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.
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.
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).
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:
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?
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.
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.
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:
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
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).
“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.”
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.
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.
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.
Controversy of the Day: Nobody cares about women’s cricket.
Women’s Cricket— Can’t Live With It, Can Definitely Live Without It. At least that is the attitude of cricket administration and mediaaround the world.
Today news came in that the BCCI finally decided to organize women’s matches, simultaneously with the men’s Vijay Hazare Trophy & the Vinoo Mankad U-19 Trophy. After the 4 match Women’s T20 Challenge, there is something to look forward to for the Indian Women team.
Is it enough, though? How are all the other women international teams faring during this time? Why did we get here? Could more have been done over the last year?
So many questions…Don’t worry, I got you.
Post-COVID statistics between Women’s Vs Men’s cricket, looking ahead to 2021, facts about the women’s game we should all know as cricket fans, and the way forward for women’s cricket.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
March 8th, 2020—the peak for Women’s Cricket at the World T20 World Cup Final between Australia & India.
86, 174 spectators.
Following the monumental 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, women’s cricket began moving in a positive direction. Casual cricket fans began to take notice, fan following increased for the likes of Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, & Smriti Mandhana, and representation in broadcasting expanded with Lisa Sthalekar, Isa Guha, & Ebony Rainford-Brent among others. Investment rose with the Women Big Bash League (WBBL), Kia Super League, & even the Women’s T20 Challenge. The highly anticipated experiment, The Hundred, was scheduled simultaneously with the men’s version for last summer.
The rise continued & on the auspicious International Women’s Day, the record number of spectators at the Women’s 2020 T20 World Cup confirmed Mithali Raj’s statement, “Truly I believe women’s cricket has come in the mainstream now.”
Momentum Halts For Women’s Cricket
March 8th, 2020—also the last time since India Women took field.
None. Zero. Nada.
It has been almost 11 months without any international cricket, domestic competition, or even a national training camp. Meanwhile, Indian men have played a 60-match IPL, & toured Australia from November-January for a 3-T20I, 3 ODI, and 4 classic Test matches. India women’s 3 match ODI tour of Australia scheduled in January? Cancelled due to coronavirus at the end of December. Explain that…
The momentum has truly been halted. Not only India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh women have not had much cricket either (although training camp has started for Bangladesh). Even the inaugural edition of the Hundred was postponed.
The second edition of men’s Indian Premier League post-COVID is about to begin in a couple of months and a 10-team IPL is rumored in 2022. On the other hand, after the gigantic leap from 1 match in 2018 to 4 matches in 2019, the Women T20 Challenge did not expand in 2020. And guess what? Those who participated in the Challenge were robbed of the opportunity to play WBBL due to bio-bubble regulations.
The biggest casualty, though was the earlier scheduled 2021 ICC Women’s World Cup.
Starting next week, from February 6th-March 7th, New Zealand was supposed to host World Cup. YES, New Zealand, the country best placed to host an international event in these circumstances. Yet, in August the ICC postponed it due to ‘disparity in level of preparedness’ between the different countries.
Men’s Vs Women’s Cricket: Post-Covid Statistics
Thanks to the ECB and their bio-secured bubble protocols, cricket started back with the England-West Indies Test Series. Since then, both men’s & women’s cricket restarted, but here is a table that shows the disparity of the amount of games played.
Since July, the men have had a maximum possible 128 days of international cricket scheduled (5 days maximum per test) as opposed to just 16 days for the women (5 of which were Austria Vs Germany T20I). Across formats & countries, men have clocked in 540 matches, while women have played a mere 144 matches.
Men’s Cricket
Women’s Cricket
International Matches Played (June 2020-January 2021)
96 matches (24 T20Is, 12 ODIs, 15 Tests including WTC Final + 45 match 2021 T20 World Cup)
18 matches (9 ODIs, 9 T20Is)
Total Matches (Mar 2020-2021) *excluding T20/Domestic Leagues for 2021
636 matches
162 matches
Post-Covid Men’s & Women’s Cricket Summary
*Table does not include the 3 Eng-SA & the 2 Ire-UAE ODIs that were cancelled due to COVID.
Series Summary
Here are the details of the various series, leagues, & domestic tournaments played over the last year.
*Australia (Aus), New Zealand (NZ), India (Ind), England (Eng), Sri Lanka (SL), South Africa (SA), Pakistan (Pak), West Indies (WI), Bangladesh (Ban), Zimbabwe (Zim), Ireland (Ire), & Afghanistan (Afg).
International Matches Played (June 2020-January 2021)
Men’s
WI tour Eng (3 Tests), Pak tour Eng (3 Tests, 3 T20I), Ire tour Eng (3 ODIs), Aus tour Eng (3 T20Is, 3 ODIs)
Zim tour Pak (3 ODI, 3 T20I), Ire tour UAE (4 ODIs – 2 cancelled), Ire Vs Afg (3 ODI)
Eng tour SA (3 T20I, ODIs abandoned), SL tour SA (2 Tests), Eng tour SL (2 Tests)
WI tour NZ (3 T20I, 2 Tests), Pak tour NZ (3 T20I, 2 Tests)
Ind tour Aus (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is, 4 Tests)
*Excludes 16 games played by Guersney, Isle of Man, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Belgium, Bulgaria, Malta, Romania
Women’s
Austria tour Germany (5 T20I)
WI tour England (5 T20I)
NZ tour Aus (3 ODI, 3 T20I)
T10 & T20 Leagues Played Around the World
Men: Caribbean Premier League (33 matches), Indian Premier League (60), Sri Lanka Premier League (23), Big Bash League (61), T10 League (29)
Women: WBBL (59 matches), IPL Exhibition games (4)
Domestic Cricket
Men: Bob Willis Trophy (Eng – 46 matches), 2020 T20 Vitality Blast (Eng – 97), 32 Super Smash (NZ – 32), Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy (India – 103)
Well if you thought 2020 was bad, 2021’s schedule does not seem like a drastic improvement either. Sure, just like the Vijay Hazare & Vinoo Mankad, more matches may be scheduled later, but the number of planned games in 2021 tells you the story.
Women’s Cricket 2021 Schedule
According to the ICC Fixtures for the next year, Women’s cricket looks as follows:
Pak tour SA (3 ODI, 3 T20I): Jan 20-Feb 3 (Ongoing)
Eng tour NZ (3 ODI, 3 T20I): Feb 23-Mar 5
Aus tour NZ (3 ODI, 3 T20I): Mar 27-Apr 10
After this, the next scheduled international fixture is the postponed 2022 Women’s World Cup that begins on March 4th, 2022. Domestically, apart from women’s edition of Vijay Hazare & Vinoo Mankad U-19, Australia National Cricket League (28 matches) has been announced, with The Hundred, Women Big Bash League, & Women’s T20 Challenge possibly returning for 2021.
