offline), shall we? Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfaraz Ahmed. The best Pakistan T20I batsman over the past year, Mohammad Hafeez opted out of the international series due to T10 league & clashes with the quarantine dates for the South Africa series. Yet, he was active on Twitter and had a few exchanges with former captain and current substitute, Sarfaraz. Hopefully, it is just a one-time thing and Pakistan cricket can move on.
It seems that Aiden Markram debuted ages ago. After his brilliant start to Test cricket in 2017, it seemed that Markram was in an eternal downward spiral. Still only 26, this overseas tour of Pakistan may well be a watershed rejuvenation moment for Markram. Long career ahead.
When one door opens, another closes. While Markram excelled, Quinton de Kock had a horrific series with the bat. 4 innings – 46 runs. Now, he is also released as the Test captain and has taken a mental health break from South Africa’s domestic tournament.
Speaking of closed doors, Faf Du Plessis. The sun has finally set on a career marked with tenacity, grit, leadership, and hope. A Test career that started a bit late due to the great South African generation, a debut stonewalling to remember at Adelaide, a few blockathons here and there, a lot of Australia and India, captaincy records, and an iconic 199 to cap it off. Hats off Faf. Be sure to read our tribute to Faf below.
KILLER MILLER IS BACK!!!! Look at some of the hits here. 85* (45) with 7 sixes albeit in a losing cause. Almost half a decade since this type of innings. Good signs for the Proteas looking forward to the T20I World Cup.
Moving to the bowling side, Dwaine Pretorius slowly inking his name in the T20I XI. A 5 wicket haul including a brilliant yorker. Scalps of Babar Azam and in-form Mohammad Rizwan. Not bad.
Tabraiz Shamsi has been the unsung mainstay of South African bowling recently. The fast bowling unit bar Rabada (and now, Nortje) seems to be a revolving door, but the absence of Imran Tahir has not been felt due to Shamsi. Highest wicket taker in the T20I series with a miserly economy.
The Awards
We like to spice things up with our own awards for the series. Here they are:
Pakistan
South Africa
Emerging Player
Hasan Ali 2.0, Fawad Alam 3.0, and Rizwan-Ashraf partnership
Left Arm Spinners
Surprise Package
Usman Qadir
Return of Aiden Markram
Broken Cricket Dream
Mohammad Hafeez-Sarfaraz Ahmed Twitter Exchanges
Test retirement of Faf Du Plessis
Pakistan Vs South Africa 2021 Review: The Awards
Who would have been your Emerging Player? Surprise Player? Broken Cricket Dream? Let us know below WITH COMMENTS! Also please share and subscribe below!\
These two teams will be back in action in April with Pakistan returning the favor with 3 ODIs and 4 T20Is, completing a postponed series from last year.
South Africa are still in a transition zone. The longer they stay here, the worse it gets. It is good to see the younger generation of players stand up, but hope it all meshes by the time the World T20 Cup hits later this year.
Pakistan are one to watch for the T20 World Cup. The PSL is being held at the right time, enough time for young stars to appear and get some international games under their belt.
World T20 Watch
Leading up to the World Cup, we are picking a 15 player squad after each series.
Pakistan
For reference, here was our earlier WT20 watch for Pakistan’s squad in our Pak Vs NZ series review. Some new faces have come into play, while some players have dropped off the list.
Babar Azam (C), 2. Mohammad Rizwan (WK), 3. Haider Ali, 4. Mohammad Hafeez, 5. Shadab Khan, 6.. Imad Wasim, 7. Faheem Ashraf, 8. Hasan Ali, 9. Haris Rauf, 10. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11. Usman Qadir
Squad: 12. Naseem Shah, 13. Mohammad Nawaz/Zafar Gohar/Zahid Mahmood, 14. Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK)/Sharjeel Khan, 15. Iftikhar Ahmed/Shoaib Malik
Other Reserves in Contention: Imam-Ul-Haq/Fakhar Zaman (opener), Mohammad Hasnain/Mohammad Musa/Aamer Yamin (fast bowler), Khusdil Shah/Hussain Talat/Asif Ali (lower order finisher)
Wildcard: Sohail Tanvir
Probably curtains for Wahab Riaz & possible Mohammad Amir comeback.
