CricZine

“The pitches are starting to slow down now” We’ve heard commentators say this ample number of times this IPL season and I decided to have a look at the powerplay and death overs numbers before and after the midway mark of the tournament to see if pitches had actually slowed down and if yes, by how much. When a pitch 'slows down', it’s tough for the ball to come on the bat and to time the shot well. Fast bowlers tend to lose their pace and spinners come to the forefront. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve noticed totals going down and pacers’ (like Rabada, Bumrah) economy going up. Batsmen were struggling to time the ball during the middle/death overs and spinners (like Rashid, R Chahar) seemed more in control. Furthermore, dew started playing a major role too and hence teams preferred chasing as opposed to the first half of the competition where teams opted to bat first.  I started off by looking at the average powerplay scores on each ground pre and post the halfway ...

  We are halfway into IPL 2020 and it’s been one of the most competitive seasons so far. There isn’t that one dominating team sitting pretty at the top of the table, and every team still has a mathematical chance to qualify. As a KXIP fan, this season has been quite frustrating but there’s been a magnificent amount of good cricket to cover up for that. 2 Super Overs already, so many close games! The highlight of this season for me is the terrific young local lads who are stealing the limelight.  I had a look at the teams’ journey so far and tried to predict the qualifiers! Mumbai Indians: As opposed to their last UAE outing where they lost 100% of the games, the Mumbai Indians have come well-prepared this season. They lost the first game of the IPL but bounced back quite hard. They’re a well-balanced side this time around. MI is fighting for a spot in the top 2 and not in the top 4! Delhi Capitals: Contrary to their previous season, the Capitals have built one of the best T2...

Over the late 90s and early 2000s, Australia was invincible with esteemed players like the Waugh brothers, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Darren Lehmann, Brett Lee amongst other greats. Their batting line-up was definitely the one to beat. If one batter failed, the other one rose to the occasion. Ricky Ponting goes down as one of Australia’s greatest players ever. With a career average of 51.85 in Tests and being the most successful captain in Test history, this Tasmanian has a highly celebrated career of 17 years. He’s held the title of Mr. Dependable for the longest time. His teammate of many years, Matthew Hayden is one of the most aggressive and powerful players we’ve seen in this sport. This Australian Cricket Hall Of Fame member averaged 50.73 in Tests and holds the highest individual score by an Australian player in Tests (380). When these two players were at their prime, I was a young kid, not smart enough to understand the beautiful game of cricket so I decided to...

Reigning team Australia saw its darkest period in 2018 preceded by the Newlands ball-tampering scandal lead by Australian captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft. The trio faced a 1-year ban on playing and a 2-year ban on any position of leadership in Australian cricket. The team dropped in rankings and entered a long losing streak. Critics wrote them off as contenders for the 2019 World Cup. Australia’s talent had never been questioned ever as it was this year which definitely made it a time they’d like to forget. However, should they forget it? I don’t think so. 2018-2020 is the story of their comeback. It’s their way of showing the world that the Aussies #NeverGiveUp. Australia faced South Africa for the last match of that series and was hit by a heavy defeat by 492 runs. The year didn’t get any better for them as they went straight into a 5 ODI series against England who whitewashed them 5-0. The Aussies were continuously de...

If there is one mutual inclusion in every cricket enthusiast’s qualifiers list for the ICC World Cup 2019, it is England. The inventors of this gentleman’s sport have never been lucky enough to call themselves the champions of cricketing world’s most esteemed tournament. As an ardent Australia fan, my heart and soul are in support of the men in yellow but the cricket aficionado in me knows that if there is anyone who has the strongest chance to take this prestigious trophy home, it’s the Englishmen. Beginning in 1975 , England has almost always been a top contender but they never executed their plans adequately. After winning all the group matches, they faced defeat against Australia credit to Gary Gilmour’s all-around performance mainly his 6-14 restricting the hosts to a mere 93. 4 years down the line in the final of the 1978 Cricket World Cup, Sir Vivian Richards’ impressive 138* took that year’s champions to a mammoth score of 286 in response to which England fought h...

India ka tyohaar , the Indian Premier League is ready to kick off preparations for its 12 th  instalment. The auction is set to come about in Jaipur this December. Teams have released as many as 12 players each after the reshuffle auction last year which only means that we’re in for some more exciting bidding this year. If you’re a fan of the sport, you must have watched the auction like a maniac and millions of questions must have popped into your mind regarding its strategic perspective. You must’ve commended a team for buying a proficient player for the price of peanuts or bawled at them for spending a fortune over someone who isn’t even worth it (Yes Delhi Daredevils, I’m looking at you).  Ever wondered what led to these decisions of theirs? Team strategists and analysts use the regression model as one of their primary techniques of picking up players. Regression, that one statistical tool every statistics student has loved, hated and tolerated through multip...

Not far is the day when Arnab Goswami would be accusing me of being a traitor and not supporting the Indian Cricket Team and in fact cheering for their major rival, Australia (no, not Pakistan). On being asked why I support and adore Australia as a team, I've always said because they play very well. It’s the most basic answer I could give to avoid all further conversations which would end up in me being called a ‘deshdrohi’. However, I think it's time I gave everyone an honest answer. Secretly admiring the Aussies, I remember yelling “Gilly Gilly Gilly!” as Adam Gilchrist walked out to bat. Back then, my knowledge of cricket was smaller than the boundaries at Chinnaswamy stadium. As I grew older, I understood the game, the technicalities and the emotions and morals attached to it. The Aussies have been dominating cricket ever since they played their first Test match against England in 1877 and the graph’s only gone upwards and onwards. There have been ups and downs an...