STARCY'S ASHES

 

Image Credit – ESPN Cricinfo.

The Ashes 2025 are one of the most anticipated Test series in the Australian circuit. England, under the duo of Captain Stokes and Coach Baz, was determined to script history. On the other hand, Aussies wanted to keep their fortress intact. But this was not going to be an easy task for the hosts as their key players got injured just before the marquee event. The lethal troika of Lyon, Cummins and Hazlewood were to miss the series because of the injuries. Whereas the visitors had their top squad available. As a result, there was a belief that the English could do the impossible and break the winning streak of the mighty Aussies.

But this is when Mitchell Starc rose to the occasion and delivered one of the greatest performances in the history of Ashes cricket. The 35-year-old warhorse not only picked up 31 wickets but also scored 156 runs with the bat at an average of 26. His half-century at the Gabba was one of the sole reasons why the Aussies were able to get a first-innings lead. Moreover, his bowling spells were equally ferocious. In Perth and the Gabba, he single-handedly destroyed the English batting line-up. Apart from that, he also bowled brilliantly in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney as the Aussies retained the Ashes 4-1.

It was truly one of the greatest performances by one of the most legendary cricketers. Ashes 2025 was truly Starcy's Ashes.

One can Enjoy Starc's Incredible Bowling Performace Here.

To watch the Gritty Half-Century of Mitchell Starc, Click Here. 

INCREDIBLE JOE

 

Image Credit – ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – The Gabba, Brisbane [December 4-7, 2025].

Joe Root is one of the finest batsmen of our generation. Be it Test Cricket, ODI Cricket or T20 Cricket, Root has proved himself in every format. A winner of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. The winner of the Ashes and also a part of the victorious test squads in India and South Africa. Root has been a champion player. However, post-pandemic Root has come out like a phoenix, breaking records in Test cricket year after year. Presently he is the second-leading run scorer in the history of Test cricket, with only the great Sachin Tendulkar ahead of him. It appears that it's only a matter of time when he will eclipse the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

But, despite all of this, there was one thing which was hurting him a lot, and that was no test century down under. In the previous 3 tours, he did come close on multiple occasions but failed to get to the 3-digit mark. The critics labelled him as a home-track bully who couldn't score runs in tough conditions. Moreover, the condemnation got even harsher when he failed in the first test at Perth.

As a result, the pressure was huge when the English side reached Brisbane for the day-night test. The press, the critics – everyone was behind him. But this is when Root played one of the finest knocks of his career and silenced all the criticism in style. The visitors were reeling at 5/2 when Joe Root stepped in. The game was on a knife-edge. Starc was bowling fire. Moreover, there was also a catch drop in the very initial stage of his innings of the bowling of Starc. Thus, it can be said that it couldn't have got any tougher. However, it didn't affect Joe Root, who looked determined to script history.

Root batted all day and scored an incredible 138* of 206 deliveries. In an innings which lasted for nearly 6.5 hours, Root hammered 15 boundaries and 1 six, which helped him take his side to a respectable score of 334. It is interesting to note that the wickets kept on falling on the other side, but Root maintained his calm. Moreover, once he got to his 100, he got even more comfortable in batting as he hit a few reverse scoops. The incredible Joe entertained everyone, and the innings was a delight to watch.

But the moment which caught everyone's attention was his celebration after getting to the three figures. It appeared as if a burden had finally come off his shoulders. The champion need not prove anything now. Moreover, Rooty scored a monumental 160 in Sydney as well, as he ended the Ashes down under on a high.

To watch the innings of Joe Root, Click Here. 

AN INNINGS TO REMEMBER

 

Image Credit—ESPN CricInfo.

Venue—Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai [November 7, 2023].

Nothing gets bigger than the ICC Cricket World Cup. The pressure, the drama, and the excitement are second to none. After all, if you perform here, you etch your name into the history books, as you will be remembered forever. Moreover, even after years, the fans will be talking about that particular knock or spell, which changed the course of the game. In this blog post we will be talking about one such magnificent inning that no one would ever forget.

The venue was the beautiful Wankhede Stadium in the City of Dreams, Mumbai. Afghanistan was facing Australia in a high-stakes encounter as both sides were fighting to secure their spot in the semi-finals. The Men in Blue batted first and posted a competitive total of 291 in their 50 overs. Ibrahim Zadran scored a scintillating 129 as the Aussies struggled to put the brakes upon the Afghan attack.

In response, the men in yellow were 49/4 when Maxwell joined Labuschagne in the middle. The run chase suffered a more significant dent in the coming overs as the wickets kept on tumbling from one end. The Australian scorecard was 91/7 when Skipper Cummins joined Maxwell in the middle. The game seemed to be over for the Aussies. But this is when a calamity struck. The Afghans dropped the catch of Maxwell, which ended up being the most costly drop ever.

