You run into fast bowlers everywhere in Perth. One of them was walking down Plain Street, which is a five-minute walk from the WACA, with a bag of groceries. Mitchell Starc will be a little less chill once the clock hits 10.20am on Friday. This Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been on simmer for a fair while. … Read more
Australian captain Pat Cummins expects the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against arch-foes India to be more “attritional” as the two heavyweights of world cricket spar over five Test matches instead of the traditional four games. And given the enormity of the series, Cummins believes players would not have the time to be distracted by the IPL auction … Read more
India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah on Thursday insisted that his team is not carrying any baggage from the unprecedented 0-3 defeat at home against New Zealand as it embarks on a challenging Test series against fierce rival Australia. The five-match Test series starts here on Friday. “When you win you start from zero but when … Read more
The willow game’s rivalries, marinated in history, angst, stunning performances, and seasoned with perhaps a touch of geopolitics, have always stirred interest in cricket’s ardent devotees. Straight up is the Ashes, pitting the mother country England against a former colony Australia, while both remain tied together with the threads of the erstwhile Commonwealth Empire. Then … Read more
In a country besotted with cricket, it is not uncommon to see the term ‘Indian cricket is at the crossroads’ thrown about frivolously in the media and amongst the frenzied fans. But with a coveted dominance in Tests at home curtailed, courtesy of the Kiwis, and the heat on the Indian team at its zenith … Read more
In a city suffused with warm sunlight and nippy air, and above all, the inimitable tales about fast bowling, Morne Morkel strode into the press-conference hall at the Optus Stadium here on Wednesday. This grand venue may not have the history associated with the nearby WACA Ground which owned the tag of having the world’s … Read more
A shattering defeat to New Zealand on home soil would have caused a “little bit of damage” to India’s confidence but Australia will not make the mistake of underestimating the visitors, said charismatic batter Marnus Labuschagne here on Tuesday. The world No. 2 India is heading into the five-Test Border-Gavaskar series, starting here on Friday, … Read more