a

History of Women’s Cricket World Cup: List of Winners, Hosts, Statistics, Most Runs, Most Wickets

The 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup is right around the corner, and we are here all for it!

Women’s cricket has become mainstream over the last decade, especially with the breakthrough 2017 ODI World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup final, but how much do we really about it?

The general public can remember who won the 1979 Cricket World Cup, Kapil Dev’s 1983 catch, Wasim Akram’s 1992 swing, South Africa’s collapses, and Australia’s dominance in men’s cricket. Here we will educate ourselves about the Women’s Cricket World Cup—How many World Cups have happened, what happened in each world cup, who is the highest runs scorer, wicket taker, and much more!

By the end of this article, you will know everything from history to prepare yourself for the upcoming 2022 Cricket World cup.

Table of Contents

Facts About Women’s Cricket World Cup

Did You Know?

  1. Cricket’s first ODI World Cup was the 1973 Women’s Cricket World Cup, not the 1975 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
  2. Denmark played cricket? That’s right. While teams like Ireland and Netherlands made their impact in men’s world cup in the 2000s, teams like Ireland, Denmark, and Netherlands made their Women’s World Cup debut from the 1988 & 1993 world cups onwards.
  3. In the 1973 World Cup, Jamaica & Trinidad and Tobago played as separate nations, not under West Indies.
  4. Belinda Clark scored 229* in the 1997 World Cup vs Denmark, the highest ODI score across cricket at that time.
  5. In the 1973 & 1982 World Cup, an International XI was fielded as one of teams, comprised of players from England, New Zealand, Netherlands, Australia, India, Trinidad, and Jamaica.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Also Read:

  1. 20 Years of Mithali Raj And Jhulan Goswami: Eternal Legends for Indian & Women Cricket
  2. Greatest Women’s Cricketers of All Time
  3. What If India had won the 2017 ODI World Cup?
  4. What Can Ellyse Perry Not Do?
  5. Case For 5-Day Tests In Women’s Cricket?
  6. Need For Change in Women’s Cricket: Hoping Against Hope
  7. Controversy Alert: Who Cares About Women’s Cricket Anyway?

Stats

Most Wins

How Many Times Have They Won?Runners-Up
Australia6 (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013)2 (1973, 2000)
England4 (1973, 1993, 2009, 2017)3 (1978, 1982, 1988)
New Zealand1 (2000)3 (1993, 1997, 2009)
India02 (2005, 2017)
West Indies01 (2013)

Most Runs

World CupsMatchesRunsBestAverage50s/100s
Debbie Hockley (New Zealand)1982-2000451501100*42.8810/2
Jan Brittin (England)1982-1997361299138*43.303/4
Charlotte Edwards (England)1997-2013301231173*53.527/4
Belinda Clark
(Australia)
1993-2005311151229*60.576/1
Mithali Raj
(India)
2000-202231*113910954.239/2

*will be playing the 2022 ODI World Cup

Most Wickets

World CupsMatchesWicketsBest Figures4/5
Lyn Fullston
(Australia)
1982-198820395/272/2
Carole Hodges
(England)
1982-199324374/33/0
Clare Taylor
(England)
1988-200525364/132/0
Jhulan Goswami
(India)
2005-200228364/162/0
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
(Australia)
1993-200525333/182/0

Most Dismissals

World CupsMatchesDismissals
(Catches/Stumpings)
Best
Jane Smit
(England)
1993-20052940 (22/18)4 (2/2)
Rebecca Rolls
(New Zealand)
1997-20052232 (24/8)4 (4/0)
Anju Jain
(India)
1993-20052431 (14/17)5 (3/2)

Most Catches

World CupsMatchesCatches
Jan Brittin
(England)
1982-19973619
Jhulan Goswami
(India)
2005-20172816
Lydia Greenway
(England)
2005-20131814

1. 1973 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: England

Winner: England 🥇

Runners Up: Australia 🥈

  • Teams: 7 (England, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Young England, International XI)
  • Format: Round Robin (6 matches each), 21 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Enid Bakewell (264) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Rosalind Heggs (12) – Young England

Fun Fact: England were captained by Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who is quoted to be the “WG Grace of women’s cricket.”

Embed from Getty Images

2. 1978 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: India

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: England 🥈

  • Teams: 4 (Australia, England, New Zealand, India)
  • Format: Round Robin (3 matches each), 6 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Margaret Jennings (127) – Australia
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Sharyn Hill (7) – Australia

Venue: New Zealand

Fun Fact: Australia won their first cricket world cup….first of their 20 world cups (5 men’s ODI, 1 T20 WC, 3 U-19 WC, 6 women’s ODI WC, 5 T20I WC)…WOW.

3. Hansells Vita Fresh 1982 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: New Zealand

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: England 🥈

  • Teams: 5 (Australia, England, New Zealand, India, International XI)
  • Format: Triple Round Robin + Final (12 matches each), 31 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Jan Brittin (391) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Lyn Fullston (23) – Australia (most in any women’s WC)

Fun Fact: Jackie Lord took 8-2-10-6 against India, women’s cricket best WC bowling figures to date. Electing to bat, NZ were bundled out for 80 in 58.5 overs via Diana Edulji’s 11.5-7-10-3 (60-over match). In reply, Lord helped bundle India for 37 in 35 overes.

Each team played each other THREE TIMES! Can you imagine that in today’s day and age? Also International XI makes a comeback.

Embed from Getty Images

4. Shell Bicentennial 1988 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: Australia

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: England 🥈

  • Teams: 5 (Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Netherlands)
  • Format: Double Round Robin + Playoffs (8 matches each), 22 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Carole Hodges (England)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Lindsay Reeler (448) – Australia
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Lyn Fullston (16) – Australia

Fun Fact: Ireland & Netherlands make their cricket world cup debut.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

5. 1993 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: England

Winner: England

Runners Up: New Zealand

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, England, Australia, India, Ireland, West Indies, Denmark, Netherlands)
  • Format: Round Robin + Playoffs (7 matches each), 29 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Jan Brittin (416) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Julie Harris (15) – New Zealand, Karen Smithies (England)

Fun Fact: The 1993 WWC was on the verge of being cancelled before a last minute £90,000 donation. Denmark comes into the cricketing market.

Embed from Getty Images

6. Hero Honda 1997 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: India

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: New Zealand🥈

  • Teams: 11 (Australia, England, South Africa, Ireland, Denmark, Pakistan, New Zealand, India, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, West Indies)
  • Format: Round Robin (2 groups) + Quarter-Finals + Semi-Finals + Finals, 33 matches totals
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Debbie Hockley (456) – New Zealand (most in any women’s WC)
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Katrina Keenan (13) – New Zealand

Fun Fact: Belinda Clark 229* (pushing Australia to 412/7, best WC score ever till date) and Charlotte Edwards’ 173 broke ODI batting world records, Pakistan collapsed for 27/10 (lowest ever WC score), and Jhulan Goswami, on ball duty, was inspired to take up the sport as a child. The beginning of professionalization of women’s cricket (from skirts/culottes to trousers)

Embed from Getty Images

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

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

7. CricInfo 2000 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: New Zealand

Winner: New Zealand 🥇

Runners Up: Australia 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands)
  • Format: Round Robin + Semi-Finals + Finals, 31 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Lisa Keightley
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Karen Rolton (393) – Australia
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Charmaine Mason (17) – Australia

Fun Fact: A classic Australia Vs New Zealand final in New Zealand, who actually won their first (and only) ODI World Cup. The 2015 men’s world cup was actually just a revenge battle.

Embed from Getty Images

8. 2005 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: South Africa

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: India 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, India, New Zealand, England, West indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Ireland)
  • Format: Round Robin + Semi-Finals + Finals, 31 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Karen Rolton (Australia) (Rolton boasts the best WC average across women’s WC – 74.92)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Charlotte Edwards (280)
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Neetu David (20)

Fun Fact: Featured a star cast—Belinda Clark, Lisa Sthalekar, Karen Rolton, Lisa Keightley, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Edwards, Katherine Brunt, Isa Guha, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra, Neetu David, Anisa Mohammeda clash of generations.

Embed from Getty Images

9. ICC 2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: Australia

Winner: England 🥇

Runners Up: New Zealand 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (New Zealand, Australia, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies)
  • Format: 2 Groups + Super Six + Final, 25 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Claire Taylor (England)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Claire Taylor (324) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Laura Marsh (16) – England

ICC Team of the Tournament:

  1. Suzie Bates (NZ), 2. Shelley Nitschke (Aus), 3. Claire Taylor (Eng), 4. Mithali raj (Ind), 5. Charlotte Edwards (C – Eng), 6. Kate Pulford (NZ), 7. Sarah Taylor (WK – Eng), 8. Amita Sharma (Ind), 9. Katherine Brunt (Eng), 10. Priyanka Roy (Ind), 11. Laura Marsh (Eng), 12. Sophie Devine (NZ)

Fun Fact: Ellyse Perry makes her ODI World Cup debut at the age of 18 taking 3/40 in Australia’s first match of the World Cup.