Glenn Maxwell produced one of the greatest innings in the history of the marquee event as he scored an unbeaten 201 runs off just 128 deliveries and took his team to the semi-finals. In an unbelievable innings that lasted for around 3 hours, Maxwell hit a total of 21 boundaries and 10 sixes. But this was not that easy. Maxwell experienced severe leg cramps in between and was barely able to walk. But still, he continued to bat without any footwork and won the game for his nation. 

Skipper Cummins also played his part as he scored an unbeaten 12 of 68 deliveries and stitched a historic 8th wicket partnership of 202 runs with Maxwell. It was important that Cummins stay in the middle and support Maxwell in every possible manner, which he efficiently did.

The Aussies won the game by 3 wickets and marched into the top 4. Moreover, they also ended up beating South Africa and India in the semi-final and final, respectively, and thus lifted their 6th World Cup title. However, the same would not have been possible without that insane inning of Mad Max. It was truly an innings that changed the fate of a World Cup.

To watch the innings of Maxwell, Click Here. 

THE HOSTS MOVE FORWARD

                 

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Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo [June 25-29, 2025].

In the summer of 2025, the Bangladesh cricket team toured Sri Lanka to play a couple of test matches along with 3 ODIs and 3 T20 internationals. The test series marked the beginning of the new WTC cycle, so both the teams were eager to start their campaign on a high. The first test in Galle was a run-fest, as both teams piled up a lot of runs. Najmul Shanto became the first Bangladeshi captain who scored a hundred in both innings of the match. Apart from him, Mushfiqur Rahim and Pathum Nissanka also scored wonderful tons as the bowlers struggled for most of the part of the game. The match eventually ended in a draw, and the teams now reached Colombo for the final test. Regrettably, after the first test, the Sri Lankan legend Angelo Mathews announced retirement from Test cricket, which did create a void. After all, Mathews has been a legend for the Lankan Lions. An all-rounder who won't be easy to replace.

In a must-win game, the Bangladeshi captain won the toss and elected to bat first. The pitch and conditions looked perfect to bat. However, the Lankan bowlers kept on chipping wickets at regular intervals, which meant that the visitors struggled to reach a competitive total. Mind you, most of the Bangladeshi batsmen got a start but failed to capitalize upon the same.

In response the Lankans ended up scoring 458 in their first innings, with Pathum Nissanka scoring yet another magnificent hundred. In an innings which lasted more than 6 hours, Nissanka scored a brilliant 158 of 254 deliveries as the hosts managed to secure a first innings lead of 201 runs. Apart from Nissanka, Chandimal and Kusal Mendis also scored brilliant half-centuries as visitors struggled for wickets.

The Bangladeshis in the second innings had a mountain to climb. They were required to deliver their best of performance. Unfortunately, they saved the worst for last as they bundled out for just 133 runs in 44.2 overs. Prabath Jayasurya picked up 5 crucial wickets as the Lankans won the match by an innings and 78 runs.

Pathum Nissanka was awarded both player of the match and the series award as the hosts won the series 1-0 and took a step forward in the race for the WTC Final. 

A KNOCK FOR THE AGES

 

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Venue – Jade Stadium, Christchurch [March 13-17, 2002].

Aggressive cricket is the talk of the town. In the earlier decades it was only confined to white-ball cricket, but since Brendon McCullum's takeover of the English Test team, aggressive batting has become a common phenomenon in the red-ball arena as well. BazBall - TravBall - JaisBall. We have multiple versions now. However, nothing comes close to Nathan Astle's iconic double hundred in Christchurch. At a time when defeat looked imminent, Astle stood strong and delivered one of the finest cricketing performances ever seen.

The hosts were set a target of a mammoth 550 runs to win the game. Moreover, the New Zealand score read 119/3 when Nathan Astle joined skipper Fleming in the middle. It was almost certain that the Kiwis would lose the test. But this is when Astle counter-attacked and took everyone by surprise. In an innings which lasted for around 4 hours, Astle scored a monumental 222 from just 168 deliveries. At a time when six-hitting in a test match was not a common phenomenon, Astle hit 11 sixes in addition to the 28 magnificent boundaries.

It is pertinent to note that the innings was not a typical modern-day knock dominated by slogging and power hitting but was one of elegance with proper cricketing shots on display. However, the most interesting thing about this double-hundred is the fact that most of Astle's runs came along with tailenders. The man stood all alone against the English team and took the attack by storm. Caddick, who picked up 6 wickets in that innings, was also taken to the cleaners. At one stage it even appeared that Astle could be impossible here, but Hoggard got him at last for 222, with the hosts getting bowled out for 451 runs in their second innings. 

