NEWSLETTER
Follow UsIt’s Monday, so you know what that means!
Let’s dive into the September 16 edition of the Newsletter right away!
Controversies
The Greater Noida farce — AFG vs NZ abandoned without a ball bowled
For the first time this century, and for the first time ever in India, a Test match ended up getting abandoned without a single ball being bowled. Well in cricket you’re always at the mercy of the weather gods, but, on this occasion, atrocious ground conditions and horrible drainage contributed to the abandonment of the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand as much as rain.
On a couple of days, the sun was belting down but still the day got abandoned even before the scheduled start time. And there were some truly diabolical scenes, including ground staff trying to ‘dry’ the wet patches with portable fans and what not.
Either way, Shubh, our man who witnessed the farce from the ground real-time, has summed it all up in this article.
Dodda Ganesh removed as Kenya coach less than a month after appointment
It seems like controversy tends to follow former India pacer Dodda Ganesh all the time. The 51-year-old was appointed the head coach of the Kenya men’s team only last month, but he has been sacked less than a month after his appointment because Cricket Kenya found the appointment ‘purported’. Well, what the hell does that mean?
Here’s a TLDR: Cricket Kenya’s executive board believed that the procedure carried out to appoint Ganesh was shady and improper. So they declined to ratify the appointment.
You can read the full statement from Cricket Kenya - which has a lot more complicated vocabulary - right here. Former Kenya cricketer Lameck Onyango has been appointed the new head coach following Ganesh’s termination.
Just another week in Pakistan cricket
Welcome to another week in Pakistan cricket
> Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has accused Shoaib Malik of match-fixing
> Moin Khan has blasted ex-PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja for mistreating and ‘demoralizing’ his son Azam Khan
> The Pakistan women’s side’s daily allowance has been discontinued in a T20 World Cup year
Weekly Recap
In the spotlight
What unfolded in the second round of the Duleep Trophy?
> Ishan Kishan marked his comeback to red-ball cricket with a century. Kishan also bowled after two years
> Abhimanyu Easwaran carried his bat in a marathon 157* (286) for India B
> Anshul Kamboj (8/69) became the third ever pacer in Duleep Trophy history to take 8+ wickets in an innings
> Ruturaj Gaikwad scored twin fifties for India C
> Pratham Singh and Tilak Varma scored tons for India A, who beat India D by 186 runs
> Sarfaraz Khan 16 (55) failed to grab his opportunity ahead of the Bangladesh Test series
The Morne Morkel era is officially underway
Morne Morkel has officially taken charge of the Indian men’s side and has started working with the group. He linked up with the group three days ago at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh.
In a chat with bcci.tv, the former South Africa speedster underlined his goals. Morkel predominantly wants to enhance this set-up that ‘operates by itself’ and make the players, especially the younger ones, feel comfortable so that they operate at the highest level possible.
Travis Head keeps Travis Head-ing
Well, Travis Head just can’t not stop being in the spotlight. In the first T20I against England, he smashed yet another fifty inside the powerplay to keep his ridiculous run in T20 cricket going. Then, in the second game, he became the first ever South Australian to captain Australia in T20Is.
In fact, Head became only the second South Australian to captain Australia in an international game this century.
He didn’t score a fifty in the second game, but he still became the highest scoring Australian opener in a calendar year, accumulating 539 runs so far in 2024.
Performers of the week
Stat of the week
Too much cricket, can’t keep track? Our roundups have got you covered!
Uttar Pradesh T20 League 2024 round-up - most runs, most wickets, top performers & more
UPT20 2024: Players who could land an IPL contract
Kerala Cricket League round-up till Match 24
Editor's picks
Rishabh Pant's journey from Mirpur to Chennai: A timeline
Vibrant Anantpur and a city that really embraces domestic cricket
Restless in his pursuit, ‘run-machine’ Smaran eyes Karnataka nod
Mehidy’s batting, Nahid Rana’s pace & other threats India will need to be wary of
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