Embed from Getty Images

10. ICC 2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: India

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: West Indies 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (England, Sri Lanka, West Indies, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan)
  • Format: 2 Groups + Super Six + Final, 25 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Suzie Bates (407) – New Zealand
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Megan Schutt (15) – Australia

Fun Fact: India & Pakistan were the two teams that failed to qualify for the Super Sixes, while West Indies qualify for the Finals for the first (and only) time.

Embed from Getty Images

11. ICC 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: England & Wales

Winner: England

Runners Up: India

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, England, New Zealand, West indies, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan)
  • Format: Round Robin + Final
  • Player of the Tournament: Tammy Beaumont (England)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Tammy Beaumont (410) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Dane van Niekerk (15) – South Africa

ICC Team of the Tournament:

  1. Tammy Beaumont (Eng), 2. Laura Wolvaardt (SA), 3. Mithali Raj (C- Ind), 4. Ellyse Perry, 5. Sarah Taylor (WK – Eng), 6. Harmanpreet Kaur, 7. Deepti Sharma, 8. Marizanne Kapp (SA), 9. Anya Shrubsole (Eng), 10. Alex Hartley (Eng), 12. Natalie Sciver (Eng)

Fun Fact: Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171* in the semi-finals caught Australia. India lit up the tournament only to fall short due to a Shrubsole caused collapse in the final. Game changer for women’s cricket, bringing new fans to the game.

Embed from Getty Images

Sources: ICC History, Cricinfo

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 01/19/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Dinesh Karthik and the Art of Self Correction

Hamming Code

Imagine it is the 1940s. You are working at Bell Labs, one of the world’s premier research laboratories, an abode of inventions. Computers are at the beginning of their evolution, and programming still occurs on punched cards.

You work day and night in the week, and guess what? One error in the code and the program stops. Hard work down the drain. On the bright side, the machine detects and warns you that there is an error.

So as a brilliant scientist who has been a part of the Manhattan Project, what do you do? You work nights & weekends and develop an algorithm so that the machine can itself correct the errors, without the need for human intervention.

The year is 1950. You have published this paper and revolutionized computer science & information theory.

Your name is Hamming, Richard Hamming. (For more on Hamming codes, watch this beautiful video).

Table of Contents

  1. Hamming Code
  2. Dinesh Karthik
  3. Dinesh Karthik’s Initialization
    1. Under-19 Days
    2. International Debut
  4. When One Door Closes, Another Opens
  5. Error Correction Part I: Karthik’s Golden Year in Test Cricket
  6. Too Many Bugs To Fix
  7. Error Correction Part II: Dinesh Karthik, Journey To The Center Again
  8. Self-Calibration feat Abhishek Nayar
    1. A Nervous Bundle of Energy
  9. Errors Correction III – Consistency in Domestic Cricket
  10. Accuracy Improvement – Dinesh Karthik, The Finisher
  11. Nidahas Trophy & the Internet Superstar
    1. The Night of the Final
  12. The Comeback Ends & The 2019 Cricket World Cup
  13. Is There Another Comeback On The Horizon?
  14. Commentary Stint and The T-Shirt Collection
  15. Karthik’s Legacy: Did he underachieve or overachieve?
  16. The Road Less Traveled By
  17. What Can We Learn From Dinesh Karthik?
  18. The Stats
    1. IPL & Dinesh Karthik’s Career In a Nutshell
  19. Cricket Heroes

Dinesh Karthik

Now fast forward to the 2004. You are playing for the Indian national cricket team, one of the world’s premier cricketing nations, an abode of talent. Wicketkeeper batters are at the beginning of their evolution, and finishing limited over games is still at its infancy.

You work day and night on tours, and guess what? One poor series, and the selectors drop you. Hard work down the drain. On the bright side, selectors warn you that you have to play a different role in order to come back.

So as a budding young cricketer who has been a part of the 2004 U-19 World Cup, what do you do? You practice day in and day out, improve your technical faults, and comeback as a successful opener in swinging conditions to help India win a series in England in 2007.

A few months go by. Inconsistency creeps in. Dropped.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

The year is 2021. You have claimed your fame to glory in that Nidahas Trophy final and revolutionized the role of a finisher.

Your name is Karthik, Dinesh Karthik.

Dinesh Karthik’s story is not in the career averages or amount of runs scored. Neither is it in number of comebacks. It is in the way the comebacks were constructed. Over the years, inconsistency has decreased, reassurance has increased, and in his own words, he has managed to stay ‘relevant.’

In simple terms, he has perfected the art of self-correction.

Dinesh Karthik’s Initialization

Algorithms have improved vastly since the Hamming code days. Yet, there are three main components of a self-correcting algorithm: Initialization, self-calibration, and error correction.

Under-19 Days

On the back of good domestic form, Dinesh Karthik was selected for the 2004 U-19 World Cup. This team included future Indian nationals in Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, and RP Singh. Following a decent domestic and India A season, he found himself in the national reckoning alongside Parthiv Patel as India were trying to find a permanent replacement to makeshift keeper in Rahul Dravid.

International Debut

On September 4, 2004, he made an immediate impact as a keeper in his ODI debut, inflicting a fabulous diving stumping to Michael Vaughan, being part of the famous Mohammad Kaif run-out, and taking a catch.

He would not bat in an ODI for another two years, but was picked for Tests against Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. After having a top score of only 46 in his first six Tests, he finally made a mark scoring 93 in the second innings against Pakistan. However, a loss of form and Dhoni’s memorable 148 at #3 in that Pakistan ODI series meant Karthik was briefly dropped from the Test side and traveled only as a reserve keeper for the next year.

Embed from Getty Images

When One Door Closes, Another Opens

One of the interesting traits of Karthik’s unusual career has been that when he is dropped in Tests, he finds a place in ODIs and vice versa. Later in his career, he was recalled in ODI & Test cricket based on his T20 form.

Case and point is 2006. Karthik enjoyed a good run in the limited overs although he was out of the Test side.

Did you know he was India’s first T20I player of the match winner? Against South Africa, he marshalled the chase with a 31* not take India home in a low scoring chase of 127. Soon after, an ODI player of the performance against West Indies meant that he found a place in both the 2007 ODI and T20I World Cups.

Although he would not get a game in the ODI World Cup, he played as a pure batter in the inaugural T20 World Cup with Dhoni behind the stumps. Low scores followed in the T20 World Cup, but he provided India with a bit of magic in the semi-final—a one handed diving catch to dismiss Graeme Smith.

Nasser Hussain on commentary summed up Dinesh Karthik’s entire career accurately in one sentence

“They say Dinesh Karthik is the two extremes—he drops dollies and he takes some spectacular catches.”

Here are some of his other catches: IPL 2019 running catch, IPL 2020 Ben Stokes flying catch.

Error Correction Part I: Karthik’s Golden Year in Test Cricket

The year 2007 was DK’s best time in Test cricket.

By this time, it was clear that he could not make the XI based on his keeping skills alone. The Fab 4’s presence meant that the middle order was crowded. However, Sehwag & Gambhir had been dropped, which meant there was a slight opening.

Enter Dinesh Karthik 2.0—the opener. With Wasim Jaffer, he formed a brief yet formidable partnership.

In the third Test at Cape Town, the Jaffer-Karthik experiment paid dividend with a 153-opening partnership in the first innings. Karthik scored 63 as an opener and followed it up with 38* at #7.

In the tour of Bangladesh, he was given a permanent opening spot and returned with scores of 56, 22, and 129, his only Test century. Then, came India’s tour of England. Despite not scoring a hundred, scores of 60, 77, & 91 meant that he ended up as India’s highest Test scorer—263 runs, 3 fifties, 518 balls faced to go along Jaffer’s 409 balls, which helped India successfully dent the new ball.

Once again, a commentator did justice to Karthik’s second phase of his career.

“It’s good story Dinesh Karthik. He began life as a dashing middle order batsman and wicketkeeper, and he has been transformed really into an opening batsman of substance.”

India historically won 1-0, India’s first victory on English soil in 21 years (a decade of horror shows the significance of that series victory).

Embed from Getty Images

Too Many Bugs To Fix

Pushed back to the middle order after just 2 more Tests, he could only muster 157 runs in 11 innings with a best of 52 against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. He would get another opportunity in Tests in 2010 before being dropped for another eight years.

On his come back against Afghanistan’s inaugural Test in 2018, he himself said in a press conference that in his earlier stint in Test cricket,

“I guess I wasn’t good enough before… I was not consistent enough.”

When he was out of favor in Tests in 2008, he did receive several opportunities in ODIs, scoring a few middling scores and featuring in India’s 2009 Champions Trophy squad. His best ODI innings of 79 runs came in 2010 with a 196-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar during his historic double century.

14 innings later, with only 1 50+ score & 2 ducks, he was dropped—this time for three years.

Error Correction Part II: Dinesh Karthik, Journey To The Center Again

More competition, more errors, longer time to fix. Enter Dinesh Karthik 3.0—the middle order batter.