Men’s Cricket Schedule 2021
While international women’s cricket as a whole has only been scheduled 18 limited overs matches in 2021, the Men’s England Test team alone are slotted 17 Test Matches (18 if they reach the WTC final), apart from the T20 World Cup & other bilateral series.
Currently, WI tour of Ban (3 ODI, 2 Tests) & SA tour of Pak (2 Tests, 3 T20Is) are ongoing, with the England tour of India (4 Tests, 5 T20I, 3 ODI), IPL 2021 (60 matches), & The Hundred on the horizon.
51 matches planned in 2021 (24 T20Is, 12 ODIs, 15 Tests including WTC Final)
45 match ICC Men’s T20I World Cup October-November (in India)
Did You Know?
Who was the first cricketer to score a double century in ODI? Umm..Sachin Tendulkar 200* Vs South Africa in 2010, right? Wrong. It was actually Belinda Clark’s 229* in the 1997 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
The real question is, do we ourselves pay enough attention to Women’s Cricket or just hypocritically vouch for the women’s game?
We all know about Tendulkar’s 100 100s, Bradman’s 99.94, Muralitharan’s 800, Sharma’s 264. For our collective cultural enhancement, here is a short list of statistics and facts we should all know about Women’s Cricket.
Numbers & Facts in Women’s Cricket We Should All Know
*Note, this stats are divided by format: Test | ODI | T20I .
Batting
Most Runs: 1935 – Jan Brittin (Eng) | 6,888 – Mithali Raj (Ind) | 3301 – Suzie Bates (NZ)
Most Dismissals (Keeper):58 – Christina Matthews (Aus) | 160 – Trisha Chetty (SA) | 93 – Alyssa Healy (Aus)
Teams
Highest Team Total:569/6 declared Aus (vs Eng) | 491/5 NZ (Vs Ire) | 314/2 Uganda (Vs Mali)
World Cups: ODIs – Aus (6 times), Eng (4), NZ (1) | T20Is – Aus (5 times), Eng (1), WI (1)
A Way Forward
Australia, England, & New Zealand are historically the most successful women cricket teams and rightly so. They have invested in women’s cricket for decades & are broadening the recruitment of young girls in cricket. Other countries lag behind in the recruitment, infrastructure, & investment.
In the COVID era, the template provided by NZ’s Super Smash, India’s Vijay Hazare, & England’s Hundred should become common. The corresponding matches for the same teams should be played on the same day for both the men & women respectively. This may help out with spectators & TV revenues as well.
This is definitely possible for domestic competitions & T20 leagues, but should even be considered for international tours as well, at least for the limited overs leg.
These are just some limited thoughts, but there are limitless ideas to promote women’s cricket if enough focus is given to this part of the sport.
Supply & Demand
More needs to be done for Women’s Cricket in current times. If this break continues longer, experienced players will start to retire, budding youngsters might not receive opportunity (and hence, may leave the sport altogether), and the compounding loss of revenue will hurt women’s cricket for generations to come.
If the ICC and national boards do not ramp up support in 2021, as Anjum Chopra called it, Women’s Cricket will remain just as an ‘add on’ feature, and nothing more. Who knows, instead of waiting for their next opportunity, the likes of Mithali Raj & Jhulan Goswami should just retire now, join administration, take matters in their own hands, fix women’s cricket administration, un-retire and play.
Women Cricket’s current status can be summarized with the saying, “If you are not at table, you are on the menu.”
Hope Remains
Although the coronavirus break as halted the momentum, hope remains. With the T20 international status open to several countries now, smaller nations like Thailand & Nepal have taken large strides. With role models like Ellyse Perry & Sophie Devine (see below), more girls have taken up the sport seriously.
Finally, us fans can themselves can help in the resurgence of momentum. The entire game is about supply & demand. Men’s cricket & the IPL generates a lot of revenue. Hence, T20 cricket remains essential at possibly the expense of Test cricket. Similarly, women’s cricket is less profitable and hence, gets less support. So, we should demand more women’s cricket and encourage girls to take the sport up.
Fans need to get involved. Bloggers (including me) should write more on women’s cricket. You should tweet more on women’s cricket. Watch lots of videos, look up more stats, & make women’s cricket viral. Get the media involved. Slowly & steadily, women’s cricket administration will take notice & invest more.
Anyway, I will leave you all with a classy Sophie Devine, who recently scored the fastest T20 century in women’s cricket (36 balls), but her sportsmanship & humanity was the highlight.
Sophie Devine is all class 👏🥰
She appeared to strike a young fan in the crowd, as she brought up her record-breaking #SuperSmashNZ century with a maximum 🤕
Shortly afterwards, Devine went to see her, and gave her a few moments she'd NEVER forget 😁 pic.twitter.com/1qKzBHdv4m
Cricket 2020 Predictions – India Vs Australia. New Zealand Vs West Indies, England Vs South Africa.
These three series started almost simultaneously on November 27th and has finally come to an end on January 19th. From Dawid Malan and Hardik Pandya T20 special to the Williamson-Nicholls show, abandoned ODI series, and the culminating India Vs Australia Test Series, this past two months have been full of ebbs and flows.
Also lots of lack of sleep. Watching multiple matches of cricket across time zones. By the end one thing was for sure,
This time we did a #SeriesPredictions with #IndvAus(3 ODI, 3 T20I, 4 Tests),#NZvWI(3 T20I, 2 Tests), &#EngvSA (3 T20I, 3 ODI – Abandoned) and asked our followers for the following categories:
#Scoreline
#MVP
#MostRuns
#MostWickets
#EmergingPlayer
#SurprisePackage
Read till the end for poll results, winners, and your prediction summaries!
Observations
Before we start with the results, here are some of the common pre-series prediction observations.
Common Incorrect Predictions
Quinton de Kock did not score as many runs as people expected in the EngvSA T20I series
Colin de Grandhomme got injured before the series
At least 1 win for the West Indies in T20I was expected, but they lost 3-0 in the T20I
Nobody picked Dawid Malan as the MVP for Eng-SA T20I series? Definitely the best T20I batsman in recent times
Common Correct Predictions
On the other hand, NZ-WI Test 2-0 was almost unanimous
India’s Resilience & Character Sundar, Shardul, Siraj
Tim Paine, the Batsman
Broken Dream
Kuldeep Yadav (No Game)
Lyon 399*
Cricket 2020 Predictions Results: Aus Vs Ind
*Note: Some of the subjective Emerging Players/Surprise Package came from Twitter Polls.
My Prediction Results
If I were to give myself an award for the India vs Australia series, it would be the 2nd best guess. For the limited overs, I had the 2-1 & 1-2 correct but in the reverse order for the ODI & T20I series respectively.
