The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 1

International Cricket

-  After a heist-like win over Australia, Team India continued their winning run in the shortest format, with one-of-a-kind bowling display in the first T20I against South Africa. It was a show that starred the Indian pacers with some effect before Suryakumar Yadav sealed the deal with the bat.

-  Rohit Sharma’s Men in Blue started the series against Australia in the worst possible manner, with a loss in Mohali. But since then, thanks to the bowling display from Axar Patel and batting heroics from Suryakumar Yadav, India won the series 2-1, stretching their home dominance to ten consecutive T20I series wins.

-  A Harmanpreet Kaur-led women’s side completed a rare feat in women’s cricket, a whitewash 3-0 ODI series win in England. The skipper led from the front with a scintillating century during the series but the performer of the series was Renuka Singh, who picked up eight wickets in the three ODIs. 

-  Bangladesh recorded a comprehensive 2-0 win over United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the two-match T20I series at the Dubai International Stadium. Afif Hossain was the star for the Tigers in the first game with an unbeaten 77 that helped them win by seven runs. In the final outing, a combined batting effort from Bangladesh’s top-order powered them to a total of 169 runs, which proved out of reach for the home team.

-  For the first time in 17 years, England arrived in Pakistan for a seven-match T20I series, with the first leg of the series played in Karachi and the last three games in Lahore. The series was in favour of the visiting side with a lead of 2-1 at the start of the week, but some dominant performances from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan powered Pakistan to a 3-2 lead with two matches to spare. However, Phil Salt played a match-defining knock of 88* in the penultimate game to level the series 3-3, with the decider set to take place on Sunday, October 2, in Lahore.

Franchise leagues

-  Jamaica Tallawahs sprung a surprise on Barbados Royals and the CPL fans, winning their third title. Tallawahs, who were not even firm favourites to make it to the playoffs were aided by some stunning performances from the likes of Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Raymond Reifer and Imad Wasim, as they captured their first title in the post-Russell era. 

In the final, the Royals put up a total of 161, which on the night was less than convincing, showing how the Tallawahs had their games plans set to the T. King starred in the final, with a 50-ball 83, as he ended the tournament with most runs (422) as his teammate Wasim finished second-best bowler (17 wickets). 

Domestic Tournaments

-  In India’s prestigious Duleep Trophy, it was Ajinkya Rahane-led West Zone, who completed a fabulous win over the in-form South Zone side. At 101/6, Rahane’s side were under immense pressure but Het Patel (98) and Jaydev Unadkat (47) combined to score 270 in the first innings. Despite South Zone taking a lead, West Zone’s inspired bowling effort toppled Hanuma Vihari’s men by 294 runs. 

Let’s talk!!

The whole town's talking about two cricketers - Charlie Dean and Deepti Sharma. If you are not living under a rock, you would know exactly why. With England requiring 17 runs, the Indian off-spinner ran onto bowl before she paused and took the bails out. And, you know how it would have followed. 

So, what’s your take on that? In this thread, Peter Della Penna treads this topic without much fluff. Must read. 

Articles in focus

A career that touched lives beyond the Indian dressing room

The one who changed the face of women's cricket and ignited a fire among kids, Jhulan Goswami, bids adieu to the sport after two decades. It was a sombre Saturday for all the fans of women's cricket as one of the legends of the game, Goswami, was all set to feature in the final match of her international career at the Home of Cricket. 

Shweta Haranhalli perfectly sums up the emotion of women’s cricket, in the aftermath of what was one of a kind career in women’s cricket

Can India really replace Jasprit Bumrah?

Out of all the multiple possibilities in this world, this was the one that India prayed hard to never come true. Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the country by a mile. A back-stress fracture, one that possibly derails the pacer’s comeback by at least another three months. But what about the T20 World Cup, what about the hopes of India scoring that World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s leadership?

There is no replacement for Bumrah, at least on paper. But is there a way that India could field a bowling attack that could cover all bases? Aakash Sivasubramaniam, in this piece, looks how India can fill the Bumrah-size void for the T20 World Cup.

Was Babar Azam really a concern for Pakistan?

In a matter of few days, we’ve seen both Virat Kohli and Babar Azam silence their critics with outstanding innings. However, it was different for both players. For Kohli, it was about scoring his first century in three years and as far as Babar is concerned, he wanted to show the world that he too can play an aggressive innings at a good strike-rate in his team’s victory, with a stunning 110*

Pramod Ananth, in this piece, looks at how the talks around Babar’s form were nothing but rubbish. 

Harry Brook, not just another hyped English cricketer

Harry Brook is an all-format superstar," the words that are currently echoing the echelons of English cricket. While English media have always been guilty of being a little extra with their criticism or appreciation, the 23-year-old’s case might just be a little different. Generational talents usually are not guaranteed to turn into household names. Some wane away sooner than they arrive on the international scene. But ever since Brook has levelled, he has made international cricket look like a natural progression.

Aakash Sivasubramaniam, in this piece, looks at how the 23-year old is different from all the other England players coming through the ranks. 

Watch this!

What’s your take?