THE PLUNDERER OF PALLEKELE

 

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Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy [March 8, 2011].

The Pakistani cricket team is infamous for its fielding antics. Generations have passed on, but their fielding woes have remained the same. Moreover, due to this sloppiness on the ground, they have lost matches on the biggest of stages. This blog post is about one such game wherein the men in green lost just because of their fielding.

In the year 2011, New Zealand was facing Pakistan in the group stage of the 2011 World Cup. Captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a good wicket to bat upon. However, the Kiwis lost Baz in the first over itself as Akhtar bowled him out in the fourth delivery of the innings. As a result New Zealand went on the back seat and adopted a cautious approach.

Despite this, the Pakistanis kept on chipping wickets at regular intervals and kept the run rate under control. At the end of 46 overs, the New Zealand scorecard read 210/6, with Ross Taylor batting on 76* of 111 deliveries, whereas Oram had just joined him in the middle. However, it is pertinent to note that Taylor was dropped twice in the very beginning of his innings. On both occasions it was Kamran Akmal who dropped the easiest catch he could have ever gotten. The first catch drop came at the very first ball wherein Taylor edged between the slips and the keeper, and the keeper let it go even without trying to catch it. The second time the ball came in his hands, but he again failed to catch it. To be honest the catch was so easy that even the commentator called it inexcusable.

The birthday boy got his gift, and he made sure that he would make it count. In the last 4 overs, the Kiwis smoked 92 runs as the Pakistanis looked helpless. However, the moment that will always be remembered is Ross Taylor hitting Akhtar 28 runs in an over. Something that was never heard before. To be honest, the attack was so brutal that he was not even called to bowl his final over. In his place, Abdul Razzaq was asked to bowl, who too conceded 30 runs in an over as the Kiwis crossed the 300-run mark.

Ross Taylor scored an unbeaten 131 off 124 deliveries as everyone was up on their feet. The innings were so destructive that the commentator called Taylor the plunderer of Pallekele. It was truly a great knock on the biggest of stages. In response, the men in green were bowled out for just 192 runs as the Kiwis won the game by 110 runs.

However, the same would not have been possible if that catch drop wouldn't have happened.

To watch the Highlights of the Match, Click Here.

THE BEST OF KANE WILLIAMSON

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Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch [January 3-7, 2021]

In the summer of 2020-21, the Pakistan cricket team toured New Zealand to play 3 T20 internationals and 2 test matches. The test series was important like never before for the black caps, as their chances of making it into the WTC Finals rested upon it. After suffering a whitewash against Australia last year, every series became a matter of do or die for them. However, the Kiwis fought back hard as they whitewashed India and the West Indies and were all set to face Pakistanis in their home conditions. Though the Kiwis were the favorites, no one could rule out men in green.

Hence, everyone was expecting a tough contest between two strong sides. Interestingly, it turned out to be a one-sided affair. Credit for the same goes to the monumental innings of skipper Kane Williamson, who single-handedly blew away the visitors and sealed the fate of the match and the series.

In the first test at Bay Oval, Williamson scored a gritty 129 of 297 deliveries, which helped Kiwis take an edge over the visitors. However, the same got overshadowed by his massive 238-run knock in the second test at Christchurch, which ensured another whitewash on New Zealand soil.

In a must-win game, the Pakistanis posted a competitive 297 in their first innings. However, in response, the hosts were reeling at 71/3 when Henry Nicholls joined Williamson in the middle. The game was on a knife-edge. A couple of wickets at this stage would have opened the game wide-open. But this is when we witnessed one of the finest test partnerships of all time. The duo of Williamson and Nicholls struck a massive partnership of 369 runs and sealed the game for the hosts. Nicholls scored a brilliant 157, whereas Captain Kane scored a monumental 238 runs.

In an innings that lasted for nearly 9.5 hours, Kane Williamson faced a total of 364 deliveries in which he hammered 28 boundaries. Moreover, it was not just about power hitting, but the innings had class, elegance, timing, and perfection. In short, it was truly a work of art by one of the greatest Test batsmen of our times.