Similarly, I picked the second best players of the series. Hazlewood took 2nd most wickets, Rahane tapered off at the end, and although Vihari & Labuschagne played crucial roles for their teams, they were not the most valuable players. R Ashwin was definitely a surprise all-round package, but Siraj-Sundar-Shardul in the 4th Test was even more surprising.
For the Eng-SA, I had 3-0 for sure, but in favor of South Africa. Oh how hopeful and naive. 😅
*If Most runs/wickets/MVP of either side is stated, then points will be given. For Emerging Player, either Shubman Gill, Will Pucovski, Mohammad Siraj, or Cameron Green will get a point.
IndvAus
NZvWI
EngvSA
#Scoreline
2-1 (ODI), 1-2 (T20I), 1-1 (Tests) 0/3
1-2 (T20I), 2-0 (Tests) ✅ 1/2
0-3 (T20I) ❌, 2-1 (ODI) 0/1
#MVP
Hanuma Vihari (Ind), Labuschagne (Aus)
Trent Boult (NZ), Roston Chase (WI)
Moeen Ali (Eng), Van der Dussen (SA)
#MostRuns
Ajinkya Rahane
Ross Taylor
Quinton de Kock
#MostWickets
Hazlewood
Trent Boult-Jason Holder (tied)
Anrich Nortje
#EmergingPlayer
Will Pucovski ✅
Joshua De Silva ✅
Liam Livingstone
#SurprisePackage
Ashwin
Kyle Jamieson ✅
Sam Curran?
TOTAL POINTS: 4/21
1/8
3/7
0/6
The Actual Results
The Winners (Drumroll Please…)
And The winners are…. In-Depth Football & Cricket (9/21) 🥇, Ansh Sharma (7/14) 🥈, Pratyush (7/21) 🥉& Crazy Anand (7/21) 🥉! Congratulations!!!!
*OOh, how life has changed in 2 months. Rohit Sharma came back for the 3rd Test, while KL Rahul found himself injured. Did not get to play a Test match at all.
IndvAus
NZvWI
EngvSA
#Scoreline
2-1 (ODI), 1-2 (T20I), 2-1, 1 Draw (Tests) ✅
1-2 (T20I), 2-0 (Tests) ✅
2-1 (T20I), 1-2 (ODI)
#MVP
KL Rahul (Ind), Travis Head (Aus)
Colin de Grandhomme (NZ) , Jason Holder (WI)
Jason Roy (Eng), Andile Phehlukwayo (SA)
#MostRuns
*KL Rahul
Henry Nicholls
Faf du Plessis
#MostWickets
Jasprit Bumrah
Neil Wagner
Kagiso Rabada
#EmergingPlayer
Mohammed Siraj ✅
Shimron Hetmyer
Reece Topley
#SurprisePackage
Joe Burns
Tom Latham
JJ Smuts
TOTAL POINTS:3/21
2/8
1/7
0/6
*Rohit Sharma was the first choice but Sharma has been ruled out for the first 2 Tests
The predictions for the next two in India vs Australia were correct in number (4-5), the guesses were opposite of the team who won the respective series. Great guess work nevertheless Rahul and Just Cricket!
Everyone has been dismissing India’s chance in the BG Trophy – Test series . I have a feeling we will do well there , provided all of them stay injury free. We are a better team in the white ball format , so winning them wont be a surprise .
For #SAvEng I just hope they get on the pitch. If they do, England probably win both 2-1. They don’t seem to be taking ODIs that seriously right now which could give SA a chance but most of them have had either a decent IPL or a good rest so will be ready to go…
For #EngvSA, well, first they need to get over natural obstacles (rain)
If all matches do commence as plan, my predictions are:- T20s:- 2-1 (could potentially be 3-0 if Eng plays a full-strength team) ODIs:- 2-1 Both in favor of England.
At least 62 South African born cricketers have played for other countries—Kevin Pietersen, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Marnus Labuschange, Neil Wagner, Andrew Strauss, Tony Greig, Basil D’Oliviera, Jason Roy, David Wiese, Grant Elliot, and Kepler Wessels are some of the prominent South African cricketers who played cricket abroad.
21 have already retired and 41 are still playing. 19 South African born players played for England (4 current, 15 former), 10 for Ireland (4 current, 6 former), 10 for New Zealand (7 current, 2 former, 1 U-19), 9 for Netherlands (8 current, 1 former), 6 for Scotland (3 current, 3 former), 3 for Australia (2 current, 1 former), and 5 for other nations (Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ireland, and USA)
In this article, you will learn about all the South African born cricketers who emigrated to other nations to pursue their dream of playing cricket, most notably in Australia, England, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. We will learn about their birthplaces, why they moved, and what age they moved from South Africa.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
South African Born English Cricket Players
Here is a list of all England cricketers who were from a South Africa origin and played international cricket.
England Cricketer
Birthplacein South Africa
Keaton Jennings
Johannesburg
Jason Roy
Durban
Tom Curran
Cape Town
Brydon Carse
Cape Town
Andrew Strauss
Johannesburg
Craig Kieswetter
Johannesburg
Jonathan Trott
Cape Town
Kevin Pietersen
Pietermaritzburg
Matt Prior
Johannesburg
Basil D’Oliviera
Cape Town
Tony Greig
Queenstown
Jade Dernbach
Johannesburg
Allan Lamb
Langebaan
Stuart Meaker
Durban
Ian Greig
Queenstown
Michael Lumb
Johannesburg
Nick Compton
Durban
Chris Smith
Durban
Robin Smith
Durban
*Note, Dawid Malan was born in England and grew up in South Africa, so he is not included in the lists below.
South African Born New Zealand Cricket Players
New Zealand Cricketer
Birthplace in South Africa
Devon Conway
Johannesburg
Colin Munro
Durban
Glenn Phillips
East London
BJ Watling
Durban
Neil Wagner
Pretoria
Grant Elliot
Johannesburg
Chad Bowes
Benoni
Bernadine Bezuidenhout*
Kimberly
*Note: Bezuidenhout is a South African-born New Zealand cricketer in the women’s game. She has played for both the South African & New Zealand women’s national team.
South African Born Australian Cricket Players
Australian Cricketer
Birthplace in South Africa
Marnus Labuschagne
Klerksdorp
Michael Neser
Pretoria
Kepler Wessels*
Bloemfontein
*Wessels is one of the few cricketers who has played international cricket for two nations, South Africa and Australia.
Today’s Twist
South African born cricketers have had a good time recently. Marnus Labuschagne just scored a Test century at the Gabba, Neil Wagner picked up key wickets with a broken toe, and the Glenn Phillips-Devon Conway have been on fire for New Zealand.
That got me thinking – can we make a current World XI out of South African players that play internationally for other countries? And how many such players are there?
