Weekly CRICKET Review - CXiV | So much entertainment!
Hello, fellow Cricket Enthusiasts,
You already know I share a weekly wrap-up of what's happening in the Cricket community. And it's the 114th edition now.
The World of Cricket has become very busy right now with a lot of bilateral series around, including the Ashes. So, let's see what's going on.
The Ashes, 2025-26
A few days back, I shared a nice little overview about this tournament. So, the 74th edition of the tournament is now in progress in Australia. There will be 5 Test matches from Nov 21 - Jan 08.
After two matches, Australians are leading with 2-0, eventhough England came with a lot of confidence. The first match was held at Perth Stadium, Perth. And it turned out to be just two days of playing. It was a battle of the pacers. England started the batting, a nd Starc got the perfect start right away. He took Zak Crawley on the 6th ball of the match, and from there it's just a matter of time. Only four players crossed the double digits, while Harry Brook scored a fifty. England was all out for just 172 runs in 32 overs. Starc took 7 wickets for 58 runs.
Anyhow, the reply from Australia was even worse. Jofra Archer started the hunt in the second ball and continued that well. No Aussie batter could cross the 30-run mark, and they were all out for just 132 runs in 45 overs. Stokes took 5 wickets, destroying the middle and tail. With a 40-run lead, England had the perfect foundation to sea l the match. But once again in the fifth ball of the second inning, Starc took Crawly for a duck. The boys tried their best coming to the second day, but somehow only managed 164 in 34 overs. Overall, Starc took 10 wickets.
Given the circumstances, chasing 205 runs is not easy. But when the big man steps up, there's nothing impossible. Travis Head was promoted as the opener and scored 123 runs off just 83 balls. It's raining sixes and fours. Marnus scored a fifty, and Australia chased it down in 28 overs with 8 wickets in hand.
- The second match was a pink ball one at The Gabba, Brisbane. England batted first, and this time, Starc got Duckett out on the 6th ball. And then Pope for a duck in his second over. But Root and Crawley had a 117-run partnership. Crawley scored a fifty, and finally Root got a hundred in Australia. He protected one end while England was all out for 334 runs in 74 overs. Mitchell Starc once again took 6 wickets.
But what came from Australia was classic. Head and Weatherald got a 77-run partnership, while the latter scored his maiden fifty. Then Labuschagne, Smith, and Carey also contributed fifties. Even Mitchell Starc scored 77 runs facing 141 deliveries, giving his best with the tail enders. They scored 511 runs in 117 overs.
As a reply, under pressure, England only added another 241 runs. Stokes scored a fifty, and Neser took his maiden fifer. So, Australia easily chased down the 64 runs needed. Starc won the man of the match for the second time.
South Africa tour of India, 2025
- Another big tour of 5 T20s, 2 Tests, and 3 ODIs from Nov 14 - Dec 19. As I discussed last week, SA won the first Test match comfortably, and they made history by winning the next one as well. This is South Africa’s second Test series win in India. India faced their biggest Test defeats (by runs), and it's a clean sweep. Lord Bavuma has now won 11 matches with a draw in his 12 matches as Test Captain.
- It was held in Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. SA batted first and scored 489/10. The top and middle got starts, but kept losing wickets. Anyhow, Senuran Muthusamy scored his maiden century, while Marco Jansen delivered 93 runs. But India was nowhere comfortable in the chase. Jaiswal's fifty and Sundar's 48 runs were the only notable runs. It's just 201 runs for them. Marco Jansen destroyed their inning with 6 wickets.
With a 288-run lead, Proteas added another260/5 easily before declaring. Stubbs scored 94 runs. With a massive target ahead, India couldn't even put up a fight on their soil. It's just 140 runs from them. This time, Simon Harmer took 6 wickets. So, India had a 408-run defeat.
- Anyhow, India did well in winning the ODI series. The first match was held at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi. Batting first, India scored 349-8. Once again, we could see a show from Rohit and Kohli. Rohit scored 57 runs, while Kohli registered his 84th international century. He scored 135 runs off 120 balls with 7 sixes. He is not over yet. The chase from the SA started awfully. They lost the top three for 11 runs, then Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, and Dewald Brevis took the inning to 130/5. Then the magic happened. Breetzke scored 72 runs, while Janson lit the scene with 70 runs off 39 balls. Corbin Bosch contributed with 60 as well. They came so close, but ended up scoring 332/10. India won by 17 runs.
. - The second match was held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur. This time India managed 358//5. Kohli scored another century, and Ruturaj Gaikwad too. Anyhow, SA did chase it. Markram scored a century at the top, and Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke, and Brevis scored quick fifties. It came so close, but Corbin Bosch scored 29 runs off 15 balls to chase it with just 4 balls and 4 wickets remaining.
- The next match was at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. SA batted first, and they only scored 270/10. De Kock scored a century. Chase was as easy as India did it with 9 wickets and 10 overs remaining. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a century while Kohli and Rohit added fifties.
West Indies tour of New Zealand, 2025
West Indies are in New Zealand for a big series of 5 T20s, 3 Tests, and 3 ODIs from Nov 05 - Dec 22. The T20I series was already over, New Zealand winning it 3-1, and the Kiwis whitewashed West Indies in the ODI series.
The first Test match held at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, was one hell of a match. The first innings from both teams were not good. NZ added 231/10 batting first, while they just added 167/10. Williamson, Chanderpaul, and Hope scored fifties. But the second inning from the Kiwis was a stunner. It's 466/8. Latham scored 145 runs, while Rachin Ravindra added 176 runs. So, the target was 531 runs in the fourth inning, with almost 2 days left, which was nearly impossible.
When the chase started, visitors lost 4 wickets quickly for just 72 runs with more seasons remaining. Then came the miracle. Hope partnered with Justin Greaves. These two added 196 runs in 382 balls. It's more than 2 sessions. Hope scored 140 runs. But on the fifth day morning, another two quick wickets fell.
Then Kemar Roach joined Greaves. Guess what. He survived 233 balls, scoring 58 runs. It was match match-saving partnership between the two. They weren't trying for a win; it's for a draw. The two faced 409 balls, scoring 180 runs. The score was 457/6 in the end, and all ended in a draw. They could have chased it, but didn't try hard to lose the draw. Anyhow, it was one hell of a match.
Justin Greaves* - 202 runs in 388 balls
Kemar Roach* - 58 runs in 233 balls
Sources
- https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/10223/west-indies-tour-of-new-zealand-2025/matches
- https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/9638/south-africa-tour-of-india-2025/matches
- https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/9107/the-ashes-2025-26/matches
So, that's it for today!! Until next time! Enjoy!
Thank you.
Best Regards!
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