South Africa
Quinton de Kock* (WK), 2. Janneman Malan, 3. Faf du Plessis, 4. Rassie Van der Dussen, 5. Heinrich Klassen (C), 6. David Miller, 7. George Linde, 8. Chris Morris, 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Anrich Nortje, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi
Other Reserves In Contention: Lutho Sipamla/Bjorn Fortuin/Junior Dala, Pete van Biljon, Temba Bavuma/ Reeza Hendricks/Aiden Markram
Wildcard: AB De Villiers (WK), Marco Jansen?
What did you think of our Pakistan Vs South Africa 2021 Review? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below! Also feel free to share/discuss on our Twitter & Facebook pages!
Indian Premier League Auction 2021 – It is time for yet another iteration of the IPL.
The IPL held just last September provided joy to many amidst the pandemic, provided several life lessons, and had its share of Super Overs. Now, in the final season before the overhaul and big auction (may expand to 9 or 10 teams in 2022), a short auction was held last week.
The auction had its moments—Chris Morris, the most expensive player EVER, RCB splurging on lower order allrounders, and Sunrisers just present for the participation points (only bought 3 players).
Here is our review of Indian Premier League Auction 2021: The winners, the losers, early predictions, and expected starting XIs.
Here is a quick review of all the international players sold by country.
Afghanistan (Afg): Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Australia (Aus): Steven Smith, Ben Cutting, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christan, Riley Meredith, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jhye Richardson, Moises Henriques
Bangladesh (Ban): Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman
England (Eng): Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone
New Zealand (NZ): Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham
South Africa (SA): Chris Morris, Marco Jansen
West Indies (WI): Fabian Allen
Australia were the big gainers with 8 picks (even though the likes of Aaron Finch and Marcus Labuschagne did not find a team), while Sri Lanka had 0 picks. It seems that the era of West Indies T20 freelance monopoly is coming to an end. England is snatching this tag given their marvelous limited overs depth.
Indian Premier League Auction 2021: Auction Highlights, Starting XI, and Early Predictions
*Note: The prices are in Indian Rupees as in the auction (Conversion: $1 U.S. dollar = 73 Rupees)
*Teams highlighted in their respective jersey colors
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Auction Highlights
Indian Internationals: Cheteshwar Pujara (50 lac)
Indian Uncapped: Krishnappa Gowtham (9.25 crore), Harishankar Reddy (20 lac), Bhagath Verma (20 lac), C Hari Nishanth (20 lac)
Foreign Recruits: Moeen Ali – Eng (7 crore)
Verdict: Pujara finally gets an IPL deal while Gowtham & Moeen Ali can add the much needed zeal in the CSK lineup. Balanced bowling line up, local Chennai lads in the squad who lifted the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy, and experience in the batting. Final round for Dhoni, Bravo, Uthappa, and Tahir?
Early Prediction: Barely miss the top 4 due to net run rate (The irony)
Squad:Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, R Sai Kishore, Cheteshwar Pujara, Narayan Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, KM Asif, C Hari Nishanth, Harisankar Reddy, K Bhagath Varma
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Auction Highlights
Indian Internationals: Umesh Yadav (1 crore)
Indian Uncapped: Ripal Patel (20 lac), Vishnu Vinod (20 lac), Lukman Meriwala (20 lac), M Siddharth (20 lac)
Foreign Recruits: Steven Smith – Aus (2.2 crore), Tom Curran (5.25 crore), Sam Billings (2 crore) – Eng
Verdict: Good buys for the reserves with Umesh, Steve Smith, Tom Curran, and Billings (Smith most likely to warm the bench). Settled XI, great balance, but can they capture the big moments and maintain momentum?
Early Prediction: The 2020 finalists go one step further? Champions?
Squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith, Sam Billings (WK), Tom Curran, Chris Woakes, Avesh Khan, Lukman Meriwala, Lalit Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Praveen Dubey, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod (WK)
Indian Uncapped: Sheldon Jackson (20 lac), Vaibhav Arora (20 lac), Venkatesh Iyer (20 lac)
Foreign Recruits: Shakib Al Hasan – Ban (3.2 crore), Ben Cutting – Aus (75 lac)
Verdict: Shakib & Ben Cutting big steals for KKR, but not too sure about Harbhajan Singh & Pawan Negi? Envious finishing prowess, inexperienced Indian fast bowlers the concern, but the real question is—will Brendon McCullum’s notes produce the correct line-up?