The English won the match by 98 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series, but it was Nathan Astle who received the maximum amount of praise for his double hundred. After all, the way he batted that day has not been replicated by anyone to date.

To watch the innings of Nathan Astle, Click Here. 

THIS IS TEST CRICKET

 

Image Credit – ESPN CricInfo.

Venue: Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua and Barbuda [May 25-29, 2000].

In the era of T20 cricket, patience and perseverance have taken a backseat. Batsmen are ready to take on the bowlers from the very first ball, whereas the bowlers have developed a timid mentality of making sure that they just don't go for runs. Moreover, the bowlers wait for the batsman to commit an error so that they can get their name on the wicket-takers list instead of doing something on their own. The game has thus been reduced to a batsman-versus-batsman contest, with bowlers taking a side role, as the team with a better set of batsmen will win.

However, when it comes to Test cricket, the contest is still very much fair. Barring England and Pakistan, where we have witnessed some of the flattest surfaces to bat upon, countries like the West Indies, Australia and South Africa still produce pitches where surviving as a batsman is an honour in itself – forget about scoring quick runs. On several occasions we have witnessed certain games in the past which the T20 generation could never fathom. In this blog post we will be talking about such a test match, or rather a partnership which made us say, 'Test cricket, you beauty.'

It was the West Indies who were facing Pakistan in their backyard. The first two tests ended in a draw, and we were heading for an interesting finale in Antigua. The hosts were required to chase 216 runs to win both the match and the series. The target might look like a small one, but it was not that easy. A tough pitch with one of the most lethal bowling line-ups in front (Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Abdul Razzaq and Saqlain Mushtaq can give nightmares to anyone). Moreover, the West Indian scorecard read 197/9 when Courtney Walsh joined Captain Jimmy Adams in the middle. The game was on a knife-edge. One more wicket and the visitors would have wrapped up both the match and the series. Apart from that, Courtney Walsh is a batsman who has been dismissed for a 0 on multiple occasions (once in every four innings).

So the challenge was tough. The Windies had a mountain to climb. But boy! What happened next was something truly unbelievable. The duo of Adams and Walsh batted for more than an hour and took their side home. It was certainly an hour of cricket which no fan would ever forget. Walsh surviving the Pakistani bowling attack for 72 minutes and coming out unbeaten was surely not what anyone was expecting. Apart from that, Jimmy Adams played a captain's knock in most of the toughest of situations as he scored an unbeaten 48 of 212 deliveries. There were smiles all around when he took 2 off Akram's bowling and the score got levelled. However, the ground erupted with joy and happiness when Adams took a cheeky single as the Windies won the game by the barest of margins.

Wasim Akram and the Pakistani team could not believe what had happened. The hosts have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Moreover, one could feel for Akram, who picked up 11 wickets in the game but still ended on the losing side. However, this is what the test ticket is all about. The game of patience, perseverance and, in certain cases, luck.

It was Test cricket at its best.

To watch the partnership between Adams and Walsh, Click Here. 

CAPTAIN KOHLI SEALS IT FOR INDIA

 

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Venue- Centurion Park, Centurion [February 16, 2018].

In the year 2018, the Indian Cricket Team scripted history. For the very first time, they won an ODI series in the rainbow nation. Interestingly, the series was won in the 5th ODI itself, and when the teams assembled for the final match at Centurion, it was very much a dead rubber.

However, everyone was expecting that the Proteas would not give up so easily and would try to win this game. But the Indians under Captain Kohli delivered one of their finest performances that day. The men in blue, after winning the toss, asked the Proteas to bat first and reduced them to just 204 runs in 46.5 overs. The South Africans were literally struggling before the Indian bowling line-up. It appeared as if India was playing in its backyard. An Indian victory was just a matter of time.

Virat Kohli, who was in the form of his life, scored a quickfire 129* off just 96 deliveries as India won the match by 8 wickets with 107 balls to spare. It is pertinent to note that the pitch was not that easy to bat. Be it the Proteas or the Indians, everyone struggled on that wicket. However, King Kohli was in a different zone altogether. The way he led the attack from the front was quite amazing. In the previous matches of the series, we saw Kohli scoring runs mostly by rotating the strike. But this time it was all about shots and power-hitting. 

The humiliation was well and truly complete as the Proteas suffered a 1-5 defeat on their own soil. Captain Kohli was awarded both the player of the match and player of the series awards for his excellent contribution with the bat.

558 runs in 6 ODIs. It was truly one of the greatest performances by one of the greatest players. 

To watch the Innings of Virat Kohli, Click Here.