It took a 3-year hiatus before Karthik stormed back. In IPL 2013 as the #3 batter for Mumbai Indians, he amassed 510 runs, only behind Rohit Sharma for MI. The innings where his highest score that season of 86 was possibly his best IPL innings (so far).

This performance earned him a ticket on the 2013 Champions Trophy and his best ‘List A’ moment came in the warm-up games, when he scored two back to back centuries, scoring 106* & 146* batting at #6. This tournament is fondly remembered for the beginning of the Shikhar Dhawan-Rohit Sharma opening partnership, which meant Karthik did not get much of a chance with 51* against West Indies his best knock.

A few months later, India failed to qualify for the Asia Cup finals and Karthik’s 21* vs Afghanistan would be his final innings for yet another 3 years.

Embed from Getty Images

Self-Calibration feat Abhishek Nayar

Let us take a slight detour like his career took around 2014.

What is your favorite part about watching Dinesh Karthik? For me, it has always been his unconventional demeanor, starting from his batting routine. The moment he arrives at the crease, it is pure theater. Walking in with urgency, rolling the gloves around, dancing from side to side, taking guard, moving his helmet, meditating on the side. Excitement and apprehension at the same time.

As a keeper he is always chirping and speaking to the bowler, most famously with his partnership in KKR with Varun Chakravarthy or with R Ashwin in Team India.

But surely, so much energy must definitely be a burden. A volcano ready to erupt if the energy is not channeled properly.

A Nervous Bundle of Energy

In order to come back to the Indian national side, DK needed to recalibrate.

In a Breakfast With Champions interview with Gaurav Kapur, he described the time with Abhishek Nayar as a ‘mental bootcamp.’ 40-lap swimming, 45-minute uphill runs, sweeping the house, visualizing match scenarios, and extreme fitness training pushed DK out of his comfort zone. He reflected that

“When you push yourself out of your comfort zone when nobody is watching you and there is no glory attached to it and you just do it quietly because somewhere in life you want to achieve something, overall in time it does help you.”

This experience added an extra dimension to DK’s wide array of skills. He was always a good player of spin, but once he was in a good head space post-Nayar, he literally reinvented his batting—the sweeps, laps, reverse sweeps, and swivel across the crease came with increased frequency.

Errors Correction III – Consistency in Domestic Cricket

While his 2013 comeback was largely on the backs of the IPL, the 2017 comeback was due to the weight of runs in domestic trophy. He was among the runs in Ranji Trophy and has been consistent in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the past five years.

At the peak of his batting powers, DK was hitting the ball as nicely as anybody at that time. Sanjay Manjrekar stated that at that time, Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya were the only two Indian batters who could time the ball from ball one.

By this time, the pattern was set. Another Champions Trophy, yet another come back. Although he did not make the XI, in the next few matches after the trophy he scored 50*, 48, 37, 64* in consecutive games across ODIs & T20Is. It was a signal that he had added consistency to his arsenal.

Accuracy Improvement – Dinesh Karthik, The Finisher

After grinding it out in domestic cricket and becoming a much more calm and mature individual, it was time for Dinesh Karthik 4.0 to enter—Dinesh Karthik, the finisher.

From after the 2017 Champions to before the 2019 Cricket World Cup, DK slowly grew into the finisher role, remaining not-out 20 times out of the 35 ODIs or T20Is he played in.

Embed from Getty Images

Nidahas Trophy & the Internet Superstar

After 14 years of sharpening his skills, beast mode was finally unlocked in the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka.

Short & sweet contributions in every game: 13* (6), 2* (2), 39* (25), 2* (2), and 29* (8). He could not be dismissed throughout the series.

The final was a night to remember. With Mustafizur’s wicket maiden in the 18th and a struggling Vijay Shankar at the other end, hope was all but lost.

The Night of the Final

Then comes in Dinesh Karthik. Rubel Hossain steams in and attempts a yorker. DK sits back and hits it over a long on for six. There is still life left in the game. Then came a heave for four and another one for six! Colombo crowd is going wild.

Couple of balls later, Karthik moves around crease and scoops it over fine leg—22 run over.

Final over, DK off strike, India need 12.

Wide, dot, 1,1, 4 (Shankar), Out. Five runs, one ball, one man. Over pitched delivery outside the off stump, DK times it with a full follow through. FLAT SIX. INDIA WIN! Captain Rohit Sharma said that DK was a bit upset being moved to #7, but he managed to channel the anger into good effect.

Given that India have not won a major ICC trophy since 2013, this memorable win stands at a high place for Indian fans. With 120 million and 211 million views for the 19th and 20th over respectively, this is easily the most watched cricket video (and possibly any sports video). Relive those moments below.

The Comeback Ends & The 2019 Cricket World Cup

He continued his Nidahas Trophy form in IPL 2018 with the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, scoring 498 runs at 49.80 with a strike rate of 147.77.

However selection across formats would come back to haunt him. He would make another comeback in Test cricket, but scores of 4, 0, 20, 1, 0 would be the end of his Test career. He would be in and out of the limited overs side, sometimes batting at #4 in Asia Cup ODIS, and sometimes almost finishing T20Is in New Zealand.

A score of 97* in IPL 2019 followed as he narrowly made the cut in the World Cup squad.

The Russian Roulette selection among Dinesh Karthik, Kedhar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, and most infamously, Ambati Rayudu probably hurt all five and India in the 2019 Cricket World Cup semi-final. Surprisingly promoted to No. 5, he tried to stem the fall of wickets before Jimmy Neesham’s brilliant catch ended his ODI career.

Is There Another Comeback On The Horizon?

He was one of the casualties of India’s post-tournament analysis, even dropped from the T20I side, where he had reasonable success.

Post-COVID, he had a tough time at the 2020 IPL, averaging only 14.08, his second worst season. Although he took KKR to a playoff spot in 2018, he would relieve captaincy duties to Eoin Morgan for the remainder of 2020 and 2021.

Since then, he has been vocal about fighting for a place in one of the T20 World Cups in the next two years purely as a finisher. Still the best finisher in India alongside Ravindra Jadeja & Hardik Pandya, the real question is, will we see DK 5.0?

Commentary Stint and The T-Shirt Collection

Even though we do not know his cricketing career will pan out, there is already a brief glimpse into the future.

He has become a social media celebrity with his Sky Sports stint providing apt analysis, providing daily weather updates, and most famously, showing the world his enviable T-shirt collection.

Here are his interviews with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah.

Karthik’s Legacy: Did he underachieve or overachieve?

Representing your nation in one international tournament is is an honor. In a topsy-turvy career, Karthik has somehow managed to be a part of the 2007 ODI World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup, 2009 Champions Trophy, 2013 Champions Trophy, 2017 Champions Trophy, and the 2019 ODI World Cup. Sprinkle a couple of Asia Cups in there as well.

There are two school of thoughts on Dinesh Karthik’s career. Did he fulfill his potential? Maybe. Maybe not.

From a glass half empty perspective, one can observe that as a gifted batter and a giant in domestic cricket, he could not make most of his opportunities and cement a place in the Indian national team. On the other hand, he never got an extended run in one format at a time, constantly playing in different roles and formats. Hence, the fact that we are still talking about him after 17 years is still an achievement.

DK’s career consisted of memorable high peaks in a relatively plateau of a career. Opening in England, twin List A tons in Champions Trophy warm ups, winning an IPL Trophy with Mumbai Indians and T20I World Cup in 2007, stumpings and catches galore, and giving fans the Nidahas Trophy Final to cherish, he has made his mark.

In a press conference, Karthik himself says

“Even if I don’t get the opportunity to play sport at the highest level, I want to be content with the fact that I have given it everything I have had. Not only on the field, but off the field.”

The Road Less Traveled By

Robert Frost wrote in his famous poem The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

When India needed a wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik was a wicketkeeper. India needed an overseas opener, in came DK, the opener. When they needed a #4, he became a #4. Finally, when all the spots were filled, he became a specialist finisher.

Although he was an anomaly in the previous era, current Indian wicketkeepers might keep an eye on his career very carefully. It is likely that not all of KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat will get a constant run. So they should be prepared to be dropped and come back stronger, maybe with a different role.

Dinesh Karthik’s career might not have gone according to the original plan but his journey has been interesting nevertheless. He modified his approach, adapted to the circumstances, and always strived to improve his individual game.

What Can We Learn From Dinesh Karthik?

Numerous players were dropped at an early age and could never find a way to come back. Others could manage to comeback only briefly because they were pigeonholed to a single role. Karthik frequently took the road less traveled by, refined his old skills, while learning new ones at the go.

When he arrived in the international arena, he was a good player who had the potential to excel in three formats and don several roles. After years of repetitive self correction and recalibration, he has now developed his own unique niche—overs 16 to 20 as a T20 finisher, a position where he is the best. Power-hitters like Pollard, Russell, and Pandya might be better finishers in general but not many have the match awareness and can play the field as Karthik does in those end overs.

So what can we learn from Dinesh Karthik? Always be self-aware, prepare for the worst, focus on the process, wear nice shirts, be yourself, adapt to the surroundings, be ready for the opportunity, and provide energy to others around you.

