Toss: Australia won the toss and chose to field first.
Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Umpires: Langston Rusere & Richard Illingworth
What Actually Happened
Winner: Australia won by 8 wickets
Scores: West Indies 157/7 Australia 161/2
Player of the Match:David Warner 89* (56)
Best Figures
Josh Hazlewood (4-0-39-4)
Akeal Hosein (4-0-29-1), Chris Gayle (1-0-7-1)
Most Runs
Kieron Pollard 44 (31)
David Warner 89* (56)
Moments of The Day: Erratic Batting, Warner Special, Retirements Mark Good Cricketing Day
Final match for the West Indies, and they started all guns blazing. Few fours for Evin Lewis, 2 sixes for Chris Gayle, West Indies 30/0 in 2 overs. Hazlewood’s first over went for 20.
Then came Pat Cummins and took the danger men Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran in over. Hazlewood would himself comeback and take 4 wickets. A few hits by Pollard & Russell ensured WI have a score to defend.
Questions on David Warner’s form will now be squashed. A fifty earlier in the tournament and now a commanding 89* (56) with 4 sixes steamrolled the West Indies. Beware of Mitchell Marsh at #3, . He has played some great nocks during this year and 53* (32) with 5 fours and 2 sixes means he is also coming back to form as Australia approach the semis..
Honorable Mention: Andre Russell’s 111 meter six; Dwayne Bravo hits a six in his final innings;
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Legends Retire
It is unclear if Chris Gayle has retired or not. He wants to play his final game in front of a Jamaica crowd, so there might be still some gas left in him.
Dwayne Bravo, however, has called it a day on his international career, which began way back in 2004. Test debut, 2004 Champions Trophy victory, 2 World T20s, and holds the record for most T20 championships around the world (Pollard second). He will continue to play in T2- leagues ’till his body holds.’
During the game, the atmosphere was beautiful. Chris Gayle signing gloves and giving them to the spectators. Cameras around Gayle and Bravo showed a positive mood. Hugs from teammates and oppositions, and Chris Gayle taking a last wicket of his final ball and hugging Mitchell Marsh (Watch the video below).
Bravo & Gayle In Pictures
Combined international numbers of Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle 👇
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
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
Toss: West Indies won the toss and chose to field first.
Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Umpires: Aleem Dar & Langton Rusere
What Actually Happened
Winner: Sri Lanka won by 20 runs
Scores: Sri Lanka 189/3West Indies 169/8
Player of the Match:Charith Asalanka 68 (41)
Best Figures
Andre Russell (4-0-33-2)
Wanindu Hasaranga (4-0-19-2)
Most Runs
Charith Asalanka 68 (44)
Shimron Hetmyer 81* (54)
Moments of The Day: Sri Lanka Batted Better, Fielded Better, Bowled Better
Everyone from Sri Lanka contributed today. Kusal Perera 29 (21) & Pathum Nissanka 51 (41) gave them yet another bright start, but it was Asalanka’a clinical timing and Shanaka’s finishing 25* (14) that gave SL an above-par sore.
In every one of these quick summaries, we have mentioned Hasaranga. Sometimes he has contributed with the bat, sometimes with the ball, and sometimes both. Oh and the fielding is pretty good as well. Here is how he fared in the tournament, definitely a player of the tournament contender:
2/24
71 & 1/12
3/9
6 & 0/29
4 & 2/22
4 & 3/20
34 & 3/21
2/19
In a must win crunch game, 8 out of the 10 West Indian batters, most of them legends, scored in the single digits. Only the young guns, Nicholas Pooran (age 26) scored 46 (34) and Shimron Hetmyer (age 24) made sure West Indies at least competed. Hetmyer did not give up till the very end, bringing the target down to 35 in 6 balls.
Honorable Mention: Rajapaksa’s diving catch to dismiss Roston Chase & Karunatne’s running catch to dismiss Holder were outstanding
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: The Sun Sets For the Legends
Darren Sammy had repeatedly set on air that these group of West Indian players were aware that this tournament would define their legacies, especially Chris Gayle & Dwayne Bravo. However, Gayle went out for 1 & Bravo for 2 (and only one wicket at an economy rate of 10.50). Bravo is officially retiring from international duty after this World Cup and one can only assume the same with Chris Gayle.
Pollard is still staying although his captaincy status depends on the board. With Pooran, Hetmyer, & Holder (only 29 years old), the leadership group for the next generation is there but rebuilding needs to start now.
In any case, thank you Legends. We love you for all you have given this sport. They have defined the T20 format and made it their own.
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
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
A simple word that carries immense burden. What defines greatness in sports? Statistical brilliance, nostalgia, longevity? In cricketing terms, 99.94, memories like Brett Lee vs Sachin Tendulkar, 100 Tests, or 15 years+ career?
Legacies are largely depended on the final days in the international arena. Retirement has always been a tricky issue in cricket.
Sourav Ganguly’s Ian Chappell saga tarnished his otherwise positive legacy. A poor 2007 Cricket World Cup ended dreams for Brian Lara & Inzamam ul-Haq. Simon Jones’ career ended before it could start due to injuries.
Some overstay and risk going out on a low. Others like German soccer captain Philipp Lahm retired internationally at the age of just 30 after winning the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
The Lost Generation
Today we dive deep into the careers of the lost generation of 2005—Alastair Cook, AB De Villiers, Michael Clarke, and Hashim Amla, all of them would retire prematurely.
With the triple retirement of Dale Steyn, Brendon Taylor, and Lasith Malinga, the legendary class of 2004-06 is coming to a close. Only Broad-Anderson & Ross Taylor remain from the greats of this era.
Sandwiched between the 90s golden generations of Sangakkara-Jayawardene-Muralitharan, Tendulkar-Laxman-Ganguly-Dravid, Kallis-Pollock-Boucher-Ntini, Inzamam-Yousuf, Ponting led Australia, & the Fab 4 (Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith), there was the class of 2004 & 2005.
Why did these cricketers retire so soon? How does the future look like? Read till the end for our in-deptj analysis & final thoughts.
11 Cricketers Who Retired Too Early
While legends of the past played 12-15 years, the cricketers in this list only had about 9-12 years of international cricket. The fact that they followed the golden generation lead to slightly later debuts and hence, even shorter careers.
One of the clear indications of the early retirement for the batters is the statistics. Most did not cross 10,000, their averages fell below 50, and the centuries hovered between 25-27 (although at one stage it seemed each of these players would break them all).
Anderson’s long career seems like he is on another level (which he is) but in all reality, at one stage, all of these players would have careers as long as Jimmy Anderson.
The players in this list were not dropped. They retired on their own terms or because of other circumstances. Hence, we exclude players like Ian Bell, Virender Sehwag, Umar Gul, Suresh Raina, and Gautam Gambhir who were available for selection but were unfortunately dropped from the team plans later in their career.
Retiring on a high is every cricketer’s dream. Captaining Australia to a victory at home in front of the MCG crowd must have been a surreal experience. A few months later, the Ashes would be his final appearance. One of the bests #4 batters of all-time with a godly conversion rate in Tests. The 2012-13 season would always be remembered as Clarke’s year, the only batter to score 4 double centuries in a year.
Harris’ career was a classic cases of fast bowling injuries. Whenever he was fit, he bowled his heart out and made an indelible impact. Could not make the XI in Australia’s golden generation and had to leave early due to chronic knee injury. Retired 3 days before the Ashes because he could not recover even after surgery. Will always be remembered for the ball of this century to dismiss Alastair Cook.
“I played 27 more Tests than I ever thought I would and I have relished every single moment of them.”
At one point in time, he was touted to overtake Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer and century maker having scored 5000 runs at 26. Will always be remembered for the 2010-11 Ashes series down under. However, loss of form and inconsistency creeped in. Tougher playing conditions, 159 Tests in a row, and the KP saga probably got to him. Century in his first and last Tests against India showed that he still had it in him. Still the best opener in England?
