Since its dawn in 2003, the T20 format has taken over cricket. Last year alone, there were a whopping 536 T20 international matches, including a successful World Cup alongside an array of domestic leagues and franchises. The format has been around for a mere two decades, yet has undergone a host of tactical developments. The explosion of mystery spin is an obvious example, with loopy leggings gaining favour for their variation in the shortest format. However, the T20 game’s most prominent...
Cricket in the English winter is an interesting spectacle. Devoid of any home action, badgers like me turn our attention overseas. There’s plenty to watch. World cups provide a thrilling contest, alongside the seemingly endless supply of white-ball bilateral series. Franchise cricket also offers an exciting watch with its gallery of international stars mixing and matching in neon kits. Test cricket too, is alive and kicking in the winter months: England’s blistering Bazball approach gave many a...
New Zealand’s Tom Latham is a very good Test cricketer. Making his debut in 2014, the left-hander has been an ever-present feature of the Kiwis top order for almost ten years. In a decade dominated by seam bowling, Tom’s textbook technique and patient approach have served him well, averaging a sturdy 41.91 in his 70 tests – not remarkable, but notably impressive considering the roll call of openers that England have deployed in the same period. Imagine, if you would, that an English bat...
Steve Smith is in red hot form. Last week, the Australian stroked a masterful 200* against the West Indies – dismantling what looked to be a promising young Windies attack to reach the milestone off 311 balls. Smith’s monster knock laid the foundation for a commanding Aussie win. Smith and co are now playing South Africa in a three match Test series. Australia will be looking to end their abysmal run of three home series defeats in a row to the Proteas. Astonishingly, they haven’t won a...
On December 23rd, the IPL mini auction will be held in Kochi. Squads will be finalised for the 16th Indian Premier League, before the world’s highest-profile T20 competition kicks off in May. The usual English faces will be there. Jos Buttler will hope to replicate his record-breaking form from last year’s competition, blasting four centuries to be crowned ‘Player of the Tournament’. World cup hero Ben Stokes is also back and expected to fetch the big bucks on his return to India after last...
Cricket never stops. More specifically, T20 cricket never stops. Barely a month after England’s monumental T20 World Cup win, the Indian Premier League auction will be here. Taking place on the 23rd of December, the auction will finalise the squads for the 2023 IPL. The franchises will nominate players to add to their homegrown talent and already retained players like Jofra Archer, who was bought by the Mumbai Indians last season. Founded in only 2021, the Gujarat Titans claimed victory...