I would love to finish this article with a bang, but what can I say—The finisher is not yet finished.

The Stats

Test: 26 matches, 1025 runs, 25.00 average, best of 129, 100s/50s – 1/7, 57 catches, 6 stumpings

ODI: 94 matches, 1752 runs, 30.20 average, best of 79, 50s-9, 64 catches, 7 stumpings

T20I: 32 matches, 399 runs, 33.25 average, 143.52 SR, best of 48, 14 catches, 5 stumpings

T20: 321 matches, 6221 runs, 27.40 average, 133.55 SR, best of 97*, 193 catches, 61 stumpings

IPL & Dinesh Karthik’s Career In a Nutshell

  • 2004: ODI, Test debuts
  • 2004-05: Tests only
  • 2006: T20I debut, ODIs only
  • 2007: ODI World Cup, Test opener, T20I World Cup (winner), Syed Mushtaq Ali winners (captain)
  • 2008: 1 T20I, 3 Tests only, Delhi Daredevils
  • 2009-2010: Mostly ODIs, some T20Is, 1 Test, Delhi Daredevils
  • 2011: Kings XI Punjab
  • 2012: Mumbai Indians
  • 2013: ODIs only, Champions Trophy winner, Mumbai Indians (winners)
  • 2014: ODIs only, Delhi Daredevils
  • 2015: Royal Challengers Bangalore
  • 2016: Gujarat Lions
  • 2017: Champions Trophy, ODIs, Gujarat Lions
  • 2018: T20Is, Nidahas Trophy, Test recall, ODI #4 battle, Kolkata Knight Riders (captain)
  • 2019: T20Is, ODIs, ODI World Cup, dropped, Kolkata Knight Riders (captain)
  • 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders (captain, 7 matches)
  • 2021: Syed Mushtaq Ali winners (captain), Kolkata Knight Riders

Although he has had good time with his IPL franchises, his wish is to end his career with CSK. With an interview with Harsha Bhogle, he said

“The lead up to the [2008 auctions], Dinesh Karthik the person was convinced the best player from Tamil Nadu, the biggest name from Tamil Nadu playing for the country…definitely CSK were going to pick me. The question was whether they were going to make me captain or not….It was the biggest dagger to my heart. It’s been 13 years and I am still waiting for that elusive call from CSK”

Embed from Getty Images

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 10/01/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Group 2 2021 T20 World Cup Squads Dissected: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, New Zealand—Asia Cup is Back!

Group 2 2021 T20 World Cup Squads analysis time.

With India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in this group already set, this is a mini Asia Cup battle. In the preliminary qualification round, if Sri Lanka is ranked 2 in Group A and if Bangladesh tops Group B, we might see a potential 5/6 Asian teams!

This might not be named the Group of Death from the outside, but I think this group will be closer than it appears. Here is our team-by-team analysis—Most Balanced, Surprise Exclusions, In-Form Inclusions and Predictions!

Also Read:

T20 World Cup Groups

In the mini-qualifier group, there are two groups (Group A & B) of 4 teams each, top 2 of which will go in the main round (Group 1 and 2).

Group A has teams Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands, and Sri Lanka, while Group B has teams Bangladesh, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Scotland.

Group 2
Afghanistan
India
New Zealand
Pakistan
A2
B1
T20 World Cup 2021: Group 2 Table

The other group, Group 2, will have Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies.

Afghanistan T20 World Cup Squad

Batters Spin Bowling All-RoundersMedium Pace All-RoundersWicket-KeepersSpin BowlersFast Bowlers
Asghar AfghanMohammad NabiGulbadin NaibRahmanullah GurbazSharafuddin AshrafHamid Hassan
Usman GhaniRashid KhanMohammad ShahzadMujeeb Ur RahmanKarim Janat
Hashmatullah ShahidiQais AhmedNaveen Ul-Haq
Najibullah ZadranDawlat Zadran
Hazratullah ZazaiShapoor Zadran
Afsar ZazaiFareed Ahmad
Group 2 2021 T20 World Cup Squads: Afghanistan

Afghanistan Probable XI

  1. Hazratullah Zazai, 2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), 3. Usman Ghani, 4. Asghar Afghan, 5. Mohammad Nabi (C), 6. Najibullah Zadran, 7. Gulbadin Naib/Karim Janat, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10. Naveen Ul-Haq, 11. Qais Ahmed
  • Average Age: 28
  • Unlucky to Miss Out: Ibrahim Zadran, Amir Hamza, Fazalhaq Farooqi
  • Surprise Inclusions: Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Shahzad, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran
  • Watch Out For: The Spinners—Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Qais Ahmed

  • Recent Result: Afghanistan won 3-0 Vs Zimbabwe in UAE
  • Prediction: Rank 3rd in Group 2. In spin conditions, if their batters can put up a decent score, expect Afghanistan to surprise a few of the big teams.

Does Afghanistan Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?

Another World Cup. Another captaincy change right before the World Cup for Afghanistan. Rashid Khan had received the captaincy baton from Asghar Afghan, but he has resigned on the eve on the World Cup since he was not consulted for the WC squad. Add to that the current political situation, and Afghanistan’s entry in the WC is not even guaranteed.

Iconic trio Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Shahzad, and Shapoor Zadran return after years of international hiatus. Fitness will be the key concern, but Afghanistan have a good mix of youth and experience. They are also guaranteed 5 games in the main draw.

India T20 World Cup Squad

Batters Spin Bowling All-RoundersMedium Pace All-RoundersWicket-KeepersSpin BowlersFast Bowlers
Virat KohliRavindra JadejaHardik PandyaKL RahulRahul ChaharJasprit Bumrah
Rohit SharmaAxar PatelRishabh PantVarun ChakravarthyBhuvneshwar Kumar
Suryakumar YadavRavichandran AshwinIshan KishanMohammad Shami
Shreyas IyerShardul ThakurDeepak Chahar
Group 1 2021 T20 World Cup Squads: India

Probable XI

  1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Virat Kohli (C), 3. KL Rahul/Ishan Kishan, 4. Suryakumar Yadav, 5. Rishabh Pant, 6. Ravindra Jadeja, 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Ravichandran Ashwin, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Varun Chakravarthy
  • Average Age: 29
  • Unlucky to Miss Out: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur (reserves), Washington Sundar (injured), Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik. If you want the list of all 75 players which form Indian cricket team’s depth, read this.
  • Surprise Inclusions: R Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy, MS Dhoni (Mentor)
  • Watch Out For: Trial by Spin—Rahul Chahar, R Ashwin, & Varun Chakravarthy can single handedly bamboozle most batting lineups. With Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel providing control, India might not have to chase large targets. Expect Ashwin in powerplays, Chahar-Jadeja in middle overs, and if he plays, Varun at the death.

  • Recent Results: Lost 1-2 to Sri Lanka
  • Prediction: Rank 2nd in Group 2. Since this side has not played together, India might drop a game or two till they figure out their best XI, but should find momentum towards the latter stages of the tournament.

Does India Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?

A well balanced side overall. Selectors have finally picked IPL as the standard for T20I selection and separated it from ODI players. IPL dynasty Mumbai Indians have six players in this 15.

Shikhar Dhawan was the highest scorer for India in both the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka and has been at the top of the charts (with decent SR) in the last two IPLs, but has still not made the cut. Bold move to cut Chahal but Chahar is the in-form leg spinner.

India have punted on spinning conditions and hence, exposed their fast bowling. Too much responsibility on Bumrah? Will we see a Sharma-Kohli opening partnership? Can India finally add an ICC Trophy after a decade of semi-finals and runner-ups trophy?

New Zealand T20 World Cup Squad

Batters Spin Bowling All-RoundersMedium Pace All-RoundersWicket-KeepersSpin BowlersFast Bowlers
Kane WilliamsonMitchell SantnerKyle JamiesonGlenn PhillipsTodd AstleTrent Boult
Devon ConwayMark ChapmanDaryl MitchellTim SeifertIsh SodhiLockie Ferguson
Martin GuptillJames NeeshamTim Southee
Adam Milne
Group 1 2021 T20 World Cup Squads: New Zealand

New Zealand Probable XI

  1. Tim Seifert (WK), 2. Martin Guptill, 3. Kane Williamson (C), 4. Devon Conway, 5. Glenn Phillips, 6. Jimmy Neesham, 7. Mitchell Santner, 8. Tim Southee, 9. Lockie Ferguson, 10. Ish Sodhi, 11. Trent Boult
  • Average Age: 30
  • Unlucky to Miss Out: Colin de Grandhomme, Will Young, Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Henry Nicholls/Tom Latham/Ross Taylor, Doug Bracewell/Hamish Bennett/Jacob Duffy/Blair Tickner, Ajaz Patel
  • Surprise Inclusions: Mark Chapman, Todd Astle
  • Watch Out For: Lockie Ferguson & Devon Conway. Ferguson’s KKR experience in UAE might come in handy and can Conway continue his dream debut year?

Does New Zealand Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?