Due to his late debut, it was inevitable that Strauss would not have an extremely long career, but England fans learned how great Andrew Strauss was after his retirement, for both his captaincy & batting. Since the Cook-Strauss partnership ended, England could not find a stable partner for Cook (and Cook’s effectiveness also decreased). KP himself said in an interview that the text-messaging scandal on the eve of Strauss’s 100th Test was one of his biggest mistakes, which tarnished Strauss’ last match. Later became ECB’s Director of cricket and subsequently received knighthood for his service to English cricket.
See Strauss above. Jokes aside, KP’s career had always been hampered by controversies. Although he had to leave South Africa and debuted relatively late, he quickly established himself as one of the greatest in his generation. Key contributor to the 2005 Ashes, 2012 India series, and 2010 T20 World Cup victories, he was a key component of driving English cricket forward. Although he was England’s highest scorerin the Mitchell Johnson 2015 series, he was a casualty of the 5-0 defeat. Poor relationship with Strauss & coach Andy Flower did not help as the management decided that KP’s career is over.
KP might have been controversial off the field, but there is no doubt he changed cricket for the better. Fast forward 15 years, everybody has an inner KP with the switch hits & aggressive mindset. Paved the way for English cricketers to join the IPL & other T20 leagues, thereby moving England one step closer to their eventual 2019 World Cup winning campaign.
T20Is: 39 Matches, 51 wickets, 16.84 average, 3/13 best
T20s: 80 Matches, 98 wickets, 18.88 average, 3/13 best
Cricketers Who Retired Trivia
Debut: January 22, 2000 (ODI), December 10-14, 2008 (Test)
Last Match: December 12-16, 2013 (Test)
Age Debuted: 29(Test), 20 (ODI)
Age Retired: 34
Why Did He Retire?
Statistically, Swann does not make the best bowlers of all-time list, but what he did in his 5-year Test career was continued the art of off-spin. After T20 cricket & ODI Powerplay rule changes, leg spinners flourished in the 2010s. Except for Daniel Vettori, finger spin was a dying art. Swann took off-spin forward and became a cog of the famed 2010-11 English lineup. Late Test debut, an elbow injury, and Johnson 2013 ensured that he retired mid-series (after the 3rd Test).
T20Is: 64 Matches, 85 wickets, 17.83 average, 4/19 best
T20s: 195 Matches, 271 wickets, 17.36 average, 4/14 best
Cricketers Who Retired Trivia
Debut: July 1, 2008 (ODI)
Last Match: April 23, 2015 (T20I)
Age Debuted: 31
Age Retired: 37
Why Did He Retire?
Another one who debuted late, but made an immediate impact. From the cricketers who retired too early, Saeed Ajmal’s ending was probably the saddest. During Pakistan’s toughest days, Saeed Ajmal & Umar Gul took Pakistan to great heights, especially in T20 cricket. However it was his action that was his downfall. Unlike Mohammad Hafeez & Sunil Narine, Ajmal’s remodeled action was not effective enough without the doosra. Will definitely go down as a Pakistani great.
T20Is: 44 Matches, 47 wickets, 25.34 average, 4/17 best
T20s: 190 Matches, 207 wickets, 25.29 average, 4/17 best
Cricketers Who Retired Trivia
Debut: December 25-29, 2006 (Test)
Last Match: March 29-April 2, 2018 (Test)
Age Debuted: 22
Age Retired: 33
Current Age: 36
Plays with Brisbane Heat in the BBL; Was at Surrey from 2018-2020
Why Did He Retire?
When Morne Morkel left international cricket after that Australia series for the Kolpak deal in England (with Surrey), it signaled the beginning of the end of the great 2008-2015 South Africa generation. From 2015-2019, each one slowly retired, and it was painful to watch South Africa collapse to new lows. What was not painful, however, was Morne Mornel’s bowling. High arm action, pace & bounce, & most importantly, consistent line & length. Dale Steyn would not have been as successful had he not had Morne on the other end as the ideal foil. Morkel, in his own right, will go down as a South African great. With 309 wickets at age 33, who knows, he could have gone past Steyn himself. Now a resident of Australia and plays in the BBL as a local cricketer.
Fastest to 10, 15, 16,17, 18, 20, 27 centuries & 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 ODI runs, he was the only contemporary of Virat Kohli who could challenge him. South Africa’s fall from grace was confirmed in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, and it was especially painful to watch Amla being hit in the head by Jofra Archer and retiring hurt. He would retire at the end of the tournament. Sublime cricketer, wonderful human being, he still architects blockathons on the County Circuit. You just help but wonder if South Africa should have persisted a year or so more for his form to come back.
Will he? Won’t he? Speculation about AB De Villiers’ retirement has been as spicy as Hollywood gossip. It all began with the ghost of 2015 semi-finals loss, which he captained. He would then get the Test captaincy job, a dream for a long time. However, workload management & administrative struggles became a hassle. Picking & choosing on a series-by-series basis followed by an indefinite break was a sign of what was to come. He came back in brilliant home with Test series against India and Australia.
However a video retirement a year before the ODI World Cup took everyone by surprise. Since then, he has been in multiple conversations about coming for the 2019 ODI World Cup or 2021 T20 World Cup, but those conversations have not gone too far. He can still be seen smashing it out of the park in the IPL. He is still fit, takes mind boggling catches, and plays match changing innings even after no game practice for a year.Although ABD & Amla played 14 years, they could have been Tendulkar-esque with a career of 17-21 years in another era.
The best batter of the generation and the face of “Cricketers Who Retired Too Early.”
Given captaincy at a young age, Smith began the rebuilding of a squad that would take South AFrica to #1 Test rankings. One of the best openers of this era, his courage & leadership came to the fore. Batting with a broken hand to save a Test will in fans’ memories forever. Now the director of cricket for South Africa.
Plays for RCB in the IPL, SKNP in CPL, and the West Indies
*subject to change. He is selected in West Indies’ 2021 T20 World Cup squad
Surprised? Well, you should be.
Chris Gayle is the antithesis to the 2005 generated. Debuted in 1999, and he is still playing at the age of 42. 100 Test matches, a triple century, an ODI double century, 10000 ODI runs, 14000+ T20 runs (with 22 100s!), he is a legend. So how did he survive so long even though he can barely run?
The answer is enough breaks. While the 2005 generation succumbed to continuous burnout, Gayle was in-and-out of the international side, played T20 leagues around the world, and gave up first class/Test cricket in 2014 to prolong his career. A couple of World Cup wins also helps keeping the fire going.
Here is an exhaustive list of players that served between 12-15+ years in international cricket. Notice that as we get further along, the list gets smaller.
Late 90s Generation: Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid (India), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
2004-07 Generation: Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Brendon Taylor (Zimbabwe), Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad (England), Dale Steyn (South Africa)
The Surviving Outliers
The main point to notice here is that those who played continuous cricket from 2005-2015 retired too soon.
However, there are plenty of cricketers who did not get a chance early on or were in-and-out of their national sides, but are still available for selection today. These players include Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, and the 2004 U-19 Cricket World Cup class of Shikhar Dhawan, Fawad Alam, Mahmudullah Riyadh, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Tim Paine, Moises Henriques, William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, Wahab Riaz, who are still playing competitively and are available for international selection.
Since they did not get a chance earlier or play for lower-ranked teams, they are making the most of it now when opportunities finally came their way.
Hunger for success have caused these batch of cricketers to elongate their careers. To prove themselves as long as they are fit. Or to be a part of that elusive World Cup winning team.
Why Did The 2005 Generation Fall So Quickly?
Transition Periods
If we analyze these 10 cricketers who retired too early a bit more closer, we notice they mostly feature from England, South Africa, or Australia.