By the time Willaison was dismissed, it was almost certain that the match was well and truly over for the visitors. The question was how long will men in green survive? The answer turned out to be 81.4 overs as the Kiwis' pacers blew away the Pakistani batting line-up in no time. Kyle Jamieson picked up 6 wickets in the second innings and 11 in the match as the hosts won the second test by an innings and 176 runs.

The whitewash was well and truly complete, and they also made it into the Inaugural WTC Finals.

Postscript—Six months later Kiwis won the inaugural WTC Finals at Southampton. However, the same would not have been possible without the contribution of their captain and leader Kane Williamson, who led his team from the front and scored runs when it mattered most.

To watch the monumental innings of Kane Williamson, Click Here. 

END OF AN ERA

 

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In June 2026, Kane Williamson announced his retirement from international cricket. The news came as a shocker, as everyone was expecting him to go for the 10,000 runs milestone. But, just like the Indian counterpart, Williamson decided to hang his boots without caring about any personal feat. It is pertinent to note that Williamson was a part of the famous Fab 4 coined by the late Martin Crowe.

Moreover, like Smith, Root, and Kohli, Kane was the most charismatic batsman as well as leader of his side, leading his country to the finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup. In the process he also scored valuable runs for his team. However, in case of Kane it was not always about runs, as his conduct on and off the pitch too grabbed attention and praise. 

Who can ever forget his smile from the 2019 final at Lord's? The Kiwis, in a hard-fought contest, lost by the barest of margins. However, despite the wrongs and controversies, Kane kept calm and just smiled when the world around him went upside down.

Interestingly, a couple of years later, he did get some consolation when he led his team to the maiden World Test Championship glory. It was a victory that every New Zealander will always remember. After all, no one expected their victory against the mighty Indians. However, Kane and his men did something unexpected on Day 6 at Southampton when they skittled India out for a small total and chased them off comfortably. Moreover, Kane was in the middle when the winning runs were hit, making the moment even more emotional. The gentleman did get his due.

Today Kane is a retired player. But his contribution to cricket will forever be cherished and cheered. 

THE RUN-OUT WHICH CHANGED IT ALL

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Venue- Adelaide Oval, Adelaide [December 17-19, 2020].

It's been more than a year since Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket. The white has indeed lost its colour. However, anyone who has been watching test cricket for long would observe that the career of Virat Kohli in the longest format can be classified into three parts. First being the young, aggressive, and dynamic Kohli, who wanted to prove to the world that he belonged on the big stage (2011-14). Second was the King Kohli era, wherein Virat not only scored runs for fun but also captained his side and took it to the greatest heights (2014-19). The third was the downfall in which we saw him struggling like never before (2020-25). To be honest, it was the worst of phases for a Kohli fan, wherein we not only saw our legend struggle for runs, but our man was also made to leave the test captaincy and make way for others. However, the question that arises now is that when did the third phase actually start? After all, everything was going so perfectly for 5 years, so where did the crack come in from? The answer to the same is the Adelaide test of 2020.

In the summer of 2020-21, the Indian cricket team toured Australia to defend its Border Gavaskar Trophy. Interestingly, the series was happening in the midst of a COVID pandemic. So there were multiple restrictions around. Furthermore, the Indian captain announced beforehand that he will only be playing the Adelaide test, as he will be returning to India for paternity leave. As a result, it would be Rahane who would be captaining India in the remaining three tests.

The first test at Adelaide was a day-night test, which was a new challenge for the visitors. However, Captain Kohli took the bull by the horns as he started off remarkably as he was dominating every Aussie bowler. The pink ball is tough to bat at, but not for Kohli, who was looking in fine touch. The King batted for around 4 hours and was looking set for his 28th test ton as he was batting magnificently on 74 of 180 deliveries. But this is when calamity struck. A terrible mix-up happened in the middle, and Kohli was run out for 74. Rahane was distraught with himself for calling a single and then refusing it. Kohli, on the other hand, was furious with himself as he not only missed a golden opportunity to score another test hundred at his favourite venue, but also it dented his team's hopes of a big first innings total. Soon after Kohli's dismissal, the Indian batting order collapsed like a pack of cards, as we lost the remaining 6 wickets for just 56 runs. From 188/3, we were 244 all out.