Interesting team selection this based on condition and form. Glenn Phillips-Conway-Seifert had solidifed their positions with a rich run of form last year. This meant that Will Young and Finn Allen could not break in the squad despite great T20I performances toward the end. Great depth in New Zealand cricket means several players had to miss out.

Colin de Grandhomme is the interestesting exclusion for me. If fit, he could have been devastating but Mitchell-Neesham-Santner-Jamieson have booked their tickets with a coule of good performances earlier in the year. Adam Milne unlucky to just be in the reserves because he is been on fire in the Big Bash and The hundred since his comeback. End of T20Is for Ross Taylor.

Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad

Batters Spin Bowling All-RoundersMedium Pace All-RoundersWicket-KeepersSpin BowlersFast Bowlers
Babar AzamImad WasimHasan AliMohammad RizwanHaris Rauf
Sohaib MaqsoodMohammad HafeezMohammad WasimAzam KhanMohammad Hasnain
Khushdil ShahMohammad NawazShaheen Shah Afridi
Asif AliShadab Khan
Fakhar ZamanUsman QadirShahnawaz Dahani
Group 1 2021 T20 World Cup Squads: Pakistan

Pakistan Probable XI

  1. Babar Azam (C), 2. Mohammad Rizwan, 3. Mohammad Hafeez, 4. Sohaib Maqsood, 5. Imad Wasim, 6. Azam Khan/Khushdil Shah/Asif Ali, 7. Shadab Khan, 8. Hasan Ali, 9. Mohammad Nawaz, 10. Haris Rauf, 11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
  • Average Age: 27
  • Unlucky to Miss Out: Fakhar Zaman, Usman Qadir (Reserves), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Sharjeel Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan Shinwari, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Misbah-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis (Coach)
  • Surprise Inclusions: Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan
  • Watch Out For: Azam Khan, the power hitter, has hit some big sixes in CPL 2021. Could be the finisher Pakistan are looking for.

  • Recent Results: Lost 1-2 against England.
  • Prediction: Rank 1 in Group 2. Should get through the group with ease before collapsing in the semi-finals.

Does Pakistan Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?

Pakistan have opted for a young squad dropping all of Shoaib Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz, and Wahab Riaz. If the lower order of Imad Wasim-Shadab-Hasan Ali can consistently score some quick runs, Pakistan will be in good shape.

The top 4 do not have competition from others in the squad, so expect Babar-Rizwan-Hafeez-Maqsood to play with freedom. Shaheen Shah Afridi-Haris Rauf-Nawaz-Hasan Ali-Shadab-Imad-Hafeez make a potent bowling line up as well. Would have liked Zaman, Qadir, Faheem Ashraf, and one of the seniors in the 15 but overall, the squad is pretty solid nevertheless.

If you like this content on Group 2 2021 T20 World Cup Squads, please subscribe above for FREE and follow us on our social media accounts.

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

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 09/12/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Top 50 England Cricket Team Players: Does England Have More Reserve Depth Than India?

Today we discuss Top 50 England Cricket Team players.

England’s rotation policy is well documented. Anderson and Broad have been preserved for more than a decade, while the Woods, Stones, Archers, and Currans rotate. Their bowling depth is quite vast.

After years of mediocre cricket, England’s rise post 2015 has been nothing short of marvelous. 2016 WT20 final, 2017 Champions Trophy semi-finals, winning it all in the 2019 World Cup, and the team to beat at the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup. Their limited overs bench strength is quite something. In Tests, they have now won a record 6 in a row overseas.

Last week, we analyzed India’s bench strength…of 75 players, which can field four complete international quality teams. England can definitely field Team Morgan Vs Team Buttler, but can this era of English cricket give India a fight in their reserves?

Today’s Twist

Build FOUR England National Cricket Teams: 2 Test teams, an ODI, and a T20I XI so that (1) each team can field a team (wicketkeeper & 5 bowling options), and (2) a player is not repeated in any of the lists.

The Catch

  • Would you pick Ben Stokes for the Test team, ODI, or the T20I? How about Jofra Archer? Is Buttler more dangerous ODI middle-order batsman or a T20I opener?
  • Can you make all 4 teams balanced? The goal is that each team is just as good and competitive on the international stage. The ODI & T20I teams should be good enough for the World Cups and the Test teams for the World Test Championship.

England Cricket Team Players

*uncapped player

Test Team 1

  1. 1. Rory Burns
  2. 2. Dom Sibley
  3. 3. Zak Crawley
  4. 4. Joe Root (C)
  5. 5. Ollie Pope
  6. 6. Ben Foakes (WK)
  7. 7. Jofra Archer
  8. 8. Stuart Broad
  9. 9. Dom Bess
  10. 10. Jack Leach
  11. 11. James Anderson

Test Team 2

  1. 1. Haseeb Hameed
  2. 2. Keaton Jennings
  3. 3. Joe Denly
  4. 4. Dan Lawrence
  5. 5. Moeen Ali (C)
  6. 6. James Bracey* (WK)
  7. 7. Sam Curran
  8. 8. Craig Overton
  9. 9. Jake Ball
  10. 10. Mason Crane
  11. 11. Olly Stone

England Cricket Limited Overs Teams

ODI XI

  • 1. Jason Roy
  • 2. Jonny Bairstow (WK)
  • 3. Eoin Morgan (C)
  • 4. Ben Stokes
  • 5. Jos Buttler (WK)
  • 6. Sam Billings
  • 7. Chris Woakes
  • 8. David Willey
  • 9. Adil Rashid
  • 10. Mark Wood
  • 11. Saqib Mahmood

T20I XI

  1. 1. Alex Hales
  2. 2. James Vince
  3. 3. Dawid Malan (C)
  4. 4. Tom Banton
  5. 5. Liam Livingstone
  6. 6. Ben Duckett (WK)
  7. 7. Lewis Gregory
  8. 8. Liam Dawson
  9. 9. Chris Jordan
  10. 10. Tom Curran
  11. 11. Reece Topley

*Notes:

  • I made sure Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales were in different teams (ouch).
  • David Willey narrowly missed out on that World Cup squad, but here, Archer plays for the Test team, while Willey makes the ODI XI. Best of both worlds.
  • Initially I had Sam Billings as a T20I finisher/captain, but had to fill a space in the ODIs (given Root was picked for the Test squad). Hence, Ben Duckett was added to the T20I XI.

Extended List of Prospects

These are just the 44 that are ready for the international level. Here is an extended list of players for the next decade. These players were either (1) selected for the 55-men ECB training squad when cricket returned from COVID, (2) have recently represented England Lions, or (3) were picked from the recent T10 League.

Fringe Players (recent standby players): 45. Jake Ball, Amar Virdi, 46. Matt Parkinson, 47. Ollie Robinson

Youngsters to Watch Out (26 or Below): 48. Jamie Overton, 49. Tom Helm, 50. Tom Moores (WK), 51. George Garton, 52. Tom Abell, 53. Alex Davies (WK), 54. Phil Salt, 55. Pat Brown, 56. Henry Brookes, 57. Tom Kohler-Cardmore, 58. Will Jacks, 59. Sam Hain, 60. Brydon Carse

Ex-International Players Out of Favor (but still dominating T20 or County Circuits): 61. Luke Wright, 62. Liam Plunkett, 63. Samit Patel, 64. Adam Lyth, 65. Ravi Bopara, 66. Gary Ballance, 67. Steven Finn

Others: 68. Ben Cox (WK), 69. Laurie Evans, 70. Richard Gleeson, 71. Sam Northeast, 72. Adam Hose, 73. Sam Wisniewski, 74. Daniel Bell-Drummond, 75. Joe Clarke*

*was named in Alex Hepburn rape trial and since been reprimanded. Doubt he will ever be selected for England

The Verdict

England’s ODI, T20I, and first string Test squad are stronger than India’s, but India’s second string Test squad AND depth of reserves is probably higher quality. I even had to pick Haseeb Hameed and Keaton Jennings for the second string Test opening (given that it has taken a decade for England to replace Strauss-Cook in their first string squad, it is no surprise I had trouble in this regard).

England has an abundance of pace bowlers, but the next generation of batsmen have not yet been groomed.

Now, a lot of India’s players (50-75) were the youngsters emerging from the recent U-19 World Cups and IPL 2020 (post-COVID). Since The Hundred was cancelled last year, the English public were robbed of watching exciting young talent. Who knows, after the 2021 edition of The Hundred, maybe England’s depth can overpower India.

What do you think of England cricket team players right now? What will your England XIs be? COMMENT BELOW!

If you like this, check out the rest of our World XIs with Twists Here – Best Fielding XI, Best Commentators XI, and much more!

Copyright (2021: 2/13/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Image Courtesy: Ben StokesBen Sutherland CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Indian Cricket Team Depth: List of Top 75 Players of Indian Cricket

Indian cricket climbed new heights at the Gabba. With a 2nd or 3rd string team. One of the greatest sporting stories of all time.

During that series, Australia announced a Test & T20I squad that would have been played at the same time (before Australia cancelled the South Africa tour of course).