Build Two World XIs: (1) A current World XI and (2) World XI composed of former players who were born in South Africa but played internationally for another country.
*Note: This does not include Kolpak players or Johan Botha (who moved to Australia permanently and became an Australia citizen, but never represented them internationally).
The XI needs to have five bowlers & a wicketkeeper. While there are several players in the current circuit who can bat, can you find at least four others who can accompany Neil Wagner?
Current South African Emigrant World XI – South African Born Cricketers Who Play for Other Countries
1. Keaton Jennings (England)
Born: Johannesburg, Teams: Gauteng (SA), Durham (Eng), South Africa U-19, England Lions, England
Why Did They Move: English citizenship through mother, Age When Left SA: 20
Where Are They Now: 17 Tests as English opener so far (last in Feb 2019)
Born: Klerksdorp, North West Province, Teams: Queensland (Aus), Australia
Why Did They Move: Father got job in mining industry, Age When Left SA: 10
Where Are They Now: Scoring centuries, chirping at forward short leg, screaming ‘No Run’, and taking the world by storm. #4 in ICC Test Rankings currently. Oh and by the way, this is how you currently pronounce his name (funny video).
Where Are They Now: Wonderful story this. Three years after leaving South Africa, Conway debuts for New Zealand after dominating first class cricket. 14 T20Is later, 4-50s, best of 99*, 75.00 average in ODIs (1-100), and a magnificent Test double century on debut at Lord’s.
Born: East London, Eastern Cape, Teams: Auckland (NZ), New Zealand
Age When Left SA: 5
Where Are They Now: Partner in crime with Conway. Just scored a 108 against the West Indies in a T20I. Here to stay in their T20I squad. Coincidently, replacement for Colin Munro.
Born: Johannesburg, Teams: Gauteng (SA) U-13s,U-15s, U-17s, South Africa U-19s, Ireland A, Ireland
Why Did They Move: Qualified to play for Ireland through grandmother – Mentioned to Niall O’ Brien that he held an Irish passport and was fast-tracked.
Where Are They Now: Meteoric rise for Curtis. Eye catching 59* on debut, starred in the famous chase against England (2019) and now has a full-time contract.
Born: Durban, Teams: Northern District (NZ), New Zealand U-19s, New Zealand
Why Did They Move: Family moved to New Zealand, Age When Left SA: 10
Where Are They Now: One of the cogs of New Zealand’s test line up in their rise to No.1. Ever dependable, under-rated, and starred in several back-to-the-wall gritty knocks.
Born: Pretoria, Teams: Northerns (SA), Otago (NZ), New Zealand A, New Zealand
Why Did They Move: Was not getting enough opportunities due to the ‘quota system.‘ Age When Left SA: 22
Where Are They Now: Part of the greatest NZ pace generation with Boult-Southee-Jamieson. Now a cult-hero of sorts. Bowls his heart on placid pitches, short ball stock (but can also swing it), Steve Smith-outer specialist, and even bowled recently with a broken toe. What a guy.
Born: Port Elizabeth, Teams: Western Province (South Africa), Essex (England), Netherlands
Why Did They Move: Graham Gooch spotted him with a touring Essex team to South Africa; EU citizenship due to Netherlands descent
Where Are They Now: At an ODI average of 67.00 after 33 ODIs, his talent is unquestionable. He has travelled in T20 leagues around the world and is sought after as an allrounder. At 41 and having last played in 2019, his international career is coming towards an end. He has made the 2021 T20 World Cup squad nevertheless.
South African Born Cricketers Who Played for Ireland
13. Andre Botha (born – Johannesburg)
14. Max Sorenson (born – Johannesburg)
15. Reinhardt Strydom (born – Cape Town)
16. Marthinus Fourie (born – Cape Town)
17. Shane Getkate (born – Durban)
18. Albert van der Merwe (born – Bellville, Cape Town)
19. James Cameron-Dow (born – Cape Town)
20. Graham Hume (born – Johannesburg)
21. Murray Commins (born – Cape Town)
South African Born Cricketers Who Play for Associate Nations & Other Countries
Dutch (Netherlands) Cricketers Who Were Born in South Africa
22. Roelof Van der Merwe (born – Johannesburg) – played for both South Africa and Netherlands
23. Sybrand Engelbrecht (born – Johannesburg) – selected for Netherlands’ 2023 World Cup squaed
24. Stephan Myburgh (born – Pretoria) – plays for Netherlands
25. Colin Ackermann (born – George) – plays for Netherlands
26. Michael Rippon (born – Cape Town) – plays for Netherlands
27. Brandon Glover (born – Johannesburg) – plays for Netherlands
28. Wesley Barresi (born – Johannesburg)
29. Ryan Klein (born – Cape Town)
30. Sulaiman Dik Abed (born – Cape Town)
Namibian-Born SA Players
31. David Wiese (born – Roodepoort) – played for both South Africa and now Namibia
32. Ruben Trumpelmann (born – Durban) – plays for Namibia
Scotland-Born SA Players
33. Brad Wheal (born – Durban) – plays for Scotland
34. Chris Greaves (born – Sandton, Johannesburg) – plays for Scotland
35. Brandon McMullen (born – Durban) – plays for Scotland
36. Adrian Neil (born – Riversdale, Western Cape) – plays for Scotland
37. Preston Mommsen (born – Durban)
38.Omar Henry (born -Stellenbosch, Cape Town)
Rest of the World
39. Brydon Carse (born – Port Elizabeth) – plays for England
40. Rusty Theron (born – Potchefstroom) – plays for the United States of America (USA)
41. James Fuller (born – Cape Town) – Played for New Zealand U-19s and Otago and now is settled in England and plays County Cricket due to his British passport.
Come to think of it, this is actually a decent T20 XI that could potentially play in a league somewhere around the world. Roy-Munro-Phillips are dangerous T20 players, while Labuschagne-Conway can steady the ship. Tom Curran and Neser lead the bowling line up along with Neil Wagner and all-rounder Campher. If dibbly dobbly Munro and leggie Marnus can chip in with a few overs as the 5th/6th bowler, this is a well-balanced team.
Before we move on to the All-Time South African XI, feel free to check out other World XIs with Twists – Unlucky Cricketers XI, Underrated cricketers XI, Best Fielders XI, etc.
Here is a similar line up made up of retired international players. Several English players of the great 2011-2013 Test team as well as several who left South Africa during the apartheid suspension. The details are left as an exercise for the reader.
Andrew Strauss* (England)
Kepler Wessels (Australia 1982-92/South Africa 1992-94):First South African Test captain upon return from apartheid
Craig Kieswetter (England)
Jonathan Trott (England)
Kevin Pietersen (England):Dream first series against South Africa (2004) – 5 innings, 454 runs, 3 centuries, Player of the Series. Started the series with boos and ended with standing ovations.
