Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Does England have players to call upon if injury strikes?


Injury concerns involving England skipper Alastair Cook and seamer Stuart Broad, although unlikely to keep them both out of the series, have raised the question of the quality of the back up players in the England side. With the series being the second half of two consecutive Ashes series, it is likely that injuries and rotation will play a considerable role which could have an impact on the end result. It is therefore more important than ever to have strength and depth in the squad.

England’s bowling unit is strong, the stand out performers of Broad and Anderson being well supported by Finn, Rankin and Tremlett. All tall, all fast and I have no issues with any of them making the starting eleven. Tremlett has proven himself before, having a successful tour of Australia in the 2011 series. It’s always a worry when a fast bowler has a career threatening injury, but Tremlett looks to have come back fitter and stronger, ready to play. Steven Finn, still young and learning his game, is a threatening fast bowler, even though he

Friday, October 18, 2013

ODI Series Finely Poised after India's Stunning Chase

India's brilliant run-chase in the second one-day international against Australia has lit the blue touch paper for the seven-match series that is now level at 1-1.  And, if the first two games are anything to go by, it is set to be a very entertaining few weeks between the two sides. Australia had won the first ODI in Pune by 72 runs after smashing 304 and they looked odds-on to make it 2-0 overall when they set India the daunting target of 360 to win the second clash in Jaipur.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The most expensive over ever !

Alauddin Babu of Bangladesh is now the unfortunate owner of the record for the most runs conceded in a single over in List A cricket. Playing for Abahani Limited against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Limited in the Dhaka Premier League, he conceded 39 runs in a single over, thus shattering Daan Van Bunge's record of 36 runs (which still is the record for ODIs).

Sequence of events, as follows
Ball 1 - No Ball, Boundary [Total - 5 runs, 0 Balls]
Ball 2 - Wide [Total - 6 runs, 0 Balls]
Ball 3 - Six [Total - 12 runs, 1 Ball]
Ball 4 - Boundary [Total - 16 runs, 2 Balls]
Ball 5 - Six [Total - 22 runs, 3 Balls]
Ball 6 - Boundary [Total - 26 runs, 4 Balls]
Ball 7 - Six [Total - 32 runs, 5 Balls]
Ball 8 - Wide [Total - 33 runs, 5 Balls]
Ball 9 - Six [Total - 39 runs, Over Complete]
And the batsman who was at the receiving end of these pleasantries - Elton Chigumbura, the former Zimbabwean captain.

Enough information for any trivia contest.

Nishant Kumar for DieHard Cricket Fans
Follow Nishant on Twitter @NishantSKumar