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England Vs New Zealand 2021 Test Series Review: England Needs to Self-Reflect After Conway’s Show

England Vs New Zealand 2021 Test Series Review – Short but good nevertheless.

Devon Conway & Will Young eased into Test cricket, New Zealand tried their options for the World Test Championship Final, and England lost some options as they gear up for the India series & the must awaited Ashes later this season.

Also Read: Alternative World Test Championship Points Table,New Zealand Vs England 2021 Test Series Preview

Results, Scorecards, & Video Highlights

A slightly boring draw and a New Zealand win to sum it up.

  1. Match Drawn*Devon Conway
    1. Video Highlights
  2. New Zealand Won by 8 wickets*Matt Henry
    1. Video Highlights

*Player of the Match

Series Stats

Player of the SeriesEngland
Devon Conway
New Zealand
Most RunsRory Burns – 238 runs
(best of 132, 59.50 average, 100s-1, 50s-1)
Devon Conway – 306 runs
(best of 200, 76.50 average, 100s-1, 50s-1
Most WicketsOllie Robinson – 7 wickets (1 match only)
Tim Southee – 7 wickets (1 match only)
(best innings – 6/43, best match – 7/80, 11.42 average)
England Vs New Zealand 2021 Series Stats

Highlights

England

England’s batting continues to go down hill after the 1st test against India. They have now lost 4 and drawn 1 in the past five Tests (2 at home, 4 away). All the hopes and dreams after away series wins in South Africa and Sri Lanka are crashing down quickly.

The Batting: England’s Batting Averages Just Not Good Enough

Jarrod Kimber analyzed England’s poor batting numbers this era quite nicely.

  • One of the highlights of Kimber’s analysis was Rory Burns has been a stable cog in this English lineup despite the poor numbers. He scored a brilliant ton and almost carried the bat in this series, which increased his Test average to 33.23 with 3 hundreds and 9 fifties. Not the best stats after 25 Tests, but the Sibley-Rory partnership has done a decent job in the past couple of years. Well, not quite Strauss-Cook, but the standards have been so low recently that a Burns century should be rightly celebrated.
  • Zak Crawley’s scores in this series—2 & 2, 0 & 17. Not good enough for a #3 batter at home. I hope England persist with him but he needs to meet them halfway, nothing of note since that 267.
  • Ollie Pope looks like Ian Bell, bats like Ian Bell, but I hope he starts converting like Ian Bell. Beautiful 20s and 30s can only get you so far—think James Vince (22 & 20*, 19 & 23 this series).

The batting averages of England’s main batters are far from impressive. Joe Root’s overall average is great, but has been struggling at home for quite a while now.

Rory Burns (33.23), Dom Sibley (30.78), Zak Crawley (29.33), Joe Root (48.68), Ollie Pope (31.50), Jos Buttler (34.53), Ben Stokes (37.04).

Suddenly, Joe Denly’s 29.53 with his infamous Denturies does not look that bad, does it?

The Nasser Hussain

Commentator Nasser Hussain did not mince any words in the post-series analysis, urging their batters to get back to basics and avoid funny techniques. The current England batters have the mindset that:

“Everyone else that has played the game in the history of the game. Viv Richards you were wrong. Everyone is wrong, we are right.”

– Nasser Hussain

Debutants & Fast Bowlers A Mixed Bag

  • Debutants Ollie Robinson & James Bracey had contrasting series. Although Robinson had a brilliant debut, both with the bat and bowl (highest wicket-taker for England in just 1 match), he was suspended from international cricket due to resurfacing controversial tweets. Poor Bracey had a tough debut series – 0, 0 & 8. Broken Dreams for both.
  • The senior fast bowlers were the only positives of the series. Mark Wood impressed…with the bat. He was among the wickets and consistently bowled his heart out as usual but his 41 & 29 in the 2nd Test showed England that the pitch does not contain any demons.
  • The old Stuart Broad showed up. In the 2nd Test, it seems that one of those spells was just around the corner. One of the bright lights in the series. Definitely got a couple more years left in him.
  • Jimmy Anderson was not as sharp this series, with just 3 wickets and averaging 68.66. Surpassed Alastair Cook as the most capped Test player for England-162 Tests. Take a bow.

New Zealand

The Debutants Star

  • In every series review, I highlight a couple of standout performers of the series. Guess what? In EVERY New Zealand series over the last year, Devon Conway has made the series headlines. T20I debut? Conquered. ODI debut? Check. Test debut at Lord’s? Double century and almost carries the bat. What else is there to say? 76.50 Test average, 75.00 ODI average, 59.12 T20I average. 1-200, 1-100, 4-50s in just 18 innings. Brilliant.
  • Will Young is continuing his good touch. Scored his maiden T20I fifty against Bangladesh recently and was picked in the 2nd Test after Williamson’s injury on the basis of a couple of centuries in County Cricket. Missed his century by 18 runs, but has finally found his feet in international cricket. He his here to stay.
  • Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, and Neil Wagner all impressed with whatever chances they got.
    • Henry picked 3/78 & 3/36 to bag the player of the match in the 2nd Test
    • Ajaz Patel’s control and guile were impressive with figures of 2/34 & 2/25.
    • Neil Wagner bowled line and length more than his usual bouncers. Not unplayable but impactful for sure. Should edge Kyle Jamieson/Matt Henry for the WTC Final spot.

Senior Pros Provide Solid Support

  • Tim Southee is gearing up to the WTC Final with a superb series. After having re-invented himself in T20Is this year, he has found his swing, line, & length again.
  • Ross Taylor, one of New Zealand’s greatest, justified that tagline with a 80 in the 2nd Test. The beauty of that innings was he was nowhere close to his best. Stuart Broad was beating his edge right and left, but he survived and capitalized later on. In contrast, England’s batting collapsed to 76-7 and none of the batters had the will to fight it out like Taylor did.
  • Unfortunately for BJ Watling, he suffered a minor back injury on the eve of the 2nd Test and missed out. Hope he is ready for his swansong in the World Test Championship final.

In addition to Rory Burns’ 81 in the 2nd Test, the only criticism for New Zealand I could find would be the lack of conversion for three batters (Conway 80, Young 82, Taylor 80).

AwardsEnglandNew Zealand
Emerging PlayerOllie RobinsonDevon Conway & Will Young
Surprise Package Mark Wood, the batsman Matt Henry & Ajaz Patel
Broken Cricket DreamOllie Robinson, Zak CrawleyBJ Watling
England Vs New Zealand 2021 Series Awards

Where Do They Go From Here?

New Zealand will be in the World Test Championship Final starting tomorrow.

Apart from the various leagues in the next few months which will keep the New Zealand players busy, the next international fixture is scheduled between 29th January-8th February 2022 for 3 ODIs & a T20I.

The English players have a long season ahead.

New Zealand Vs England 2021 Test Series Preview: Are Kiwis Prepared For Glory?

New Zealand Vs England 2021 Test Series Preview—an understated rivalry.

“Bowled ’em! Got him 3rd ball.”

“England have won the world cup by the barest of margins. By the barest of all margins.”

Scars from Starc’s dismissal of Brendon McCullum in the 2015 World Cup Final & Martin Guptill’s run-out in that Super Over still run deep. The Black Caps have lost the last two ODI World Cup finals, a Champions Trophy final (2009), and four semi-finals (2 T20I, 2 ODI) all within the last fifteen years.

Although South Africa are known as the perennial chokers, and India are the new holders of the tag after an underachieving decade, New Zealand are not that far behind. They have one more shot with a final at Lord’s with the World Test Championship against India. The real question is, are Kiwis prepared for glory?

Before we get ahead of ourselves, New Zealand have important couple of test matches against England as prep.

Also Read: Tribute to Ross Taylor, Why The World Needs Sam Curran?, Stories of Joe Denly & Joe Biden

When and Where?

Here are the dates and the venue for the New Zealand Vs England 2021 Test Series.

  1. New Zealand Vs England 1st Test: June 2nd-6th, London, Lord‘s,
  2. New Zealand Vs England 2nd Test: June 10th-14th, Birmingham, Edgbaston
  3. World Test Championship Final: June 18th-22nd, Southampton, Rose (Ageas) Bowl

Team Previews

I do not know about you, but I am very excited about this series. Since the abandonment of the IPL, there has been barely any international cricket.

This is not part of the World Test Championship (WTC) or the Future Tours Programme (FTC). This series has no-context on paper, but numerous interesting little stories running in the background nevertheless.

New Zealand – Conway’s Debut & Watling’s Retirement Talk of the Town

  • Devon Conway has to have one of the greatest cricketing stories in recent memory. Not able to get into the secondary club teams in South Africa 5 years ago, he is now about to get a Test debut at Lord’s. Sold everything in South Africa, churned a mountain runs in New Zealand’s first class system, and has been rewarded accordingly. The result?
    • 14 T20Is, 4-50s, best of 99*, 59.12 average, 151.11 SR
    • 3 ODIs, 1-100, 1-50, best of 126, 75.00 average, 88.23 SR
    • Tough luck for Tom Blundell (2-100s & 2-50s in just 16 innings) & Will Young (couple of county tons coming into the series)
  • BJ Watling, one of the greatest wicketkeepers of recent times & definitely for New Zealand, has decided to hang up his boots. Brilliant behind the stumps, and known for his ‘rescue acts.’ A daddy hundred or two from tough situations in the next three Tests will go a long way.
  • New Zealand has a wealth of allrounders. Daryl Mitchell’s last outing in international cricket has been a positive one – 100* (ODI) & 102* (Tests). Expect him to slot in the XI even though Colin de Grandhomme is back in the squad (with a great hairdo as well I shall add) & Mitchell Santner is always a valuable asset.
  • Although New Zealand now have a well balanced squad and great depth, the big guns will still need to fire—Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Tom Latham, captain Kane Williamson, & veteran Ross Taylor.