Andy Flower (Zimbabwe)
Grant Elliot (New Zealand):Famously Knocked South Africa out of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Superman.
Matt Prior (England) – WK
Basil D’Oliveira (England):England-South Africa Test series Trophy is named after him.
Squad: 12. Allan Lamb (England), 13. Stuart Meaker (England), 14. Ian Greig (England), 15. Michael Lumb (England), 16. Nick Compton (England), 17. Chris Smith (England), 18. Robin Smith (England), 19. Kruger van Wyk (New Zealand)
Jade Dernbach is the only out-and-out fast bowler, with Tony Greig, Basil D’Oliveira, & Grant Elliot as key all rounders. Part-timers Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott will be needed to complete the overs. Maybe fast bowler Stuart Meaker can replace a batsman for a more balanced line-up.
England famously won the 2019 World Cup with key contributions from opener Jason Roy, captain Eoin Morgan (Ireland), lead fast bowler Jofra Archer (Barbados), and player of the final Ben Stokes (New Zealand). Similarly, the 2018 FIFA World Cup was won by France, a team whose 23 member squad consisted of 15 members of African descent with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba.
In either case, diversity won. Globalism and international travel have come to a halt in times of COVID & lockdowns. In these times, the stories of someone like a Devon Conway lightens the mood. Left everything, took a risk, worked hard, and fulfilled his dream.
Embrace change. Sometimes you have to leave from your birthplace in order to prosper, whether that is for education, work, or family. Go try something new.
Embrace others. Learning from others & learning about new cultures can only be a good thing.
Embrace Diversity.
If you like these philosophy bits, go check these two featured articles below.
If you like this content, feel free to subscribe above for FREE and follow us on our social media accounts. We discuss regularly about cricket on our Twitter platform, but also have Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest Accounts.
If you like this material, check our other featured articles here!
Fun exercise, wasn’t it? If you want to have more fun, you can create more variants.
Australia in 2017 fielded Usman Khawaja (Pakistan), Matt Renshaw (England), Steve O’Keefe (Malaysia), and Hilton Cartwright (Zimbabwe). Speaking of Zimbabwe, did you know New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme is born in Zimbabwe?
Here are some fun ideas to create World XIs with Twists:
You can also make an unusual XI of cricketers born in non-Test playing countries.
For example, Moises Henriques (Aus) for born in Portugal, George Headley (WI) in Panama, Geraint Jones (Eng) from Papua New Guinea, (Pak) Shan Masood from Kuwait, (Pak) Imad Wasim from Wales, and many more!
With the completion of Brexit, the Kolpak deal is all but over. Kyle Abbott is back with the Titans. Can you make a South Africa Exodus XI? Here are some ideas
Kyle Abbott, Duanne Olivier, Wayne Parnell, Marchant de Lange, Rilee Rossouw, Simon Harmer, Colin Ingram, Dane Piedt (USA)
Imran Tahir is a Pakistan-born immigrant to play for South Africa. Can you make an All-Time South African immigrant XI? Or a Pakistan Emigrant XI?
How many South African born cricketers played for other countries?
In total there have been 62 South African born cricketers who played for other countries, 21 of whom have already retired and 41 are still playing. South Africa (19), New Zealand (10), Ireland (10), and Netherlands (9) represent the nations most originally South African born cricketers immigrated to.
Which South African born cricketers have represented New Zealand?
South African born cricketers who have represented New Zealand include Chad Bowes, Grant Elliot, Neil Wagner, Devon Conway, & Glenn Phillips.
Which South African born cricketers have represented England?
South African born cricketers who have represented England include Jason Roy, Tom Curran, Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Basil D’Oliveira, Tony Greig, Michael Lumb, Craig Kieswetter, and several more!
Which South African born cricketers have represented Australia?
South African born cricketers who have represented Australia include Marnus Labuschagne, Kepler Wessels, & Michael Neser.
Who is Chad Bowes?
Chad Bowes is a South-born cricketer who plays for New Zealand on the international level. He played for South Africa U-19 and KwaZulu-Natal before moving to New Zealand to fulfill his dream of playing international cricket.
Both New Zealand and Pakistan had multiple stories in this series—Kane Williamson & Kyle Jamieson’s continued 2020 brilliance, Fawad Alam & Daryl Mitchell’s fairytale hundreds, Azhar Ali’s revival & Shan Masood’s decline.
Here is our review of both the T20I and Test series between New Zealand and the Pakistan—the rising stars, falling gems, broken dreams, and much more!
READ TILL THE END FOR THE WORLD T20I WORLD CUP WATCH!
This series mirrored the recently concluded New Zealand Vs West Indies series. In the WI series, the T20I series was dominated by Glenn Phillips. Similarly, this time it was another top order, wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert.
The similarity does not end here. In both these series, Kane Williamson won the Player of the Match award for the first Test match and Kyle Jamieson won that award for the second Test match. While Jamieson received the Player of the Series trophy for the West Indies series, Williamson won the Pakistan series award.
Oh yeah, Williamson scored double centuries in both.
Mohammad Hafeez keeps improving with age. The 99* in the 2nd T20I was one of the innings of the year albeit in a losing cause.
In absence of Babar Azam, stand-in captain Shadab Khan showed maturity with his 42 (32) in the first T20I, taking Pakistan to a decent score after being 20/4. Rizwan, similarly, took responsibility in the third match with a match-winning 89 (59). The Babar-Rizwan-Shadab leadership group holds well for the future.
Abdullah Shafique (2/3 matches), Haider Ali (3/3), and Khushdil Shah (3/3) all had opportunities, but could not capitalize with series totals of 0, 22, and 43 runs respectively. With a struggling top order, maybe some re-shuffling is required. At a T20I strike rate of 145.89, Imad Wasim at #8 was a bit wasted.
End of Wahab Riaz? 0/64 with economy of 13.24 economy (4.5 overs). I am sure he will fight & comeback as always but time is running out.
Tests
Fawad Alam, one of the unluckiest player of the last decade, had the last laugh at the end of 2020. 11 years since his last century, Alam scored 102 (296), battling along with Azhar Ali & Rizwan for six and a half hours. Good effort by Pakistan, dragging the game from 0/2 to 271 in 123.3 overs. Almost saved the game if not for Santner’s jumping catch.
Pakistan scored 239, 271, 297, & 186. Sounds respectable right? Well if the #7 and #8 had not done rearguard efforts thanks to Mohammad Rizwan (71, 60, 61, 10) & Faheem Ashraf (91, 19, 48, 28), Pakistan would have been skittled for not too many. End of the road for Shan Masood and gully-catch-thrower Haris Sohail?
Masood + Haris = 8 innings, 38 runs, 200 balls.