Indian Uncapped: Yudhvir Singh (20 lac), Arjun Tendulkar (20 lac)
Foreign Recruits: Adam Milne (3.2 crore), Jimmy Neesham (50 lac) – NZ, Nathan Coulter-Nile (5 crore), Marco Jansen (20 lac) – SA
Verdict: Backups in the form of Chawla, Milne, Neesham & Zaheer Khan the mastermind behind the 20 year old left arm pacer, Marco Jansen. IPL 2021 is just an exercise to see how many different ways Mumbai Indians can come with to win the trophy.
Early Prediction: Just to change things a bit, they fail to qualify for the Top 4. Champions in the reverse direction (Who am I kidding?)
Foreign Recruits: Jhye Richardson – Aus (14 crore), Riley Meredith – Aus (8 crore), Dawid Malan – Eng (1.5 crore), Moises Henriques – Aus (4.2 crore), Fabian Allen – WI (75 lac)
Verdict: Dawid Malan, current word’s best T20 batsman, & Fabian Allen were quite the deal. Looking forward to Shahrukh Khan, the finisher, and hopefully Jalaj Saxena, the first class veteran. Definite contenders this time around. The change of name to PBKS to bring the luck?
Early Prediction: Top 4 Finish
Expected Starting XI
KL Rahul (C/WK), 2. Mayank Agarwal, 3. Dawid Malan/Chris Gayle, 4. Nicholas Pooran, 5. Deepak Hooda, 6. Shahrukh Khan, 7. Fabian Allen/ Moises Henriques, 8. Arshdeep Singh, 9. Chris Jordan/ Jhye Richardson, 10. Mohammad Shami, 11. Ravi Bishnoi
Foreign Recruits: Chris Morris – SA (16.25 crore), Mustafizur Rahman – Ban (1 crore), Liam Livingstone (75 lac)
Verdict: All weak points from IPL 2020 fixed. With Shivam Dube and Chris Morris, the double Rs may not have to rely on Tewatia magic alone. The foreign 4 pick themselves, but Miller, Livingstone, the Fizz, and Andrew Tye are T20 specialists themselves.
Early Prediction: Top 4 Finish…in the first half. Then momentum is lost, and they end up in the bottom two. The usual.
Foreign Recruits: Kyle Jamieson – NZ (15 crore), Glenn Maxwell – Aus (14.25 crore), Daniel Christian – Aus (4.8 crore)
Verdict: They won the Indian Premier League 2021 Auction battle—Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, & Dan Christian. Finishing problems fixed. With basically the entire Indian bowling lineup returning from Australia’s success, promising uncapped openers, & the golden touch of Christian, RCB may finally cross the line.
Early Prediction: Finalists.
Expected Starting XI
1. Mohammed Azharudeen, 2. Devdutt Padikkal, 3. Virat Kohli (C), 4. AB de Villiers(WK), 5. Glenn Maxwell, 6. Daniel Christian, 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Kyle Jamieson/Daniel Sams, 9. Mohammed Siraj, 10. Navdeep Saini, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal
Foreign Recruits: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (1.5 crore) – Afg
Verdict: Kedhar Jadhav is a good backup choice for Vijay Shankar in case of injuries & Nabi-Rashid-Mujeeb together in Hyderabad, wow! They have the options, but can they figure their best XI in time?
Early Prediction: SRH lose several matches at the start, out of contention early, but will break the dreams of the teams in the middle at the backend of the tournament. Bottom 4 Finish.
Expected Starting XI
David Warner (C), 2. Wriddhiman Saha (WK), 3. Manish Pandey, 4. Kane Williamson, 5. Vijay Shankar/Kedar Jadhav, 6. Priyam Garg/Abdul Samad, 7. Rashid Khan, 8. Jason Holder/Mohammad Nabi/ Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. T Natarajan, 11. Sandeep Sharma
Since this is the final IPL before the big auction in 2022, this small auction was expected to have several players unsold.
Broken Dreams of IPL 2021 Auctions:
Hanuma Vihari—hero of Sydney. Unpicked in the first couple of rounds, his name was called again for the final auction round. Still unsold. Insult to injury. Literally. (The only prominent currently in the Indian setup to not have a deal since Pujara was picked).