Yes, the bowlers fought with the ball, and that is why we got a crucial first-innings lead. But a bigger collapse in the second innings made sure that the Aussies won the first test of the series. Captain Kohli scored just 4 runs in the second innings as we were bundled out for just 36 runs. The Aussies needed just 90 runs to win the test, which they did comfortably.

There were questions all around. After all, the third day of the Adelaide test was nothing less than a nightmare. The bigger question was, will Kohli leave the team in this messy situation? After all, he was the captain of the side, and his team needed him the most in that situation. However, as decided earlier, Kohli left the Australian shores after the first test, and Rahane was appointed the skipper for the remaining series.

What happened next was unbelievable as we came from behind and won the series 2-1. The victory was memorable. However, post-2021, we never saw that Kohli of old who scored runs for fun. A year later he stepped down as the Test captain. Things kept on getting from bad to worse as the man who used to hit hundreds for fun was able to score just 3 tons in 6 years. Moreover, the batting average, which was close to 55, came down to 46 by the time he announced his retirement in May 2025.

However, those who have seen him closely will realize that it was the run-out at Adelaide that changed it all for the King. The run-out, which started the most painful era for Virat Kohli. The ground which saw the rise of him also turned out to be the ground from where his test cricket started, the lows.

To see that last Adelaide masterclass of King Kohli, Click Here.

THE HAMMERING

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Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth [December 14-17, 2023].

In the summer of 2023-24, the Pakistani cricket team toured Australia to play 3 test matches. The tour marked the beginning of an era for the visitors as they had a leadership change before the tour down under. Shan Masood was appointed as the new Test captain. However, he had multiple challenges before him. Firstly, they were facing the world champions in their own backyard, where they have not lost a single test to them in the last 3 decades. Forget about a defeat; the visitors have even struggled to draw a test match there. Moreover, the morale of the Aussies was quite high after their 6th World Cup triumph. On the other hand, the men in green had a terrible World Cup before this series. So there was a mountain to climb now for the men in green.

The first test was scheduled in Perth, a venue wherein the Aussies have a brilliant track record. On a bright sunny day it was the Aussie captain Pat Cummins who won the toss, and he decided to bat first. The decision turned out to be a masterstroke, as the opening duo of Khwaja and Warner gave the Aussies a brilliant start. David Warner, who had earlier announced that he would retire after the series, took the charge from the front and hammered a brilliant 164 of 211 deliveries. In an innings which lasted for around 6 hours, Warner hit a total of 16 boundaries and 4 sixes. It was truly a delight to watch. After all, the innings had everything – power, timing and placement. Apart from Warner, Mitch Marsh too scored a quickfire 90 as the Aussies ended up scoring 487 in their first innings. For the visitors, Aamir Jamal had something to cheer about as he picked up 6 wickets in his debut test match.

In response, the visitors started off pretty well. However, once Imam-ul-Haq got dismissed for 62, the men in green fell like a pack of cards. The Aussies got a massive first-innings lead of 216 runs, and the option of a follow-on was available to Cummins. However, he decided to grind the visitors and thus refused to enforce a follow-on. Furthermore, the Aussies in the 2nd innings came all guns blazing as they scored at a quick rate. The hosts declared at a score of 233/5, with the visitors now needing a massive 450 runs to win the match.

It was almost certain that the Aussies were winning this test. The question was how long the visitors would survive. To everyone's surprise, there was no fight offered by the men in green as they crumbled for just 89 runs in 30.2 overs. The Aussie quartet of Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon dismantled the men in green like anything as they won the game by a massive 360 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

THE WHITEWASH

             

 Image Credit – ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Old Trafford, Manchester [June 24, 2018].

