Cricket world

PCB Chairman and Champions Trophy (PC: X) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has all but accepted a hybrid model for the 2025 Champions Trophy with a few riders, RevSportz understands. They are expected to communicate this to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by Sunday. The game’s governing body will then reconvene its Board meeting to finalise the details – venues, schedule et cetera – of the tournament. The Champions Trophy, an eight-team ODI event, is scheduled to be played in February-March next year, with the PCB hosting the event. According to sources, the PCB will attach certain clauses in their communication to the ICC for agreeing to a hybrid model. They will ask for an added incentive apart from the hosting fee, which is around $65 million. They will also ask for a bigger share of the ICC revenue, which currently stands at 5.75 per cent of the global body’s total projected earnings of $600 million for the 2024-2027 cycle. Also, they will demand that the next four ICC...

Anneke Bosch and her tough grind to success. PC – PCB Transcripts relate to the conversation between the interviewee and interviewer. But with Anneke Bosch, the South African cricketer, it feels as if something intangible can be added – her candidness and simplicity. The first bits of Bosch’s reply to a query about her memories from childhood days is an indicator of it. Bosch ended up recounting a memory that turned out to be a harrowing experience for her.  “My dad (Pethrow Bosch) passed away about 10 years ago, so every time I go on to a cricket field, I think about special memories. Actually, there is one bad memory,” she told RevSportz. “When I was in Grade 7, we had a match against another school. I was the wicketkeeper. Dad was the umpire because it was his team. So, the coach was also the umpire. The third ball of the game, there was a top-edge. I tried to catch it, as I dived, I hit one of our players’ knees, because he was also going for the catch. I was like out; I c...

ICC Champions Trophy (PC: X) The ICC Board held a brief meeting, on Friday,  in order to find a favourable outcome for the Men’s Champions Trophy slated to be held early next year. The Board is set to reconvene again tomorrow or in the next few days. Representatives of all full member countries were in attendance in the virtual meeting. As per the initial framework, Pakistan were scheduled to host the entire duration of the event.  The ICC is hopeful of coming out with a plausible solution to hold the tournament as scheduled. As per sources, Pakistan Cricket Board are sticking to its stance of not holding the event via a hybrid model, where all of India’s matches would be held at a neutral venue, with the rest of the games being hosted by Pakistan. This particular model was proposed in the backdrop of India deciding not to travel to Pakistan due to long-standing political tensions and security concerns.  Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randh...

Sir Don Bradman’s house The city of Adelaide is famous for its churches. But the South Australian state is also known for the legendary Sir Donald Bradman. It was here Bradman spent the most time of his life. The man with a Test average of 99.94 was born on August 27, 1908, in Cootamundra, New South Wales and was raised in Bowral. Initially he stayed at 52, Shepherd Street before shifting to 20, Glebe Street, where he stayed for four years. After his passing on February 25, 2001, the South Australian government has ensured that the legend is paid a fitting tribute and people still remember him. On Friday, cricket historian Tony Rose, based in Adelaide, took this correspondent and my colleague Subhayan for a trip to Bradman’s house.  2, Holden Street, which is 3 kilometres drive from the city, stands as a testament to the legacy of cricket’s greatest-ever batsman. Even after his death, the house, once vibrant with his presence, continues to draw visitors, keeping his memory al...

The Australian players during the first Test in Perth. Photo: Debasis Sen/RevSportz Alex Carey was the last  wicket to fall in the Perth Test as Australia crashed to an ignominious defeat in conditions that were set to suit them. On expected lines, there was jubilation in the Indian camp. It was a clinical and memorable performance from the visiting side. Meanwhile, there were some glum faces in the Australian set-up.  The embarrassing defeat just accentuated the question marks surrounding the aging Australian side, especially in the batting department. Just a glimpse at some of the averages of the current set of Australian batters tell a story. Since the start of 2023 Ashes, following are the averages of Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Alex Carey – 38.2, 32.82, 27.41, 30.45 and 28.23 respectively. This is what Ravi Shastri, the former India coach, had to say about Australia’s batting woes. “I am seriously worried about the depth in Austra...

Glimpses from the book launch event of Fearless. In his recently published memoir, Fearless , Mohinder Amarnath has chosen Imran Khan over Sunil Gavaskar as the better captain. In explaining his choice, Amarnath said at the launch in Delhi, “Sunil Gavaskar was a great batsman and was one of the best. But maybe he expected everyone else to be like him and not always did he go up to the younger members and make them feel comfortable. Imran was more of an inclusive leader who made everyone in his team comfortable and happy.” Rajinder Amarnath, brother and co-writer, defended the statement saying: “It is an honest assessment, and that’s how Jimmy has been and has always played his cricket.” In Fearless , Amarnath has written that he was informed of his selection in the 1983 World Cup team by a friend in the UK. No one from the BCCI contacted him or bothered to inform him. “Maybe they had a very low estimation of the team based on how we performed in 1975 and 1979,” he recounted. “Tha...

The Australian players during the first Test in Perth. Photo: Debasis Sen/RevSportz“ Jin logo ki naam aapne liya, Bumrah unse bhi aage nikal gayi hai (the names you have mentioned, Bumrah has surpassed them),” said Rashid Latif. The question to the former Pakistan captain was whether Jasprit Bumrah could sit alongside the likes of Dennis Lillee, Malcolm Marshall and Wasim Akram. Just going by the hard numbers, Lillee had 355 wickets from 70 Tests at 23.92. Marshall accounted for 376 scalps from 81 Tests at an average of 20.94. Akram took 414 wickets in 104 Tests at an average of 23.62. Bumrah has 181 wickets from 41 Tests at 20.06. His figures so far have been Sydney Barnes-esque (27 Tests, 189 wickets at 16.43). Barnes last played international cricket in 1914. Modern cricket is privileged to have the fast bowler from Ahmedabad. Australia were bewitched by Bumrah’s genius in Perth. To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, some of their batsmen, Marnus Labuschagne for example, probably could...

Mitchell Starc and Yashasvi Jaiswal durimg the 1st test between India and Australia in the Border Gasvaskar trophy 2024-25. Photo: Debasis Sen Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon – clearly one of Australia’s best bowling attacks ever, with an incredible 1,443 wickets between them. And yet, in the last 10 years, they haven’t beaten India in a Test series. Each of them played the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series, and they all played in Perth. Each time, they finished second-best. So, while we accept that Australia beat India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the 50-over World Cup final, it is also true that India have consistently had the better of them in bilateral Test series. Adelaide and the pink-ball Test will perhaps be the last roll of the dice for this Australian bowling line-up. They know the conditions well, and have played much more with the pink ball than India have. They will also remember the 36 all out and try and take inspiration from i...

Delhi Capitals at the 2025 IPL Mega Auction (PC: @delhicapitals on instagram) With some of the highest bids in the history of the tournament and teams jostling to buy the best talents in the cricketing world, IPL 2025 Mega Auction was a whirlwind event. Among the standout performers was Delhi Capitals, who have caught the attention of fans for making some smart investments and their auction strategy. Here’s a closer look at their hits, misses, and overall squad strength after the auction.   HITS   Faf du Plessis (2 crore) Two time orange cap winner, seasoned campaigner and the former captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was picked up by DC in what can only be described as a steal. Having been a veteran of the sport in international cricket and leading RCB, Faf brings stability coupled with aggression at the top of the order as well as leadership skills. He has consistently delivered top-order runs and has anchored the innings, which makes him a pivotal addition to ...