Aaron Finch—one of the best T20I players of all-time just could not manage a consistent IPL season.
Shaun Marsh, an end of an era. Along with Shane Watson, was the bright overseas star. KXIP stalwart in the early years, Orange Cap of IPL 2008, but could not buy any buyers.
Alex Hales. Enough said.
IPL Auction 2021: Entire Unsold List
Foreign: Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Evin Lewis, Aaron Finch, Glenn Phillips, Alex Carey, Kusal Perera, Sheldon Cottrell, Adil Rashid, Ish Sodhi, Qais Ahmad, Sandeep Lamichhane, Rovman Powell, Shaun Marsh, Corey Anderson, Devon Conway, Darren Bravo, Rassie van der Dussen, Martin Guptill, Marnus Labuschagne, Oshane Thomas, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jason Behrendorff, Naveen Ul Haq, Ben Dwarshuis, Thisara Perera, Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade, Sean Abbott, Josh Inglish, Scott Kuggeleijn, Wayne Parnell, Reece Topley, Chris Green, Isuru Udana, George Linda, Jack Wildermuth, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David
Your Opinion Matters: Was Maxwell Overpriced & Hales Unlucky?
Let us know what you thought about the auction by commenting here below:
Was Glenn Maxwell overpriced? Is 2021 the year or are we still carrying IPL 2014 nostalgia?
The likes of Adil Rashid and Alex Hales do not find a team. First team England ditch Hales & now after top scoring in the BBL, no buyers. Contender for the unluckiest player of All-Time?
Steal of the Auction: Shakib Al Hasan, Dawid Malan, Fabian Allen, or Ben Cutting?
KKR’s buy of Harbhajan Singh? Why?
Here were my biggest winners and losers from Indian Premier League 2021 Auction. What did you think? What are YOUR predictions? Comment Below!
Yes everybody, just 4 months after Karachi Kings lifted the PSL trophy (due to COVID interruption), we are back at it. Pakistan Super League 2021 is already making some noise—with “Groove Mera” anthem, entire tournament held in Pakistan, and the allowance of 20% crowd capacity.
With a Pakistan limited overs side on the rise and the upcoming T20I World Cup later this year, PSL 6 has additional context, both for Pakistani players and international recruits wanting to prove a point.
Babar Azam Vs Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan Vs Faheem Ashram, Hasan Ali Vs Haider Ali
These are just some of the in-form star players that will be on show. Talent galore and good cricketing all around.
Here is a quick summary of everything you need to know about the PSL 6: Teams, Dates, Fixtures, Coaching Staff, Commentators, predictions, and more!
Quick Summary
Matches: 34 (6 teams, 10 matches each, double round robin, top 4 qualify for playoffs)
Venues: Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore), National Stadium (Karachi)
Commentators/Presenters: Pommie Mbangwa (Zimbabwe), Alan Wilkins (Wales), Simon Doull, Danny Morrison (New Zealand), David Gower, Dominic Cork (England), Rameez Raza, Zainab Abbas, Urooz Mumtaz, Sana Mir, Bazid Khan, Sikander Bakht, Tariq Saqeed (Pakistan)
Multan Sultans: 2020 (3rd), 2018, 2019 (5th) (*Franchise did not exist before 2018 season).
PSL 6: Teams & Expected Playing XI
With Australia’s T20I tour of New Zealand, Sri Lanka’s tour of West Indies, Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand, and the limited overs leg of India vs England, there are several players who withdrew or will be only staying for a short time.
*Teams highlighted in their respective jersey colors
Islamabad United
Pakistan Internationals: Shadab Khan (C), Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Ifthikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Musa, Zafar Gohar
Pakistan Domestic: Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Mohammad Wasim, Rohail Nazir, Zeeshan Zameer
Foreign Recruits: Ali Khan (USA), Fawad Ahmed (Australia), Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory, Phil Salt (England), Paul Stirling (Ireland)
*Withdrawn: Reece Topley (England), Chris Jordan (England), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Akif Javed
I am looking forward to the impact of the openers, in-form Faheem Ashraf, and the Alis. Hasan Ali + Ali Khan = ENERGY & wickets (Asif Ali, the hitter as well).