All of these teams went through a traumatic transition period. The 2013-15 period was especially stressful for England. While Mitchell Johnson dismantled the entire 2013 Test generation, forcing retirements of Trott, Pietersen, & Swann, the sacking of Cook in ODIs before 2015 World Cup would usher a new era in English cricket.
For South Africa, Grant Elliot’s semi-final six broke the gem of that South African team. AB De Villiers, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla, & Vernon Philander were never the same again.
Finally, although Australia did not have it that rough, they have not really gotten back to the Warne-McGrath days. The Clarke era was the short transition between the longer lasting, Ponting & Steve Smith eras.
Frequency of World Cups
Before the 2007 T20 World Cup, world championships only happened once every 4 years. A decade earlier, we only had the 2003/2007 ODI World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup, and 2002/2006 Champions Trophy.
Teams were built on the premises of four-year cycles. With England & Australia, the Test Teams were formed with the next Ashes cycle in mind. Then followed 2009 (CT), 2010 (T20 WC), 2011 (CWC), 2012 (T20 WC), 2013 (CT), 2014 (T20 WC), 2015 (CWC), 2016 (T20 WC), 2017 (CT), 2019 (CWC), 2021 (World Test Championship).
Frequent trophies meant teams did not have to carry players for 4 years. An in-form player could be drafted while seasoned cricketers could be dropped with the upcoming ICC trophy in mind. Hence teams started to experiment more and started taking bold calls.
Case and point 2013 Champions Trophy—India dropped Sehwag, promoted Rohit Sharma, and went with an in-form Dhawan (seems like a history repeat itself moment with Dhawan in the 2021 T20 WC team).
These cricketers who retired too early were raised on the backs of Test & ODI cricket. Almost everyone from the 90s era played both formats if they were good enough. With the entrance of T20 cricket, cricket began to be played all year long instead of season to season.
If you add captaincy to the 3 formats, that takes pressure & mental exhaustion to another level.
Openers Struggle
This still does not explain why Cook & Amla retired. They had given up captaincy towards the end, did not play all formats, and did not have new players vying for their spots either.
The obvious answer to this is form. Both Cook & Amla suffered drastic loss of forms, but so did openers worldwide.
Cook himself concluded that batting in England became tougher towards the end of his career. We can see from the Burns-Sibley partnership that it has not gotten better any since. It was not necesesarily that they were worse players, just that the conditions had become more difficult.
Kohli Shows The Way Forward
Three format players like KP and ABD prospered for a while, but it caught up with their health & form.
A decade later, it is clear that separate teams are now being picked for the 3 vastly different formats. Mental health conversations are in place. Fitness, physiotherapy, and analytics have jumped to another level altogether. Rest & rotation have been employed by certain teams to prolong the careers of cricketers.
This means that the current generation of the Fab 5 & Buttler-Stokes-Cummins-Rabada-Starc-Hazlewood-Bumrah have a better chance for longer careers and go back to the 15-year norms of the 90s. Who knows the COVID break might even have re-energized some to extend their careers.
However balance is key. Virat Kohli has already lead the way and given up IPL/T20I captaincy to manage workload and focus on other formats. If this generation of players have to survive, they might have to give up at least one format, release captaincy pressure, take mental health and paternity breaks, and keep up their fitness.
Greatness Achieved Nevertheless
Although Amla, Smith, Sehwag, Clarke, de Villiers stopped agonizingly close without reaching the coveted 10000 run-mark, it does not take away from the genius of these men.
Numbers are not everything. Although their tenure was short, their impact was not. They changed cricket for the better, and that is all that matters.
There are some players who will always give a sense that they left too early. Fans are left asking, ‘What If they had stayed on for a couple of years?’, ‘Maybe one more World Cup?’
We should just be grateful enough we witnessed some of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2021)—The party is back in town once again!
The West Indies have just finished a marathon 14 game home T20I season against South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan.
It is now time for the domestic West Indies T20 league and for fringe players to make their cases. In the first 3 days of CPL 2021, we have had so many great moments—Dre Russ’s 14-ball 50, TKR already losing a game, Faf’s comeback from concussion, Sherfane Rutherford’s magnificent form, Tims (David & Seifert) having breakout seasons, and experienced Amir-Udana-Rampaul-Tahir topping the bowling charts so far. If you haven’t been watching, this is time to switch your TVs back on, especially with the T20 World Cup approaching soon.
Here is everything you need to know about CPL 2021.
Barbados Tridents & Saint Lucia Zouks no more, we now have Barbados Royals (from Rajasthan Royals) & Saint Lucia Kings (from Punjab Kings).
The Indian Premier League is slowly taking over the world.
*Teams highlighted in their respective jersey colors
Trinbago Knight Riders
West Indies Internationals: Kieron Pollard (C), Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin (WK), Ravi Rampaul, Jayden Seales, Akeal Hosein, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip
West Indies Domestic: Leonardo Julien (WK), Tion Webster
Foreign Recruits: Ali Khan (USA), Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (NZ), Isuru Udana (SL), Yasir Shah (Pakistan)
Coaching Staff: Imran Jan
I am looking forward to the New Zealand duo Munro & Seifert along with the fast bowling trio – experienced Rampaul, promising Seales, & energetic Ali Khan.
Trinbago Knight Riders Expected XI:
Lendl Simmons, 2. Tim Seifert, 3. Colin Munro, 4. Darren Bravo, 5. Kieron Pollard, 6. Sunil Narine, 7. Denesh Ramdin, 8. Ravi Rampaul/Isuru Udana, 9. Jayden Seales, 10. Ali Khan, 11. Akeal Hosein
Barbados Royals
West Indies Internationals: Jason Holder (C), Johnson Charles (WK), Shai Hope (WK), Kyle Mayers, Ashley Nurse, Raymon Reifer, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
West Indies Domestic: Joshua Bishop, Justin Greaves, Nyeem Young
Foreign Recruits: Azam Khan – WK, Mohammad Amir (Pakistan), Jake Lintott (England), Smit Patel – WK (USA/ former India), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Glenn Phillips – WK (New Zealand)
Coaching Staff: Trevor Penney
I am lookingforward to theforeign contingent. Jake Lintott had a successful Hundred season, Glenn Phillips & Azam Khan are power hitters, while Perera & Amir have reputation and experience on their side.
West Indies Internationals: Nicholas Pooran (WK/C), Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Chandrapaul Hemraj (6 ODIs), Odean Smith (2 T20I)
West Indies Domestic: Anthony Bramble (WK), Gudakesh Motie, Ashmead Nedd, Nial Smith
Foreign Recruits: Imran Tahir (South Africa), Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan), Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan)
Coaching Staff: Rayon Griffith
I am looking forward to thedynamic between young & experience. While Pooran, Hetmyer, Shepher, & King have youth on their side, Hafeez, Malik, and Tahir are world class T20 match-winners.
West Indies Internationals: Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy, Keemo Paul, Kesrick Williams
West Indies Domestic: Kadeem Alleyne, Keron Cottoy, Mark Deyal, Javelle Glen, Jeavor Royal
Foreign Recruits: Faf du Plessis – C (South Africa), Tim David (Singapore), Samit Patel (England), Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz (Pakistan)
Coaching Staff: Andy Flower
I am looking forward to the West Indies internationals. Roston Chase, Cornwall, Kesrick Williams, Paul are not in the current T20I plan for the West Indies and Joseph, McCoy, and Paul are still on the fringes. This CPL season will show who gets in and who does not to the T20 World Cup squad. Also hope that Faf du Plessis has recovered from the concussion.