These two events got me thinking—Can India field two Test XIs at the same time without overlapping players? How about an additional ODI & T20I team?

Today’s Twist

Build FOUR Indian National Cricket Teams Roster: 2 Test teams, an ODI, and a T20I XI so that (1) each team can field a team (wicketkeeper & 5 bowling options), and (2) a player is not repeated in any of the lists.

The Catch

  • Would you pick Virat Kohli for the Test team, ODI, or the T20I? Bumrah?
  • Can you make all 4 teams balanced? The goal is that each team is just as good and competitive on the international stage. The ODI & T20I teams should be good enough for the World Cups and the Test teams for the World Test Championship.
  • With so many spinners in the Indian cricket circuit and given recent history, does Kuldeep Yadav find a place in any of these XI?

India Cricket Teams

*uncapped player

Test Team 1

  1. 1. Mayank Agarwal
  2. 2. Shubman Gill
  3. 3. Cheteshwar Pujara
  4. 4. Virat Kohli (C)
  5. 5. Rishabh Pant (WK)
  6. 6. Hardik Pandya
  7. 7. Ravindra Jadeja
  8. 8. Ravichandran Ashwin
  9. 9. Ishant Sharma
  10. 10. Jasprit Bumrah
  11. 11. Kuldeep Yadav

Test Team 2

  1. 1. Prithvi Shaw
  2. 2. Abhimanyu Easwaran*
  3. 3. Hanuma Vihari
  4. 4. Ajinkya Rahane (C)
  5. 5. Karun Nair
  6. 6. Wriddhiman Saha (WK)
  7. 7. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
  8. 8. Umesh Yadav
  9. 9. Mohammed Siraj
  10. 10. Navdeep Saini
  11. 11. Shahbaz Nadeem

Indian Cricket Limited Overs Teams:

ODI XI

  • 1. Shikhar Dhawan
  • 2. Rohit Sharma (C)
  • 3. Sanju Samson (WK)
  • 4. Shreyas Iyer
  • 5. Kedar Jadhav
  • 6. Vijay Shankar
  • 7. Axar Patel
  • 8. Deepak Chahar
  • 9. Mohammed Shami
  • 10. Khaleel Ahmed
  • 11. Yuzvendra Chahal

T20I XI

  1. 1. KL Rahul (WK)
  2. 2. Ishan Kishan*
  3. 3. Suryakumar Yadav*
  4. 4. Manish Pandey
  5. 5. Shivam Dube
  6. 6. Dinesh Karthik (C)
  7. 7. Krunal Pandya
  8. 8. Shardul Thakur
  9. 9. Varun Chakravarthy
  10. 10. Washington Sundar
  11. 11. Thangarasu Natarajan

India’s most successful Test skipper and the stand-in skipper in Australia are given the Test reins, while the most successful IPL captain & captain of the victorious Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy have been given limited overs captaincy duties. We made sure the limited overs team had plenty of 6th bowling options, an area Indian selection has recently struggled with.

Extended List of Prospects

These are just the 44 that are ready for the international level. Just like IPL 2020 showed, we can further create a squad just of the Emerging Players. Here is an extended list of players for the next decade.

Fringe Players: 45. Rahul Chahar, 46. KS Bharat (WK), 47. Kartik Tyagi, 48. Priyank Panchal (recent standby/India A players)

Youngsters to Watch Out: 49. Devdutt Padikkal, 50. Ruturaj Gaikwad, 51. Priyam Garg, 52. Abdul Samad, 53. Abhishek Sharma, 54. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 55. Shivam Mavi, 56. Ravi Bishnoi, 57. Arshdeep Singh, 58. Prasidh Krishna, 59. Mayank Markande, 60. Ishan Porel, 61. Shahbaz Ahmed, 62. Riyan Parag, 63. Sarfaraz Khan, 64. Nitish Rana, 65. Harshal Patel, 66. Deepak Hooda, 67. Narayan Jagadeesan, 68. R Sai Kishore

Others: 69. Jayant Yadav, 70. Jayadev Unadkat, 71. Siddharth Kaul, 72. Dhawal Kulkarni, 73. Sandeep Sharma, 74. Mandeep Singh (India caps, have age on their side, but out of favor & unlikely to get back in anytime soon)

*Note: Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, and Amit Mishra were not considered because they are almost at the end of the careers and are out of the favor with the selectors.

Conclusion

Problem of plenty for Team India.

We have all criticized Indian cricket selectors at some point in time, but we can clearly see it is difficult to give every player an extended run. Gone are the days where we can find players who play 2 or 3 formats for more than a decade. Virat Kohli maybe the last of his breed in India.

Next week, we will do a similar exercise with the England cricket team. Their limited overs depth is quite something, and they are a rising force in Test cricket as well.

What will your Indian XIs be? What do you think of Indian cricket right now? COMMENT BELOW! Would love to know your thoughts!

If you like this, check out the rest of our World XIs with Twists Here – Best Fielding XI, Best Commentators XI, and much more!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Indian Cricket Team Squad Depth

How many Indian cricketers are there?

As of 2023, at least 75 Indian cricketers are fighting for a place in the national team. Today the Indian national cricket team player list is one of envy with its massive depth.

How many teams can Indian cricket team field?

At least four professional cricket side can be fielded with the talent of Indian cricket team depth. These includes a separate squad for Test matches, ODI tournaments, and T20 series.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC, 2023. Contact us at bcd@brokencricketdreams.com. Originally published on 02/03/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Image Courtesy: lensbug.chandru, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Preview: Ind V Aus – Closer Than It Appears

India (Ind) vs Australia (Aus) — a rivalry of sorts in recent times, especially in ODIs. It is 2020. Times have changed. Looked at ODI rankings recently?

Australia – #3, Zimbabwe – #4, Ireland – #5

Not kidding. This is the points table for the ODI Super league leading up to the 2023 ODI World Cup. The league was just getting underway before COVID hit.

Now, the proceedings finally restart. India vs Australia at Sydney on November 27th for a good-ole classic ODI match, India’s first in the ODI league.

My prediction for the series: India 2, Australia 1. Read till the end to see why. Let us know who you think will win in the comments section below!

Also Read: Eng vs SA T20I Series Preview, Series Predictions – Twitter Edition

The Batting

Ind: Batting Has Depth But No Flexibility

  • Dhawan, KL Rahul, Kohli, Iyer, Pandey, Agarwal, Samson, and even Hardik Pandya (with back injury) – none of the top 6 bowl
  • Rohit Sharma is one of the ODI players of the decade, but is out with an injury from the IPL. How much will this batting line-up miss him?
  • With the #4 dilemma India suffered prior to the 2019 World Cup semi-final, it may be wise to move KL Rahul to #4 and open with the in-form Mayank Agarwal or Shubman Gill

Aus: Batting Has Too Much Flexibility

  • With Finch-Warner-Labuschagne-Smith, the top four is pretty solid and settled
  • The concern is the flexibility in the middle order – Stoinis, Carey, Maxwell and maybe even Moises Henriques/Cameron Green. Carey & Maxwell coming from disaster IPLs and Stoinis in the middle order is a hit and miss (fluid line-ups do not work much – look at KKR from the IPL)
  • Out-of-the-box: Move Stoinis up to open, drop Labuschagne, and play with 3 all-rounders/power-hitters?
Embed from Getty Images

The Bowling

Ind: Kul-cha Holds the Key to India’s Success

  • Kuldeep Yadav has had a horrid year or so with the ball, but in the large Australian grounds, the Kuldeep-Chahal partnership needs to be revived
  • If Pandya does not bowl, should India drop a batsman and play Shardul Thakur as another bowling option/slogger down the order?
  • Shami’s opening spells and Bumrah’s death bowling will be key

Aus: 5th Bowling Option the Only Issue

  • Watch out for Hazlewood. I have a feeling his miserly line-and-length bowling will set the tone for the series
  • With Starc-Hazlewood-Cummins the fast bowling is set and with Zampa getting into rhythm, this looks like a stable core
  • 1 out of Stoinis + Henriques/Green + Maxwell/Labuschagne will complete the bowling, which is the only concern in this line-up

The Broken Dream

Ind: Manish Pandey and Sanju Samson

  • India vs Australia ODI at Sydney 2016 – Manish Pandey’s 104* takes his team home in the chase of 331. 4 years down the line, still has not nailed a spot (feat inconsistency and selection mismanagement). Can he find a spot in the XI?
  • Sanju Samson has always lit up the IPL and is finally getting some chances in the international fold. With KL Rahul almost certainly taking the gloves, can India find a space for him as an X-factor or will he end up as another Indian unlucky cricketer?

Aus: The New Kids on the Block

  • Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, and Labuschagne in ODIs are great prospects for the future, and it remains to be seen if their long-term future will be secure
  • Matthew Wade made a marvelous comeback after toiling in domestic cricket for a while. With Carey’s struggle of late, Wade may get a chance. Who knows, at 32, this might be his final try in ODI cricket

Prediction

Verdict: 2-1 India

This series will be closer than it appears. Australia at home with this bowling attack and an envious top 4, Australia are the clear favorites.