Islamabad United Expected XI:
Alex Hales, 2. Paul Stirling, 3. Rohail Nazir (WK), 4. Asif Ali, 5. Hussain Talat, 6. Ifthikhar Ahmed, 7. Shadab Khan, 8. Faheem Ashraf, 9. Hasan Ali, 10. Ali Khan, 11. Fawad Ahmed
Karachi Kings
Pakistan Internationals: Imad Wasim (C), Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, Aamer Yamin, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood (1 T20I)
Pakistan Domestic: Abbas Afridi, Arshad Iqbal, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Ilyas, Qasim Akram, Zeeshan Malik
Foreign Recruits: Daniel Christian (Australia), Joe Clarke (England), Colin Ingram (South Africa), Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan), Chadwick Walton – WK (West Indies)
I am looking forward to the middle order of Nabi-Christian-Wasim. Babar Azam and Colin Ingram are pretty strong, but if they fail for once, it will all depend on the senior middle order.
Karachi Kings Expected XI:
Babar Azam, 2. Colin Ingram, 3. Sharjeel Khan, 4. Chadwick Walton (WK), 5. Mohammad Nabi, 6. Daniel Christian, 7. Imad Wasim (C), 8. Aamer Yamin, 9. Mohammad Amir, 10. Waqas Maqsood, 11. Arshad Iqbal
Lahore Qalandars
Pakistan Internationals: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf
Pakistan Domestic: Sohail Akhtar (C), Agha Salman, Ahmed Danyal, Dilbar Hussain, Maaz Khan, Muhammad Faizan, Muhammad Zaid, Zeeshan Ashraf
Foreign Recruits: Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), David Wiese (South Africa), Joe Denly, Samit Patel, Tom Abell (England), Ben Dunk -WK (Australia)
I am looking forward to the international contingent—Ben Dunk, Samit Patel, David Wiese, and Rashid Khan. David Wiese was instrumental to Qalandars’ runners up campaign last time around, and the same is expected this season.
Lahore Qalandars Expected XI:
Fakhar Zaman, 2. Sohail Akhtar (C), 3. Mohammad Hafeez, 4. Ben Dunk, 5. Samit Patel, 6. David Wiese, 7. Rashid Khan, 8. Haris Rauf, 9. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10. Dilbar Hussain, 11. Muhammad Faizan
Pakistan Domestic: Mohammad Umar, Shahnawaz Dhani, Sohaibullah
Foreign Recruits: Imran Tahir, Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Chris Lynn (Australia), Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Adam Lyth, James Vince (England)
Coaching Staff: Andy Flower (Head Coach), Azhar Mahmood (Fast Bowling Coach), Mushtaq Ahmed (Spin Bowling Coach), Richard Halsall (Fielding Coach), Nathan Leamon (Director of Strategy)
I am looking forward to the top order of Lynn-Rizwan-Vince and the leg spinners. With Usman Qadir, Shahid Afridi, and Imran Tahir, anything is possible.
Multan Sultans Expected XI:
Chris Lynn, 2. Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), 3. James Vince, 4. Rilee Rossouw, 5. Sohaib Maqsood, 6. Shahid Afridi, 7. Carlos Brathwaite, 8. Sohail Tanvir, 9. Sohail Khan, 10. Usman Qadir, 11. Imran Khan
Pakistan Domestic: Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Imran (right arm all rounder), Mohammad Imran (left arm medium-fast), Umaid Asif
Foreign Recruits: David Miller (South Africa), Ravi Bopara, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (England), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies)
I am looking forward to the finishing power. If the top order can set the platform, Shoaib Malik, David Miller, and Ravi Bopara can be a handful.
Peshawar Zalmi Expected XI:
Imam-ul-Haq, 2. Haider Ali, 3. Kamran Akmal (WK), 4. Shoaib Malik, 5. David Miller, 6. Ravi Bopara, 7. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 8. Saqib Mahmood, 9. Wahab Riaz, 20. Mohammad Irfan, 11. Umaid Asif
Quetta Gladiators
Pakistan Internationals: Sarfaraz Ahmed (C/WK), Anwar Ali, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood (1 T20I)
Pakistan Domestic: Azam Khan, Arish Ali Khan, Abdul Nasir, Hassan Khan, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan
Foreign Recruits: Chris Gayle (West Indies), Faf du Plessis, Dale Steyn, Cameron Delport (South Africa), Tom Banton (WK) (England), Ben Cutting (Australia), Qais Ahmed (Afghanistan)
Coaching Staff: Moin Khan (Head Coach), Viv Richards (Batting Coach), Umar Gul (Bowling Coach), Julian Fountain (Fielding Coach)
I am looking forward to see how the Umar Gul mentored team with international stars like Dale Steyn and Ben Cutting is going to impact the likes of Naseem Shah & Mohammad Hasnain.