England – What do England have to Gain from this Series?

  • With Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, the Currans, Chris Woakes, & Jofra Archer (elbow surgery) out due to IPL quarantine, the entire lower-middle order will be missing in action. This will provide the England management to test their depth. Debuts for keeper James Bracey & fast bowler Ollie Robinson on the cards, with the likes of Olly Stone, Craig Overton, and comeback kid, Haseeb Hameed, on the sidelines.
  • Jimmy Anderson is poised to play his 161st Test match, joint-highest for England along with Sir Alastair Cook. Eight wickets away from a monumental 1000 first class wickets, 5 wickets away from Anil Kumble‘s 619, and 94 wickets to Shane Warne, it might well be a season of records for Anderson.
  • Joe Root has had a stellar Test year with 794 runs & 3 tons, including a couple of daddy hundreds in Sri Lanka & India. Can he back it up with a home season of the ages?
  • Burns-Sibley-Crawley against New Zealand’s swing bowlers—The opening combination was under a bit of fire in Asia, but it will not get any easier against Southee-Henry-Jamieson-de Grandhomme-Mitchell-Wagner.
  • Partial crowds (around 25%) are back at Lord’s. Good news for cricket fans, and hope things remain safe for time to come.

Prediction

Verdict: New Zealand win 1-0

EnglandNew Zealand
Player of the Series/MVPZak CrawleyHenry Nicholls
Most RunsZak CrawleyRoss Taylor
Most WicketsStuart BroadTim Southee
Emerging PlayerOllie RobinsonWill Young
Surprise PackageJames Bracey (WK)Daryl Mitchell/ Colin de Grandhomme
New Zealand Vs England 2021 Test Series Predictions

Kiwis have an upper hand, but do not count England out. Both teams are filled with great fast bowling talent, but New Zealand’s all-round & batting has the edge.

I am going with New Zealand 1-0. A closely fought first game, with New Zealand narrowly winning & holding England to at least a draw in the second match.

What about you? Let us know in the comments below!

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My Starting XIs

These are my starting XI for the first Test (assuming everyone is available in terms of COVID and injuries).

New Zealand

  1. Tom Latham, 2. Tom Blundell, 3. Kane Williamson*, 4. Ross Taylor, 5. Henry Nicholls, 6. BJ Watling*, 7. Daryl Mitchell, 8. Kyle Jamieson, 9. Tim Southee, 10. Matt Henry, 11. Neil Wagner

England

  1. Rory Burns, 2. Dom Sibley, 3. Zak Crawley, 4. Joe Root*, 5. Ollie Pope, 6. Dan Lawrence, 7. James Bracey (WK), 8. Ollie Robinson, 9. Stuart Broad, 10. Jack Leach, 11. James Anderson

*captain

The Squads

These are the other options in the squads.

New Zealand: (All-Rounders) 12. Colin de Grandhomme, 13 Mitchell Santner, (Batters) 14. Will Young, 15. Devon Conway (WK), 16. Rachin Ravindra, (Fast Bowlers) 17. Matt Henry, 18. Doug Bracewell, 19. Jacob Duffy, (Spinners), 20. Ajaz Patel

*Trent Boult will be available for the World Test Championship final, but is resting for the England series.

England: (Fast Bowlers) 12. Mark Wood, 13. Olly Stone, 14. Craig Overton, (Batters) 15. Haseeb Hameed, 16. Sam Billings (WK), (Withdrawn) Ben Foakes (WK)

Copyright (2021: 6/1/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

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Ross Taylor, An Underrated Cricketer Who Was A Giant Among New Zealand’s Greatest Generation

Today I want to reflect upon the career of one of my all-time favorite players, Ross Taylor. We will discuss it all—the achievements, the struggles, my favorite memories, and ultimately what we can learn from him.

But you ask, why am I talking about Ross Taylor all of a sudden?

Well for once, he has been in the news recently.

Ross Taylor still has a few years of international cricket left in him, but these events just highlight that the ending is closer rather than later.

It is the beginning of the end for the greatest Kiwi generation.

Also Read: Who Are the Most Underrated Cricketers?

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New Zealand Cricket’s Greatest Generation

New Zealand cricket is now a powerhouse. Across the three formats, their record is spectacular:

  1. Semi-finalists: 2007 & 2011 ODI World Cup; 2007 & 2016 T20 World Cups
  2. Runners-Up: 2009 Champions Trophy; 2015 & 2019 ODI World Cup finals
  3. Finalists: Inaugural World Test Championship Final

This is surely New Zealand’s greatest cricketing generation, and great teams are built upon the contributions of exceptional individuals.

Post the Martin Crowe era, New Zealand’s performances were inconsistent until the Stephen Fleming generation. With a side consisting of Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, and the feisty Brendon McCullum, the Black Caps began to generate consistent performances.

Fast forward fifteen years, New Zealand have transformed from a team that ‘perennially punches-above-their-weight’ to serious ‘contenders.’

The Brendon McCullum-Kane Williamson generation has unearthed heroes like ODI double centurion Martin Guptill, superman Grant Elliot, American-bound Corey Anderson, steadiness of Tom Latham & Henry Nicholls, the all-round power of Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, & the Mitchells (Daryll and Santner), spin-guile of Ish Sodhi, and the depth with incoming youngsters like Conway-Phillips-Will Young-Tim Seifert-Tom Blundell.

From the land of dibbly-dobblies to the genuine pace regime consisting of Southee-Boult-Henry-Jamieson-Wagner-Ferguson-Milne, the transformation is complete.

One man was a constant that connected the Fleming and Williamson generations. From the promising youngster in 2006 to the calm senior in 2021, across 4 ODI World Cups, he has seen it all. The name is Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor, the second cricketer of Samoan descent to play for New Zealand.

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The Stats – The Best #4 ODI Batsman of All-Time

When things are all said and done, Taylor will go down as the best #4 ODI batsman of all time.

InningsRunsBestAverageSR10050+
#4 (ODIs)1797664181*52.1383.471965
Ross Taylor at #4

To put this in perspective, at #4, Taylor has the (1) most runs, (2) most centuries, (3) most 50+ scores, (4) second highest individual score after Vivian Richards’ 189*, and (5) second highest average after AB De Villiers of course (with at least 100 ODIs).

His international career as a whole is not that bad either.

MatchesRunsBestAverageSR100s50s
Tests105737929045.8359.801934
ODIs2338581181*48.2082.412151
T20Is10219096326.15122.3707
Ross Taylor’s career stats

Taylor’s career can be broken down into three phases—(1) swashbuckling slog-sweeper, (2) responsible middle order batsman, (3) and absolute world dominator.

His averages between 2017-2020: 60.50, 91.28, 55.47, 99.00. 6 hundreds, 19 fifties. Brilliant.

Ross Taylor Records In a Nutshell

Overall

  • 1st cricketer to play 100+ matches in each international format.
  • 3rd most catches combined (340) behind only Mahela Jayawardene & Ricky Ponting

New Zealand

  • Most capped player (440) for New Zealand across formats
  • Highest run scorer, most hundreds, and most fifties for New Zealand in ODIs
  • Highest run scorer in Tests, second most hundreds after Kane Williamson

Individual

  • 3 double centuries in Tests
  • 3 consecutive ODI centuries – 112* Vs India, 102 Vs India, 105* Vs Pakistan (2014)
  • 6 consecutive ODI fifties – 181*, 80, 86*, 54, 90, 137 (2018-19) Vs England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
  • 5 ODI centuries Vs England

New Zealand Cricket Awards

  • Sir Richard Hadlee Award: 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2019-2020
  • ODI Player of the Year: 2010-11, 2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19
  • Test Player of the Year: 2012-13, 2013-14
  • T20I Player of the Year: 2019-2020
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The Beginning

He burst onto the scene in 2006, scoring an unbeaten 128 against Sri Lanka in only his 3rd ODI. He debuted in Test cricket a year later and found success in 2008 against his favorite opponent, England. Taylor would score 120 in Hamilton against them and 154* at Manchester later in the year.

My First Memory

My first memory of Ross Taylor was in that magnificent 2006-07 series vs Australia, one of the best ODI series of that era. The Kiwis whitewashed Australia 3-0 scoring 340 & 350 respectively in successful chases. These were the days where chasing 270 was considered a difficult task.

Taylor was the architect of the 2nd ODI, scoring 117 to go along with a brilliant diving catch at Eden Park.

Early IPL Career

Next came IPL 2009. I was already a fan of the 2009 RCB team – stalwarts Rahul Dravid & Anil Kumble, Robin Uthappa, and youngsters Manish Pandey & Virat Kohli. Finisher Ross Taylor just took RCB to the next level, one of their key players taking Royal Challengers Bangalore to their first final.

His best IPL innings was the 81*(33) Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Kolkata Knight Riders. Coincidentally, Taylor’s 81* overpowered countrymen Brendon McCullum’s 84*.

At the halfway stage, the required rate hovered around 11. What came next was pure genius. With 52 needed off 24, Taylor unleashed five slog-sweeping sixes against the likes of fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Ajit Agarkar. RCB won by 4 balls to spare. He would play a couple of more cameos in 2009, including a player of the match performance in the Champions League.

In the next few seasons, Taylor would play steady knocks for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, but his T20 form never reached the heights of that 2009 season again.

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Best Moments

Birthday Special – 2011 Cricket World Cup

One of Taylor’s sweetest moments came on his 27th birthday in the 2011 Cricket World Cup at Pallekele, when Kamran Akmal’s dropped catches and an array of full tosses literally gifted him a memorable birthday present.

He would make the most of this opportunity. After slowly rebuilding to 69* (108), what followed was carnage. He ended up scoring 131* (124) with 7 sixes. Carving away off-side yorkers, slogging leg-sided deliveries into the stand, and thrashing Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, and Shahid Afridi, this was Taylor at his best. In the last six overs, NZ scored 114 and gave Pakistan their only loss of the group stage.

Apart from that mild altercation with the South African team in the quarterfinals, it was a pretty decent tournament for the Kiwis.

A Double Century To Remember

Taylor was going through a lean patch in 2014-2015. Although he had a few 30s and 40s, questions were being asked on his place in the Test squad. On a flat track in Perth (when does that ever happen?), Taylor made the most of his opportunities, scoring a brilliant 290 & 36* with a 265-run partnership with Kane Williamson. That would be the end of Mitchell Johnson’s career.

Best Innings

Ross Taylor saved his best (thus far) against England at Dunedin in 2018. Chasing 336, New Zealand were reduced to 2-2 in 3 overs. Then he mastered a chase….on one leg.

That’s right.

When Taylor was 107, he ran for a two and dove to reach the crease in time. In the process, he injured himself. New Zealand still needed 116 from 13 overs. Since he could not run twos, for the last ten overs it was all stand-and-deliver stuff. The fact that he stayed in and remained unbeaten just blows my mind.

With healthy support from Williamson, de Grandhomme, and Henry Nicholls as well as a 187-run partnership with Tom Latham, NZ’s third highest successful run chase (after that 2006-07 Australia series) was complete. Following tradition, it was a day before his 34th birthday.

Here are some of the commentary clips from Taylor’s innings. Just dominated all across the park.

Pull over long leg… Swung over long on… Flicked… Slaps it to point boundary…Swats it powerfully…Beats deep square… Carts it over deep mid-wicket… Over backward point… Beats third man… Conventional sweep… Through extra cover! Out of the ground.

Definitely a candidate for the best ODI innings in a chase of all-time. Epic.

My favorite Taylor innings by far.

India Vs New Zealand 2019

One criticism of this New Zealand generation is not being able to lift the elusive trophy after seven ICC knockouts opportunities in the last 15 years.

Taylor himself had not played a match defining innings in a high-profile game apart from a few steady 40s here and there (I believed in the 2015 World Cup Final when Elliot-Taylor had ‘rescued’ NZ to 150 in 35 overs. In came James Faulkner for the final powerplay, dismissed Taylor off the first ball, and took the game away. Dreams crushed.)

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup semi-final, he finally came to the party. 74 (90) might not seem too much, but in the context of a slow pitch & disciplined bowling attacks, this was a precious little innings, keeping NZ’s middle order together.

Unfortunate that his innings ended with a direct hit from Ravindra Jadeja, but by then, NZ had pushed to a competitive total.

A Word On the Williamson-Taylor Partnership

Speaking of run-outs, Kane Williamson & Ross Taylor. The best number #3-4 pair of the decade, but not so good between the wickets.

With the exception of McCullum-Guptill, New Zealand have often rotated through their openers resulting in frequent top-order collapses and slow starts. This brings in Taylor and Williamson in the game to do what they do best—read the situation, soak in the pressure, nudge it for singles and doubles, dab down to third man, flick it off the hip.

Next thing you know, the innings is halfway done, wickets are in hand, and the acceleration has begun. Standard Williamson-Taylor template.

The thing is they seem to do it over and over….and over…again. Astonishing consistency.

The Struggles

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Captaincy

At the peak of his batting form, Ross Taylor was handed captaincy after an interview process, narrowly edging out Brendon McCullum. His two year tenure ended unceremoniously. Post a disastrous 2012 T20 World Cup and a tour of Sri Lanka, Taylor was sacked unceremoniously as captain from all three formats, without proper communication, especially from coach Mike Hesson. Putting this aside, he fought through and scored 142 & 74 against Sri Lanka.

He took a break from the game and skipped the subsequent tour of South Africa. New Zealand folded for 45 against Steyn-Philander-Morne Morkel and lost the first test by an innings and 27 runs. This match would be the catalyst for McCullum to compete in an ultra aggressive approach that catapulted them to the 2015 World Cup final. Taylor was selected back into the side as the trio put their differences aside.

However, as McCullum writes in his book Declared, the incident “gouged a rift between us that will probably never heal.” Taylor himself states that the top job probably “came a couple of years before I was ready.”

Eye Surgery

The 290 at the WACA is special, but you know what is more special? Scoring that many runs against the pace of Josh Hazlewood & the Mitchells—Johnson, Starc, Marsh without a functioning eye.

He had to have a surgery in 2016 to remove the pterygium in his eye. This probably gave him that extra bit of timing that sparked the second wind in his career and elongated his career.

Martin Crowe

Apart from being a Black Cap legend and a critical thinker of the game, Martin Crowe was a mentor to the current crop of players in the New Zealand side, especially Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor. Crowe lost a tough battle with cancer in 2016, which impacted them both tremendously. After Taylor went past Crowe’s all-time Test record and closed in on his 100th test, Taylor could not hold his tears back in a press conference.

In his own words, Crowe was “New Zealand’s best ever Test batsman, best ever cricketing brain, a genius, and someone that inspired thousands of Kiwis and thousands of people overseas as well.”

End of his T20 career?

Ross Taylor was dropped from the T20I squad last year due to scintillating performances from Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips. He needs to re-invent his T20 game if he has any chance of resurrecting his T20I career. Since the upcoming T20 World Cup allows a squad of 23, I think he might just find a place.

What We Can Learn From Ross Taylor & the New Zealand team?

New Zealand Cricket Team: Camaraderie & Team Spirit Galore

Why are the Kiwis everybody’s second favorite team? Is it just because of the 2019 World Cup Final and the obsession with captain Kane Williamson’s smile? Umm…maybe.

Or is it because of the talent among the group? Possibly. Maybe it is due to the aggressive approach installed by McCullum’s captaincy? Maybe, maybe not.

Above all, I believe it is the due to the camaraderie between the players in the New Zealand team. Although Kane Williamson is the star of the team, he acts just like a core member and nothing more. Tim Southee is happy to relinquish his place for in-form Matt Henry and instead take diving catches as a substitute fielder. BJ Watling is going out but has given his complete support to Tom Blundell, the next in line.

This is exactly what this New Zealand team is all about. Actually, this is what sport is about. Give it your all, play aggressively on the field, respect the opposition, live & die for each member of your team.

This quote below encapsulates the dynamic within the Black Caps unit.

Legendary NBA coach for the Chicago Bulls & Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson once said, “The strength of the team is each individual player. The strength of each member is the team.”

Source: 40 Awesome Team Player Quotes for Tomorrow’s Leader – Quotes Muse

Ross Taylor’s Legacy: Stable, Steady, Responsible

One of the most popular cricketing social media question is, “Is Ross Taylor the most underrated batsman of our era?” First of all, I am not a huge fan of these pointless clichés like ‘underrated,’ overrated,’ ‘unluckiest,’ etc., etc.

Anyway, in my books, Taylor will go down as one of the all-time greats of our game. To do what Taylor has done for how long he has done it is truly remarkable. It turns out that slow and steady actually does win you the race.

Will Ross Taylor be remembered as talented as Sir Vivian Richards or the recently retired with confirmation, AB De Villiers? Was he as technically adept as Williamson and the Fab 5? Did he have the exquisite timing of Hashim Amla or the free-flowing nature of Mohammad Yousuf?

It all depends on your point of view, but one thing is for certain—Taylor is the glue that kept New Zealand together for so many years.

What can you learn from his life and apply to yours?

  • Dependability – In case of a crisis, you could always depend on Ross Taylor. It might not pay off every time, but he had the uncanny ability of turning gloomy situations into positive ones. Not only as a batsman, his role as a trusted slip fielder as well.

Be dependable. Regardless of what is going around on you, internally or externally, try to weather the storm. Once you overcome the obstacle, lend out a hand and help someone else out in need.

  • Balance – Once Taylor rescued NZ from precarious situation, he knew when to accelerate and who to turn the strike to.

Be self-aware. Known your limitations and balance your life accordingly. Too much of anything is harmful. Learn how to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

  • Responsibility – Taylor curbed his natural gameplay and transformed from a slogger to an accumulator to suit his side’s needs. In order to accommodate the firepower at the top & the lower order, somebody needed to take the responsibility and be that insurance policy.

Be responsible. Sometimes giving up your own personal comfort for others around you is the way to go. Follow your dreams, but also combine it with a slight dose of practicality.

There is probably no better match than Ross Taylor & the New Zealand cricket team, or shall I say they are tailor-made for each other (bad joke, sorry 😅). His responsible character gelled perfectly into the team spirit.

What will I remember the most? The tongue celebration, his bent stance, hard bottom-hand grip, the slog sweeps, and the numerous partnerships, and the calm demeanor.

I will leave you with a smiling picture of Ross Taylor. Because why not.

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Ross Taylor Videos

  1. 181* Vs England

2. 290 Vs Australia (WACA)

3. Ross Taylor Vs Pakistan (2011 Cricket World Cup)

3. Leg Side Sixes

4. 25 Questions With Ross Taylor (ESPN Cricinfo)

5. Fastest Century by a BLACKCAP (until Brendon McCullum 2016) – 81 ball century vs Australia (2010)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Who Is the best player in New Zealand?

When things are all said and done, Kane Williamson will probably be regarded as the greatest New Zealand batsman of all time.
Yet, for New Zealand cricket to get to this point, players like Martin Crowe, Ross Taylor, Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, and Brendon McCullum, have played their parts.Photo of Ross Taylor, New Zealand's great cricketer

How Good is the New Zealand Cricket Team?

Ranked #1 in ODIs, #2 in Tests, and #3 in T20Is according to the latest ICC rankings (2021), the New Zealand cricket team is definitely one of the best going around. The fact that they have qualified for 8 different semi-finals or finals in the last 15 years across the formats makes this generation of New Zealand team one of their bests ever.

Is Ross Taylor an Underrated Cricketer?

Ross Taylor is one of the unsung heroes of New Zealand cricket, but he will go down as one of the all-time greats of our game. To do what Taylor has done for how long he has done it is truly remarkable. It turns out that slow and steady does actually win you the race.

What makes Ross Taylor such a special cricketer?

Taylor’s ability to read the situation makes him such a special cricketer. Knows exactly when to attack and when to soak in the pressure.

What was Taylor’s highest score in one day cricket?

Taylor’s highest score is 181* in a run-chase in Dunedin (2018) against England.
Second highest score in a successful run chase.

What is Ross Taylor’s Birthday?

Ross Taylor was born on March 8th, 1984 (8/27/1984).

Why does Ross Taylor stick his tongue out when he scores a century?

Taylor’s unique celebration can be credited to his daughter, Mackenzie. It is a tradition that started during his ODI hundred against Australia in 2007 and “made her happy.” He continues his famous tongue-poking celebration to this day and even passed on the tradition to his son, Jonty.

Tribute to Other Cricket Legends

Thank you all for reading! Really appreciate it.

If you like these stories about cricket legends, check these some of my earlier featured articles below:

  1. Rahul Dravid: What Rahul Dravid Taught Me?
  2. MS Dhoni & SK Raina: Retirement: An End of an Era
  3. Shakib-Rahim-Iqbal-Mortaza-Mahmudullah: Why Shakib And Co Are the True Fab 5 of this Era?
  4. Lasith Malinga: The Slinga, Slayer, and Superstar
  5. Ellyse Perry: What Can Ellyse Perry Not do?
  6. Dean Jones: A Celebration of Life
  7. AB De Villiers & Faf Du Plessis: Can Faf Fulfill the Broken Dream of ABD?
  8. Umar Gul: The Magician With the Yorker
  9. Sam Curran: Why the World Needs Same Curran: Calm, Charismatic, Courageous
  10. Joe Denly & Joe Biden: The Importance of Being Joe
  11. Nicholas Pooran: A Story of Pain, Hope, & Inspiration: The Next Big Thing of West Indies & World Cricket

5/18/2021Copyright – @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Image Courtesy: Ross TaylorChubby Chandru, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

IPL 2021 Kolkata Knight Riders Preview: Can Shakib & Captain Morgan Turn KKR’s Fate?

Time for Kolkata Knight Riders Preview.

If you were a Kolkata Knight Riders supporter last year (like I was), it was a very tough season to follow. A great squad, but did not get going AT ALL.

New IPL edition, different fate for KKR? With Harbhajan Singh and Shakib Al Hasan, the steal of the auction, can KKR spin to the title? Will they make amends this year and not make too many changes?

What do you think? Does KKR have a shot? Here are my thoughts.

Also Read: IPL 2021 Auctions Review, KKR All Time XI

IPL History

2012, 2014 – (Champions), 2017, 2018 – (3rd), 2011, 2016 – (4th)

How Did They Do Last Year?

5th. Two seasons in a row, KKR have lost out on net run-rate. Never convincing last year, managed to pull victory out of jaws of defeat.

  • The much hyped finishing trio of Dinesh Karthik-Eoin Morgan-Andre Russell did not materialize. Brendon McCullum’s infamous notebook & lack of clarity on their position contributed to the underwhelming year. Oh and the DK-Morgan captaincy switch mid-tournament did not help at all.
  • The story of the year was Varun Chakravarthy. An architect whose cricket dreams were broken finally found fame with match winning performances. He was even selected for an international cap, but fitness issues kept him back.

Injury News

Gurkeerat Singh Mann replaces Rinku Singh, who suffered a knee injury. Captain Eoin Morgan also suffered a split webbing in the India vs England series, but is hopeful to be ready by the first match.

Complete Kolkata Knight Riders Squad

Batsman: Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, , Rahul Tripathi

WK: Sheldon Jackson, Dinesh Karthik

Fast Medium: Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Vaibhav Arora

Spinners: Harbhajan Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy

All-Rounders: Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pawan Negi, Venkatesh Iyer

Overseas: Eoin Morgan*, Pat Cummins, Ben Cutting, Lockie Ferguson, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Tim Seifert (WK), Shakib Al Hasan

Withdrawn: Rinku Singh (Injured)

Predicted KKR XI

  1. Shubman Gill, 2. Rahul Tripathi/Karun Nair, 3. Nitish Rana, 4. Shakib Al Hasan5. Dinesh Karthik (WK), 6. Eoin Morgan (C), 7. Andre Russell/ Ben Cutting8. Pat Cummins/ Lockie Ferguson, 9. Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Pawan Negi, 10.Varun Chakravarthy, 11. Prasidh Krishna

Watch Out For

  • Prasidh Krishna. An international cap can definitely raise confidence of a player. Will we see a Prasidh Krishna 2.0 in IPL 2021? With a lack of Indian fast bowlers in the squad, he has to carry the burden on his shoulders.
  • With their first three games in Chennai, don’t be surprised if KKR picks the experienced Harbhajan SinghShakib Al Hasan instead of pace duo of Pat Cummins-Lockie Ferguson. If Shakib can occupy a spot in the top order, then the finishing strength of KKR can finally showcase their abilities.
  • Can KKR manage to play both Russell and Ben Cutting, especially at Bangalore? With so many international stars in the line up, Ben Cutting might not make everybody’s foreign 4, but can hit the ball a long, long way.

Where Can Things Go Wrong For the Knight Riders?

  • Plain & Simple. Get the XI right, go to the qualifiers. Keep shuffling and create a ‘fluid middle order, ‘ and get stuck in the middle of the points table.
  • Maybe one way to go is to have different XIs per venue. Have a spin-filled lineup for Chennai (Pawan Negi, Varun, Kuldeep, Harbhajan, Shakib the options) and pack it with pace in Mumbai (Cummins, Lockie, Ben Cutting, Russell, Mavi, Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier the options).

Venues & Fixtures

Venues

Bangalore- 5, Ahmedabad – 4, Mumbai – 3, Chennai – 2

Fixtures

  • 11 April: SRH vs KKR (Chennai)
  • 13 April: KKR vs MI (Chennai)
  • 18 April: RCB vs KKR (Chennai)
  • 21 April: KKR vs CSK (Mumbai)
  • 24 April: RR vs KKR (Mumbai)
  • 26 April: PBKS vs KKR (Ahmedabad)
  • 29 April: DC vs KKR (Ahmedabad)
  • 3 May: KKR vs RCB (Ahmedabad)
  • 8 May: KKR vs DC (Ahmedabad)
  • 10 May: MI vs KKR (Bangalore)
  • 12 May: CSK vs KKR (Bangalore)
  • 15 May: KKR vs PBKS (Bangalore)
  • 18 May: KKR vs RR (Bangalore)
  • 21 May: KKR vs SRH (Bangalore)
  • 25 May: Qualifier 1 (Ahmedabad)
  • 26 May: Eliminator (Ahmedabad)
  • 28 May: Qualifier 2 (Ahmedabad)
  • 30 May: Final (Ahmedabad)

Prediction

The scheduling will benefit KKR this season. If they can capitalize on their first three games in Chennai, they will have 5 games at the Chinnaswamy at the backend. Opposition beware. Sixes galore with this lineup.

Prediction3rd
Most Runs Shubman Gill
Most WicketsPrasidh Krishna
Emerging PlayerKamlesh Nagarkoti to get a full season?
Surprise PackageHarbhajan Singh
X FactorShakib Al Hasan
Broken Cricket DreamDinesh Karthik, the finisher – Can he make India’s World Cup squad of 23? Or have we seen the last of DK in Indian clothing?
Kolkata Knight Riders Preview Predictions

What do you think of the Kolkata Knight Riders Preview? Your First XI? Will they make the IPL 2021 qualifiers?

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Copyright (2021: 4/3/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

India Vs England Series Review T20I & ODI 2021: India’s Young Brigade Strikes Once Again

India Vs England Series Review. The most anticipated limited overs series of the year—#1 England vs #2 India.

Did the series live up to the hype? Not quite. Except the Sam Curran game, none of the games went down to the wire, but there were plenty of talking points regardless:

  • 40 is the new 50 feat Jason Roy
  • Debutants Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Liam Livingstone, & Prasidh Krishna storm the international arena
  • Shardul Thakur is the new Liam Plunkett
  • The power game of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, & Ben Stokes is second to none
  • Umpiring – Nitin Menon’s brilliance & soft signals’ ignorance

Here are the series stats, video highlights, winners & losers, and emerging players. Read till the end for World T20I Squad Predictions and some Dinesh Karthik content.

Also Read: India Vs England Test Series Review

Stats, Scorecards & Video Highlights – India Vs England

T20I Series: India Win 3-2

  1. England won by 8 wickets *Jofra Archer
  2. India won by 7 wickets *Ishan Kishan
  3. England won by 8 wickets *Jos Buttler
  4. India won by 8 runs *Suryakumar Yadav
  5. India won by 36 runs *Bhuvneshwar Kumar

* Player of Match

T20I Series Stats

Player of SeriesIndia
Virat Kohli
England
Most RunsVirat Kohli – 231 runs
(best of 80*, 50s -3, 147.13 SR)
Jos Buttler – 172 runs
(best of 83*, 50s -2, 147.00 SR)
Most WicketsShardul Thakur – 8 wickets
(best of 3/42, 9.69 economy)
Jofra Archer – 7 wickets
(best of 4/33, 7.75 economy)
India Vs England Series 2021 – T20I Stats

ODI Series: India Win 2-1

  1. India won by 66 runs *Shikhar Dhawan
  2. England won by 6 wickets *Jonny Bairstow
  3. India won by 7 runs *Sam Curran

* Player of Match

ODI Series Stats

Player of SeriesIndiaEngland
Jonny Bairstow
Most RunsKL Rahul – 177 runs
(best of 108, 100-1, 50-1, 88.50 average, 101.14 SR)
Jonny Bairstow – 219 runs
(best of 124, 100-1, 50s-1, 73.00 average, 120.32 SR)
Most WicketsShardul Thakur – 7 wickets
(best of 4/67, 22.57 average, 6.72 economy)
Mark Wood – 5 wickets
(best of 3/34, 21.80 average, 6.41 economy)
India Vs England Series 2021 – ODI Stats

The Highlights

India

  • The highest wicket-taker across both the ODIs & T20Is from both sides, Shardul Thakur has been a revelation over the last few months. After his match-winning contribution at the Gabba, he has contributed in almost every match, either as a power hitter down the order or with important wickets. Only fitting that Ajit Agarkar (with 288 wickets on his name) was on-commentary during some of Thakur’s spells.
  • India’s young brigade—Ishan Kishan began with a solid 56, Suryakumar Yadav 57 (with one-legged six for first shot), and Krunal Pandya scored India’s fastest debutant 50. The lanky Prasidh Krishna was my pick of the lot. Expensive in his first spells but came back with figures of 4/54 & 2/58. Great spirit! Add Shreyas Iyer’s stable performances, Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form in the ODIs, & Virat Kohli’s consistency, this Indian line up looks really solid. Even without Kohli’s elusive 71st ton.
  • The old Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back. Bhuvi’s economy of 4.65 in a high scoring series & KL Rahul’s 62* & 108 in the ODIs (after 0,0,1, 14 in the T20Is) hold well for India. Maybe KL in the middle order is the way to go with Kohli-Rohit opening in the T20Is.
  • Middle overs bowling is a concern for India. Since the break of Kuldeep-Chahal, neither have been convincing. Time for Kuldeep to go back to first class cricket or a county cricket stint. R Ashwin limited overs comeback?

Also Read: Top 75 Players in India, India’s Depth: A Blessing or a Curse?

England

  • Jonny Bairstow & Jason Roy were the reason behind England’s rise & 2019 WC victory, but both had questions over the place over the last few months.
    • Bairstow, the Test batsman, had scores of 0,0, 28 & 0.
    • Bairstow, the limited overs batsman, is something else. First full over – 2 sixes to Chahal. Regained confidence in the T20I and came to the fore in the ODIs with 94 & 124. Except for the ill-timed shot in the first ODI, good signs for England
    • Roy’s the new Root: 49, 46, 9, 40, 0, 46, 55, & 14. After a poor 2020, finally good to have the old Roy back, but needs to convert more often.
  • Mark Wood was my player of the series based on his commitment. The highest wicket taker for England in the ODIs, he bowled his heart out. In the last ODI, he was visibly under the weather but kept bowling at 141+ kph. To add the cherry to the cake, he stayed in the game in that 60 (61) partnership with Sam Curran.
  • Let us talk about the player who was not here (and no, I am not talking about Alex Hales, whose window for return may have opened). Liam Plunkett has been sorely missed since he was dumped post World Cup victory. Tom Curran & Chris Jordan have been expensive across both the formats, and Adil Rashid has only been successful in his new Powerplay position. England can definitely chase 350+, but without Plunkett, they are consistently giving away that many runs.

Also Read: Top 50 Players in England, Why the World Needs Sam Curran?

Squad Predictions – World T20 World Cup

Here is my World T20 XI for India as of now:

India Squad

  1. Virat Kohli*, 2. Rohit Sharma/Ishan Kishan, 3. Suryakumar Yadav/Shreyas Iyer, 4. KL Rahul, 5. Rishabh Pant (WK), 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Washington Sundar, 9. Shardul Thakur, 10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11. Jasprit Bumrah/ T Natarajan

Squad: 12. Rahul Chahar/ Yuzvendra Chahal, 13. Shreyas Iyer, 14. Mohammad Shami, 15. Deepak Chahar, 16. Krunal Pandya/ Axar Patel

Wildcards: Navdeep Saini/Mohammad Siraj/ Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tewatia/ Varun Chakravarthy, Manish Pandey/Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik

England Squad

  1. Jason Roy, 2. Jos Buttler (WK), 3. Dawid Malan, 4. Jonny Bairstow, 5. Eoin Morgan*, 6. Ben Stokes, 7. Sam Curran, 8. Moeen Ali, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Adil Rashid, 11. Mark Wood

Squad: 12. Sam Billings, 13. Liam Livingstone, 14. Tom Curran/Chris Jordan/Saqib Mahmood/Reece Topley, 15. Joe Root/Joe Denly

Wildcards: Chris Woakes, Alex Hales, Tom Banton, James Vince, Liam Dawson, Matt Parkinson, Lewis Gregory, Liam Plunkett

Moments of the Series

  • Sam Curran‘s 95* in the final game was the highlight of the series. The make things happen guy had not done much of note for the entire series, but showed his worth in the final ODI dismissing the dangerous Rishabh Pant and displaying his finishing game.

Oh and by the way, my tweet right before the Pant wicket. All he needed was this tweet. You’re welcome Sam Curran fans.

The Awards: Emerging Players & Surprise Package

  • People’s Choice Award: Dinesh Karthik’s analysis & shirts on Sky Sports
  • The Umpiring Award: Nitin Menon’s umpiring received wide social media praise.
  • The Umpiring Anti-Award: Soft-signal (we know it is bad when this rule is dropped from the IPL). This rule received strong criticism after Suryakumar Yadav’s catch by Dawid Malan was deemed out on soft signal (although camera angles were inconclusive).
India England
Emerging PlayersKohli-Rohit T20I opening

Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
Liam Livingstone
Surprise Package‘Intent’Sam Curran, the finisher
Broken Cricket DreamShreyas Iyer, Kuldeep YadavEoin Morgan (injured), Tom Curran & Chris Jordan’s economy rate
India Vs England Series 2021 – Awards

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Where Do They Go From Here?

The two of the most anticipated major tournaments of recent times coming up—and no, I am not talking about the 2020 & 2021 Men’s World T20 World Cup.

I am talking about IPL 2021 & The Hundred. Jofra Archer will miss the IPL to have surgery & recover from injury on his right hand.

New Zealand tour England for two Tests in June followed by India Vs New Zealand for the World Test Championship final. Oh and if you did not have enough of watching these two teams, India tour England for 5 Tests in August-September.

Copyright (2021: 3/29/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Image Courtesy: Virat KohliNAPARAZZI, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Indian Cricket’s Abundance of Talent: A Blessing or a Curse?

All that glitters is gold, at least for this Indian cricket team.

36 All out? Bruised bodies? Losing the first match of a series? No matter the obstacle, this team has risen to the challenge. Grit, fearlessness, and resilience all on display in the Australia & England series.

One of the hallmarks of this success has been India’s marvelous bench strength. Yet, too much of anything is bad. Michael Atherton sums it up perfectly“Depths of talent can be both a blessing and a curse.”

The Blessing

Ishan Kishan hits a 50 on debut. Suryakumar Yadav pulls his first ball for a one-legged six and scores a 50 as well. Rahul Chahar impresses. Prasidh Krishna picks 4 wickets on ODI debut. Krunal Pandya caps it off with the fastest debutant half century.

Sundar, Gill, Thakur, Natarajan, and Siraj all came to the party in Australia. The list goes on and on.

It seems that for every Ravindra Jadeja, there is an Axar Patel & Krunal Pandya. In fact, India has a production line of 75 players & can even field four teams at the same time. They are reaping rewards of systems created by the IPL, India U-19, & India A (courtesy Rahul Dravid).

The Curse

Recent successes cannot hide the cracks beneath the surface.

The selection mismanagement (or ‘rejection’ as Ajay Jadeja calls it) of Ambati Rayudu, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, & Sanju Samson is well known. Dropping players after a couple of games & constant experimentation instills a lack of confidence, instability, & insecurity within the team. India needs to make sure they do not repeat this mistake with the likes of KL Rahul & Shreyas Iyer.

Because if similar management continues, India’s upcoming T20 World Cup campaign will be in jeopardy.

Paradigm Shift

There is no dearth of talent in Indian cricket, but how it is utilized is key.

Gone are the days where teams carry players across formats for an entire decade. Except for the occasional Kohlis, Rabadas, & Williamsons, we will not see the all-format player again.

India is amidst an experimentation phase where any newcomer fits into the team environment & performs. In order to sustain this way of playing, a paradigm shift is required not only among the selectors & captain but also in the thought process of each player that is selected on the particular day.

Is flexibility the new stability? Only time will tell, but remember—some change is good, but too much change can create chaos.

Copyright (2021: 3/25/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.comteam

Image Courtesy: lensbug.chandru, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, John M. Hawkins quote.

England Vs New Zealand Women 2021 Series Review: Beaumont & Knight Too Much For New Zealand

England Vs New Zealand Women 2021 Series Preview.

This series was dominated by two individuals—Tammy Beaumont and captain Heather Knight. Apart from these two, England also found match winners in Nat Sciver, Freya Davies, Sarah Glenn, and Katherine Brunt.

On the other hand, except for Amelia Kerr & Amy Satterthwaite, New Zealand were not in the fight in their own backyard. There was stand-in captaincy for Sciver, injury to Lea Tahuhu, and even a bit of Billy Bowden as well. Here is a quick review—The stats, highlights, and more! Keep on reading, and let us know your thoughts!

Also Read: Ind Vs SA Women Series Preview, Who Cares About Women Cricket?

Results – England Vs New Zealand

ODI Series: England Win 2 – 1

  1. England Women won by 8 wickets *Heather Knight
  2. England Women won by 7 wickets *Natalie Sciver
  3. New Zealand Women won by 7 wickets *Amy Satterthwaite

* Player of Match

Player of SeriesEnglandNew Zealand
Most RunsTammy Beaumont – 231 runs
(best of 88*, 3 – 50s, average 231.00)
Amy Satterthwaite – 135 runs
(best of 119*, 1- 100, average 67.50)
Most WicketsNatalie Sciver – 5 wickets
(best of 3/26, average 16.60)
Amelia Kerr – 4 wickets
(best of 4/42, average 28.00)
England Vs New Zealand Women ODI Series Stats

T20I Series: England Win 3 – 0

  1. England Women won by 7 wickets *Sarah Glenn
  2. England Women won by 6 wickets *Freya Davies
  3. England Women won by 32 runs *Katherine Brunt
Player of SeriesEngland
Tammy Beaumont
New Zealand
Most RunsTammy Beaumont – 102 runs
(best of 63, 1 – 50, 100.99 SR)
Amy Satterthwaite – 76 runs
(best of 49, 122.58 SR)
Most WicketsFreya Davies – 5 wickets
(best of 4/23, 4.71 economy)
Leigh Kasperek – 4 wickets
(best of 2/24, 6.61 economy)
England Vs New Zealand Women T20I Series Stats

The Highlights

England

  • Individual runs do not win you matches, great partnerships do. Tammy Beaumont & Heather Knight were not only consistently among the runs, they stitched the English team together. Beaumont is literally in almost all the match-winning partnerships. Dream tour for her (although struggles for Danni Wyatt continued).
    • Beaumont-Knight 94 (113), Beaumont-Sciver 103 (129) & Beaumont-Jones 79*(87), Beaumont-Knight 109 (151)
    • Wyatt-Beaumont 59 (53), Knight-Beaumont 83 (73), Jones-Dunkley 36 (31)
  • While the experienced top order dominated the ODI leg, the bowlers were the stars in the T20Is. Sarah Glenn’s miserly 2/11 in 4 overs in the first T20I & Freya Davies’ wonderful outing of 4/23 sealed the 2nd T20I. Only 8 T20Is old before the series, Davies was the find of the T20I tour for England.
  • The experience of Katherine Brunt was on spot in the 3rd T20I. At half way stage, 128 seemed too low to defend but Katherine Brunt’s 2/19, Sophie Ecclestone’s 2/19, & Mady Villiers’ 3/10 bundled New Zealand for just 96.

New Zealand

  • It was a tough tour for Sophie Devine. After hitting the fastest women T20 century in the domestic Super Smash tournament, much was expected of her as the captain-all rounder. Scores of 16, 6, 15, 2, 8, 0 and only 2 wickets across the 6 matches was way below her usually excellent standards.
  • Amelia Kerr, the young prodigious (Devine used to babysit her) allrounder continued her dramatic rise in world cricket. Although the stats do not show it all, she was constantly threatening the pair of Beaumont-Knight in the ODIs. Performance of 4/42 & 72* in the 3rd ODI helped seal New Zealand their sole victory in the series.
  • The women of the hour in the 3rd ODI was Amy Satterthwaite, completing her 7th ODI century with magnificent knock of 119* (128) after the White Ferns were 15-2. Another 49 came in a T20I. The only real resistance from the New Zealand batting came from her. Otherwise, T20I scores of 96, 123, 96 & ODI scores of 178 & 192 are not much to write home about.

Also Read: What Can Ellyse Perry Not Do?, What If India Won the 2017 World Cup?

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We like to spice things up with our own awards for the series. Here they are:

England New Zealand
Emerging PlayerFreya DaviesAmelia Kerr
Surprise PackageKatherine BruntLeigh Kasperek
Broken Cricket DreamDanni WyattLea Tahuhu (injured)/Sophie Devine
England Vs New Zealand Women 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!

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Where Do They Go From Here?

Australia Women will tour New Zealand for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs, starting March 28th. For England, The Women’s Hundred will finally take stage from 21st July-21st August. This will be a huge game changer for women’s cricket.

The ODI World Cup (which was to be held during this time in New Zealand this year) is postponed to February of 2022.

Where do New Zealand cricket go from here? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

Image Courtesy: Katherine Bruntpaddynapper, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

India Vs England 2021 Test Series Review: Sharmas, Spinners Overshadowed By Umpiring, Pitch, and Rotation Policy

India Vs England 2021 Test Series Review.

We billed this series as the “Final Before the (WTC) Final” and after overseas victories for both India (vs Australia) and England (Vs Sri Lanka), the series had hype for the right reasons.

Instead this series will be remembered for exactly the wrong reasons—Discussions about the pitches in Chennai & Pink Ball Test, rotation policy & England’s treatment of Moeen Ali, and hasty umpiring decisions (along with Kohli’s priceless reactions).

There were some good days for cricket as well with Ishant Sharma’s 100 Tests & 300 wickets, Joe Root’s 218, Anderson’s dream over, Foakes’ & Pant’s wicket-keeping, R Ashwin’s 100 & 9-fer, Ashwin’s 32 & Axar’s 27 wickets, Sundar’s 85* & 96*, Rohit Sharma’s masterclass, and Pant’s reverse sweep (to Anderson) in a brilliant 100.

Read till the end for my picks for the best moments, emerging players, controversies, and much more! COMMENT BELOW ON YOUR FAVORITE MOMENTS.

*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.

Results – England Vs India

The reason why I did not enjoy this series as much was due to the lack of competitiveness. 227 runs, 317 runs, 10 wickets, and an innings victory was in complete contrast to the edge-of-the-seat stuff (last session draws/chases) in the Australia series.

Test Series: India Win 3 – 1

* Player of Match

  1. England Won by 227 Runs *Joe Root
  2. India Won by 317 runs *Ravichandran Ashwin
  3. India Won by 10 wickets *Axar Patel
  4. India Won by An Innings and 25 runs *Rishabh Pant
Player of SeriesEnglandIndia
Ravichandran Ashwin – 189 runs (best of 106, average 31.50, 1 – 100)
Most RunsJoe Root – 368 runs
(best of 218, average 46.00, 100s/50s – 1/0)
Rohit Sharma – 345 runs
(best of 161, average 57.50, 100s/50s -1/1
Most WicketsJack Leach – 18 wickets
(best innings – 4/54, best match – 6/178, 28.72 average, strike rate 53.6)
R Ashwin – 32 wickets
(best innings – 6/61, best match – 9/207, 14.71 average, 35.2 SR, 3 5-fers
India Vs England 2021 Test Series Stats

The Highlights

England

1. We Miss The Non-Converting Joe Root

At the beginning of 2021, Joe Root’s stats read 17-100s, 49-50s. After the Sri Lanka & India tours, his stats read 20-100s, 49-50s. His last 6 Test matches show:

  • 228 & 1 (run-out), 186 & 11, 218 & 40
  • 6 & 33, 17 & 19, 5 & 30

Notice something? He converted 3 daddy hundreds, and then followed it up with 3 middling Test matches (mainly due to the intelligent bowling of Axar and Siraj). Now, we should not be too harsh on Root. The law of averages surely catches up, he had additional stress of captaincy, and he even bowled his heart out including a 5/8.

Still, the Joe Root who scored consistent 60s & 70s might have been more than handy on this low scoring tour. The 50th 50 would be cherry on top of his personally successful season.

2. Batting Wins Matches

Catches win matches? Sure. Need to take 20 wickets to secure a Test victory? Maybe.

How about batting with scores of 178, 134 & 164, 112 & 81, and 205 & 135? Definitely Not. This is called batting yourself out of a Test series. Let us dig a bit deeper:

  • Pope 153 runs at 19.12 (best of 34), Sibley 134 at 16.75 (best of 87) – 4 Tests each
  • Burns 58 runs at 14.50 (best of 33), Bairstow 28 at 7.00 (best of 7, 3 ducks), Crawley 67 at 16.75 (best of 53) – 2 Tests each

For international level cricket, if your Top 5 comprises of these players, barely-in-form Root-Stokes, and Buttler/Foakes, then this is just not going to cut it.

Maybe a certain Joe Denly might have been able to weather the storm better. If not the centuries, at least the Denturies would have come.

3. Anderson, Foakes & Lawrence The Bright Stars

Let us take out the stats for the moment, and look at the bright side.

Winning a Test match is not easy. Winning away even harder. Hence, the 227 run victory in Chennai should be regarded as a huge accomplishment, regardless of the 3-1 margin. (The issue was not the score line. Rather, it was the way they lost the final 3 Test matches).

Jimmy Anderson’s 6/40 in Galle & 3/17 in Chennai should rest the ‘Clouderson’ and ‘poor away record’ claims. That 3/17 included one of the best overs of reverse swing you will ever see. A well set Shubman Gill was bowled through the gate, Rahane survived an umpires call appeal, and then carbon copy bowled. Does not get any better than that.

On the turning pitches, Ben Foakes’ keeping was absolutely magnificent. His split-second stumping of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant in the 2nd innings of the 2nd Test were quite something. (His batting showed signs of defiance, but could not reach his heights of his debut). Finally with 73 on debut and 46 & 50 in the final Test, Dan Lawrence showed some signs of steel.

Finally Channel 4 coverage was a win-win situation for the fans.

India

1. Axar Patel Invokes His Inner Embuldeniya, R Ashwin – The Man of the Hour

Just like Embuldeniya troubled England prior to this tour, Axar was the concern this time around. Straighter one, bounce, turn, guile, he had it all.

The best part is that Axar was not even supposed to play this series if not for Jadeja’s injury. 27 wickets at 10.59 with 4 5-wicket hauls & 1-10 wicket haul (best inning – 6/38, best match 11/70). Even got the opportunity to take a five-wicket haul at his home with some crowd. Stuff of dreams.

R Ashwin has got to be the most intelligent player in international cricket. He has a YouTube channel, reads books in his free time, is an engineer, can mess with the batsmen due to the Mankad-threat, talks to the media about a ‘bad pitch’, walks the talk with a 106 on the Chennai turner, and bamboozles the batsmen with skillful bowling.

The dismissals of Ollie Pope (carrom ball, beats the bat, bowled) in the final Test have to be my moments of this series.

2. The Sharmas Come To The Party

Wonderful achievement by Ishant Sharma for his 100th Test & 300 wickets. Just rewards for a brilliant journey over the last decade. Although this series was spin-dominated, Ishant Sharma 4.0 still has several years to offer to Indian cricket.

Rohit Sharma went very much under the radar this time, but India’s series victory was in jeopardy without his contributions. 161 on a tricky pitch was the turning moment of the series, and he followed it up with patient 26, 66 & 25*, and 49. In these low scoring matches, runs on the board provided the cushion for the spinners to dominate.

3. India’s Big 3 Just Not Good Enough, Depth Covers the Spots

Just like many other well-wishers, I had predicted Virat Kohli to come back in this series with a tough 50 at the start and a a double century by the end. The tough 72 in the 2nd innings at Chennai definitely came, but nowhere near the elusive 71st international century. Here are the stats:

  • Virat Kohli: 172 runs at 28.66 (best of 72, 2-50s, 2 ducks)
  • Ajinkya Rahane: 112 runs at 18.66 (best of 67, 1-50, 1 duck)
  • Cheteshwar Pujara: 133 runs at 22.16 (best of 73, 1-50, 1 duck)

I do not remember so many ducks by these 3. Nor do I remember a series where none fired.

Apart from Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, & R Ashwin all outscored the middle order stalwarts. Since India emerged victorious, the cracks are temporarily filled, but questions should be asked.

After that Melbourne innings, Rahane has not done enough. Pujara is doing fine and crucial to India’s line up, but is not converting to daddy hundreds at the moment.

Given India’s depth, is it time to breed in the next generation? Is it time to rotate home/away batsmen as India rotates fast bowlers/ spinners?

Also Read:

Controversies

Umpires

The umpiring decisions in the 2nd & 3rd Tests caught the attention of the public. It was not necessarily the decisions made, but the manner in which they were decided (Ben Stokes’ catch – on field out, but turned over quickly). A standard procedure & muting the umpires’ conversation may be the way to go forward here.

Pitch

By the end of the series, it was easily recognized that England’s lack of batting application led to their downfall, not the state of the pitches. However, 2-day & 3-day matches do not anybody a favor, either. The pink ball Test is supposed to get more public to watch the game, but most of these matches are ending in 3 or 4 days, which is counterintuitive. The first Test may have been the most balanced pitch, even though it was slow & attritional for the first day and a half.

Rotation Policy

Finally, the rotation policy. England’s rotation policy has possibly extended the careers of Broad & Anderson, given a chance to youngsters fighting for a national spot, and is important in the coronavirus era due to mental health. Rotation is not necessarily a bad thing, but how it was implemented in this series was dodgy.

Archer, Burns, & Stokes were rested for the series in Sri Lanka, while the rest of the squad stayed. However, Buttler left after one Test, Moeen Ali finally playing a Test only to go back home (due to miscommunication), Bairstow played the last two, Woakes left without playing, so on and so forth.

I cannot imagine how much the constant traveling & jet lag, inconsistency in selection & unsettled line-ups, and not having enough practice games might have impacted their minds. I can understand rotation between series, but during a series is a bit much.

And if this rotation was for the preparation for upcoming T20 World Cup & IPL, losing out to the WTC Final spot at home should seriously be questioned.

Awards

We like to spice things up with our own awards for the series. Here they are:

India made Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel (greatest understudy of all time), and Washington Sundar into world class all-rounders. England took a world class all-rounder in Moeen Ali and practically destroyed a budding career.

IndiaEngland
Emerging PlayerAxar Patel Dan Lawrence, Rotation Policy
Surprise PackageLower Middle OrderDom Bess’s Full Tosses; Joe Root’s 5-fer
Broken Cricket DreamShardul Thakur – Did not get a game after a 92 & 4-fer at Gabba
Dreams Broken For Fans Wanting Ashwin to become the 4th player to do the double of 100 + 10-fer
Stuart Broad’s Asian Dream, Jonny Bairstow’s Test Career, Moeen Ali
India Vs England 2021 Test Series Awards

Where Do They Go From Here?

A 5 match T20I series & 3-match ODI series to follow, preparing for the upcoming T20I World Cup in India. Then, we will have the IPL, England will play a couple of test matches against the New Zealand at home, and finally India Vs New Zealand for the WTC final.

After England’s victory at Chennai, I declared that this English team could rival the 2010-2012 team due to the good mix of youth, experience, & abroad victories. I guess that was a bit premature.

Was this India Vs England 2021 Test series the ‘greatest story of all time’ like the India Vs Australia? Nope.

Was it as controversial as the South Africa Vs Australia scandalous ball tampering series? Not really.

At best, this was just a Meh kind of series. Had its moments, but did not capture the imagination of the next generation. Sums it up for the World Test Championship.

What did you think of the India Vs England 2021 Test Series? Let us know!

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Copyright (2021: 3/11/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Image Courtesy: Axar Patel – Anand Anil, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Make Test Cricket Great Again & Restore The Soul of this Wonderful Sport — Part II: The Problems With Test Cricket

Here we are with part II in our series, Make Test Cricket Great Again: Problems with Test Cricket.

Albert Einstein once said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

This is exactly our goal. The long-term ambition of this series of articles is to generate a whole list of problems associated with Test cricket, propose respective solutions (both idealistic & practical), bring other people in during the process, and maybe at the end, gather enough momentum to gain the attention of administrators & the ICC.

Today, we bring in our friends from Twitter who will share their concerns with Test cricket & the World Test Championship.

The more opinions we have, the better. We can only move forward with a rich exchange of ideas between the fans, commentators, local administrators, experts, & former players rather than just the meeting board room of the Big 3.

The Work Done So Far

We did a similar exercise during the early days of the World Test Championship, but we wish to build upon this model. Here are some of our past proposals to improve the WTC.

  1. How Can The World Test Championship Improve?
    • Problems: Imbalance of the Big 3 (Australia, England, India) and the bias of ‘marquee’ series like the 5-match Ashes.
    • Solution: Merge the FTP (Future Tour Programme) & the WTC, and create a system where each team plays a 5-4-3 match series or 4-4-4 Test match series during a cycle. “Instead of scrapping the Ashes, we will keep traditional rivalries intact and encourage new ones.” Overall, 24 games against 9 opponents in a 2.5 year WTC cycle.
  2. How To Fix The World Test Championship Points Table?
    • Problems: (1) Points fluctuate based on number of games in a series (60 points – 2 Tests, 40 – 3 Tests, 24 – 5 Tests), (2) No points accommodated for Home & Away Advantage, and (3) All-Or-Nothing Points System for a 5 day-15 session Test match.
    • Solution: We combine the ODI Super League system (consistent base point system per series), provide a mechanism for home versus away (away wins & draws worth more), and distribute additional points across sessions to incorporate ebb & flow (2 points – session won, 1 point – even/wash out).
  3. Example of WTC Points Table Based on Our System
    • We implement our system from above and compare it with the WTC Table (as of August 30, 2020)

The Work Planned Ahead

The issue with my initial set of articles was the underlying assumption that each team will play an equal number of matches against each other. In a post-COVID world, matches are not guaranteed, and it seems certain nations are prioritizing games against higher ranked teams and calling off series against lower-ranked ones.

Hence, we plan to do practical investigations in our future articles:

  1. Revenue each Test playing nation generates: How much money does each cricket board and player earn every Test series per country? Why does New Zealand lose money to host a Test? How does the revenue compare to T20 leagues and the death of the tri-series?
  2. What does it take to host a Test match? We can analyze what goes during the match but what goes behind the scenes? We will research and examine key components: The major players, administrators, ground staff, and more.
  3. Equity vs Equality: Innovations that can help further bridge the gap between the different teams given the current financial status and level of each team.
  4. The Pink Ball Test: Does More Harm Than Good? Day-night Test matches ending in 2-3 days cannot generate more crowd/interest than a balanced Test match held for 5 days during the day. We will analyze the key differences between the red ball & pink ball, practice matches in domestic tournaments, and if this idea is worth sustaining?

Your Opinion Matters: Problems With Test Cricket

In Part I of the series, we asked our friends on Twitter how they would improve Test cricket. Some ideas that I brainstormed to get the conversation started were as follows:

  1. Getting rid of DRS umpires call (on impact)
  2. Improving/ Standardizing pitches (Chennai 2x pitch received way too much backlash)
  3. Promoting more money from T20 leagues to help out domestic cricketers
  4. Having a relegation-promotion system for the WTC

What Do People Think?

Now it is the people’s turn. Here is what they had to say. These are interesting Twitter accounts, blogs, & podcasts in their own right. Feel free to check them out (links next to the name).

The Hundred Report (Podcast)

“Definitely agree that that there is too much disparity between the big three and every other team. I am also onboard with a ‘division’ system for the WTC.”

Harrison (In-depth Football and Cricket)

Test Cricket

  • Home advantage is a good thing but has to be limits on how big that advantage can be
  • Neutral umpires needed back ASAP
  • More needs to be done to help the non-Big 3 nations

WTC

  • Each series should be 3 Tests long and in any 4/5 match series (Ashes, Ind v Aus/Eng), only the first 3 counts
  • Maybe each nation has to play each other home and away but that would take too long

The Beautiful Game

WTC

  • Group system
    • 8 teams, 2 groups of 4 each
    • Each team to play a 3 match series home & away
    • Top 2 from each group to be selected for Semi-Finals
    • Finals to be a 3-match series on neutral series (on 3 different types of decks: seaming-turner-flat decks)

Rohan Gulavani

Tests

  • Practical decisions on session breaks for rain impacted days. Play 10 overs after long rain and go for lunch when it’s sunshine (needs change)
  • One pink ball test in 3 match series
  • Number of unsuccessful reviews & umpires call. 3rd umpire authorized to override impact

WTC

  • Should try to schedule equal number of home and away matches for all the teams
  • Possibly more points for away wins?
  • Optional: Additional points for win against higher ranked team/innings win (debatable and can be parked)

Aviral Rai

  • Every team should play against each other. That will make the tournament lengthy but it will make it perfect and no teams can be said to have an easier pool or tougher pool. Conduct finals once in 4-5 years. Every Test playing nation should play against each other. It will make the WTC more enthralling contest.

“I just hate the comments that this team got ‘easier’ away tours than others. Or easier home games. WTC is a mighty big championship and in something big like this, you do not want any comments which should call it unfair.”

Conclusion

Brilliant entries from Twitter! Major theme was to create a balance in the number of Test matches played between each country during a particular cycle. Some innovative solutions for the WTC included 2 groups semi-finals format, bonus points against higher ranked teams, & a 3-match final. For Test cricket in general—mandatory neutral umpires, DRS improvement, & updating rain-protocols were some interesting proposals.

Looking Forward

Last time, I started with “I have been meaning to write this article for months now, but for some reason have not been able to.”

I now know why. This is not a one day project. Or a one week project. Or even a one person project. This will take input from several individuals, research & conversations, back & forth exchanges, and a lot of time. But, as they say:

Rome was not built in day. It was built brick by brick.”

One step at a time.

Make Test Cricket Great Again and Restore the Soul of This Wonderful Sport.

Inspired by talks with Dad and Vandit.

If you liked Problems with Test Cricket and enjoy this kind of stuff, check out our “Cricket Innovations” section for the entire list including the ideal World Cup Format.

Copyright (2021: 2/27/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Image Courtesy: International Cricket Council, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources: Goodreads

Make Test Cricket Great Again & Restore The Soul of this Wonderful Sport — Part I

Make Test Cricket Great Again—I have been meaning to write this article for months now, but for some reason have not been able to.

Maybe it is because of the recent bit of exhilarating Test cricket, and all is actually well and good. Or maybe there is too much to fix and Test cricket has just become a lost cause.

The reality is somewhere in the middle.

Test Cricket At Its Best

Just in the last month, we witnessed some exhilarating bits of test cricket.

Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand – we saw New Zealand’s best pace quartet, Mohammad Rizwan-Faheem Ashraf’s courage to save Pakistan from numerous collapses, Azhar Ali answering his critics, and Fawad Alam redeeming his lost decade in the last match of 2020. Almost saved the match if not for Mitchell Santner’s jumping catch.

Fast forward the next month, we saw epic lows and mountainous highs in the India vs Australia series – the 36 All Out, finally a 5th Day test match save at Sydney, and the breach of the Gabba. Then, followed England’s sweep of Sri Lanka and India’s defeat at Chennai.

All of these Test match efforts were swept under the carpet after Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers’ amazing chase of 396 against Bangladesh. The West Indies ended up winning the series 2-0. If India’s 3rd string victory in Australia was anything, West Indies’ debutants eclipsed it one step further. Winning Test matches in Bangladesh is not easy anymore. Just ask England or Australia.

Is Test Cricket Dying?

With 6 overseas victories, an enthralling draw (almost 2), and only 2 wins by a home side recently (Melbourne and Chennai 2x), we can definitely say that Test cricket is not dying.

Between the 2011 and 2019 World Cup, these matches were hard to come by. With the exception of the great South African generation, almost no team won overseas. The only competitive test series I remember is the England-New Zealand 2013-14 series. Ashes 2019 reignited the fire in Test Cricket, and post-COVID, the flame has continued to spread.

So now with the World Test Championship heating up in its final stage and teams starting to compete overseas again, is everything well and good? Absolutely not.

The Big 3 still dominate, WTCs Points Table sucks, there is no context for teams out of contention, and finances for Test cricket are a problem. Here are some of our past proposals to improve the World Test Championship.

  1. How Can The World Test Championship Improve?
  2. How To Fix The World Test Championship Points Table?
  3. Updated WTC Points Table Based on Our System

What We Wish To Accomplish

What we wish to do in this series of articles, Make Test Cricket Great Again, is to expose problems faced by Test cricket, provide practical solutions, and go from there.

I highlighted practical for a specific purpose. Earlier, our series of articles on Test Cricket included solutions that involved each Test team playing an equal number of matches and assumed that the influence of the Big 3 will reduce over time. In the post-COVID world, this prediction is far away from the truth.

England will play 18 Tests for the WTC while Bangladesh will play around 4. Australia cancelled a Test series against South Africa which put a sour taste on the CSA-CA relationship, and it seems the WTC is basically a longwinded quadrangular series between New Zealand, England, India, and Australia.

Hence our future articles in Make Test Cricket Great Again category may include more practical insights like:

  • Revenue each Test playing nation generates
  • What It takes to host a Test match
  • Equity vs Equality: Innovations that can help further bridge the gap between the different teams given the current financial status and level of each team

Your Opinion Matters

So, how do you think should Test cricket should improve? We would love to share your thoughts in our future articles. We want to hear some innovative ideas (not too innovative though…the Big Bash tried too hard). Here are some other ideas that I have thought about, but maybe you all can pitch in with some more!

  • Getting rid of DRS umpires call (on impact)
  • Improving/ Standardizing pitches (Chennai 2x pitch received way too much backlash)
  • Promoting more money from T20 leagues to help out domestic cricketers
  • Having a relegation-promotion system for the WTC

Conclusion

Although Donald Trump lost his reelection bid for U.S. Presidential Election and Joe Biden prevailed—we can do something unheard of—combine both of their slogans and adopt it for our purposes:

Make Test Cricket Great Again and Restore the Soul of This Wonderful Sport.

Until then, go back to your IPL auctions.

Inspired by talks with Dad and Vandit.

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Image Courtesy: Lord’s Cricket Ground – Gareth Williams via CC By 2.0