Afridi + Abbas = 8 innings, 34 runs, 224 balls.
The bowlers had a horrid test series—usually Pakistan’s strong suit. Although Afridi and Abbas were disciplined, the wicket column was dry. Both Naseem and Yasir Shah were off-color with Yasir’s overseas stats continuing to worsen. Comeback story Zafar Gohar (missed Test debut in 2015 because he overslept) went wicketless.
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New Zealand
T20Is
Tim Seifert shows his class – 57 (43),84* (63), 35 (20) at 139.68 strike rate with 7 sixes.
Jacob Duffy – what a debut! Player of the Match performance with 4/33.
Devon Conway has solidified his spot for the T20I World Cup with 63 (45) in the last T20I. Looks like Ross Taylor is on the way out in this format….
Nicholls might have had the rub of the green with Pakistan’s dropped catches, but now has scores of 174 and 157 against West Indies and Pakistan. Not only is he scoring hundreds, he is beginning to score daddy hundreds.
Kyle Jamieson has taken everybody by surprise. A Test batting average of 56.5, bowling average of 13.27, four 5-wicket hauls and 1 10-wicket haul in his short 6-Test career, he is my ICC Allrounder for the next decade.
Tim Southee picked up his 300th Test wicket. What a gem this guy has been for New Zealand cricket. What a gem Boult-Southee are. Here are their uncannily similar stats in the past decade (courtesy Twitter).
We like to spice things up with our own awards at the end of the series. Here they are:
New Zealand vs Pakistan 2020
New Zealand
Pakistan
Emerging Player
Jacob Duffy
Faheem Ashraf & Mohammad Rizwan
Surprise Package
Tim Seifert & Daryl Mitchell
Fawad Alam’s 2nd coming
Broken Cricket Dream
Disappointed Fans (Because there weren’t any)
The FIELDING, Wahab Riaz, & Haris Sohail
Who would have been your Emerging Player? Surprise Player? Broken Cricket Dream? Let us know below WITH COMMENTS! Like, share with friends & family, & don’t forget to hit the orange button below!
And what do they get for being the #1 Test team? A mere FOUR TESTS in 2021. England get 17*.
Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell
Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner (played with a broken toe – Passion, commitment, but still needs to be careful there)
When Ross Taylor and BJ Watling are your 9th/10th best players in recent times, you know this is a damn good Test team.
Matt Henry had an understated outing, while Adam Milne is playing the Big Bash. Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Sodhi, Blundell, Conway, Duffy, Phillips, Jeet Raval, Will Young – New Zealand’s depth in all formats is astounding.
*schedule may be subject to change given current circumstances
Pakistan
I predicted a 2-1 T20I win for Pakistan earlier in the Series Preview, but maybe I was too hopeful there. The T20I series looked close on paper, but New Zealand were, by far, the better side.
On the other hand, the Test result of 2-0, but losses of 101 runs/innings defeat does not reflect the true nature of the series. Pakistan had their moments. New Zealand had their moments. The only difference? New Zealand capitalized. Pakistan dropped. Azhar Ali’s 93 might have saved his career, but Masood & Sohail might be replaced by Babar and Imam (or who knows,…Asad Shafiq, anybody?).
In any case, looking forward, 2021 holds positive news for Pakistan as both South Africa and England are to travel to Pakistan after more than a decade of hiatus for a historic tour. In regards to the World T20I, apart from Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, several tweaks need to be made. They are a dangerous side if they can click together.
And finally….Hasan Ali is back.
In Quaid-e-Azam trophy, he was the Player of the Series and Player of the Match in the tied final. 106* (61) with 7 sixes in the final. Class player, had a dip, should make a comeback at the next tour to South Africa.
We are doing a World T20 Watch from now till the T20I world cup next year. After the end of each T20I series, we look at the current predictions of the WT20 squad as we get closer. Here is our predicted T20 XI line up and 15-man squad as of now based on this series.
Pakistan
Babar Azam*, 2. Mohammad Rizwan (WK), 3. Haider Ali, 4. Mohammad Hafeez, 5. Shadab Khan, 6. Imad Wasim, 7. Faheem Ashraf, 8. Hasan Ali, 9. Haris Rauf, 10. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11. Usman Qadir
Squad: Khusdil Shah/ Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed/Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hasnain/Mohammad Musa, Wahab Riaz/ Mohammad Amir comeback?
New Zealand
Since the next WT20 is in India, New Zealand might go with both Santner and Sodhi in the XI.
Martin Guptill, 2. Tim Seifert (WK), 3. Kane Williamson*, 4. Glenn Phillips, 5. Devon Conway, 6. Mitchell Santner, 7. James Neesham, 8. Kyle Jamieson, 9. Tim Southee, 10. Trent Boult, 11. Ish Sodhi
Squad: Colin de Grandhomme, Mark Chapman/Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner/Jacob Duffy, Doug Bracewell/Scott Kuggeleijn
*Captain
What did you think about this New Zealand vs Pakistan 2020 Series? What are your World T20 line ups? COMMENT BELOW, and let us know what you think!
Pakistan cricket has rejuvenated in the last couple of years.
Post 2015, Pakistan has invested in youngsters and focused on bringing cricket back home. With the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, this Pakistan T20I team is a force to reckon with in the near future.
Can they triumph against New Zealand in their own backyard?
Read till the end to check out our predictions. Let us know who you think will win in the COMMENTS below!
When and Where?
Here are the dates and the venue for the Pakistan Vs New Zealand T20I series.
Pakistan: Young Talent Highlight Azam-less Batting Line-Up
Mohammad Hafeez made his debut in April 2003, two months before before the birth of T20 cricket. 18 years on, he is still fit and has been a revelation in the shortest format. Can he keep going?
Azam’s injury paves the way for youngsters like the next-big-thing Haider Ali, Abdullah Shafique, and Khusdil Shah to showcase their talent.
New Zealand: Explosive But Inexperienced
Williamson is on paternity leave but is expected to come back by the 2nd T20I. Another key selection is that Ross Taylor has been dropped. You heard it right—dropped, not rested.
Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway cemented their places with marvelous performances against the West Indies. Another young talent from Hong Kong, Mark Chapman, has got a few chances but now needs to follow suit and deliver.
Expect Guptill-Seifert to provide New Zealand with explosive starts and Neesham to finish it off in style.
The Bowling
Pakistan: Pakistan Cricket and the Flurry of Bowling Options
Shaheen Shah Afridi is the complete package – can bowl up front and at the death. Need 4 wickets in 4 balls? Can do that as well. One of the bests in this format right now.
Wahab Riaz is the experienced man in this line up. Has been in and out of the side in the last few years. With Haris Rauf’s rapid rise and Naseem/Musa waiting, Riaz would want to nail his T20I World Cup spot.
Stand-in captain Shadab Khan & Imad Wasim will occupy key spinning-allrounder roles. Much rest on their shoulders for the balance of the XI.
New Zealand: Rotation Policy Central to New Zealand’s Depth
Southee-Boult-Jamieson should return for the last 2 T20Is as the first choice bowling line-up.
The first T20I gives the likes of Doug Bracewell, Kuggeleijn, Tickner, and possible debutant Duffy a chance to seal the reserve seamer spot.
Santner will captain in the absence of Williamson. In short New Zealand grounds and flat pitches, Santner needs to keep economy rate low otherwise another Pollard-like carnage is on the cards.
Key Matchups To Watch Out For
Haris Rauf Vs NZ’s middle order:As Rauf has shown in the Big Bash, he is a quite a skiddy customer and a smart, thinking cricketer. The Kiwis ought to be wary.
Battle of the Keepers: Both Seifert and Rizwan are safe behind the wickets and have had a decent past year. The winner of this mini-battle will have an impact on the series.
The Broken Dream
Pakistan: Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir
Shoaib Malik, the first Asian to 10000 T20 runs, has already won the National T20 Cup and the Lanka Premier League finals. Yet, with veterans Hafeez and Iftikhar Ahmed, is it curtains on a two-decade long career?
Mohammad Amir’s recent international retirement/break statement has shaken the social media world. The journey of a promising young kid whose rise took the world by surprise, followed by a spot-fixing exile, a remarkable comeback, and finally dropped from the side—end of the dream for Amir?
What are your thoughts on his sudden retirement? COMMENT BELOW!
New Zealand: Ross Taylor
Devon Conway’s consistent performances has cast Ross Taylor aside, the only person to play 100+ games across formats. Always a decent performer, Taylor never lived up to his RCB 2009 heights in T20Is. Can he make it to the next World Cup?
Prediction
Verdict: 2-1 Pakistan
This young Pakistan cricket team is definitely favorites to reach the top 4 at the 2021 T20I World Cup in India. Without Babar Azam, the team will not be at its maximum potential, but neither is New Zealand without Williamson and with its fast bowling-rotation policy.
Both teams have fluid, explosive line ups with multiple bowling options. In this series, I am most excited for the youngsters on show!
Expect Haider Aliand Glenn Phillips to provide some entertainment.
Let us know your thoughts on Pakistan cricket, New Zealand cricket, and the eventual scoreline. COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW!
My Starting XI:
These are my starting XI for the first Test (assuming everyone is available in terms of COVID and injuries).
Pakistan:
Abdullah Shafique, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Khusdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan*, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Wahab Riaz
New Zealand (1st):
Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (WK), Glenn Phillips, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner*, James Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Doug Bracewell
These are the other options in the squads. Note, India has 2 squads – for the first 2 and last T20I respectively
Pakistan: Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Musa, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), Usman Qadir
New Zealand: Todd Astle, Scott Kuggeleijn
Image Courtesy: Shoaib Malik – (By Pakistan Cricket Board – Youtube): License, as on date of upload: ‘Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)’, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
New Zealand vs West Indies – a mouth watering series start that ended completely one-sided.
There were plenty of moments nevertheless. In the T20Is, we witnessed an Eden Park thriller, a Pollard special, the Conway-Phillips record-breaking partnership, while there was the Williamson double, Blackwood-Joseph’s resistance, and Jamieson’s brilliance to name a few during the Tests.
The Kiwis swept both the T20I and Test series with key contributions from multiple players, while the West Indies began the tour with high hopes, had some bright moments, but yet again, went down without a fight.
Same old story.
Anyway, without further ado, here is our review of both the T20I and Test series between New Zealand and the West Indies.
Kieron Pollard continues his brilliant T20 form with a brilliant counterattacking 75* (37) with 8 sixes.
Andre Fletcher is back – 34(14), 20(14), 4*(3). 31 balls – 5 sixes. Short but impactful – suits WI’s style.
Hetmyer and Pooran needs to up their game in the international arena with another poor series.
Tests
Jermaine Blackwood establishes himself at the #6 spot with another display of counterattacking batting. 104 with a battling 69 in the second Test as well. Good hand by Joseph in the 155 partnership as well.
Roston Chase, once the driver of the engine room, now a liability? Struggling with batting form.
Joshua De Silva and Chemar Holder provided glimpses of West Indies’ future with debuts. The former with a maiden half century and the latter with the smooth bowling action
New Zealand
T20Is
Devon Conway gets a chance & makes it count – 41 (29), 65*(37). Great story this after domestic toil and leaving South Africa.
Glenn Phillips cements his place with a brilliant 108, Ross Taylor loses his. End of Taylor in T20Is?
Lockie Ferguson may be the most impactful T20 bowler at the moment. Just trace back to the 1st T20I – WI 58-0 in 3.1 overs. Enter Ferguson. 12 balls later, West Indies 5-59. Ferguson ends with 5-21.
The 2010 generation of Guptill-Williamson-Taylor-Watling-Boult-Southee will have to end some day but with Conway-Phillips-Seifert-Jamieson and even Will Young (debut)/Ravindra (NZ A), New Zealand are not going anywhere.
T20 cricket is not a worry for the West Indies. Yes the Windies are currently sitting at #10, but their style of playing still works in T20 cricket. Given their best fit line up (Andre Russell, cough cough), they are still contenders to defend their T20I World Cup.
For Test matches, it is just another story. Post-COVID, the win against England gave me hope, especially with Gabriel-Roach-Holder-Joseph, but check this out:
We asked the Twitter crowd these questions with #SeriesPredictions:
#Scoreline
#MVP
#MostRuns
#MostWickets
#EmergingPlayer
#SurprisePackage
Note, we will focus on the Test series for the IndvAus and NZvWI series, but look at limited overs combined for the EngvSA series.
And guess was, there are no rules! You can do the predictions as you wish – for 1 series or all 3! Just have fun!
So who do you think we will emerge as the winner? Who will be the surprise package? Reece Topley, Kyle Jamieson? Pucovski and Green? Who will win the battle of the off-spinners, R Ashwin vs Nathan Lyon?
So many questions, so little time.
So without further ado, here are mine:
My Predictions
IndvAus
NZvWI
EngvSA
#Scoreline
2-1 (ODI), 1-2 (T20I), 1-1 (Tests)
1-2 (T20I), 2-0 (Tests)
0-3 (T20I), 2-1 (ODI)
#MVP
Hanuma Vihari (Ind), Labuschagne (Aus)
Trent Boult (NZ), Roston Chase (WI)
Moeen Ali (Eng), Van der Dussen (SA)
#MostRuns
Ajinkya Rahane
Ross Taylor
Quinton de Kock
#MostWickets
Hazlewood
Trent Boult-Jason Holder (tied)
Anrich Nortje
#EmergingPlayer
Will Pucovski
Joshua De Silva
Liam Livingstone
#SurprisePackage
Ashwin
Kyle Jamieson
Sam Curran?
The Prediction
Here are the responses we received from my Twitter post. Enjoy!
Everyone has been dismissing India’s chance in the BG Trophy – Test series . I have a feeling we will do well there , provided all of them stay injury free. We are a better team in the white ball format , so winning them wont be a surprise .
For #SAvEng I just hope they get on the pitch. If they do, England probably win both 2-1. They don’t seem to be taking ODIs that seriously right now which could give SA a chance but most of them have had either a decent IPL or a good rest so will be ready to go…
For #EngvSA, well, first they need to get over natural obstacles (rain)
If all matches do commence as plan, my predictions are:- T20s:- 2-1 (could potentially be 3-0 if Eng plays a full-strength team) ODIs:- 2-1 Both in favor of England.
NZvWI tough to predict due to unpredictable nature of the Windies
Conclusion
In any case, I hope this prediction game is just as fun for you, as it is for me!
Let us hope for competitive and enthralling matches, uninterrupted and safe few months, and most of all, sportsmanship displays and moments to cherish.
Enjoy, and keep on coming with the predictions if you have not already. I will be keeping track.
Comment below, join us for free updates below, and share with your friends!
What is the first thing that comes in your mind when you think of cricket highlights? Fast bowling wickets compilation? Catches Win Matches? Stylish Cover drives?
How about classic commentary highlights? Well, today we will discuss exactly that!
Last week, we created a Fantasy team of Commentators XI. Harsha Bhogle was our team captain, Gaurav Kapur the opener, and the dynamic duo of Simon Doull and Pommie Mbangwa as the fast bowlers.
So naturally we asked our Twitter audience to respond with #BestCommentary for:
Best #IPL2020 Commentary Highlights
Most Favorite Iconic Cricket Commentary Memory
Commentators come in all shapes and sizes—a few serious, others insightful, and some extremely hilarious.
Who is your favorite commentator? Bill Lawry, Michael Holding, Tony Greig, Ian Bishop, Richie Benaud, Ravi Shashtri? COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW!
Anyway, here are their twitter responses! So, sit back, relax, and watch some of the best cricket commentary videos!
There are lots of videos. Like a lot. Watch till the end for all the good ones.
The Tweets – Commentary Highlights
Here are the favorite IPL and cricketing memories from the fans in their own words. We have categorized the commentary in categories—The Jaw Drop, The Heartbreak, and The Critical, and then, some more.
The Jaw Drop feat Ravi Shastri
Here are some of the jaw dropping moments in recent cricketing history captured by iconic commentators.
My Fav. #BestCommentary will be Ravi Shastri commentating on Yuvraj Singh Six sixes in an over to Stuart Broad in first T20 World Cup. And best #IPLT20 will be First time I saw sunny sir doing Hindi Commentary that was really an awesome moment for me
Yes Really It was very nice especially I was watching this match Live… So still remember those exciting sixes and commentary by Ravi Shastri.
What a great day for cricket. One just imagines what would have happened had Flintoff kept his cool to Yuvi that day?
IPL comms just wash over me a bit. Sunny Gavaskar is the master of the box as much as he was at the crease, especially when he’s annoyed. KP’s ‘Pingo Pongo’ moments are fun. Best ever is Fazeer Mohammed “Why did he do that?!” to Gabriel’s brainfade against Yasir #BestCommentary
Try #RCBvSRH on 21 September as I checked and mentioned it that day. Also you’ve got to have Richie Benaud from Botham Headingley 1981 – “It went in to the confectionery stall and out again…”
For me, #BestCommentary All-Time – by Ravi Shastri Sir on India WC 2011 wining moment (Dhoni’s 6) ~ ” Dhoni finishes off in style..A magnificent strike into the crowd…India wins after 28 years…& it’s the Indian capt who’s been absolutely magnificent in the night of the final
Ian Bishop recently celebrated his 53rd birthday at the IPL. With Harsha Bhogle, Mark Nicholas, and JP Duminy, the banter among the group was hilarious!
He has had so many iconic moments in recent times, that he deserves a category by himself.
My fav in #IPL2020 Bish, Danny M, Mark Nicholas, Sanga . All time Nasser H. Favorite moment :normally love all the 3rd man and Masterclass segments(Nasser and Murali) in sky sports. But generally I think it’s Bishop calling brathwaite and Ravi S in natwest series #bestcommentary
Mine from ipl is AB v steyn(SRH one) 2014.. Simon doull & ramiz raja in comm… All time fav.. Bit biased, will select two: 1) Ravi shastri calling Dhoni’s six, wc 2011 final 2) Bish in manchester 2019 wc “Surely the hopes have been ignited enough for them to be extinguished!”
“Can he? Can he really?” “The dream has diminished for CB, here in manchesterrr..”
Watching late at night.. Was preparing for the exams..but couldn’t take my eyes off.. Even after the fall of 7th wkt.. For some reason didn’t switch it off… Treated with a phenomenal & memorable game.. The heart sank but was a special knock from brathwaitte..
"Grant Elliot: Superman!"#OnThisDay in 2015 New Zealand beat South Africa in the @CricketWorldCup semi-final, one of the most exciting ODIs of all time.
#BestCommentary for me is certainly by Ian Smith from CWC 2019 Final written below:-
“This is the moment – it’s Archer to Guptill. Two to win. Guptill’s got to push for two, they’ve gotta go! The throw’s gotta go to the keeper’s end. He’s got it! England have won the World Cup – by the barest of margins. By the barest of all margins.”#BestCommentary Chilling!
Not all commentary is hilarious or heartbreaking. Some commentary moments deal with serious cricketing issues.
Vandit – West Indies T20 League Exodus
2011 Pakistan Vs West Indies ODI.The highlight was Michael Holding exclaiming, “I was told he played in the IPL this morning. I almost fell over. A feather duster could have knocked me over”
2. Here is another serious commentary by Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain on Muhammad Amir’s comeback following the Spot Fixing ban. Do watch the full interview here.
#BestCommentary Harsha Bhogle: “Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts. We are ready for the take-off.” This was when AB started his innings with a bang in one IPL match.
Did not find the exact Harsha video but here is Harsha Bhogle at his very best.
2. Tony Greig – Sharjah Sachin Tendulkar
3. YouTube – Best Commentary
4. Richie Benaud – BBC Tribute
Here is the BBC Tribute to Richie Benaud’s marvelous career, both as a player and a commentator. Here are some of his other Benaud’s other best moments.
5. My Personal Favorite – That. Is. Very. Good.
Any other videos or memories? Comment below and send us your favorite commentary highlights!
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