Quetta Gladiators Expected XI:
Chris Gayle, 2. Faf du Plessis, 3. Tom Banton/Cameron Delport, 4. Azam Khan, 5. Sarfaraz Ahmed (C/WK), 6. Ben Cutting/Dale Steyn, 7. Anwar Ali, 8. Naseem Shah, 9. Mohammad Hasnain, 10. Mohammad Nawaz, 11. Usman Shinwari
Key Match Ups To Watch Out For
40 is the new 30 feat Shahid Afridi & Chris Gayle: These two have been playing cricket for over two decades. Whenever you think they are done, they will come back with a man-of-the-match performance. Also add the newly retired from Test cricket, Faf du Plessis to the list of prominent veterans.
Prove a point with a bang feat Alex Hales & Paul Stirling:Alex Hales, once again ignored from the England national set up (despite most runs in the Big Bash) and Paul Stirling, ignored from the IPL auctions (despite being the best ODI batsman over the last year), find themselves together as opening pair for the Islamabad United. No better time to prove your critics wrong.
Mohammad Amir Vs The Rest of The World: Amir controversially announced in a statement that he is still available to play for Pakistan, although it is unlikely to happen under the current management. Will he walk the talk?
Pakistan Super League 2021 Predictions
Finally here are my predictions.
My prediction for the team to lift the PSL 6 trophy is….Islamabad United with the Top 4 of Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans, and Peshawar Zalmi.
Green Cap (Most Runs): Mohammad Rizwan
Maroon Cap (Most Wickets): Hasan Ali
Emerging Player: Rohail Nazir
Surprise Package: Paul Stirling
Broken Cricket Dream: Shahid Afridi finally retires? Like really.
Here were my Pakistan Super League 2021 Predictions. What did you think? What are YOUR predictions? Comment Below!
The league stage begins on 20th February and ends on the 16th of March. The Playoffs schedule is:
Qualifier (Lahore) – 18 March (1 vs 2)
Eliminator 1 (Lahore) – 19 March (3 vs 4)
Eliminator 2 (Lahore) – 20 March (Eliminator 1 winner Vs Qualifier loser)
Final (Lahore) – 22 March (Eliminator 2 winner Vs Qualifier winner)
Here is the rest of the schedule:
Islamabad United
Karachi Kings
Lahore Qalandars
Multan Sultan
Peshawar Zalmi
Quetta Gladiators
Islamabad United
✖
Karachi Kings
24 Feb 7 Mar
✖
Lahore Qalandars
4 Mar 12 Mar
28 Feb 14 Mar
✖
Multan Sultan
21 Feb 13 Mar
27 Feb 5 Mar
26 Feb 16 Mar
✖
Peshawar Zalmi
27 Feb 15 Mar
3 Mar 10 Mar
21 Feb 6 Mar
23 Feb 12 Mar
✖
Quetta Gladiators
1 Mar 6 Mar
20 Feb 13 Mar
22 Feb 11 Mar
3 Mar 7 Mar
26 Feb 14 Mar
✖
Pakistan Super League 2021 Fixtures
Image Courtesy:
Image Courtesy: Sarfaraz Ahmed – License, as on date of upload: ‘Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)’ , CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Ireland Vs Afghanistan 2021 Series Review in the UAE.
Ireland’s ODIs against the UAE were enthralling, except 2 ODIs were postponed due to COVID. Then, Afghanistan swept the crucial 3 match ODI series against Ireland. However, the series was closer than the 3-0 score line suggests. The series had various moments: Paul Stirling’s 3 centuries across the 2 series, Curtis Campher’s golden run, Gurbaz’s dream debut, Rashid Khan’s magical deliveries, reliable Rahmat Shah, and Asghar Afghan finishing things off in style.