Saint Lucia Kings Expected XI:
Faf du Plessis, 2. Andre Fletcher, 3. Rahkeem Cornwall, 4. Roston Chase, 5. Tim David, 6. Samit Patel, 7. Keemo Paul, 8. Kesrick Williams, 9. Usman Qadir/Wahab Riaz, 10. Obed McCoy, 11. Alzarri Joseph
St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots
West Indies Internationals: Dwayne Bravo (C), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Joshua Da Silva (WK), Rayad Emrit, Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Devon Thomas
West Indies Domestic: Colin Archibald, Dominic Drakes, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Mikyle Louis
Foreign Recruits: Asif Ali (Pakistan), Ravi Bopara (England), Fawad Ahmed (Australia), Paul van Meekeren
Coaching Staff: Simon Helmot
I am looking forward to Evin Lewis & Fabian Allen. They have been the two standout performers in the last three home T20I series. Can they continue their good form?
St. Kitts & Patriots Expected XI:
Devon Thomas, 2. Evin Lewis, 3. Chris Gayle, 4. Sherfane Rutherford, 5. Ravi Bopara, 6. Asif Ali, 7. Joshua Da Silva, 8. Dwayne Bravo, 9. Fabian Allen, 10. Fawad Ahmed, 11. Sheldon Cottrell
Jamaica Tallawahs
West Indies Internationals: Rovman Powell (C), Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russell, Shamarh Brooks, Fidel Edwards, Jason Mohmammed, Veerasammy Permaul, Chadwick Walton (WK)
Foreign Recruits: Haider Ali (Pakistan), Ryan Persaud (USA), Migael Pretorius (South Africa), Qais Ahmad (Afghanistan)
Coaching Staff: Floyd Reifer
I am looking forward to the star-studded lower middle order—Powell, Brathwaite, and Russell. 255/5 in their opening game already shows the potential of this team.
Jamaica Tallawahs Expected XI:
Chadwick Walton (WK), 2. Kennar Lewis, 3. Haider Ali, 4. Shamarh Brooks, 5. Rovmann Powell, 6. Andre russell, 7. Carlos Brathwaite, 8. Chris Green, 9. Veerasammy Permaul, 10. Fidel Edwards, 11. Qais Ahmed
Key Match Ups To Watch Out For
Huge CPL season ahead for Andre Fletcher – The Spice Man came back to the West Indies T20I side on a back of a good BBL and Big Bash tournament. However, his form in the international arena dropped off. Johnson Charles & Brandon King are contenders for the reserve opener spot if Fletcher does not have a good show here.
Warriors show glimpse of West Indies’ future – Brandon King, Pooran, Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair may form the core of a future West Indies team without Gayle, Pollard, or Bravo.
Can Trinbago Knight Riders do it again? Last season TKR won 12 games on a trot to dominate CPL 2020. With a similar composition of their squad, can they make it 5 trophies?
Caribbean Premier League 2021 Predictions
Finally here are my predictions.
My prediction for the team to lift the CPL 2021 trophy is….Jamaica Tallawahs with the Top 4 of Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, and Trinbago Knight Riders.
Most Runs: Evin Lewis
Most Wickets: Obed McCoy
Emerging Player: Rohail Nazir
Surprise Package: Tim David/Jake Lintott
Broken Cricket Dream: Final CPL edition for Shoaib Malik?
Here were my Caribbean Premier League – CPL 2021 Predictions. What did you think? What are YOUR predictions? Comment Below!
Time for the West Indies T20 World Cup Squad, a team everyone has a time for. Last week, we analyzed 2016 World T20 finalists, England & their potential 44 players vying for the 23-men T20 World Cup squad. Today we look at their counterparts at the final who lifted the trophy.
In the last two decades, there was an impression that West Indies cricket was dying. Reminiscing at the 1908s generation was fans’ favorite pastime. Well, guess what?
I believe the 2000s T20 generation will be looked just as fondly as the 2-time 50 over winning generation or even more if they complete their hat-trick of T20 World Cup victories this time around (2012, 2016, 2021?)
West Indies have regrouped their world cup squad with 17 games in the last couple of months. Here are the results as well as the most run-scorer/wicket-taker for West Indies in each of the series.
— Broken Cricket Dreams Blog (@cricket_broken) July 15, 2021
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad – Player By Player Analysis
In order to pick the destructive West IndiesT20 World Cup Squad, we specifically pay attention to the Average + Strike Rate score for the batters along with the Economy Rate for the bowlers. A Lendl Simmons (high average, decent strike rate) is just as important as an Andre Russell (decent average, high strike rate) to this squad.
Legend
Current Status
Incumbent: Currently in West Indies’ T20I XI
Reserve: May have played for West Indies in the last two years but does not make their first XI
Out of Squad: Might have represented West Indies earlier or about to breakthrough, but have not been in the West Indies squad in the last couple of T20I series.
Verdict
🟩 Plays the first match in the T20 World Cup (17 October-14 November)
🟨 Boards the plane to UAE but might not get a look-into the XI
🟧 Wildcard Entry: Not in the current scheme of things but a good performance in the CPL (26 August-15 September) or IPL (19 September-15 October), and they might be back in the conversation.
🟥 Most likely not going to make it, but in COVID-19 World, anything is possible. They are next in the pecking order in case something out of the blue happens.
Over the past year, at the end of every series, we did a “World T20 World Cup Watch,” where a 23-men squad was chosen after latest performance. You can check them below.
It seems that Simmons makes the West Indies squad in the World Cup year and disappears for the 3-4 years in the middle. The real question is—does Simmons get the opening or #4 spot?
The Spiceman Andre Fletcher received the well-deserved call-up to the Windies side on the back of his T20 league exploits. However, he has looked out of touch in the last three series (poor run – 9, 4, 6, 12, 0, 14*, 17*). The 17* with 2 sixes in the first over in the rain truncated game against Pakistan might have just saved his spot
Last Played T20I For West Indies:November 29, 2020
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Guyana Amazon Warriors
King rose to a West Indies cap on the back of a brilliant run in the 2019 CPL (most runs scored – 496 runs), helping Guyana qualify for the final. However, he has yet to light international cricket on fire.
Last Played T20I For West Indies:September 26, 2016
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Barbados Royals
Provided the starts for WI in the 2016 T20 World Cup, but has been out of the international arena since. 3rd highest run-scorer in CPL 2019 after Brandon King & Lendl Simmons, he is also third in the running for the reserve opener after King & Simmons.
Last Played T20I For West Indies:November 16, 2019 (ODI: July 25, 2021)
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Barbados Royals
Sweet timer of the ball. West Indies’ most consistent ODI batter. Inconsistent Test batter. Not the best T20 player, but an outside chance nevertheless.
Performs around the world in the PSL & CPL, he is still just in the conversation. Wicketkeeper role might give him a boost, but unlikely since Pooran & Simmons can keep wickets.
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad Verdict – Openers
Makes Team:Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Andre Fletcher, Brandon King
Out of Team:Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Chadwick Walton
4 decades, 2 World Cups, 42 international hundreds, 22 T20 tons, best of 117 175*, 215, 333 across formats, 14000 T20 runs. The Boss. Universe Boss. Doubt him at your own peril. In his own words, “Soon to 42. You guys should be happy to see Chris Gayle still on the field. Just respect the Universe Boss and let him have some fun.”
Only 24, he already has 5 ODI centuries. No doubt on his talent & flair, consistency & game situation has room to improve. Flexible floater, will be interesting what spot he will bat on.
Since his coming of age in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Pooran has underwhelmed Since IPL 2021, he has endured several run-outs, ducks of all kind, and has been unable to finish matches. Pollard & team management back their vice-captain, and he is just beginning to come back to form. Hope he is peaking at the right time. Should definitely make the XI on pedigree. You can read his inspirational story of pain & hope here.
Replicating Brian Lara’s technique, unfortunately Darren Bravo has not been able to replicate his international career, apart from a few important overseas centuries. Much improved T20 player, where does he bat with Gayle at #3? He batted at #8 in his last WI outing…
Seen around the world in the PSL, BBL, PSL, and IPL, he is a hot commodity in the T20 circuit. Gun fielder as well, does he make the 23-squad as an X-factor?
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad Verdict – Middle Order
Makes Team:Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran
Out of Team:Darren Bravo, Sherfane Rutherford
Spinning All-Rounders
It was clearly evident with the #4 experiment involving Simmons, Holder, & Fletcher, West Indies are trying to find a Marlon Samuels-esque insurance policy, especially a right handed middle order (to separate Lewis, Gayle, Pooran, Hetmyer) who is a part-time spinner (for UAE conditions).
The weakest area for the West Indies, most of these players below are highly unlikely to make the World Cup squad.
Will he play the IPL?Yes., IPL Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
CPL Team: Trinbago Knight Riders
He is welcome to the West Indies team if he chooses to/when he regains confidence. His international career has been thwarted by suspect action, but his T20 career has revived due to batting abilities. Great against spin, poor against pace, he has been found out at the IPL. One final flourish? Surely he makes the 23?
Last Played T20I For West Indies:April 2, 2018 (ODI: July 23, 2021)
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Jamaica Tallawahs
Mohammed’s career is quite interesting. Debuting in 2011, he has only played 35 ODIs and 9 T20Is. Yet his performances in Regional Super50 competition merited his comeback to the extent that he even captained the West Indies as late as December 2020 in the ODI series against Bangladesh. Senior player, off-spinner – looks like Samuels on paper, but not enough international performances.
Last Played T20I For West Indies:Yet to Play (Test: June 20, 2021)
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Saint Lucia Kings
Senior play in Tests and until recently in Jason Holder’s ‘engine room,’ Chase’s form has dropped off since the COVID break. However, he has started to play T20s and will play in the CPL. In UAE conditions, a mature batter & off-spinner like him might be an interesting choice.
Last Played T20I For West Indies:Yet to Play (Test: June 11, 2021)
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Saint Lucia Kings
A fan favorite, excellent slip fielder, effective off-spinner, and a counterattacking batter, Cornwall has solidified his spot in Tests. Can he perform in the CPL for a late run to the World Cup spot?
29 (14), 8*(8), 19* (13), 14* (9), 34* (12), 21* (6). Fabian Allen has been a revelation as a finisher in the last four series starting from the 3 consecutive sixes against Sri Lanka. Left arm off spinner, West Indies’ best fielder (sorry Hayden), and wonderful celebration, Allen makes it to the XI without a doubt.
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad Verdict – Spinning All-Rounders
Makes Team:Fabian Allen, Sunil Narine, 1 out of Jason Mohammed, Rakheem Cornwall, Roston Chase
Out of Team:2 out of Jason Mohammed, Rakheem Cornwall, Roston Chase
Finishers/Medium Pace All-Rounders
Teams are lucky to have one legend. Apart from Gayle, this section gives 3-4 more legends to the West Indies. Luxury of riches in the fast bowling all-rounder department.
Since his captaincy stint, Pollard has entered his best phase. Taking TKR to an undefeated run to victory in the CPL, he is now a lot more mature in reading the game situation, a characteristic most other WI batters lack. He can hit it out of the ground or soak in the pressure when needed. Brilliant fielder and has the partnership breaking golden arm as well.
Will he play the IPL?Yes.IPL Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad
CPL Team: Barbados Royals
From restarting Test cricket in England post COVID break with a magnificent chase to losing his Test captaincy, he has seen all the ups and downs in the last two years. A couple of knocksunder pressure in IPL 2020, and he found his way back to the T20I side. Blocking Hasaranga in the penultimate over to save Allen was one of his recent highlights although the #4 experiment has failed. Has also had a few good bowling spells. Should make the 23-men squad, but does he make your XI?
Will he play the IPL?Yes.IPL Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
CPL Team: Jamaica Tallawahs
The highest AVE+SR for any WI batter, he will be disappointed with his low average & 50+ scores in T20I. The most destructive finisher & one of the longest hitter of the ball, he makes it to the XI. Death bowling skills is a definite plus. Needs to learn to trust batting partners in the final over and take singles/doubles.
Will he play the IPL?Yes.IPL Team: Chennai Super Kings
CPL Team: St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots
133 T20 wickets more than the next in the list, Imran Tahir, Bravo has conquered all the leagues around the world. Retiring and coming back, it seems that he has finally played his final T20I game at home. Still going strong with a career-best 4/19 against South Africa along with a 47* (34) at #5 against Australia. One final stretch for the great man.
Apart from “Remember the Name” & “Dream is Diminished,” not much of note in between for Carlos. Still possesses the X-factor and is playing in leagues like the Hundred. Since there are plenty of allrounders, the real question is, “Do the selectors remember his name?”
Known for his massive six hitting ability, Powell has been on the West Indies radar for a while, even scoring an ODI 100. He is one of the players on the fringes and this CPL will be an outright audition for him.
Skiddy bowler and useful hitter down the order, he is one of West Indies’ brightest prospects. From the 2016 U-19 World Cup fame, he rose through the ranks, even receiving the 2019 T20 Player of the Year for the West Indies. Can the 23-year old make the squad or is it too soon?
Last Played T20I For West Indies:November 29, 2020
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Barbados Royals
A left field choice. From the da Silva-Bonner-Mayers Bangladesh fame, Mayers’ career has only gone up. 210* on debut second innings chase, he has also forced his way to the second string ODI squad. A good show with the ball in the Test against South Africa, and now you have a good all-round package. Will probably not make this squad but good to have him as cover.
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad Verdict – Medium Pace All-Rounders/Finishers
Makes Team: Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Rovman Powell, Keemo Paul
Out of Team: Carlos Brathwaite, Kyle Mayers
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Find for the West Indies in the last couple of months. His slower deliveries are well disguised and can bowl at any point of the innings. Should not only make the 23, but also the XI.
McCoy has overtaken him in the pecking order, but still remains effective. Salute celebration, good fielding abilities, he should make it in the squad. Was on the receiving end of Tewatia’s special in IPL 2020 at UAE.
Remarkable comeback story. Debuting back in 2003, he left to England around 2012 after 165 Test wickets & 60 ODI wickets, employing his trade for Hampshire. Now back to the T20I side as a 39-year-old, he hasn’t been at his best. However, a slingy fast bowler is never a bad thing as long as he is fit.
Last Played T20I For West Indies:Have not Played Yet (ODI: July 25, 2021)
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Jamaica Tallawahs
One of the breakthrough stars of the 2016 U-19 World Cup, he was soon fast tracked to the Test & ODI arena. Although he has yet to debut in T20Is, his 6/12 remains the best figures for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Has also shown maturity with the bat with 86 (Test) & 29* (ODI) recently. He has the potential, but might be a toss off between him and Oshane Thomas.
West Indies’ 2019 Emerging Player of the Year, 6 foot 6, throwback to the old West Indian fast bowlers. Can be the enforcer in the middle overs. Needs to keep his economy in check though.
Last Played T20I For West Indies:Have not Played Yet (ODI: July 25, 2021)
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Saint Lucia Kings
One of the most known celebrations in the game due to his notebook checklist, he has been in and out of the national side. Skiddy bowler, could be a handful in UAE conditions if selected.
Hasn’t been among the wickets recently (0/38, 0/37, 0/30) but is on the fringes. Selectors have him in mind so far, but CPL will define if he makes it to the UAE.
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad Verdict – Fast Bowlers
Makes Team:Obed McCoy, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Oshane Thomas
Out of Team:Alzarri Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Kesrick Williams
Ex-USA international (born in U.S. Virgin Islands) with Antiguan father & uncle, who both competed at the first class level. In-and-out recently, his Player of the Series performance against Australia should safely put him in the West Indies T20 World Cup squad.
0 wickets in 6 T20I games is a concern, but he has impressed in spells. With a left-arm spinner already with Fabian Allen, it is unlikely he will get many games unless it is a ranker turner.
Will be a direct competition between Kevin Sinclair, Khary Pierre, and Akeal Hosein for the second spinner with Walsh Jr. CPL is of high importance for the three of them.
36. Khary Pierre 🟧
Current Status:Out of SquadOther Roles: Can bat a bit
T20s: 10, Wickets: 7, Best: 2/44, Economy: 9.60
T20s: 45, Wickets: 41, Best: 3/18, Economy: 7.31
Last Played T20I For West Indies:January 17 2020
Will he play the IPL?No.
CPL Team: Trinbago Knight Riders
Currently out of the reckoning for a year and a half, but anything is possible with two months to go. Spin is not West Indies’ core strength, so they might take backup.
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad Verdict – Spinners
Makes Team:Hayden Walsh Jr., Akeal Hosein, Kevin Sinclair
Out of Team:Khary Pierre
Notable Exclusions
37-42. Ashley Nurse, Joshua de Silva, Chemar Holder, Jayden Seales, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel
West Indies T20 World Cup Squad
Here is the moment of truth. Based on our player-by-player analysis above, here is Broken Cricket Dreams’ Predicted XI and West Indies T20 World Cup squad.
West Indies now have a good mix of youth & experience. Along with the legends (Gayle, Pollard, Russell, Bravo), there is the next batch of players (Lewis, Pooran, Allen) and the 2016 U-19 World Cup generation (Hetmyer, Joseph, McCoy, Paul).
West Indies Vs South Africa 2021 Series Review – An enthralling encounter to follow from any neutral fans’ perspective.
Once boasting the greatest generations in cricket history, West Indies & South Africa are now mediocre at best. Yet both teams are showing signs of improvement.
Coming back into form, seniors like Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada stood up in this series, Nortje-van Der Dussen continued to chug along smoothly, and Tabraiz Shamsi-George Linde-Keshav Maharaj spun West Indies into trouble. For the West Indies, Kemar Roach, 19-year old debutant Jayden Seales, and Kyle Mayers, the bowler, were the only positives in the Test series but the World Cup winning squad (bar Sunil Narine) regrouped for this T20I series.
South Africa swept the Tests 2-0 along with a thrilling 3-2 T20I series victory over the mighty West Indies. Were the Proteas really as good as the score line suggests? Not really. Were West Indies really that bad? Not at all.
Positives for both teams, but room for improvement for both as well. Detailed analysis ahead.
Here is a summary of the highest scorers and run-getters from both teams in the Tests and T20I series respectively.
South Africa Tour of West Indies – Results Stats, & Highlights
WI-SA Test Series: SA won 2-0
Why was this even a part of the World Test Championship? Yes, the second Test, part of the WTC group stage, was scheduled at the same time as the World Test Championship Final. Explain that.
WTC apart, this was a one-sided series dominated by the fast bowlers. Rabada, Roach, Maharaj, Ngidi, Nortje, Jason Holder, Jayden Seales, and even Kyle Mayers were among the wickets. Except for Quinton de Kock & Rassie van der Dussen (and Dean Elgar/Aiden Markram with 1-50 each), no batter could hold a bat. Scores of 97, 162, 149, 165 (WI) and 322, 298, & 174 (SA) tells you the story.
Quinton de Kock – 237 runs (Best of 141*, 118.50 average, 1-100, 1-50)
Most Wickets
Kemar Roach – 9 wickets (Best inning – 4/52, Best Match – 7/97, 17.88 average)
Kagiso Rabada – 11 wickets (Best inning – 5/11, Best Match – 6/48, 11.45 average)
West Indies Vs South Africa 2021 T20I Series Stats
WI-SA T20I Series: SA won 3-2
160, 166, 166, 167, 168. Consistency of the ages.
Quinton de Kock’s majestic run, Lewis’ power, Anrich Nortje’s 19th over in the 3rd T20I, Russell’s first ball six to Rabada, Fabian Allen destroying Ngidi’s figures, Pollard’s 4 sixes in one over, Gayle taking a quick single/opening the bowling/attempting a somersault, Markram’s shots, and the Shamsi-Linde spinning South Africa to victory—this series had it all.
West Indies Vs South Africa 2021 Test Series Stats
Highlights
West Indies
In the year of the T20 World Cup, Simmons-Gayle-Pollard-Bravo-Russell are back. Although performances were spotty, the team spirit was right up there.
Positives
Fabian Allen & Evin Lewis were the stars for West Indies in the T20I series. 2/18, 34 (12), 14* (9), and 19* (13) were cameos that kept West Indies alive even after the top 6/7 had departed. This is just the youth firepower West Indies needs. Great fielder and spinner as well. Fabian Allen – the complete package.
Evin Lewis’ destructive 71 (35) in the first T20I and Pollard’s 51* (25) showcased the potential for this West Indian line-up. If one player fires, another holds the other end, with a Fabian Allen/Russell-esque finish, then this side can be very dangerous. Otherwise, they can easily fall apart.
Combination of youth and old guard the key to West Indies’ bowling success. Obed McCoy & Jayden Seales were the find for the Windies in this series and with Oshane Thomas, Alzarri Joseph, & Chamar Holder in the ranks, they have a good fast-bowling generation coming up. Hence, it was nice that Dwayne Bravo came back from his retirement to give his best T20I performance (4/19) in the 4th ODI. 37-years, 482 T20s, and 527 T20 wickets young. Marvelous. Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards & even a bit of Russell really puts this West Indian attack back on the map.
Room For Improvement
Pooran’s form a bit of a concern. In the last 10 T20 innings read: 0, 0, 9, 0, 19, 0 (IPL 2021) & 9, 26, 16, 20 (WI vs SA). While double digits is a vast improvement from his IPL form this year, his lack of rotation in the middle and inability to finish games off will trigger a debate on his place in the XI. An in-form Andre Fletcher with the gloves is breathing down his neck.
West Indies utilized these 5 games and experimented with the batting order (although slightly unsuccessfully). At #3-4, West Indies played Gayle-Russell, Gayle-Pooran, Holder-Hetmyer, and Gayle-Hetmyer (twice). It seems that Russell and Pollard are the designated floaters if the top order bat long and Holder-Pooran are in-charge in case of a collapse. Good idea. Needs consistency.
The left-arm spinners stole the show for South Africa. Tabraiz Shamsi is justifiably ICC’s #1 T20I bowler in the world. 1-11, 2-13, 2-13, 1-16, 1-27. An economy of 4 against a lineup of Lewis-Gayle-Pollard-Pooran-Russell is a stuff of dreams. On every occasion that Simmons/Fletcher-Lewis provided West Indies with a blistering start, George Linde and Shamsi stalled their progress. In slow UAE pitches, this duo will be a handful. Keshav Maharaj’s 9 wickets in the Tests, including a 5-36 and a hat-trick (thanks to Muldur’s catch) to wrap up the second Test, was the icing on the cake. Brilliant collective spin performance.
Quinton de Kock & Kagiso Rabada are back at their best. In the 2020-21 season, QDK only scored 74 runs at 12.33 in 6 Test innings and 77 runs in 3 T20I innings. Rabada was finally getting out of form as well—Only 5 Test wickets (4 innings) at 39.40 in 2020-21 and no 5 wicket hauls since 2018. QDK scored 492 runs across the series’ with 1-100 & 4-50s and 18-wicket haul for Rabada, including a Test 5-fer.
Aiden Markam has stepped it up this year. After a wonderful debut year, his form took a nosedive and has been on a roller-coaster ride ever since. Sometimes captain, sometimes not and switched between opening & middle order as well. Since the Pakistan series, he has scores of 51, 54, 63, & 70 in T20Is (out of 7 games played) along with a 60 in Test. Just needs to convert now and make the place his own.
Room For Improvement
Questions on Bavuma-Hendricks: With Faf du Plessis’ imminent return for the T20I World Cup, where the pair of captain Bavuma-Reeza Hendricks fit in the equation is an open question. This was the series to make their mark. Unfortunately the stats do not add up:
Bavuma: 76 runs, 15.20 average, 108.57 SR
Hendricks: 78 runs, 19.50 average, 139.28 SR
The 6th bowler is probably the biggest concern for the Proteas. Apart from Shamsi (4.00 economy), Anrich Nortje (7.00), and Linde (7.81), the bowling, particularly at the death, has been horrendous. With Rabada (9.44), Lungi Ngidi (10.94), and Hendricks-Markram giving away 65 runs in 4 overs, some things need to change.
South Africa’s World Cup hopes lie on Chris Morris & Imran Tahir. If Morris is in, the side will be balanced and will give SA a genuine death bowling option: Rabada-Nortje-Morris-Linde-Shamsi-Tahir, and now we are talking about a world class T20I line-up. Add to the that, a Faf-QDK-Markram-van der Dussen-Miller batting line up, South Africa are dark horses for the T20I WC for sure.
T20I World Cup Squad Predictions
West Indies Squad Predictions
Lendl Simmons, 2. Evin Lewis, 3. Chris Gayle, 4. Shimron Hetmyer, 5. Kieron Pollard*, 6. Nicholas Pooran (WK), 7. Andre Russell, 8. Fabian Allen, 9. Dwayne Bravo, 10. Kevin Sinclair, 11. Obed McCoy
Wildcards: AB De Villiers (WK), Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Junior Dala, Pete van Biljon, 21. Sisanda Magala, 23. Keshav Maharaj
The Awards
West Indies
South Africa
Emerging Player
Obed McCoy
George Linde
Comeback Kid
Fidel Edwards
Quinton de Kock 2.0
Surprise Package
Kyle Mayers, the bowler
Keshav Maharaj’s Hat-trick
Broken Cricket Dream
Home Test Defeat & Pooran’s Form
Bavuma-Hendricks & the 6th Bowler
West Indies Vs South Africa 2021 Awards
Upcoming Fixtures: Where Do They Go From Here?
With the T20 World Cup forthcoming, both teams have invested in the preparation.
Here are the upcoming fixtures:
Australia tour of West Indies – 5 T20Is, 3 ODIs (9 July-24 July)
Pakistan tour of West Indies – 5 T20Is, 2 Tests (27 July-20 August)
South Africa tour of Ireland – 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is (11 July-24 July)
Although South Africa are on a positive slope, they do not have as many practice games to get their perfect XI out before the IPL & T20 WC.
West Indies, on the other hand, lost the series but gained some insight due to experimentation. They still have 10 home T20 games—but this is a double edge sword. They have time to put their perfect group together, but also have more opportunities to expose their weaknesses.
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Moment of The Day: Chris Gayle’s Stump Goes Flying
After Kagiso Rabada’s consistent breakthrough IPL seasons, IPL 2021 has been a letdown so far. With Anrich Nortje on the bench, his position was under the scanner. Just 3 wickets in the last 5 games, he came back with a 3/36 today. My moment of the day was Rabada taking Gayle’s stump out with a full-toss after Gayle had dispatched Rabada for a six.
Mayank Agarwal was the batsman of IPL 2020 although he got injured halfway through. After his form dropped from Test cricket, he was not looking like his own. Even though he was among the runs this year, the ball-striking and strike rate was not up to par. As stand-in captain for KL Rahul, he was back to his absolute best. 99* (58) pushed PBKS to a competitive score of 166.
Honorable Mention: Hetmyer’s finishes it off in style – 16* (4) with 2 sixes
T20 World Cup Spotlight: Shaw, Shikhar Shoe-In for the 23-Member Squad?
Prithvi Shaw has been single-handedly dismantling the opposition within the powerplay, while Shikhar Dhawan has been killing the opposition softly. Together, they have formed a deadly combination, both in the top 4 of top run-getters.
Dhawan is the orange cap: 380 runs, 54.28 average, 134.27 strike rate.
If the T20 World Cup happens, they should definitely make the squad now. The question is, do they make the XI? With Mumbai Indians trio Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar struggling for form, Dhawan-Shaw might be a wildcard opening entry rather than Sharma-Kohli. KL Rahul & Mayank Agarwal are the other options.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Dawid Malan
Nicholas Pooran was finally dropped for Dawid Malan. Malan already scored higher than Pooran in his six games – but the strike rate was concerning. 26 (26) with a few good looking shots and singles, but was bogged down. Where do things stand for him?
Ravi Bishnoi has pulled some blinders and have had some good games with the ball. After Harpreet got Prithvi Shaw out and Steve Smith slow to get off, PBKS had a sniff. Shikhar Dhawan had other plans as he destroyed Bishnoi. Ended with figures of 4-0-42-0.
Moments of The Day: What can Harpreet Brar not do?
Here are my moments of today:
KL Rahul is the poster-child of Bangalore. At PBKS, he has Mayank Agarwal, his best friend, as his opening partner. Add coach Anil Kumble & ex-RCB Chris Gayle to that list. He debuted for RCB in 2013 before moving to Punjab in 2018. Last year, he scored 132* against RCB and 91* today. An array of shots today, with a few scoops at the end as well. He has not been dismissed by them in the last couple of years. Basically, he loves RCB & Bangalore, whether that is for them or against them.
Chris Gayle produced his second match-winning knock of the season. Five fours in an over against Kyle Jamieson raised the momentum, which put Punjab’s run-rate in second gear. Ended with 46 (24) with 2 sixes.
Harpreet Brar was the star of the show. After Gayle’s storm, a mini-collapse took place. 118-5 in 14.4 overs. Harpreet Brar rebuilt and provided KL Rahul with much-needed support on the other end. At the end, he took finishing in his own hands with a quickfire 25* (17) with 2 sixes. The last ball six sent the dugout with the momentum they needed to inflict the damage with the ball.
Harpreet Brar, the bowler—Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, AB De Villiers. Bowled, bowled, caught. Double-wicket maiden. And a catch as well. Combined figures of Brar & Bishnoi: 8-1-36-3. Wow. Just Wow.
Honorable Mention: Ravi Bishnoi takes another blinder; Prabhsimran Singh’s shows intent; Glenn’s Maxwell stunned reaction; Meredith’s bowled
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Rajat Patidar & Virat Kohli
In a 9 an over required-rate, Kohli’s 35 (34) & Patidar’s 31 (30) was not up to par. Even AB De Villiers cannot rescue the team with a partnership worth 43 (46).
Harshal Patel is the purple cap of the season and had taken 17 wickets in 6 games. At this rate, he would be the highest wicket-taker in a season. Until this game, the 37-run Jadeja over was the only blot to his name. Today, the death bowling was not accurate and he conceded 53 runs without taking a wicket. Made it up with 31* (13). Helped RCB’s NRR by taking them from 96-7 to 145-8 with Kyle Jamieson’s help.
Cannot End this without Nicholas’ ‘Poor-Run.’ He has now bagged 0 (0), 0(1), 0(2), and 0(3). Quite a collection. Nicholas Pooran & his ducks:
IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!
KL Rahul – 331 runs (PBKS, 7 matches)
Harshal Patel – 17 wickets (RCB, 7 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Chennai Super Kings
7
5
2
0
10
+1.263
2. Delhi Capitals
7
5
2
0
10
+0.466
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
7
5
2
0
10
-0.171
4. Mumbai Indians
7
4
3
0
8
+ 0.062
5. Punjab Kings
7
3
4
0
6
-0.264
6. Kolkata Knight Riders
7
2
5
0
4
-0.494
7. Rajasthan Royals
6
2
4
0
4
-0.69
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad
6
1
5
0
2
-0.264
IPL 2021 Points Table
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
MI Vs PBKS– IPL 2021 Match #17 Quick Review! Ravi Bishnoi & Mohammad Shami set up the chase, and KL Rahul-Mayank Agarwal-Chris Gayle carried Punjab home.
Moments of The Day: Good Team Selection Key to PBKS’ Win
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
PBKS’ collective bowling performance the key to victory. The way Moises Henriques (3-0-12-0) & Deepak Hooda (3-0-12-1) began set the tone for Punjab’s disciplined bowling effort & got the 5th/6th bowler out of the way earlier. Bishnoi finally came back to the XI and delivered right away. Both Shami & Bishnoi had figures of 4-0-21-2.
KL Rahul & Mayank Agarwal– They delivered all throughout IPL 2020, but had been inconsistent in 2021, which lead to Punjab’s low scores of 106/8 and 120 recently. 53-run partnership today helped Punjab chase the tricky total. KL Rahul has received lots of criticism for “Strike rate is over-rated” comment, but today, slow-ish matured innings by KL & Gayle was exactly what Punjab needed. Strike rate is over-rated…in Chennai.
Rahul Chahar & Jayant Yadav – Mumbai took it close yet again due to the spinners. Chahar has been the best leg-spinner all IPL and was turning it square again. Figures of 4-0-19-1 (8 dot balls) & 4-0-20-0 (16 dot balls) for Chahar & Jayant respectively almost brought MI back in the game.
World T20 World Cup Spotlight: The Universe Boss Is Back
Chris Gayle was going through a lean phase with scores of 10, 11, & 15 with Dawid Malan looking over his shoulder. Despite a slow start today, he came back with 43* (35) with 2 sixes, in usual Gayle fashion on the 8th anniversary of his 175* against Pune Warriors. Mumbai Indians were choking oppositions at will in Chennai and run-a-ball with 3 overs to go was touch and go. Boult came in, & Gayle/Rahul finished it off with 14 balls to spare.
The 41-year-old Universe Boss should definitely be in the 23 men World T20 squad, shouldn’t he?
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Mumbai’s Batting Is Losing Its Grip
159/9, 152/10, 150/5, 137/9, 131/6 – Things are going from bad to worse for the Mumbai Indians, despite winning 2 without a single convincing batting performance.
The form of Ishan Kishan & Quinton de Kock will be a worry, specially since Chris Lynn went back to the bench after his 49. Except one score of 40, de Kock has scored 2, 2, & 3 respectively. Kishan’s 1 (3), 12 (21) , 26 (28) do not look any better and the miserly 6 (17) was the reason Mumbai scored only 21 runs in the 6-over Powerplay today.
Rohit Sharma & Suryakumar Yadav have done better overall, but neither have converted to the big scores after being set. Rohit’s 63 (52) was better today since he stayed till the 18th over, with 19, 43, 32, 44 earlier. SKY, similarly, has scores of 31, 56, 10, 24, & 33.
With 4 games in the slow pitches of Delhi to follow, MI are in dire need to change strategy…or personnel.
IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!
Shikhar Dhawan – 231 runs (DC, 4 matches)
Harshal Patel – 12 wickets (RCB, 4 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
4
4
0
0
8
+ 1.009
2. Chennai Super Kings
4
3
1
0
6
+1.142
3. Delhi Capitals
4
3
1
0
6
+0.426
4. Mumbai Indians
5
2
3
0
4
-0.032
5. Punjab Kings
5
2
3
0
4
-0.428
6. Sunrisers Hyderabad
4
1
3
0
2
-0.228
7. Kolkata Knight Riders
4
1
3
0
2
-0.7
8. Rajasthan Royals
4
1
3
0
2
-1.011
IPL 2021 Points Table
Tomorrow’s Preview
The bottom of the table clash: KKR Vs RR. Purple Vs Pink. Who you do think will win this one?
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
KKR Vs MI– IPL 2021 Match #5 Quick Review! The Mumbai Indians sure know how to win games & Kolkata Knight Riders sure know how to lose them. As a KKR fan, the ending was hard to watch. Great heist from MI nevertheless.
What Actually Happened: Collapse of Epic Proportions
Winner: MI won by 10 runs
Scores:MI152/10 VsKKR 142/7
Player of the Match: Rahul Chahar
Best Figures
Andre Russell – 5/15
Rahul Chahar – 4/27
Most Runs
Suryakumar Yadav 56 (36)
Nitish Rana 57 (47)
Moments of The Day: Rahul Chahar Turns The Game
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Andre Russell, the bowler had a dream of a game. Barely able to lift himself with all the injuries & muscle, he came up with figures of 5-15 in 2 overs. Cleaned up the tail pretty nicely.
Rahul Chahar turns the game, literally. Chahar was the catalyst of the collapse that turned 72-0 in 8.4 overs to 142/7 in 20. Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, & most importantly, the well set Nitish Rana. The ball that dismissed Tripathi was the ball of the tournament so far. Rana unnecessarily danced down the pitch (to Chahar’s last ball by the way) & Shakib threw it away back-to-back sent panic into the KKR dressing room. DK-Russell lost their natural games trying to preserve their wickets, and in the process, gifted MI the game.
Honorable Mentions:Bumrah’s 19th shows his class; Russell’s 2 dropped catches a blessing in disguise
T20 World Cup Watch: Suryakumar, Krunal Strengthen Their Cases
Given that the T20I World Cup is around the corner, and pandemic induced rules has changed the rules to 23-player squad, we will be analyzing the impact of each match on the T20I World Cup squad.
In a pitch where nobody got going, Suryakumar Yadavbatted beautifully – 56 (36) with 2 sixes. SKY is going from strength to strength after the India debut. He has a foot inside that World Cup squad.
The difference between the two sides was Krunal Pandya. From 126/7 in 17.3 overs, Krunal’s 15 (9) in 3 overs took MI to a respectable 152. When KKR were in a comfortable position, a miserly spell of 4-0-13-1 stalled KKR’s chase. He has been in-and-out of the T20I side, and this performance will just push him up the ladder.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: KKR Fans
The senior KKR batsman fail to live up to the hype. The strength of KKR was supposed to be their star-studded middle order—Eoin Morgan 9 (9), Dinesh Karthik 8* (11), Russell 9 (15), & Shakib 9 (9) this season. Yet, their only victories in the last two seasons have been due to Rana-Tripathi-Gill or Varun-Lockie.
DK not being able to finish the game & not even hitting a boundary was quite unlike him. Morgan hit one boundary, Shakib’s only 4 was an under edge against Rohit Sharma, & Russell’s only 4 was off of a free hit. Andre Russell, the batsman, has been especially disappointing over the last two seasons. 2019 apart and his contributions from the bat are minimal, especially with the likes of Lockie Ferguson & Ben Cutting on the sidelines.
Shah Rukh Khan summed it up perfectly.
Disappointing performance. to say the least @KKRiders apologies to all the fans!
Also hope Rohit Sharma is okay – twisted his ankle before his first ball. Ended up completing the over, but given his injury history, definitely a concern.
IPL 2021 Points Table
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table. We will keep updating it in every article!
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Delhi Capitals
1
1
0
0
2
+0.779
2. Mumbai Indians
2
1
1
0
2
+0.225
3. Punjab Kings
1
1
0
0
2
+ 0.2
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore
1
1
0
0
2
+0.05
5. Kolkata Knight Riders
2
1
1
0
0
0.00
6. Rajasthan Royals
1
0
1
0
0
-0.2
7. Sunrisers Hyderabad
1
0
1
0
0
-0.5
8.. Chennai Super Kings
1
0
1
0
0
-0.779
IPL 2021 Points Table
Tomorrow’s Preview
The Sunrisers Hyderabadtake on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. Who do you think will win this one?
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