If India can find that final lower-order firepower and exploit Australia’s 5th bowling option, we might be in for a close one.

I think Australia will win the first one, but India will bounce back with two on the trot to win the series.

Affiliate Link

My Starting XI:

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

Ind:

Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli*, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav

Aus:

Aaron Finch*, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Moises Henriques/ Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

*captain

The Squads

These are the other options in the squads.

Ind: Manish Pandey, Navdeep Saini, Sanju Samson (WK), Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur

Aus: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Daniel Sams, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade (WK)

Image Courtesy: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) – Marc Dalmulder from Hamlyn Terrace, Australia, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

22 Unlucky Cricketers Wasted Talents: Alex Hales, Fawad Alam, Robin Uthappa, Can You Guess The Rest?

Does Luck Trump Talent?

We will continue our theme of Broken Dreams this week with a list of unfortunate or unlucky cricketers.

We present our list of Unlucky World XI below and let us know who you think have been the unluckiest of them all.

Some of these careers were ruined by inconsistency or career-ending-injury, others by controversy and politics, and while the rest suffered plain old bad-luck—the fact that they could not break it into the golden generations.

Today’s Twist – Unlucky Cricketers XI

Create a World XI with the following constraints:

  • Played within the last 25 years
  • Should have debuted (various first class legends like Alan Jones (Eng) and Amol Muzumdar (Ind) did not even make their international team)
  • The team can field an actual playing XI in a match (so we are looking for balance, with wicket-keepers necessary and at least 5 bowling options).
  • Each country can have a maximum of only 2 players per category.

The Catch

Australia’s squad of the 2000s had so many greats that several careers did not see the light of day. For example, Adam Gilchrist played 96 tests without missing one.  Does anyone even remember who the back-up keeper during Australia’s early 2000 era was?

Similarly, with India’s recent growth, one could name players like Vinod Kambli, Subramanian Badrinath, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, and even someone like Ambati Rayudu more recently.  If you can only choose two from each country, who would it be? 

Comment below on who you think are some of the unluckiest cricketers?

ODI – Faded XI

 

  1. Alex Hales: (Behavior issues)

Catalyst of England’s ODI batting culture change, individually scored 171 within 36 overs (highest English score at that time), dropped before the 2019 World Cup because of failed drug test, ‘loss of trust’ with team, and strained relationship with captain Eoin Morgan.

2. Lendl Simmons: (Inconsistency)

If you saw the recent CPL 2020, Simmons was in some top-notch form including the final.  Watching his innings’ like the one against India in the 2016 WT20 semi-final and you wonder sometimes, what could have been had he been more consistent. 15 year career, just 8 tests and 68 ODIs is a poor reflection of his abilities.

3. Mohammad Ashraful: (Match-Fixing)

A bright star for Bangladesh. Youngest Test centurion at 17, century that upset the Aussies in 2005, but a career that was marred by inconsistency and will be forever remembered by spot-fixing in the BPL.  Could have been among the Fab Five generation for Bangladesh.

4. Brad Hodge: (Sorry, Out of Luck)

17,000 first class runs, 80 centuries in first class/list-A, 6 Tests, 203* best, 55.88 average, and one of the first T20 league superstars. Obstacles: Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds.

5. James Taylor: (Heart Condition)

Debut at 22.  Retirement at 26 due to heart condition. Was an upcoming England Talent – 1-100, 7 50s, 42.23 average. Now an English selector.

6. Robin Uthappa: (Inconsistency)

If you saw Uthappa’s 86 against England, or in the World T20 2007, or walking and hitting sixes to Mitchell Johnson, you would have thought he would have a long career. Yet another victim to inconsistency, came back in 2014-15 after a great domestic season but not given enough chances. Still a KKR and RCB star in the IPL.

7. Hansie Cronje: (Match-Fixing)

Great captain from South Africa and decent all-rounder, match-fixing killed his career in the 2000 Ind-SA series when he was at the peak of his powers.  Passed away in 2002 due to a plane crash. RIP.

8. Neil Johnson: (Politics)

If you saw Neil Johnson in the 1999 World Cup, you knew he was bound for greatness. 3 Man-of-Match trophies in that world cup, dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket resulted in premature retirement as he moved back to South Africa.

9. Brad Hogg: (Sorry, Out of Luck)

Just like Hodge, another victim of Australia’s great era. In an international career lasting 12 years, only played 7 tests and 123 ODIs. Inspirational comeback later with T20 cricket and leagues such as IPL and the Big Bash, he played his last professional match almost till he was 47.

10. S. Sreesanth: (Match-Fixing)

Although known for off-field issues, he was a marvelous fast bowler for India.  His delivery that made that great Jacques Kallis jump is one to remember. However, he was banned after the 2013 IPL spot-fixing controversy with Rajasthan. Made a comeback with…reality TV show, Bigg Boss.

11. Shane Bond: (Injuries)

You often hear Shoaib Akhtar vs Brett Lee, but another name that should have been added was Shane Bond. Fast and accurate, 147 wickets at 20.88 in ODIs and 87 wickets at 22.09 in Tests.  Played only 82 ODIs and 18 Tests, but never comprised his speed despite the injuries.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Test – Washed Out XI

  1. Marcus Trescothick: (Mental Illness)

    First open victim of mental illness in cricket. More than 10,000 runs and 26 centuries across formats, he played his last game at the age of 30, only 6 years in international cricket. Was a stalwart at Somerset till 43 with overall record of 38000 runs and 94 centuries. Paved way for Alastair Cook, otherwise would have been the all-time best England opener himself.

  2. Mark Ramprakash: (Inconsistency)

Similar story, different reason. Over 52 test matches and 11 years, could not cement his place in the England team. Retired with 35,659 first class runs along with 114 centuries. Wow.

3. Mohammad Kaif: (Inconsistency and Politics)

Forever remember for his fielding and 88* Natwest chase that gave India a belief of winning and chasing overseas, his career never took off. First U-19 winning captain to play for India, he made his highest test score 148* in the West Indies in his second to last test, which came at the age of 26. Dropped as a result of chopping and changing under Greg Chappell right before the 2007 World Cup.

4. Adam Voges: (Sorry, Out of Luck)

Same scenario as Hodge and Hogg, but with a better ending. Finally debuted at the age of 35, and ended with 5 hundreds and a record-breaking average of 61.87.  

5. Fawad Alam: (Politics)

Well well well, we are finally here. Made a memorable 168 on debut, yet only featured in 3 tests. Mohammad Amir is a career some would regret about, but by the time Amir had his great spell in 2010, the spot-fixing scandal, the 5-year ban, the comeback, the Champions Trophy 2017 performance, and test retirement at the age of 27, Fawad Alam had added exactly 0 Tests from 2009.

After toiling in first class cricket with 34 centuries and average of 56.35 and after numerous selection committees, he finally got a recall after 10 years, only to be given out by DRS due to 2 umpire-calls. Add to that English rain, which limited his chances in the next two tests.  How unlucky can one get?

6. Prasanna Jayawardene: (Sorry, Out of Luck)

Thilan Samaraweera stated recently in his Sri Lanka XI that “Prasanna was the best wicketkeeper Sri Lanka ever produced,” and he did play 58 Test matches. So why is he here?  Well, his career was always a stop-gap measure due to Sangakkara. Even cricinfo reads that his career was ‘marginalised since the rocket-fuelled arrival’  of Sangakkara.

7. Simon Harmer: (Kolpak Deal)

Self-acclaimed ‘best off-spinner in the world,’ he regularly employees his service for Essex, forgoing his chance to play for South Africa again (at least until we know how Brexit impacts Kolpak).  Has taken 636 wickets at 27.17 with 37 5-fors and 7 10-fors. Not too bad.

8. Mohammad Amir: (Match-Fixing)

See Fawad Alam (5). 

*Note: (Honorable Mention) Could also have added Mohammad Asif for the same reason here. One of the best swing bowlers of all-time. 

9. Stuart McGill: (Sorry, out of luck)

Same reason as the rest of the Aussies here with the additional fact that he also played under the shadow of the great Shane Warne. Still managed to play 44 Tests and took 208 wickets at a strike rate of 54.0. Cricinfo said it best, “Stuart MacGill had the best strike-rate and worst luck of any modern spin bowler.”

10. Duanne Olivier: (Kolpak)

Another casualty of the Kolpak. What makes this worse is his brilliant start to international cricket.  Played just 10 tests, 48 wickets, 3 5-fors and a player of the series award with 24 wickets. Then he left South Africa. Also had replaced Kyle Abbott, who had also signed Kolpak deal. Rub salt in the wound there.

11. Simon Jones: (Injury)

We have all heard this one. The 2005 Ashes Series was made memorable by some bowling spells by Simon Jones. At the end of the series, suffered an ankle injury, never to make an international comeback.

Honorable Mention:  Lasith Malinga (great limited overs bowler but had to cut his Test career short).

Honorary Tribute:  Phillip Hughes 

3 centuries in Tests and an-up-and-coming opener for Australia, a bouncer in a domestic game took Hughes’ life.  Shock to the cricketing world, brought about a revolution on concussion and brain-injuries.

RIP Phil Hughes.

Well, these were our list of unlucky cricket teams. What is yours?

COMMENT below on who you think we missed out! Do not forget to SUBSCRIBE, SHARE, AND FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Source: ESPNCricinfo

Image Courtesy:  Brad Hodge: NAPARAZZI / CC BY-SA 2.0 ; Brad Hogg: Deon Maritz from Cape Town, South Africa / VIA CC 2.0;  Sreesanth:  Harrias / CC BY-SA 3.0 ; Fawad Alam: Harrias / CC BY-SA 3.0; Robin Uthappa (On chai with Lakshmi):  Dharini2991 / CC0; Simon Jones: Goleyjai96 / CC BY-SA 3.0

How to Fix Test Championship Points Table?

World Test Championship Part II: The Points Table

The Problem:

World Test Championship Points Table has serious issues which needs to be fixed, and we provide an apt solution.

The Background:

New Zealand: Played-7, won-3, lost-4. South Africa: Played-7, won-1, lost-6.

Looks pretty close, right? Wrong. New Zealand are currently sitting in 4th place of the World Test Championship (WTC) table with 180 points while South Africa is languishing near the bottom with just 24 points. Even though these two teams are separated by two losses, South Africa are behind by a seemingly insurmountable 156 points.

The number of points awarded in the WTC fluctuates depending on the number of matches played per series. A 2-match series is allotted 60 points per game, while 3, 4, and 5 match-series are awarded 40, 30, and 24 points respectively. Although dead-rubbers are eliminated in this format, some games now are worth more than others.

England lost the first test of the Ashes and the Wisden trophy, but it did not cost them much since the series consisted of more than 2 games. Teams playing 2-match series cannot afford the same degree of flexibility.

The Catch:

First, an all-or-nothing point system for a 5-day match is not justified. Test matches are enthralling to watch because of their ebb and flow. One Stuart Broad session can completely turn the series around or Faf Du Plessis-esque blockathon for multiple sessions might save a test match. Therefore, session-by-session match-ups need to be considered, not only the overall result. Second and more importantly, we need to incorporate home and away matches properly.

The Statistic:

India and Australia are classic examples. Over the last decade, India has won 36 matches, drawn 9, and lost merely 3 at home from the 48 played. However, they only won 17, drew 12, and lost 26 from the 55 played abroad (even this is skewed by away games played at the subcontinent). Similarly, Australia has a 36-9-9 record at home versus 17-7-25 away.

It has always been tough to win abroad, but in the last decade, the situation has worsened. In the 2010s, every country had a win-loss (W/L) ratio less than 1, meaning they lost more away than they won. Contrastingly, in the 2000s, Australia and South Africa had W/L greater than 1, while India and England were close with 0.8 and 0.739 W/L respectively.  In order to better incentivize winning abroad, more emphasis should be provided on winning away games.

The Inspiration:

Last week, we discussed how the various ‘marquee’ series’ were skewing the World Test Championship (WTC). We proposed that every team should be allocated exactly 24 games against nine different opponents over a period of two and a half years. Each team plays a total of six 2-match series along with 5-4-3 or 4-4-4 distribution against the remaining three opponents. Now that each team is on a level-playing field with an equal number of games, we can move on to solve the issues plaguing the point system.

We will take inspiration from the other major innovation the ICC came up with apart from WTC to contextualize the cricket calendar—the ODI World Cup Super League (WSL). The points system for the Super League provides a more competitive environment than the WTC.

For instance, in the WSL,10 points are assigned for a win, 5 for tie or no-result, and 0 for a loss. On the other hand, for a 3-match test series, winning constitutes 40 points, tie 20 points, draw 13 points, and defeat 0 points. Theoretically, bouncing back from a 3-match series loss is possible in the WSL, unlike a similar scenario in the WTC.

The Proposal:

So how do we fix this? We need to combine the ODI Super League system, provide a mechanism for home versus away, and distribute points across sessions. The overall points distribution for one match will consist of (1) base point system like WSL adjusted on a home/away basis, and (2) points awarded per session of a test match.

Here is our proposal. Note, each team plays 24 matches total-12 home and 12 away.

  1. Every test match has a maximum of 15 sessions (3 sessions – 5 days).
    • Session Won: 2 Points, Even/Wash-Out: 1 Point, Session Lost: 0 Points
    • If the match finishes before the last session on the 5th day, the winning team is awarded the points for the remaining sessions
    • Points Possible Per Match: 30
    • Home – Max Points Possible: 360 (12*30)
    • Away – Max Points Possible: 360 (12*30)
  2. Next, we provide criteria for home and away as displayed below:
PointsWinDrawLoseTotal
Home1680192
Away24120288
Mean20100240
Home and Away – Points Distribution
  • Maximum points for Home team: 360 +192 = 552 points.
  • Maximum points for Away team: 360 + 288 = 648 points. 
  • Total possible points: 552 + 648 = 1200
  • Average Points/Match: 1200/24 = 50 points per match.

The Example

As a demonstration, we take the recently concluded West-Indies tour of England series, which ended in 1-2. In the current format, West Indies got 40 points, while England got 80. We looked back at the scorecards in detail and allocated the points per session:


WIDrawnWash-
Out
Eng
1st Test4 (8)7 (7)2 (2)2 (4)
2nd Test2 (4)4 (4)3 (3)6 (12)
3rd Test0 (0)4 (4)3 (3)8 (16)
Sess.6 (12)15 (15)8 (8)16 (32)
West Indies vs England – Session by Session

*Sess: Sessions (Points Awarded)

We then repeated the process for each test and computed the following result:

WI TotalEng TotalWI
Away
Eng
Home
1st Test171317+24:
41/54
13+0:
13/46
2nd Test111911+0:
11/54
19+16:
35/46
3rd Test7237 +0:  
7/54
23+16:
39/46
Total355535+24:
59/162
55+32:
87/138
West Indies vs England – Total Points

Altogether, even though 59-87 is not as close as the 40-80 from the earlier system, it is still much better and keeps the hope of a comeback alive. Had West-Indies survived the final session of the second test, they would have earned a few points in the session-category as well as received 12 points for the draw in an away match, thereby closing the gap. 

  • In the 45 sessions during the series, West-Indies won 6, England won 16, and 23 were either evenly matched or washed out.
  • West Indies were playing for a maximum of 54 points per test, while England were playing for a maximum of 46 points per test.

The Conclusion:

Is this system perfect? Not quite, but it is definitely an improvement on the current system. But imagine, teams trying to survive an extra session or opposition teams bowling aggressively to finish the game in an early session due to this extra incentive. This system is not as simple as the current format, but at least it is not as complex as the D-L system!

Please let us know if you have any suggestions in the comments below, share with friends and family, and subscribe!

Stay tuned for Part III coming up – where we redo the WTC Points Table with our method and compare it with the skewed table currently in place.

Image Courtesy: Leighhubbard, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Cricket All-Time World XI – With a Twist

Creating fantasy World XI? We have all been here before. There is just one issue—there are just too many good players across eras. So, here is our new series on creating our World XIs, with a twist of specific constraints. In all of our posts, we will limit the category of players after ODI cricket began.

Today’s twist:

Build a Test and ODI World XI so that (1) there is a maximum of two players per country in the XI and (2) a player is not repeated in both lists.

The catch:

There are some greats that could easily fit in both teams. For example, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and AB De Villiers are fan favorites and a versatile players, but which list are you going to put them in?

Test World XI:

  1. Sir Alastair Cook (Eng)
  2. Graeme Smith (SA) – Captain
  3. Kumar Sangakkara (SL) – WK
  4. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)
  5. Brian Lara (WI)
  6. Steven Smith (Aus)
  7. Jacques Kallis (SA)
  8. Kapil Dev (Ind)
  9. Shane Warne (Aus)
  10. James Anderson (Eng)
  11. Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)

Honorable Mentions: Rahul Dravid (Ind) , Dale Steyn (SA), Courtney Walsh (WI), Richard Hadlee (NZ)

ODI World XI:

  1. Sanath Jayasuriya (SL)
  2. Chris Gayle (WI)
  3. Ricky Ponting (Aus) – Captain
  4. Virat Kohli (Ind)
  5. Vivian Richards (WI)
  6. AB De Villiers (SA)
  7. MS Dhoni (Ind) – WK
  8. Shakib Al Hasan (Bang)
  9. Wasim Akram (Pak)
  10. Waqar Younis (Pak)
  11. Glenn McGrath (Aus)

Honorable Mentions: Brett Lee (Aus), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Adam Gilchrist (Aus)

Well, only choosing two out of Sehwag, Kohli, Tendulkar, and Dhoni or Gilchrist, Ponting, Warne and Mcgrath was always going to be a tough task…

Anyway, send us your World XIs and let us know what you think in the comments section below! Stay tuned for the next fantasy team, where we will build an ODI World XI with exactly one player from each World Cup.

Image Courtesy: Kroome111 via CC BY-SA 4.0