Keep on reading for our analysis, emerging players, surprise packages, broken cricket dreams, and much more.
Paul Stirling is having a stellar season. An aggressive batsman at the start of his career, he has truly transformed into Ireland’s top order main stay. Most ODI runs (576) since April 2020, 4 centuries, average of 82.28, 96 strike rate, and with age on his side (30), Ireland cricket is still in good hands. It’s a shame he did not make it to the final round of IPL 2021 auctions…
Curtis Campher, the South African expatriate, has been a revelation since his debut against England. Player of the Series in the UAE Series—this 21 year old is the next big thing of Irish cricket.
Kevin O’Brien, the hero of Bangalore and Ireland’s Test debut, is approaching the end of his career at the age of 36. With scores of 23, 2, 1, 0 & only 2 wickets, he really needs a second wind to justify his place against the incoming generation of Irish talent.
Afghanistan
Although star Rashid Khan won the man of the match in the final game of the series, Afghanistan’s series win was an all-round effort. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asghar Afghan, and Rahmat Shah contributed with the bat, while Naveen-Ul-Haq & Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman were effective with the ball.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz had a stellar debut – 127 runs with 9 blistering sixes. What Campher is to Ireland, Gurbaz is to Afghanistan. At the age of 19, he has a long career ahead of him.
Mohammad Nabi is currently going through the Kevin O’Brien crisis. Nabi, the stalwart of Afghanistan cricket, who has been a part of their rise since Division V cricket, needs to reinvent himself. 35 runs (2 innings) and 2 wickets (3 innings) may not be enough for the spinning all-round spot.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE probably got the worst of the COVID postponement. Since the UAE are in World Cricket League 2, they have to rank in the top 3 for the 2023 World Cup Qualification. They are currently at 5th and after winning the 1st ODI, at home they would have fancied their chances.
An impressive maiden centuryby Rizwan along with a wonderful partnership with Usman ensured UAE ‘upset’ Ireland in the first ODI.
We like to spice things up with our own awards for the series. Here they are:
Ireland
United Arab Emirates
Afghanistan
Emerging Player
Curtis Campher
Chundangapoyil Rizwan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Surprise Package
Simi Singh
Muhammad Usman
Naveen-Ul-Haq
Broken Cricket Dream
Kevin O’Brien
Postponement of ODIs
Mohammad Nabi
Who would have been your Emerging Player? Surprise Player? Broken Cricket Dream? Let us know below WITH COMMENTS! Also please share and subscribe below!
Unlike the World Test Championship, the ODI Super League is still a fairly sensible idea. Ireland has already played as many games as England and Australia so far, while Afghanistan rank 4th. With the top 8 automatically qualifying (including India), Ireland are currently at 7th and need to be careful from here on now. Points against UAE and Afghanistan was their best bet. Of course, the sample size is small so far with Sri Lanka, South Africa, Netherlands, and New Zealand yet to play a game in the Super League.
Ireland are scheduled to play South Africa, Netherlands, and Zimbabwe this year, while Afghanistan are bound to play Sri Lanka and Pakistan (according to pre-COVID FTP, so this is bound to change).
A lot more cricket still to come, and we hope that Ireland finally starts reaping its rewards from the 2007 generation, while Afghanistan breaks into the big leagues.
Where do Ireland cricket go from here? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
Due to England’s bio-bubble efforts, cricket came back in these COVID circumstances. Because of India, Test cricket came alive. England are a team on the rise and dream to repeat the magic of 2012, while India are favorites to seal the other WTC final spot.
All to play for with Channel 4 back into play in the UK. The world is watching. Here is what your should expect.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
When and Where?
Here are the dates and the venue for the India Vs EnglnTest Series.
Problems of Plenty For India. Choose the XI Wisely or Risk It All?
India’s depth has been as good as ever. Looks like India can field 2 separate Tests XI, an ODI XI, and a T20I XI without any overlap with ready youngsters in the waiting.
Pant should be the first-choice keeper given his recent exploits in Australia, with Saha, KL Rahul, & KS Bharat waiting in the wings.
Shahbaz Nadeem, a veteran of 443 wickets, with match figures of 4/40 of his only Test is the 22rd player in the squad (see below). Oh yeah, that is with Vihari & Jadeja missing due to injury.