In the summer of 2018, the Australian cricket team toured England to play 5 ODIs and one T20 International. At the end of 4 ODIs the English were leading the series 4-0, and the clouds of a whitewash were looming before the visitors – something which had never happened before. The final ODI thus became a matter of prestige for the Aussies now.

Interestingly, on a bright sunny day in Manchester, it was Australian captain Tim Paine who won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a batting paradise. The decision turned out to be a good one as the visitors got off to a flyer with Travis Head and Aaron Finch striking aggressively. Head scored a quickfire 56 off 42 deliveries as the Aussies got past the 50-run mark in no time. However, the hosts made a strong comeback in the later overs as they pushed the Aussies to a backfoot by picking up wickets at regular intervals. Moreover, apart from Head, no other Australian batsman could cross the 50-run mark as the visitors were bowled out for just 205 runs in 34.4 overs. The good start provided by the opens had been wasted again. Furthermore, it appeared that the English would chase down the target in no time, and the whitewash would be complete.

But mind you, this is cricket. A game of surprises and uncertainty. The English got off to the worst possible start as the Aussies demolished the top order in no time. The hosts were reeling at 114/8 when Adil Rashid joined Buttler in the middle. The game was on a knife-edge. A couple more wickets and the match would have been over. But this is when Jos Buttler rose to the occasion and scored a majestic 110* off 122 deliveries and took his side home. It is pertinent to note that Buttler had a dual task to perform. Firstly, he was the main batsman who was required to score the majority of runs. Secondly, he needed to make sure that Rashid and Jake Ball faced a minimal number of deliveries. It was truly a batting masterclass by one of the finest English batsmen. However, one also needs to praise Rashid for his well-composed 20 of 47 deliveries in the partnership of 81 runs with Buttler.

It was that important ninth-wicket partnership of Rashid and Buttler which brought the hosts back into the game. However, at one stage it appeared that the Aussies would chip in again when Rashid got dismissed. Fortunate enough, Jake Ball survived 10 deliveries as Buttler hit the winning runs. The crowd in Manchester erupted in joy as the impossible had happened – the Aussies had been whitewashed.

Jos Buttler was awarded the player of the match award for his exceptional hundred at Old Trafford. Moreover, after eight years the knock has attained the status of a classic. One of the best ODI innings played on English soil. 

To watch the Highlights of the match, Click Here. 

THE END OF AN ERA

          

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No Indian cricket fan would like to remember the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy. It was a series that literally ended the beautiful era of Indian cricket. Ashwin retired mid-series post the Gabba Test, whereas Rohit and Kohli played their last test games in Melbourne and Sydney, respectively, before announcing retirement in May 2025. It was surely the worst of times.

However, the thing that pained us the most as a cricket fan was the struggle that these two stalwarts of the game were going through in Australia. Virat Kohli scored just 190 runs in 9 innings with an average of a mere 23.75. However, it is pertinent to note that even this 190 includes his 30th and last ton at Perth, wherein he scored 100*. Moreover, apart from his Perth heroics, he managed to score 36 runs in the first innings of the 4th test at Melbourne. This in turn implies that he scored just 54 runs in the remaining 7 innings, which is truly disastrous. In the case of Rohit Sharma, things got even worse than Kohli. Firstly, he missed the first test and was dropped from the final test. Secondly, in the 5 innings that he played in Australia, he scored just 31 runs with an average of 6.20, which is not even expected from a tailender.

However, there are ups and downs in every cricketer's life. Hence, despite the disastrous tour down under, we all were expecting a comeback in the England series. Unfortunately, the same didn't happen, and the two champion cricketers retired silently on Instagram.

The comeback did not happen, but we will always remember the memories that these two gave us over a period of time. One could never forget the historic 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy wherein Virat took charge of the Indian Test side and hammered 692 runs at an average of 86.50. The twin tons at Adelaide, followed by tons in Melbourne and Sydney, are still fresh in the memories. In the case of Rohit Sharma, it was the 2021 England tour, where he played one of his best knocks with a special ton in the Oval.

Today all of this is just memories, which we can no longer see but can simply feel and cherish. But, yes, whenever we would think about them, a smile would surely come up on our faces.