Mayank Agarwal: 5 Tests, 3 100s, best of 243, Bradman-esque average of 99.5 in India, and he may struggle to get into the XI given Sharma-Gill’s impressive showing.
Despite bench strength, India are missing their 3-in-1 player Ravindra Jadeja. In home conditions, he is especially lethal with 157 wickets at 21.06 and a healthy batting average of 38.9. Can an assortment of Axar-Ashwin-Kuldeep-Sundar-Pandya fulfill Jadeja’s role?
Virat Kohli had an underwhelming year by his standards in 2019 & 2020. Post-fatherhood and India’s remarkable victory in Australia, we may witness a Kohli 2.0 emerging. I have a feeling he will begin the series with a couple of attritional knocks and convert into a daddy hundred/double by the end of it.
England
Can The Aspiring Visitors Repeat 2012 Magic With a Mix of Youth & Experience?
‘Rest’ to Bairstow (Buttler later), Sam Curran, & Mark Wood, & Zak Crawley (training injury) will test the English, but they need not worry. The return of Rory Burns (opener), Ollie Pope (middle order), Ben Stokes (all-rounder), Moeen Ali (spinner), & Jofra Archer (fast bowler) will boost all the major areas required for an ideal Test XI.
Joe Root is all set for his 100th Test match. In the sort of form Joe Root was in his glorious performance against Sri Lanka, he is looking to convert all his 50s into double centuries this year. He is already an all-time great.
England’s chances rest with the openers. If the inexperienced Burns-Sibley-Lawrence can fend off the new ball, there is enough quality in the Root-Buttler-Stokes to trouble Indian spinners.
It will be interesting to see how England rotates their bowlers. Only one of Anderson/Broad will play alongside Jofra Archer/Mark Wood (later). Whether they go with the extra spin of Moeen Ali or the all-round swing ability of Sam Curran/Woakes will be crucial.
Key Matchups To Watch Out For
Channel 4 Vs The English Public: Channel 4 is back to free-to-air television after a long suspense. Time to inspire the next generation.
Leach-Bess Vs Ashwin: The young English had decent figures in Sri Lanka without being outstanding. This is their time to match one of the best in the business and hero of Sydney, R Ashwin. 4 good tests, and legendary status beckons. 2 poor tests, and Amar Virdi is waiting.
Ishant Sharma 1.0 was the young, lanky fast bowler that bamboozled the great Ricky Ponting. Sharma 2.0 was dubbed ‘unlucky’ as he beat the bat without any reward. Ishant 3.0 came back with spells like 7/74 and the West Indies tour. Without much cricket in 2020, a spout of injuries, and stranded at 297 wickets, it is time for Ishant Sharma 4.0.
Prediction
Verdict: 1-1 Draw
England
India
Player of the Series/MVP
Joe Root
Virat Kohli
Most Runs
Rory Burns
Virat Kohli
Most Wickets
Ben Stokes
Ravichandran Ashwin
Emerging Player
Channel 4
Ishant Sharma 4.0
Surprise Package
Ben Foakes (after 2nd Test)
Axar Patel
India Vs England 2021 Predictions
This England team has potential, with visible flaws. This Indian team is coming off an epic high, but needs to make sure to not become complacent. Who knows, England might pull an India?
Earlier we argued that the recent India vs Australia series was the greatest cricket story of all time, and the 2005 Ashes was the greatest Test series of all time.
You know what would be great?
If this upcoming India vs England 2021 series is better than them both with the Test cricket capturing Channel 4 audience’s imagination and inspiring a generation. Hoping for a high-intensity 1-1 Draw.
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Rory Burns, 2. Dom Sibley, 3. Dan Lawrence/Ollie Pope, 4. Joe Root*, 5. Jos Buttler (WK), 6. Ben Stokes, 7. Mooen Ali, 8. Dom Bess 9. Jofra Archer 10. Jack Leach, 11. James Anderson
*captain
The Squads
These are the other options in the squads. Note, India has 2 squads – for the first 2 and last 2 Tests respectively
India: Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), KL Rahul (WK), Mayank Agarwal, Hardik Pandya
India (Standby): Rahul Chahar, Kona Srikar Bharat (WK), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem
England: Stuart Broad, Zak Crawley (injury in training), Ben Foakes (WK), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
England (Standby): James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi